Windows Azure Learning Path–Start Here
Welcome to the cloud!
We have aggregated a variety of resources into a set of courses structured to hone your cloud computing skills progressively. Each course comprises hands-on labs and videos that focus on Windows Azure, Microsoft’s public cloud.
This post is an index to the learning path that you can follow to learn all about the cloud.
Get a free Windows Azure subscription – You will need a free subscription to complete the learning path.
Get the Bits – Download the tools and SDKs you need to get started
"You in the Cloud" Sweepstakes
Want to win some easy money? We have a sweepstakes, where we are giving away seven $50 gift certificate each week until June 14th. Just enter once, and you are in each drawing until the end.
To enter, you must do all of the following:
- Make sure you have a valid Windows Azure Account. Don't have one? Get your FREE trial here https://www.windowsazure.com/en-us/pricing/free-trial/ or activate your MSDN Subscription benefit that includes Windows Azure access at https://www.microsoft.com/windowsazure/msdn-benefits/.
- Create and deploy a new Windows Azure web application according to the content/technical guidelines listed here on the learning path and deploy to Windows Azure no later than the end date listed above.
- Once your Windows Azure web application is deployed send an email to msnextde@microsoft.com with the URL to your deployed web application.
If you are selected as a winner we will need your Azure subscription ID to verify your Windows Azure subscription. Limit one (1) entry per Windows Azure subscription overall.
Additional Ways to Learn
While we have pulled together an easy path for you to learn, we also wanted to call out some other great learning resources for you.
- Windows Azure Kick Starts - These are a one day, easy, hands-on course. We start from nothing, and help you deploy a simple web app and a SQL database. Nothing could be easier.
- Windows Azure Boot Camps- Great, deep-dive, hands-on two day courses that are free around the world.
- Rock Paper Azure: Build a Rock-Paper-Scissors bot. Enter your bot in the Challenge for your chance to win! The top 3 bots win each week, and the Grand Prize drawing is June 15th. https://bit.ly/pclrpawww
- @home with Windows Azure: You will deploy an application to Windows Azure that directly contributes to Stanford University’s Folding@home effort, a distributed computing project that carries out simulations of protein folding. By simply running a piece of software, you can help scientists learn more about diseases like Alzheimer’s, ALS, Huntington’s, Parkinson’s disease and many cancers through banding together to make one of the largest supercomputers in the world. https://bit.ly/pclathome
- Windows Azure Office Hours - Have a question, and just need to ask someone? This is for you. Open conference call with anyone who wants to join, hosted by Mike Benkovich and other cloud experts. Hop on, ask you question, get what you need, and then roll out. It's that easy.
- Cloud Computing Soup to Nuts - Can't make it to a class or an event? Need to get your learn on late at night once the kids are in bed? We got just the thing. This is a series of one hour video lessons that you can watch at your own pace.