Now on Kindle: The Windows Azure Handbook, Volume 1: Planning & Strategy

Last week my book, The Windows Azure Handbook, Volume 1: Planning & Strategy, became available (a 300-page print book). This book is now also available as an e-book on Amazon Kindle.

Kindle e-books can be read not only on the Kindle book reader device but also on many PC, phone, and tablet devices - including Windows PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone, Android, BlackBerry, and Windows Phone 7.

Book Release: The Windows Azure Handbook, Volume 1: Strategy & Planning

I’m very pleased to announce that my first Windows Azure book is now available, The Windows Azure Handbook, Volume 1: Planning & Strategy. In this post I’ll give you a preview of the book. This is the first in a four-volume series that covers 1-Planning, 2-Architecture, 3-Development, and 4-Management. For information about the book series see my previous post or visit the book web site at http://azurehandbook.com/. The book can be purchased through Amazon.com and other channels.

This first volume is intended for business and technical decision makers and is concerned with understanding, evaluating, and planning for the Windows Azure platform. Here’s how the book is organized:

Part 1, Understanding Windows Azure, acquaints you with the platform and what it can do.

• Chapter 1 explains cloud computing.
• Chapter 2 provides an overview of the Windows Azure platform.
• Chapter 3 describes the billing model and rates.

Part 2, Planning for Windows Azure, explains how to evaluate and plan for Windows Azure.

• Chapter 4 describes a responsible process for cloud computing evaluation and adoption.
• Chapter 5 describes how to lead discussions on envisioning risk vs. reward.
• Chapter 6 is about identifying cloud opportunities for your organization.
• Chapter 7 explains how to profile applications and determine their suitability for Windows Azure.
• Chapter 8 describes how to approach migrations and estimate their cost.
• Chapter 9 covers how to compute Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) and Return on Investment (ROI).
• Chapter 10 is about strategies for adopting Windows Azure.

Here are the chapter introductions to give you an idea of what each chapter covers:

Introduction

This book is about cloud computing using Microsoft’s Windows Azure platform. Accordingly, I have a two-fold mission in this introduction: to convince you cloud computing is worth exploring, and to convince you further that Windows Azure is worth exploring as your cloud computing platform. Following that I’ll explain the scope, intended audience, and organization of the book.

Chapter 1: Cloud Computing Explained

In order to appreciate the Windows Azure platform it’s necessary to start with an understanding of the overall cloud computing space. This chapter provides general back¬ground information on cloud computing. We’ll answer these questions:

• What is cloud computing?
• How is cloud computing being used?
• What are the benefits of cloud computing?
• What different kinds of cloud computing are there?
• What does cloud computing mean for IT?

Chapter 2: Windows Azure Platform Overview

In the previous chapter we explained cloud computing generally. Now it’s time to get specific about the Windows Azure platform. We’ll answer these questions:

• Where does Windows Azure fit in the cloud computing landscape?
• What can Windows Azure do?
• What are the technical underpinnings of Windows Azure?
• What are the business benefits of Windows Azure?
• What does Windows Azure cost?
• How is Windows Azure managed?

Chapter 3: Billing

The Windows Azure platform has many capabilities and benefits, but what does it cost? In this chapter we’ll review the billing model and rates. We’ll answer these questions:

• How is a Windows Azure billing account set up and viewed?
• Is Windows Azure available in my country, currency, and language?
• What is the Windows Azure pricing model?
• What are the metering rules for each service?
• What is meant by “Hidden Costs in the Cloud”?

Chapter 4: Evaluating Cloud Computing

Planning for cloud computing is an absolute necessity. Not everything belongs in the cloud, and even those applications that are well-suited may require revision. There are financial and technical analyses that should be performed. In this chapter we’ll explain how to evaluate cloud computing responsibly. We’ll answer these questions:

• What is the ideal rhythm for evaluating and adopting cloud computing?
• What is the value and composition of a cloud computing assessment?
• What should an organization’s maturity goals be for cloud computing?

Chapter 5: Envisioning Risk & Reward

In order to make an informed decision about Windows Azure you need more than a mere understanding of what cloud computing is; you also need to determine what it will mean for your company. In this chapter we’ll answer these questions:

• How do you find the cloud computing synergies for your organization?
• How do you air and address risks and concerns about cloud computing?
• How will cloud computing affect your IT culture?

