PASS Summit 2016 - the world’s largest conference for SQL Server and BI Professionals - is happening October 25th-28th in Seattle, WA. Join Jennifer Moser, Lara Rubbelke, Chantel Gipe, Buck Woody,Thomas LaRock and Chuck Heinzelman as they discuss what you can you expect to see at this year’s conference. From big announcements, keynote addresses, networking and career building opportunities – this is one event you don’t want to miss! [2:49] Data Science. Is that still a thing? [4:03] If someone went to PASS Summit in the past, why should they go again?[6:50] What's going on at the SQL Clinic this year?[9:21] Is PASS Summit for Developers?[11:49] What's the one thing you want attendees to prepare for at PASS Summit 2016?[17:09] Besides bacon, why else should people attend?[18:54] Keynotes!! Who's speaking this year?Why Attend? Click here and learn more__________________________ If you're interested in learning more about the products or solutions discussed in this episode, click on any of the below links for free, in-depth information: Websites & Blogs: Cloud Solutions HubBuilding Clouds blog Follow the conversation @MS_ITPro Become a Fan @ facebook.com/MicrosoftITPro Subscribe to our podcast via iTunes, Stitcher, or RSS

Steve Reay, Senior Program Manager, talks about how Microsoft IT approached the upgrade to Office 365 ProPlus 2016 across the company and recommends key considerations to keep in mind when planning a deployment. He addresses using System Center Configuration Manager to automate the upgrade process and discusses how update channels make it easy to deploy ongoing Office updates. [1:38] How did Microsoft approach this Office 365 upgrade? [2:50] What are the different ways you can now upgrade Office?[8:15] Can you tell us more about how you used SCCM to manage this upgrade?[9:13] What is your channel management strategy and how does the update model compare to the MSI products? [10:12] What were some of your biggest challenges with the deployment and update management of Office 365 ProPlus? [12:36] What are the key things that Enterprises need to keep in mind when planning their Office 365 upgrade?Learn more here. Check out Microsoft IT Showcase If you're interested in learning more about the products or solutions discussed in this episode, click on any of the below links for free, in-depth information:Websites & Blogs: Microsoft.com/ITShowcaseDeployment approach overviewUpdate process overviewGitHub Office deployment/management scripts Follow the conversation @MS_ITPro Become a Fan @ facebook.com/MicrosoftITPro Subscribe to our podcast via iTunes, Stitcher, or RSS

Yung Chou welcomes Sr. Program Manager, David Johnson to the show as they discuss how Microsoft IT migrated over 185,000 internal SharePoint sites and portals to the cloud. Learn how Microsoft IT approached their move to the cloud as they share best practices, tips and tricks and lessons learned that you can take to your own IT environment. [2:10] How did Microsoft approach their move to the cloud?[5:10] What are some migration options to moving to the cloud?[10:45] What was the biggest challenges you faced? [13:45] How did Microsoft decide which sites to migrate?[16:17] Any tips on how to assess your on-premise assets?[18:53] How did you address any security concerns for moving to the cloud?Check out the Technical Case Study here: ”SharePoint to the cloud: Learn how Microsoft ran its own migration” If you're interested in learning more about the products or solutions discussed in this episode, click on any of the below links for free, in-depth information:Websites & Blogs: Microsoft.com/ITShowcaseThe Microsoft IT Portals Journey, On-Premises to Office 365Microsoft IT shares cloud migration insightsOptimizing network performance for Microsoft Office 365Reinventing the modern business ecosystemHow Microsoft IT manages and governs the internal SharePoint environmentHow Microsoft IT uses Microsoft SharePoint and Office 365Check for roundtable SharePoint discussionsSharePoint Online pricingSharePoint product site: Learn the new way to work together Follow the conversation @MS_ITPro Become a Fan @ facebook.com/MicrosoftITPro Subscribe to our podcast via iTunes, Stitcher, or RSS

