December 22, 2009 at 11:00am – 12:30pm PST
Securing REST-Based Services with Access Control Service
Michele Leroux Bustamante
The Access Control Service (ACS), part of Windows Azure platform AppFabric, makes it easy to secure REST-based services using a simple set of standard protocols. In addition to enabling secure calls to REST-based services from any client, the ACS uniquely makes it possible to secure calls from client-side script, and enables federation scenarios with REST-based services. This webcast will provide a tour of ACS features and demonstrate scenarios where the ACS can be employed to secure REST-based WCF services and other web resources. You’ll learn how to configure ACS, learn how to request a token from the ACS, and learn how applications and services can authorize access based on the ACS token.

Link to Register:  http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032435379&Culture=en-US

For session recordings and content from the December 2009 series, please visit http://blogs.msdn.com/sac/pages/cafe-2009-12.aspx.

For information on other events part of the Architect Cafe series, please visit http://blogs.msdn.com/sac/pages/architect-cafe.aspx.

Cross-posted from my blog at http://blogs.msdn.com/dachou

Can’t make it to Los Angeles for The Underground @ PDC? You will miss hanging out with the Lakers Girls, 500+ techies, drinks, etc.; but you can still be a part of the action!

The Underground will live stream these special presentations so no matter where you are, you can to hear from Microsoft and tech community leaders announcing Microsoft’s Technology roadmap and newly released developer strategies. Tune in and don’t miss our special keynote from Scott Guthrie!

Wednesday, November 18 at 7:00 PM

LIVE at www.undergroundatpdc.com

Twitter: @undergroundpdc

Cross-posted from my blog at http://blogs.msdn.com/dachou

Yes, it’s really Dolly Parton, one of the most honored country performers of all time! In conjunction with the international release of her new CD/DVD set, Live From London, Dolly has added a Silverlight-based IE8 web slice to her web site, www.dollypartonmusic.net. Dolly has even created a video about IE8 web slices.

Dolly’s web slice provides access to these content:

• Video Diary – see Dolly’s latest thoughts on video, with the beauty of Silverlight
• News – see the latest news, fan club announcements, and Dollyisms (like "It costs a lot of money to look this cheap”)
• Buy Now – view the latest deal from Dolly’s online store, Trinkets & Treasures

This is a great example of leveraging Web-oriented technologies to improve connections with visitors. IE8 Web Slices represent one way to add sticky content for users even when they’re not viewing the website directly. And based on our observations, these out-of-browser content channels can significantly improve user retention and return visits to the websites.

In addition, IE8 Web Slices are actually pretty simple to create; all based on existing technologies, such as RSS, HTML, XML, etc. Real briefly -

Implementation:

• Enabled by adding HTML annotations
• Use a combination of hAtom Microformat and WebSlice format
• Refresh interval configurable via “ttl” (Time-to-Live) property
• Supports page-level and individual feed integration
• Supports HTTP authentication and persistent cookies

Sample HTML Annotations:

<div class="hslice" id="1">
<p class="entry-title">Item - $66.00</p>
<div class="entry-content">high bidder: buyer1
…
</div>
</div>


To find out more, visit:

• Features – http://www.microsoft.com/windows/internet-explorer/features/easier.aspx
• Documentation – http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc956158(VS.85).aspx 
• Gallery – http://www.ieaddons.com/en/webslices/
• eBay’s IE8 extensions (including Web Slices) – http://ie8.ebay.com/

Cross-posted from my blog at http://blogs.msdn.com/dachou

The Underground @ PDC 2009
CONGA ROOM | L.A. LIVE
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2009 | 7:00PM to 1:00AM

See the future of Developer Technology at The Underground @ PDC 2009, sponsored by INETA, Microsoft and local Southern California partners.

The Underground will showcase the vision and roadmap of Microsoft’s Developer Platform and highlight newly released technical strategy & announcements direct from The Professional Developers Conference by Microsoft leaders and local community luminaries. Located at the world famous Conga Room in the new downtown Los Angeles’ entertainment district – L.A. LIVE, come to one of the hottest salsa destinations and experience the hip, exciting, authentic Latin Sabor!

Don’t miss:

• Feature Keynote, Scott Guthrie, Corporate Vice President, .NET Developer Platform
• Newly released PDC 2009 announcements & technology roadmap
• Network with hundreds of local developers, architects, designers & community
• Signature savory pan Latin cusine & cocktails provided by the legendary Wolfgang Puck Catering
• Chance to win prizes including: Windows Mobile Devices, XBOX System, Zune HDs & More

To register, visit http://undergroundatpdc.com/eventReg.aspx and use RSVP code: “wcqjrw”. Hope to see you there!

