Gain visibility and control across your hybrid cloud with simplified operations management and security

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/" xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/" > <channel> <title>Hybrid Cloud Blog</title> <atom:link href="https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/hybridcloud/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" /> <link>https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/hybridcloud</link> <description></description> <lastBuildDate>Tue, 14 Mar 2017 16:00:14 +0000</lastBuildDate> <language>en-US</language> <sy:updatePeriod>hourly</sy:updatePeriod> <sy:updateFrequency>1</sy:updateFrequency> <item> <title>Demo Tuesday // Boost Remote Desktop Services performance to optimize user productivity</title> <link>https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/hybridcloud/2017/03/14/demo-tuesday-boost-remote-desktop-services-performance-to-optimize-user-productivity/</link> <comments>https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/hybridcloud/2017/03/14/demo-tuesday-boost-remote-desktop-services-performance-to-optimize-user-productivity/#respond</comments> <pubDate>Tue, 14 Mar 2017 16:00:13 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Microsoft Windows Server Team]]></dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/hybridcloud/?p=14465</guid> <description><![CDATA[Welcome to our new Demo Tuesday series. Each week we will be highlighting a new product feature from the Hybrid Cloud Platform. If you manage a virtualized desktop/app environment, you probably spend a lot of time min/maxing resources for a variety of uses: from a power user designing graphically intense data visualizations to a group <p><a class="read-more" href="https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/hybridcloud/2017/03/14/demo-tuesday-boost-remote-desktop-services-performance-to-optimize-user-productivity/">Continue reading</a></p>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>Welcome to our new Demo Tuesday series. Each week we will be highlighting a new product feature from the Hybrid Cloud Platform.</strong></p>&#10;<p>If you manage a virtualized desktop/app environment, you probably spend a lot of time min/maxing resources for a variety of uses: from a power user designing graphically intense data visualizations to a group of employees sharing the same app resources. Our two demos this week show you new capabilities to:</p>&#10;<ul>&#10;<li>Help scale up and scale down connections</li>&#10;<li>Provide high-end device pass through capabilities for the most graphics-heavy workloads</li>&#10;<li>Set up Azure SQL connections that can now be shared across more than one RDS deployment</li>&#10;</ul>&#10;<h2>Demo #1: Improve GPU virtualization</h2>&#10;<p>This video demonstrates the improved tools for virtualization performance testing support and shows how to easily dedicate specific hardware to specific VMs for high-demand tasks and users.</p>&#10;<p><iframe width="560" height="315" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zfcjLydzOEE"></iframe></p>&#10;<p>RemoteFX vGPU in Windows Server 2016 Hyper-V has integration improvements specifically aimed at making GPU performance testing and monitoring smoother and more intuitive. It works in Windows 10 and Windows Server 2016 and is well suited for load balancing all types of VM use cases.</p>&#10;<p>Discrete Device Assignment (DDA) is a new technology that helps you manage high-performance demands on virtualized resources. Its also useful for maximizing app compatibility across a large pool of users sharing a GPU resource. DDA works in Windows 10 as well as in Windows Server 2016, and in Linux VMs.</p>&#10;<h2>Demo #2: Beat the remote logon storm</h2>&#10;<p>Tired of the 9 A.M. scenario where everybody starts a connection request to their virtualized workloads, potentially slowing down connection times and deteriorating reliability?</p>&#10;<p>We have made big improvements in highly available Remote Desktop Services in Windows Server 2016including fixing the issues around logon storm and providing a much easier way to do SQL connections. This video shows how to set up Azure SQL Database and connect via Remote Desktop Connection Broker (RD Connection Broker).</p>&#10;<p><iframe width="560" height="315" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Xi89A2b5b5w"></iframe></p>&#10;<p>Remote Desktop Services technology can now handle 10,000 simultaneous connections, meaning the sudden performance bottlenecks that occur when a large number of users access virtualized resources at the same timeAKA logon stormsare no longer an issue.</p>&#10;<p>In previous versions of high-availability mode, the RD Connection Broker required a dedicated SQL Server always-on cluster using Windows authentication, but this connection was hard and expensive to set up in high-availability mode. Windows Server 2016 has been updated to use RD Connection Broker to connect to an Azure SQL Database using SQL authentication instead.