Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Introducing The Windows Azure Handbook

I’m excited to introduce my Windows Azure book series, The Windows Azure Handbook. The first volume is available now through Amazon.com and other channels.

Each volume of the series covers a different lifecycle stage and is intended for a different audience:

Volume 1: Planning & Strategy is for business and technical decision makers
Volume 2: Architecture is for architects
Volume 3: Development is for developers
Volume 4: Management is for IT Workers

Volume 1, the yellow book, focuses on planning and strategy and is intended primarily for business and technical decision makers. With the information in this book you'll be equipped to responsibly evaluate Windows Azure, make a business case for it, determine technical suitability for your applications, plan for adoption, and formulate a cloud computing strategy.

Volume 2, the green book, covers architecture and includes design patterns for compute, storage, relational data, networking, communication, security, and applications. (Spring 2011)

Volume 3, the blue book, covers development and includes these topics: programming with Windows Azure compute, storage, database, communication, networking, and security services. (Summer 2011)

Volume 4, the purple book, covers management and includes these topics: operations monitoring, application management, scaling, and billing management. (Fall 2011)

What make the Windows Azure Handbook unique? To quote from the Introduction:

“Most books on cloud computing seem to be either business-focused and general or deeply technical and platform-specific. In my view, either level of focus is myopic: I’m a firm believer that when technology is applied both the business context and the technical context need to be jointly considered and in alignment. I also find the full lifecycle of cloud computing (planning, design, development, management) is rarely addressed in a single work. I see therefore a need and opportunity for a book series that tells the full story about cloud computing with Windows Azure.

“I believe I’m in a unique position to tell that story well. As a Microsoft MVP I’m kept well-informed about where the platform is and where it is going and I’m exposed to industry thought leaders. As general manager of a consulting practice I and my colleagues are helping customers adopt cloud computing in the real world and are in tune with the best practices. My involvement in business activities such as cloud computing assessments has given me insight into the benefits, risks, and trade-offs companies must consider in evaluating and adopting cloud computing. My regular involvement in solution architecture and development allows me to speak about both from a position of hands-on experience. The big picture is a compelling one, and you’ll get a good sense of it from these books.”

You can find out more about The Windows Azure Handbook series on its book site at http://azurehandbook.com/.

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