Agenda:

• News
• Training & Events
• ExpressRoute with guest Nick Ward
• Partner Opportunity
• Q&A

Slides are below. The team can be contacted on azureau@microsoft.com

The post Azure Community Call: 20 January 2015 appeared first on christianlongstaff.com.

Sessions and Resources from TechEd Barcelona to share with your technical and presales teams:

• IaaS GENERAL
  • Introduction to Microsoft Azure Infrastructure-as-a-Service
    Speakers: George Moore, Corey Sanders
    Date: October 28, 2014 from 3:15PM to 4:30PM
  • What’s New in Microsoft Azure IaaS and Roadmap
    Speakers: Christine Avanessians, Guy Bowerman
    Date: October 29, 2014 from 12:00PM to 1:15PM
  • Running Linux in Microsoft Azure
    Speakers: Jason Anderson, Gebi Liang
    Date: October 30, 2014 from 3:15PM to 4:30PM
  • Big Compute in the Cloud with High Performance Computing on Azure
    Speakers: Mark Scurrell, Alex Sutton
    Date: October 30, 2014 from 12:00PM to 1:15PM
  • Microsoft Azure Security and Compliance Overview
    Speakers: Sarah Fender, Mark Perry
    Date: October 30, 2014 from 12:00PM to 1:15PM
  • Microsoft Azure Site Recovery: Leveraging Azure as Your Disaster Recovery Site
    Speakers: Manoj Jain, Kristian Nese
    Date: October 30, 2014 from 5:00PM to 6:15PM
  • Big App Workloads on Microsoft Azure: Oracle and SAP
    Speakers: Madhan Arumugam Ramakrishnan, Brian Benz
    Date: October 28, 2014 from 5:00PM to 6:15PM
  • Microsoft Azure for Enterprises: What and Why
    Speakers: David Chappell
    Date: October 28, 2014 from 1:30PM to 2:45PM
  • Introduction to NoSQL on Azure
    Speakers: David Chappell
    Date: October 29, 2014 from 3:15PM to 4:30PM
• IaaS STORAGE
  • Microsoft Azure Storage Overview
    Speakers: Jason Hogg, Vinay Shah
    Date: October 29, 2014 from 3:15PM to 4:30PM
    
• IaaS NETWORKING
  • Introduction to Microsoft Azure Networking Technologies and What’s New
    Speakers: Yousef Khalidi, Jason Poole, Yu-Shun Wang
    Date: October 29, 2014 from 8:30AM to 9:45AM
  • Extending Your Network to Microsoft Azure Using ExpressRoute
    Speakers: Richard Cammish, Brian Lappin, Jon Ormond, Ross Ortega, Ganesh Srinivasan
    Date: October 30, 2014 from 10:15AM to 11:30AM
  • Designing Hybrid Scenarios with Microsoft Azure
    Speakers: Narayan Annamalai, Ganesh Srinivasan
    Date: October 30, 2014 from 8:30AM to 9:45AM
• IDENTITY, AUTHENTICATION
  • Cloud Identity: Microsoft Azure Active Directory Explained
    Speakers: Nasos Kladakis
    Date: October 29, 2014 from 3:15PM to 4:30PM
  • Microsoft Azure Multi-Factor Authentication Deep Dive: Securing Access on Premises and in the Cloud
    Speakers: Shawn Bishop, Nasos Kladakis
    Date: October 31, 2014 from 2:45PM to 4:00PM
  • Role-Based Access Control for Microsoft Azure Resources
    Speakers: Dushyant Gill
    Date: October 29, 2014 from 12:00PM to 1:15PM
• MISCELLANEOUS IaaS SESSIONS AND TOPIC
  • Mark Russinovich and Mark Minasi on Cloud Computing
    Speakers: Mark Minasi, Mark Russinovich
    Date: October 31, 2014 from 10:15AM to 11:30AM
  • Lessons from Scale with Mark Russinovich
    Speakers: Mark Russinovich
    Date: October 30, 2014 from 3:15PM to 4:30PM
  • Microsoft Azure Marketplace: Sell and Monetize Your Apps and Services on Microsoft Azure
    Speakers: Asim Mitra, Bryon Surace, Kyle Wilson
    Date: October 30, 2014 from 12:00PM to 1:15PM
  • Microsoft Azure and Its Competitors: The Big Picture
    Speakers: David Chappell
    Date: October 29, 2014 from 10:15AM to 11:30AM
  • Azure IaaS (and More) Update
    Speakers: Rick Claus, Corey Sanders
    Date: October 28, 2014 from 12:30PM to 1:15PM
  • TechEd Keynote and Opening
    Speakers: Joe Belfiore, Jason Zander
    Date: October 28, 2014 from 8:30AM to 10:30AM
• TechEd Blogs
  • Exciting updates to Microsoft Azure at TechEd Europe, enabling simplicity, scale and innovation
  • Azure’s getting bigger, faster and more open
  • Microsoft Antimalware for Azure Cloud Services and Virtual Machines
  • New Networking features and partnerships for Enterprise scenarios
  • Multiple VM NICs and Network Virtual Appliances in Azure
  • Azure Load Balancer new distribution mode
  • New: Azure Traffic Manager Nested Profiles
  • Announcing the Azure Marketplace
  • SAP Software support on Azure: Now on bigger VM sizes
  • A great week at TechEd with Docker
  • TechEd Europe: Windows Docker Client Demo Highlights Linux Containers on Azure