</p>&#10;<p>Give it a try and get started with <a href="https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server-docs/compute/remote-desktop-services/rds-in-azure">RDS on Azure</a> or visit our website to learn more about <a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/cloud-platform/desktop-virtualization">Remote Desktop Services</a> from Microsoft.</p>&#10;]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/hybridcloud/2017/03/14/demo-tuesday-boost-remote-desktop-services-performance-to-optimize-user-productivity/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>Demo Tuesday // Remotely manage Windows Servers with ease using Server Management Tools</title> <link>https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/hybridcloud/2017/03/07/demo-tuesday-remotely-manage-windows-servers-with-ease-using-server-management-tools/</link> <comments>https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/hybridcloud/2017/03/07/demo-tuesday-remotely-manage-windows-servers-with-ease-using-server-management-tools/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Tue, 07 Mar 2017 17:00:34 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Microsoft Windows Server Team]]></dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/hybridcloud/?p=14456</guid> <description><![CDATA[Welcome to our new Demo Tuesday series. Each week we will be highlighting a new product feature from the Hybrid Cloud Platform. Server Management Tools is a helpful feature of Windows Server 2016 that simplifies the job of managing individual servers across your enterprisefor both on-premises and Azure-hosted Windows Servers, from Windows Server 2012 through <p><a class="read-more" href="https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/hybridcloud/2017/03/07/demo-tuesday-remotely-manage-windows-servers-with-ease-using-server-management-tools/">Continue reading</a></p>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>Welcome to our new Demo Tuesday series. Each week we will be highlighting a new product feature from the Hybrid Cloud Platform.</strong></p>&#10;<p>Server Management Tools is a helpful feature of Windows Server 2016 that simplifies the job of managing individual servers across your enterprisefor both on-premises and Azure-hosted Windows Servers, from Windows Server 2012 through to the recently released Windows Server 2016. With it, systems administrators can easily pull up all the relevant information and tools they need to manage servers remotely through a well-designed, web-based GUI within the Azure portal. Take a look:</p>&#10;<p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/d5ke-pQRNB4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>&#10;<p>Historically, Windows Server administrators have often had to remote into each server manually to perform certain basic management tasks like seeing the installed devices or applying Windows Updates. Server Management Tools spares you the headache of logging on to individual machines manually by displaying all your servers right in the Azure web GUI. For example, you can click on a server, drill down, and view a list of running processes, make server firewall changes, and run administrative commands on the remote server.</p>&#10;<h2>Manage headless (non-GUI) servers too</h2>&#10;<p>Server Management Tools gives Windows admins a method to manage headless Windows servers as well, providing a rich UI from which to administer Nano Server and Server Core, Microsofts slimmed down, command-line-only versions of Windows Server.</p>&#10;<h2>Best of all, its free!</h2>&#10;<p>There is no risk, so give it a try and let us know what you think.</p>&#10;<p><strong>Get started today with the <a href="https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/servermanagement/2016/08/17/deploy-setup-server-management-tools/">Server Management Tools deployment guide</a>!</strong></p>&#10;]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/hybridcloud/2017/03/07/demo-tuesday-remotely-manage-windows-servers-with-ease-using-server-management-tools/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>2</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>Building applications with Azure and Azure Stack</title> <link>https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/hybridcloud/2017/03/02/building-applications-with-azure-and-azure-stack/</link> <comments>https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/hybridcloud/2017/03/02/building-applications-with-azure-and-azure-stack/#respond</comments> <pubDate>Thu, 02 Mar 2017 17:00:36 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Cloud Platform Team]]></dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/hybridcloud/?p=14365</guid> <description><![CDATA[This post was authored by the Azure Stack Team. Building and deploying a hybrid cloud platform for your applications will make it easier for you and your business to build new applications that will add to the business&#8217;s topline. We continue to make progress on bringing Azure Stack to market and announced the third Technical <p><a class="read-more" href="https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/hybridcloud/2017/03/02/building-applications-with-azure-and-azure-stack/">Continue reading</a></p>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em>This post was authored by the Azure Stack Team.