developers code with Microsoft

overview

1

fundamentals

2

get tools

3

start coding

What is cloud development? (overview)

Cloud computing refers to computers and applications that run remotely and are accessed over the Internet. In cloud computing, virtual machines run in large data centers and replace physical PCs and servers. By aggregating the computing needs of many users within a single center, economies of scale are achieved that result in significant benefits such as lower power utilization, simpler setup and maintenance, and easier upgrades to capacity and performance. Many applications can run unchanged as you redeploy them from local desktops or servers to the cloud.

1 fundamentals  

Watch this video about the Microsoft cloud offerings, and then prepare your environment by installing the tools you'll use to build your first Azure application.

play video

LEARN THE FUNDAMENTALS OF CLOUD DEVELOPMENT
Video | 7 minutes | Cloud Development | June 2010

Now that you know what the cloud platform is, watch this next video to learn about the tools and technologies for cloud development, including three key building blocks for cloud development based on the Azure platform: Windows Azure, SQL Azure, and Windows Azure platform.

2 get the tools  
watch tutorial  Use the tutorial to learn the steps involved to install the components required for creating and publishing Windows Azure applications.

For help picking the right version of Visual Studio, review the Visual Studio 2010 comparison chart.
For more information about team development, read about Application Lifecycle Management.

3 start coding  

Watch the video or complete the tutorial, and get started coding right away.

play video

DEVELOP A WINDOWS AZURE HELLO WORLD APPLICATION USING ASP.NET MVC3
Tutorial | 20 minutes | Windows Azure | June 2011

This tutorial will guide you through creating and deploying a Hello World sample by using ASP.NET MVC 3 and Windows Azure. In this tutorial you will learn how to create an ASP.NET MVC3 application, build and run it locally, deploy it to Windows Azure, and stop and delete that deployment.

After you follow this tutorial, you're ready to move on.

Next: Create an Application that Lists your Windows Azure Services

play video

DEPLOYING A WINDOWS AZURE SAMPLE APPLICATION
Tutorial | 40 minutes | Windows Azure | June 2010

Windows Azure provides the core computing and storage capabilities for cloud-based applications. This tutorial teaches you how to deploy a simple prepackaged application in Windows Azure, including moving the service created from a staging to a production environment, and scaling the service. It requires no coding or programming skills.

After you follow this tutorial, you're ready to move on.

Next: Deploy Other Application Styles

play video

SQL AZURE: CREATING YOUR FIRST DATABASE
Video | 6 minutes | Windows Azure | June 2010

In this video, you are shown the steps involved to create and provision a simple SQL Azure database.

After you follow this tutorial, you're ready to move on.

Next: Learn More About Storing and Accessing Data with Windows Azure

video

Developer Topics

WIndows Azure Tutorials
Helpful and instructive tutorials on getting started with Windows Azure.

SharePoint in Office 365
Learn about Office 365, including a training kit.

Dynamics CRM Online
Get training and courses on Dynamics CRM.

Hyper-V Cloud
Harness the power of the cloud in your own datacenter using Hyper-V and System Center.

Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V
The Windows Server 2008 R2 hypervisor-based server virtualization technology.

System Center
Cost-effective and agile datacenter services to manage your physical, virtual, and cloud environments in an integrated manner.

Books

Programming Windows Azure: Programming the Microsoft Cloud
Write application code in .NET or other languages such as C/C++, PHP, or Ruby.
Cloud Computing with the Windows Azure Platform
Learn security, privacy, regulatory compliance, and backup and recovery with Windows Azure.
Windows Azure Platform: Articles from the Trenches Volume 1
Twenty articles covering everything from getting started to implementing best practices for elastic cloud applications.
Windows Azure Platform (Expert's Voice in .Net)
Learn to use Windows Azure, Windows Azure AppFabric, and SQL Azure together and separately.
Azure in Action
Explores designing and scaling front-end and back-end services that run in the cloud.
Windows Azure Architecture Guide - Part 1
Demonstrates how you can adapt an existing, on-premises ASP.NET application to one that operates in the cloud.