Cross-posted from my blog at http://blogs.msdn.com/dachou

The forecast for 2010 is looking very cloudy, with every technology company delivering some type of cloud offering, and analysts estimating that almost everyone will try some form of cloud computing. But from a practical stand point, how should organizations leverage cloud computing effectively? Is it to simply host existing and legacy assets somewhere else, or to create next-generation applications that enable differentiated capabilities? In addition, what role does SOA play in the age of cloud computing? And does this impact the way we manage and interact with data?

Facilitated by Microsoft, the premise of this half-day event is to provide an open forum where architects can meet to discuss technologies and insights with peers. This forum will provide first-hand experiences and best practices intended to help the community to collectively discover and generate knowledge. Please join us for this opportunity to learn, share and network with your peers and other thought leaders.

Event Summary

• Provide a clear and profound understanding of Microsoft’s cloud strategy and roadmap, and latest updates on the Windows Azure Platform
• Discuss the state of SOA, and its relevance in the age of cloud computing
• Review case studies and models of cloud usage, and examine approaches to build next-generation capabilities leveraging the cloud
• Explore trade-offs, best practices, and guidance on today’s myriad of data storage options
• Explain the differences and patterns of using various data interaction frameworks

Who Should Attend

Technology and business stakeholders, including CTOs, CIOs, VPs, Directors, Program and Product Managers, Architects, Lead Engineers, and IT Managers

When & Where

12/01/09: Irvine, CA

12/02/09: Los Angeles, CA

12/03/09: Phoenix, AZ

12/08/09: Mountain View, CA

12/09/09: San Francisco, CA

12/10/09: Seattle, WA

12/15/09: Denver, CO

How to Attend

This is a FREE event; only an online registration is required. Please follow the links on the event page at http://blogs.msdn.com/sac/pages/council-2009q4.aspx

Agenda

12:45PM: Introduction and Announcements

01:00PM: Windows Azure Platform – Overview of the Microsoft Cloud

01:30PM: SOA and Cloud Computing

02:00PM: Architecting Solutions Leveraging the Cloud

02:30PM: Making Sense of the Expanding Range of Data Storage Solutions

03:15PM: Best Practices with Data Interaction Frameworks

04:00PM: Groupthink

Hosts

David Chou
Architect, Microsoft
http://blogs.msdn.com/dachou
David Chou is a technical architect at Microsoft, focused on collaborating with enterprises and organizations in areas such as cloud computing, SOA, Web, distributed systems, security, etc., and supporting decision makers on defining evolutionary strategies in architecture. Drawing on experiences from his previous jobs at Sun Microsystems and Accenture, David enjoys helping customers create value from using objective and pragmatic approaches to define IT strategies, roadmaps, and solution architectures.

Joe Shirey
Architect, Microsoft
http://www.joeshirey.com
Joe Shirey is a Senior Architect Evangelist for Microsoft based in the Denver area. In this role, Joe works closely with customers and the community to help them understand where Microsoft technologies fit into the architecture of their solutions. Prior to joining Microsoft, Joe was a Vice President at Interlink group where he was responsible for service and delivery for Interlink’s Denver market. In the past, Joe was a Microsoft Regional Director, a member of the Microsoft Architect Advisory Board, and sat on the .NET Partner Advisory Council. Joe has more than eighteen years of hands-on technical and functional experience in project management, systems analysis, design, development, and implementation. Joe attained his Microsoft Certified Architect award in 2005.

Cross-posted from my blog at http://blogs.msdn.com/dachou

November 24, 2009 at 11:00am – 12:30pm PST
An Architect’s perspective on Silverlight 3
Tim Heuer
Many .NET developers are becoming more and more interested in the Rich Internet Application development space, and in particular Silverlight.  In this session we will step back from a detailed implementation technology and take a higher level look at Silverlight from the architect’s perspective.  We will discuss the types of applications where Silverlight makes sense and some scenarios where Silverlight may not be the appropriate technology.  We will also delve into some of the architectural decisions that the architect must consider when writing applications for this platform and where some of the tradeoffs may lie.