The post TechEd Barcelona 2014 Azure Resources appeared first on christianlongstaff.com.

The MSDN licensing program simplifies the challenge of giving technical employees access to the Microsoft tools and software that they need to be successful. Invite your customers to attend an info session in Brisbane, Sydney or Melbourne to learn how MSDN can provide a simple, cost effective license model that will increase their efficiency and productivity.

• Brisbane
  • 9.30-11am
  • 17 March 2014
  • Level 28, 400 George St, Brisbane Queensland 4000
  • Register >
• Sydney
  • 18 March 2014
  • Cliftons, Level 13, 60 Margaret St, Sydney New South Wales 2000
  • Register >
• Melbourne
  • 9.30-11am
  • 21 March 2014
  • Exhibition Room, Level 5, 4 Freshwater Place, Southbank Victoria 3006
  • Register >

The post MSDN Licensing Made Easy Events appeared first on christianlongstaff.com.

This course will break down these resources into 12 bite size chunks. I will send an email out every Monday (with an unsubscribe link in each if it becomes too much) as well as a invitation to a webinar on the Thursday to delve deeper into the content.

Would love to hear your stories about your success, or if you have a great cloud customer story. Otherwise any feedback on what you think about the course would be great.

Sign up at www.microsoft.com/australia/cloudchampion.

The post Become an undisputed Cloud Champion appeared first on christianlongstaff.com.

Many companies that have historically bought packaged software solutions are evaluating software as a service (SaaS) and cloud-backed software solutions to replace their legacy software.

This new cloud market presents tremendous opportunity for established software vendors. But capturing that opportunity brings not just technical changes, but fundamental shifts to your company’s business model.

Join this event to learn how your peers in the industry have leveraged the benefits of the cloud to build a successful business. You’ll hear from owners and leaders of successful software businesses about best practices and lessons learned, and gain insight about the cloud opportunity for a software business. This event is focused on business strategy, and is not a technical learning event.

• When? Tuesday, 25 March 2014
• Where? Sofitel Melbourne at Collins, 25 Collins Street, Melbourne Vic 3000
• Agenda:
  8:00 am – Breakfast and Registration
  Cloud Business and Cost Models
  Compliance, Security and Trust
  Extending Your Reach with SharePoint and Office
  The Cloud OS Opportunity
  How ISVs Succeed: Local Stories
  5:00 pm – Networking Reception

Click here for more information and to reserve your seat today.

The post Business Strategy Melbourne ISV Event appeared first on christianlongstaff.com.

Download the pdf for links.

The post Australia Cloud Training appeared first on christianlongstaff.com.