Chapter 6: Identifying Opportunities

Some applications and organizational objectives fit cloud computing and the Windows Azure platform well and some do not. This chapter is a catalog of patterns and anti-patterns that can help you swiftly identify candidates and non-candidates even if you are surveying a large portfolio of IT assets. Of course, candidates are only that: candidates. Business and technical analysis is necessary to make ultimate determinations of suitability. We’ll look at the following:

• Which scenarios are a good fit for Windows Azure?
• Which scenarios are a poor fit for Windows Azure?

Chapter 7: Profiling Applications

Applications, like people, are complex entities with many different attributes. In order to determine how good a fit an application is for cloud computing with Windows Azure, you’ll need to consider it from multiple angles and then come to an overall conclusion. We’ll look at the following:

• How do you profile an application?
• How can an application be scored for suitability?
• How should suitability scores be used?

Chapter 8: Estimating Migration

Some applications migrate easily to Windows Azure while others may require moderate or significant changes. Migration should begin with a technical analysis in which the extent of architectural, code, and data changes are determined. Once scoped, migration costs can be estimated and factored into the ROI calculation to determine if a migration makes sense. We’ll answer these questions:

• How is a migration candidate analyzed?
• How is a migration approach determined?
• How can operational costs be optimized in a migration?
• How is the extent of development work estimated?

Chapter 9: Calculating TCO & ROI

Whether or not cost reduction is your motivation for using cloud computing you certainly want to know what to expect financially from the Windows Azure Platform. Once you have a candidate solution in view you can calculate Total Cost of Ownership, Savings, and Return on Investment (if you have collected sufficient information). If you have skilled financial people at your disposal you should consider involving them in your analysis. In this chapter we present simple but revealing analyses anyone can perform that help you see the financial picture. We’ll answer these questions:

• How is TCO calculated for a Windows Azure solution?
• How is savings determined?
• How is ROI calculated?

Chapter 10: Adoption Strategies

Whether your use of Windows Azure is light or extensive, you should certainly be using it for well-defined reasons. A technology wave as big as cloud computing can be a game-changer for many organizations and is worth evaluating as a strategic tool. In this chapter we help you consider the possibilities by reviewing different ways in which Windows Azure can be used strategically by organizations. We also consider the impact it can have on your culture. We’ll answer these questions:

• Are there different levels of adoption for Windows Azure?
• How can Windows Azure be strategically used by IT?
• How can Windows Azure affect your culture?
• How can Windows Azure further your business strategy?

Well, there you have it—The Windows Azure Handbook, Volume 1: Strategy & Planning. I believe this is the only book for Windows Azure that covers business, planning, and strategy. I hope it is useful to organizations of all sizes in evaluating and adopting Windows Azure responsibly.

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/.

The Azure Handbook

It's official, I'm writing an Azure book (isn't everybody?). The Azure Handbook is in progress and should become available not too long after the Azure 1.0 release. I'm expecting it will be available as both an e-book and a print book.

The Azure Handbook will cover the full Azure platform (Windows Azure, SQL Azure, .NET Services) from both business and technical perspectives.

In the spirit of all good technical books these days, I want lots of feedback before it's published. There's a book site up at http://AzureHandbook.com where I'll be posting chapters for feedback as I write them. (And yes, the site is of course hosted in Windows Azure).



I have some specific goals for this book. It's my fourth technical book, and I've certainly learned some lessons from the previous ones that now make me a better writer.

Commitment #1: Shoot for brevity. This book will have lots of good things in it, but it's not going to be any longer than it needs to be. I'll be packaging the content as simply and clearly as possible. Nor will it regurgitate content that is readily available online already such as reference documentation.

Commitment #2: Don't repeat yourself. There was a time when I tried to write books where each chapter could stand completely on its own. This turns out to be a bad idea, as plenty of people will read a book through and resent the repetition. So, no repetition: just a logical progression of material with cross referencing as needed.

Commitment #3: Keep it up to date. As long as the book is active, I'll keep updates on the book site to keep the content current--up until the next major release of Azure.

I'm excited to write this book. I expect the content will flow easily as I'm speaking on Azure, writing on Azure, or developing in Azure just about every day now. I've also been fortunate enough to get experience with early adopters which is a big help in communicating what the experience is and what the best practices are shaping up to be.