Link to Register:  http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032432980&Culture=en-US

November 25, 2009, 11:00am – 12:30pm PST
Cloud-computing architecture – designing multi-tenant applications on Windows Azure
Joseph Hofstader
Cloud computing is one of the hottest topics in information technology today.  With all the confusion surrounding acronyms ending in ‘aas’ like Platform as a Service (PaaS), Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) and Software as a Service (SaaS) it can be intimidating for even seasoned IT professionals.  This presentation will briefly discuss the different types of cloud platforms and then address one of the key business scenarios for the cloud: Software as a Service.
Software as a Service is a business model for making applications available over the Internet.  One of the key tenets of SaaS is multi-tenancy, or software designed to be used by multiple parties.  Designing SaaS applications touches on many of the technologies that comprise the Azure platform: Processing, Storage, Workflow, Database and most importantly security.   This presentation will discuss how each of technologies can be utilized to define a flexible architecture for multi-tenant solutions.

Link to Register: http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032432981&Culture=en-US

For session recordings and content from the November 2009 series, please visit http://blogs.msdn.com/sac/pages/cafe-2009-11.aspx.

For information on other events part of the Architect Cafe series, please visit http://blogs.msdn.com/sac/pages/architect-cafe.aspx.

Cross-posted from my blog at http://blogs.msdn.com/dachou

I had the opportunity to speak at the CloudCamp Los Angeles event last week. It had a turnout of more than 200 people (223 registered attendees on eventbrite). We also had nice support from the local Microsoft team, including Daniel Egan, Woody Pewitt, Lynn Langit, and Jason Campbell. Many of our friends also turned up, such as David Pullman from Neudesic.

Similar to the CloudCamp Las Vegas event I also spoke at, the attendees brought many different perspectives and questions about cloud computing. Questions ranged from “what is cloud computing”, “what does cloud computing mean in business terms”, to really specific questions such as security, management, and how to design applications that can achieve both scale and availability (while not sacrificing much data consistency).

I did one of the 5-minute lightning talks at the start of the CloudCamp unconference. The deck I used is shown below.

Microsoft Cloud Lightning Talk at CloudCamp Los Angeles –

Lastly, just want to take the opportunity to list available learning resources, which also shows how anyone can deploy an application and provision a website in Windows Azure Platform in a matter of minutes.

• GET a free Windows Azure CTP account in minutes
• Log in using a Live ID, look for the “Product Keys” link
• Sign in at Azure.com, go to “Accounts” and claim this key
• JOIN the Azure Community
• Talk Azure with your local user group colleagues
• LEARN more about Azure
• Download the Azure Training Kit
• View a 15 minute screencast on deploying your first app in Azure
• Check out the Azure “How do I…” Videos
• View Azure Webcasts
• Sample Projects; search for “Azure”
• Code Samples & Snippets; search for Azure
• What is Software-plus-Services

Cross-posted from my blog at http://blogs.msdn.com/dachou

Each month through June 2010 (usually during the last week of each month), we’ll bring you a 90-minute Architect focused Webcast to educate on the latest trends/topics and how new technologies can align with your business needs.

Each webcast is also recorded, with content available for download. You can find all of the webcasts listed at http://blogs.msdn.com/sac/pages/architect-cafe.aspx.

Cross-posted from my blog at http://blogs.msdn.com/dachou

The FREE Silverlight 3 Firestarter sessions in Redmond, WA and available as online webcasts on Thursday September 17th has a line-up of Microsoft speakers, including a keynote from Scott Guthrie and presentations from Tim Heuer, Brad Abrams, Karl Shifflett and other community leaders. You’ll learn what’s new and noteworthy in the latest releases of Silverlight and Expression 3. We’ll also give you a rundown on .NET RIA services, toolkit, and more.

LIVE EVENT (Redmond, WA) | REGISTER >>
LIVE WEBCAST | REGISTER >>

For more information or to register, visit:www.msdnevents.com/firestarter
OR CALL 1-877-MSEVENT

Cross-posted from my blog at http://blogs.msdn.com/dachou

Adverse times are also best times for innovation! Choosing the right battles to fight, and reinventing ourselves with less resources are par for the course today.  However, not all innovation needs to be revolutionary or transformative. In fact, in the current economic crisis, opportunities for innovation can be found in aspects of our core competencies, and implemented as incremental and iterative changes.

For this series of Architect Council LIVE WEBCASTS on August 24 and 25, 2009, we will discuss two of the many ways architects can innovate by recognizing the impact to architects, and learning how to effectively leverage cloud computing beyond just another place to host existing assets.

Role of the Architect in Turbulent Times – August 24, 2009
Miha Kralj – Architect, Microsoft

A Closer Look at an Internet Service Bus – August 25, 2009
Clemens Vasters – Principal Technical Lead .NET Services, Microsoft

For more details and registration, please visit http://blogs.msdn.com/sac/pages/council-2009-08.aspx

Cross-posted from my blog at http://blogs.msdn.com/dachou