Windows Azure is Microsoft's next-generation cloud-computing operating system and is designed to provide companies with new business opportunities as they migrate toward hosted services. Introducing Microsoft Azure provides all the information developers need to get started with this technology and apply it across a range of situations. Presented in a clear, concise manner, this book provides a carefully measured learning curve for surmounting the architectural and coding challenges that need to be faced when building a well-balanced Windows Azure service.

We’re thrilled to share another free ebook with you: Introducing Microsoft Azure HDInsight, by Avkash Chauhan, Valentine Fontama, Michele Hart, Wee Hyong Tok, and Buck Woody. Here are the download links: Download the PDF (6.37 MB; 130 pages) from http://aka.ms/IntroHDInsight/PDF Download the EPUB (8.46 MB) from http://aka.ms/IntroHDInsight/EPUB Download the MOBI (12.8 MB) from http://aka.ms/IntroHDInsight/MOBI Download the code samples (6.83 KB) from http://aka.ms/IntroHDInsight/CompContent Get a head start evaluating Windows Azure - with technical insights from a Microsoft MVP Mitch Tulloch. This guide introduces the latest features and capabilities, with scenario-based advice on how the platform can meet the needs of your business. Get the high-level overview you need to begin preparing your deployment now. Topics include: Understanding Windows Azure Windows Azure Compute Services Windows Azure Network Services Windows Azure Data Services Windows Azure App Services Getting Started with Windows Azure

NOTE: This title is also available as a free eBook. It is offered for sale in print format as a convenience. Get a head start evaluating System Center 2012 R2 - with technical insights from a Microsoft MVP and members of the System Center product team. This guide introduces new features and capabilities, with scenario-based advice on how the platform can meet the needs of your business. Get the high-level overview you need to begin preparing your deployment now. Preview new features and enhancements, including: Virtual Machine Manager App Controller Configuration Manager Data Protection Manager Operations Manager Advisor Service Manager Orchestrator

Over 80 advanced recipes for developing scalable services with the Windows Azure platform.

NOTE: This title is also available as a free eBook on the Microsoft Download Center. It is offered for sale in print format as a convenience. Get a head start evaluating SQL Server 2014 - guided by two experts who have worked with the technology from the earliest beta. Based on Community Technology Preview 2 (CTP2) software, this guide introduces new features and capabilities, with practical insights on how SQL Server 2014 can meet the needs of your business. Get the early, high-level overview you need to begin preparing your deployment now. Coverage includes: SQL Server 2014 Editions and engine enhancements Mission-critical performance enhancements Hybrid cloud enhancements Self-service Business Intelligence enhancements in Microsoft Excel Enterprise information management enhancements Big Data solutions

Windows Server 2016 is a server operating system developed by Microsoft, designed as a successor to Windows Server 2012. It was released to the public on September 26, 2016. The operating system is packed with new and improved features, including enhanced security, hyper-converged infrastructure, cloud integration, and virtualization improvements. Windows Server 2016 supports hybrid cloud environments, allowing users to run applications on-premises or in the cloud. This allows for efficient and secure workload mobility, as well as improved data protection and disaster recovery. Additionally, the operating system includes new features such as Shielded Virtual Machines, which add an extra layer of security by encrypting virtual machines, and Remote Desktop Services that make it easier to manage and deliver applications to remote desktop users. With these new features, Windows Server 2016 aims to provide a comprehensive, easy-to-use solution for enterprise-level computing. Overall, Windows Server 2016 is an improved and more secure version of Windows Server 2012. It was designed with greater focus on cloud technologies, and hence, it offers features such as the Azure cloud connector and the ability to create a hybrid cloud configuration. Windows Server 2016 is a highly capable operating system that adds a layer of security and flexibility to enterprise computing, thus making it easier for users to set up and manage their own servers and workloads.

If you need to deploy, manage, or secure Microsoft SQL Server 2012, this is the complete, fast-paced, task-based reference you’ve been searching for. Authored by a worldclass expert on running SQL Server in the enterprise, this book goes far beyond the basics, taking on the complex tasks that DBAs need to make the most of Microsoft’s first cloud-enabled database platform. Designed for maximum practical usability, it’s packed with expert tips and up-to-date real-world configuration guidance you simply won’t find anywhere else. As someone who helped influence the design of SQL Server 2012 and drawing on many months of beta testing, Ross Mistry provides immediately usable solutions for installation and upgrades, management and monitoring, performance and availability, security, consolidation, virtualization, troubleshooting, and more. Mistry identifies new features and corresponding best practices in every chapter, helping you take full advantage of new SQL Server innovations ranging from private cloud support to AlwaysOn Availability Groups. Understand how to: Efficiently install or upgrade the SQL Server 2012 database engine Administer and configure database engine settings, storage, I/O, and partitioning Transfer data on-premise or to the cloud Manage and optimize indexes Learn how to consolidate, virtualize and optimize SQL Server for Private Clouds Harden and audit SQL Server 2012 environments Administer security and authorization, including new Contained Databases Encrypt data and communications Design and deploy new AlwaysOn high-availability and disaster recovery features Implement maintenance best practices, including Policy-Based Management

Beginning SharePoint 2013 Development eBook and SharePoint-videos.com Bundle

Thorough coverage of development in SharePoint 2013 A team of well-known Microsoft MVPs joins forces in this fully updated resource, providing you with in-depth coverage of development tools in the latest iteration of the immensely popular SharePoint. From building solutions to building custom workflow and content management applications, this book shares field-tested best practices on all aspect of SharePoint 2013 development. Offers a thorough look at Windows Azure and SharePoint 2013 Includes new chapters on Application Life Cycle Management, developing apps in SharePoint, and building PerformancePoint Dashboards in SharePoint Professional SharePoint 2013 Development is an essential SharePoint developer title.

Get the focused, pragmatic guidance you need to build professional cloud applications using Windows Azure Storage. This is one of the few books centered around Storage capabilities, and the author provides essential, expert coverage of the four key services - BLOB, tables, queues, and drives. Developers will gain hands-on insights, including detailed sections on business use cases and guidance for choosing the right storage option for the job. Provides architectural and programming guidance to professional developers and architects proficient with Microsoft Visual Studio, C#, and LINQ Illuminates when and how to use BLOB storage, table storage, queues, and Windows Azure Drive to build, host, and scale applications in Microsoft-managed datacenters Presents business-case context for choosing the right service for your scenario, e.g. readers will compare relational tables to Windows Azure tables to understand benefits and tradeoffs