• Keep up to date with Office news: www.aka.ms/officeau
• Download the presentations slides
  • PowerPoint
  • PDF
• IDC Partner Profitability Study from the Worldwide Partner Conference 2013
  • IDC Study (PDF)
  • IDC Infographic (PDF)
  • IDC Q&A (PDF)
  • ​Microsoft Cloud Partner Case Studies (PDF)
• Training (download the training calendar for Nov 2013-Jul 2014)
  • Business Transformation Webinar Series: www.aka.ms/bmtseries
  • Office 365
    • Sales/Presales: http://bit.ly/1crU87x
    • Technical: http://bit.ly/1agKa5u
    • Get Certified: http://bit.ly/16R3XrZ
  • Windows Azure
    • Developer: http://bit.ly/1aKgvUO
    • Get Certified: http://bit.ly/16R3XrZ
    • IT Professional to be announced shortly

The post Partner Summit 2013 Cloud Resources appeared first on christianlongstaff.com.

Microsoft Australia recently announced Office 365 Open Licensing will be launched in the first half of 2014.  This is exciting news for our partner community due to the additional licensing options becoming available. It also solves the much discussed limitation of Office 365 in a Remote Desktop or Terminal Services deployment.  In this post, the team would like provide some guidance on how this solution will work from a licensing perspective.

It is important to understand that the Product Use Rights (PUR) is only for customers as part of their Volume License Agreement (such as EA, Select or Open). It is not available for the Syndication license type via Telstra.

Updated 09/2013: Additional offerings in Office 365 Open (INSTALLATION AND USE RIGHTS – Product Use Rights (January 2013) – see note under Additional Terms, page 82):
1. Each user to whom you assign a User SL may activate the software for local or remote use on up to five concurrent OSEs.
2. The Licensed User may also use the software activated by another user under a different User SL.
3. Each user may also use one of the five activations on a network server with the Remote Desktop Services (RDS) role enabled.
4. You may allow other users to remotely access the software solely to provide support services.

How it works:

• A Volume Activation Office package is required to install on a Windows Server 2008 R2 or newer server with the Remote Desktop Services (RDS) role enabled.
• All Office 365 ProPlus packages use retail activation and because of that, they do not install on a server with the RDS role enabled or function if installed first on the server then the RDS role is enabled after the Office install. 
• Office setup will detect the RDS role at install time and the apps will also detect the RDS role when launched post installation.
• You must have a volume licensing agreement in order to install Office Pro Plus 2013 in the Remote Desktop Services (RDS) mode.

Please note:

• This one license has to be part of the 5 minimum licenses in order to start a volume licensing agreement.  You will need RDS CALs  for each user, so attach a copy of Office Pro Plus 2013 to your order for the RDS CALs and Office 365.
• Installing Office 365 ProPlus on a virtual machine (client or server without an RDS role enabled) is now permitted according to the updated PUR.
• The virtual machine – as with a physical machine install – would be allocated to a primary user, meet Office 365 ProPlus system requirements and be able to connect to the Internet-based Office Licensing Service at least once every 30 days. In other words, we do not distinguish between a physical and virtual machine, as long as all requirements are met.

For Office 365 ProPlus standalone, Office 365 Midsize, and E3/E4,* users may use one of their 5 allocated installations via RDS with the Volume License edition of Office Professional Plus 2013. The organization will still need to procure 1 copy, appropriate key and necessary RDS licenses via Volume Licensing.  The exception only grants the use rights of Office Professional Plus 2013 via RDS to users with an Office 365 ProPlus license.

These are updates from the licensing terms prior to January 2013 for Office Professional Plus in Office 365, which did not allow for any form of virtualization to be used with Office desktop apps.

One key point is that it requires Office 365 ProPlus, which is available as a stand alone, or through some of the service offerings such as Office 365 Midsize, as well as, the E3 and E4 plans.  Please note that the Office 365 Small Business Premium offering is not eligible.  

Additional Information:

For more information, please read:

• http://community.office365.com/en-us/forums/156/t/121307.aspx?PageIndex=2
• http://download.microsoft.com/download/3/D/4/3D42BDC2-6725-4B29-B75A-A5B04179958B/Licensing_Microsoft_Office_Professional_Plus_for_Office_365.pdf

—

Since the launch of Office 365, we have received a number of questions around the licensing applicable when using Office 365 in a Remote Desktop environment.  Please allow us to clarify the licensing construct.