NASA’s Chief Astronaut, Chris Cassidy joins the TechNet Radio crew for an out-of-this-world discussion around space exploration, technology and science. [0:45] How did you get started? You studied mathematics at the Naval Academy, then engineering at MIT --- why did you pursue this field?[6:40] What are your thoughts on how computers and humans interact now?[8:41] How do you see new advancements in technology like Artificial Intelligence or robotics making an impact in space exploration?[26:30] What can aspiring astronauts do to become real astronauts?Learn more about NASA, click here__________________________ If you're interested in learning more about the products or solutions discussed in this episode, click on any of the below links for free, in-depth information: Websites & Blogs: NASA Space Apps ChallengeNASA EducationThe Mars Generation Follow the conversation @MS_ITPro Become a Fan @ facebook.com/MicrosoftITPro Subscribe to our podcast via iTunes, Stitcher, or RSS

Concluding our Microsoft Azure for Amazon AWS Cloud Professionals series, Keith Mayer and Gerald Tiu shows us three ways to migrate to Microsoft Azure. [1:24] Do you have control over code deployment? If not, how do you go about migrating Linux workloads to Azure?[27:30] DEMO: Using Azure Site Recovery to migrate Windows VMsAdditional Resources Step-by-Step: Migrate Linux VMs from Amazon AWS to Microsoft AzureStep-by-Step: Migrate Windows VMs from Amazon AWS to Microsoft AzureMigrate Windows VMs from Amazon AWS to Microsoft Azure using Azure Site RecoveryTransfer data with the AzCopy Command-Line UtilityIntroducing the Azure Storage Data Movement LibraryPlanning for Costs with Microsoft Azure Pricing CalculatorCreate your FREE Azure Account with $200 in Cloud CreditLearn and Explore the Microsoft Cloud with a FREE IT Pro Cloud Essentials Subscription If you're interested in learning more about the products or solutions discussed in this episode, click on any of the below links for free, in-depth information: Websites & Blogs: Keith Mayer's BlogCloud Solutions HubBuilding Clouds blogIT Pro Cloud Essentials Follow the conversation @MS_ITPro Become a Fan @ facebook.com/MicrosoftITPro Subscribe to our podcast via iTunes, Stitcher, or RSS

In Part 4 of our Microsoft Azure for Amazon AWS Cloud Professionals series, Keith Mayer and Gerald Tiu discuss Virtual Machines, Scale Sets and Containers. [1:45] Let’s chat about the main compute continuum differences found between Azure and AWS [19:30] DEMO: Virtual Machines+ Provision new Linux VM via portal+ Export Template+ Using Azure CLI to provision & manage VMs[46:46] DEMO: Manage VMs as a group with Scale Sets+ Provision new Scale Set via the Azure Portal[57:18] DEMO: How to create and maintain Containers with the Azure Container ServiceAdditional Resources Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services – Terminology MappingAzure Learning Path for Virtual MachinesVirtual Machine Scale SetsAzure Container ServicePlanning for Costs with Microsoft Azure Pricing CalculatorCreate your FREE Azure Account with $200 in Cloud CreditLearn and Explore the Microsoft Cloud with a FREE IT Pro Cloud Essentials Subscription If you're interested in learning more about the products or solutions discussed in this episode, click on any of the below links for free, in-depth information: Websites & Blogs: Keith Mayer's BlogCloud Solutions HubBuilding Clouds blogIT Pro Cloud Essentials Follow the conversation @MS_ITPro Become a Fan @ facebook.com/MicrosoftITPro Subscribe to our podcast via iTunes, Stitcher, or RSS

In Part 3 of our Microsoft Azure for Amazon AWS Cloud Professionals series, Keith Mayer and Gerald Tiu discuss the various storage options and features available in Microsoft Azure. [1:50] What’s the difference between Standard and Premium Storage?[17:20] DEMO: How to setup and manage an Azure Storage accountAdditional Resources Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services – Terminology MappingAzure Storage Azure Premium Storage PlanningPlanning for Costs with Microsoft Azure Pricing CalculatorCreate your FREE Azure Account with $200 in Cloud CreditLearn and Explore the Microsoft Cloud with a FREE IT Pro Cloud Essentials Subscription If you're interested in learning more about the products or solutions discussed in this episode, click on any of the below links for free, in-depth information: Websites & Blogs: Keith Mayer's BlogCloud Solutions HubBuilding Clouds blogIT Pro Cloud Essentials Follow the conversation @MS_ITPro Become a Fan @ facebook.com/MicrosoftITPro Subscribe to our podcast via iTunes, Stitcher, or RSS