With this update of Office 365, Microsoft has addressed the need for customers to run Office 365 ProPlus in virtualized environments using a combination of technical improvements and licensing terms. Functionally, Office 365 ProPlus supports dedicated Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) environments, but does not work in other configurations including Remote Desktop Service (RDS) and Windows To Go scenarios.

For virtualization situations where Office 365 ProPlus does not work, Microsoft has created a licensing-based workaround that allows customers with an Enterprise Agreement to install Office Professional Plus under the terms and conditions of the Office 365 ProPlus license Product Use Rights (PUR).  This work-around, unfortunately, does not apply to Office 365 procured via syndication, as described within the Reseller User Rights (RUR).

The current user rights allow for the following:

We have heard the feedback around the need for an Office 365 RDS solution for all our customers and even though we are not able to resolve this within our current systems and licensing constraints, we will advise if there is a change to the RUR sometime in the future.

Please see the appropriate solutions as recommended by Microsoft in the case of a Remote Desktop requirement:

A.         Customer requires Remote Desktop and has 250+ seats.  Microsoft recommend that the customer consider signing an Enterprise Agreement with Microsoft, which will support the Volume Licensing work-around that is currently in place.  Please note that the M-SKU is not available on an Enterprise Agreement and will only allow for the E-SKU. 

B.         Customer requires Remote Desktop and has less than 250 seats.  Microsoft recommends that the customer purchase Office 365 E1/E2 SKU from Telstra and then purchase the required number of Office Pro licenses through your Volume License provider, as long as it is over 5 seats.

Both these options are available via Microsoft’s partner network.

The post Using Office 365 in a Remote Desktop Environment appeared first on christianlongstaff.com.

This is a two day “no cost” Windows Azure Instructor led Workshop where you roll up your sleeves and get hands-on with the latest Windows Azure services, development tools and technologies. Day One is an Introduction and Day Two is Advanced. Please read the agenda for each camp to determine what suits your skills and needs best.

Pre-requisites: please bring your own laptop with you and sign up for a Windows Azure trial. That way, during the workshop, you’ll be able to try out the newest features of Windows Azure for yourself.

• Day One: Introduction to Windows Azure
• Meet the new Windows Azure
• Web Applications on Windows Azure
• Cloud-Ready Data Services
• Windows Azure Virtual Machines and Virtual Networks
• Day Two: Advanced Course on Windows Azure
• Windows Azure and Mobile Applications
• Windows Azure and Identity in the Cloud
• Windows Azure, Messaging and Integration
• Windows Azure and Big Data

The post Windows Azure Developer Camps 2013 appeared first on christianlongstaff.com.

Sarah will shortly announcing Intensive Exam Preparation sessions designed to help you pass exams with flying colours, beginning in early December 2013. Find out more.

Server and Tools:
Register now >

• Day 1 – Monday 4 November (2pm)
  Exam 70-247: Configuring and Deploying a Private Cloud with System Center 2012
• Day 2 – Tuesday 5 November (12pm)
  Exam 70-462: Administering Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Databases
• Day 3 – Wednesday 6 November (12pm)
  Exam 70-410: Installing and Configuring Windows Server 2012
• Day 4 – Thursday 7 November (12pm)
  Exam 70-688: Managing and Maintaining Windows 8
• Day 5 – Friday 8 November (12pm)
  Exam 70-487: Developing Windows Azure and Web Services

Register now for the Server and Tools sessions >

Business Productivity:
Register now >

• Day 1 – Monday 4 November (12pm)
  Exam 70-331: Core Solutions of Microsoft SharePoint Server 2013
• Day 2 – Tuesday 5 November (2pm)
  Exam 70-337: Enterprise Voice & Online Services with Microsoft Lync Server 2013
• Day 3 – Wednesday 6 November (2pm)
  Exam 70-341: Core Solutions of Microsoft Exchange Server 2013
• Day 4 – Thursday 7 November (2pm)
  Exam 74-325: Administering Office 365 for Small Business
• Day 5 – Friday 8 November (2pm)
  Exam 70-321: Deploying Office 365

Register now for the Business Productivity sessions >

The post Ready Cert Go appeared first on christianlongstaff.com.