In Part 2 of our Microsoft Azure for Amazon AWS Cloud Professionals series, Keith Mayer and Gerald Tiu take us through an in-depth comparison of the networking components between Azure and AWS as well as a comprehensive step-by step walkthrough of how to build VNets and Subnets, Hybrid Connectivity, Network Security groups and much, much more! [1:50] How do Azure and AWS networking components compare to each other?[3:38] DEMO: Networking Step-by-Step+ Build a VNET and Subnets + Hybrid Connectivity + Network Security Groups + Virtual Appliances and User-Defined Routing + Public IP Address + Load Balancing Additional Resources Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services – Terminology MappingGetting Started with Azure Virtual NetworksPlanning for Costs with Microsoft Azure Pricing CalculatorCreate your FREE Azure Account with $200 in Cloud CreditLearn and Explore the Microsoft Cloud with a FREE IT Pro Cloud Essentials Subscription If you're interested in learning more about the products or solutions discussed in this episode, click on any of the below links for free, in-depth information: Websites & Blogs: Keith Mayer's BlogCloud Solutions HubBuilding Clouds blogIT Pro Cloud Essentials Follow the conversation @MS_ITPro Become a Fan @ facebook.com/MicrosoftITPro Subscribe to our podcast via iTunes, Stitcher, or RSS

As the leading public cloud platforms, Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services (AWS) each offer businesses a broad and deep set of capabilities with global coverage. Yet many organizations choose to use both platforms together for greater choice and flexibility, as well as to spread their risk and dependencies with a multi-cloud approach. Consulting companies and software vendors may also want to build on and use both Azure and AWS as this combination represents the majority of the cloud market demand. To help decide which platform is right for your needs, we’re kicking off a new 5 part mini-series today showcasing and demoing Microsoft Azure features as well as comparing them to Amazon Web Services to see how they match up. [2:40] What are some of the compelling reasons that you’ve seen customers and partners choose Azure as their cloud platform?[4:50] How different is Azure from other cloud providers, such as AWS?[13:38] When building solutions for Azure, is it very different then from other cloud platforms?[36:02] This all sounds great, but how much does Azure cost?[40:15] Where can people go to get started with their own Azure subscription?Additional Resources: Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services – Terminology MappingPlanning for Azure Subscription and Service Limits and QuotasPlanning for Costs with Microsoft Azure Pricing CalculatorCreate your FREE Azure Account with $200 in Cloud CreditLearn and Explore the Microsoft Cloud with a FREE IT Pro Cloud Essentials SubscriptionSee the rest of the series here: Part 1: Getting StartedPart 2: NetworkingPart 3: StoragePart 4: Virtual Machines, VM Scale Sets and ContainersPart 5: Migrating to Azure If you're interested in learning more about the products or solutions discussed in this episode, click on any of the below links for free, in-depth information: Websites & Blogs: Keith Mayer's BlogCloud Solutions HubBuilding Clouds blogIT Pro Cloud Essentials Follow the conversation @MS_ITPro Become a Fan @ facebook.c

There are benefits to be gained when patterns and practices from developer techniques are applied to operations. For example, a fully automated solution where infrastructure is managed as code and all changes are automatically validated before reaching production. This is a process shift that is recognized among industry innovators. Join Yung Chou, Michael Greene and Steven Murawski from Chef as they discuss how the Release Pipeline Model can be applied to better manage Windows Server and the Microsoft Cloud. [2:00] How does Chef, DevOps and the Release Pipeline Model play together?[3:20] What are the major components of the Release Pipeline Model and how do I get started?[22:18] Can you take us through a step-by-step walkthrough of how this looks like in action?Want to learn more about this topic? Download the Whitepaper here!__________________________ __________________________ If you're interested in learning more about the products or solutions discussed in this episode, click on any of the below links for free, in-depth information: Websites & Blogs: Yung Chou's BlogSteven Murawski’s BlogChef for WindowsChef + Microsoft AzureLearn more: Managing Your Systems on Microsoft Azure with Chef Follow the conversation @MS_ITPro Become a Fan @ facebook.com/MicrosoftITPro Subscribe to our podcast via iTunes, Stitcher, or RSS