</em></p>&#10;<p>Building and deploying a hybrid cloud platform for your applications will make it easier for you and your business to build new applications that will add to the business&#8217;s topline. We continue to make progress on bringing Azure Stack to market and announced the <a href="https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/hybrid-application-innovation-with-azure-and-azure-stack/">third Technical Preview</a> yesterday. We know many customers are eager to get started building solutions and applications for Azure and Azure Stack. Weve put together a few tools and resources that can help them begin their work on Azure Stack now, so that they can be ready when Azure Stack is generally available later this year. In this blog post, Were going to walk through the flow at a high level and provide some links to resources for anyone who wants to get going. Generally speaking, you need to: 1) get access to Azure; 2) Setup Azure Stack; 3) Get tools and configure policies in Azure; and 4) Start working.</p>&#10;<h2>Get into Azure</h2>&#10;<p>If youre not already using Azure, the first thing to do is to sign up for an <a href="https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free/">Azure Subscription</a>. There are some nice benefits through the link that can get you going on up to 14 virtual machines, 40 SQL databases, or 8 TBs of storage for a month. Additionally, if you are already a Visual Studio subscriber, you can activate your <a href="https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/member-offers/msdn-benefits/">monthly Azure credit</a>.</p>&#10;<h2>Start using Azure Resource Manager</h2>&#10;<p>The key technology for how Azure and Azure Stack enable you to build once and deploy to either Azure or Azure Stack is Azure Resource Manager. Azure Resource Manager is a technology in Azure that helps you describe, deploy, and control your application resources in the cloud. Its the same thing that were shipping in Azure Stack. To help you get started, read this whitepaper on how <a href="http://aka.ms/GettingStartedWithARM">Azure Resource Manager</a> works.</p>&#10;<h2>Learn about hybrid applications and think about use cases for your business</h2>&#10;<p>The next thing we recommend is that you really start envisioning and thinking about what you want to do. There are a ton of combinations for how and why you can use a hybrid cloud platform. Some are more process oriented, like Dev/Test in public cloud and deploy production in Azure Stack or Dev/Test in Azure Stack and deploy to production in public cloud. Others are more functional, like building a hybrid application where a part of the application resides in Azure and the other on-premises (e.g. a front-end in Azure and a back-end in Azure Stack).</p>&#10;<p>Whatever your goal, we had Technical Fellows, Jeffrey Snover and Mark Russinovich, put some of their thoughts together in a video on what a <a href="https://channel9.msdn.com/Events/Ignite/2016/BRK2187">hybrid cloud platform means in the big picture</a> and illustrate what it can look like for your people, processes, and applications. There are a ton of demos throughout the video. In fact, one of the program managers who helped with the demos goes a little deeper into them in <a href="https://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/azurestack/Azure-Stack-for-Developers-Part-1-Overview">an additional session</a>.</p>&#10;<h2>Get Azure Stack running for prototype validation</h2>&#10;<p>When we ship an Xbox, some time before the generally availability of the actual system, we release a developer kit that helps developers prototype their solution. The single server Technical Preview of Azure Stack can be used much in the same way. Weve put a <a href="https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/overview/azure-stack/">giant green download button</a> on Azure so you can grab an Azure Stack emulator to validate the work you are doing in Azure. That said, youll need a <a href="https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-stack/azure-stack-deploy">physical server</a> to run it (not a laptop) and then connect to it from your development environment (laptop). Run <a href="https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=828735&amp;clcid=0x409">this script</a> to make sure you have a machine that meets the spec. Once you have the server, downloaded Azure Stack, you can follow this <a href="https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-stack/azure-stack-run-powershell-script">step by step guide</a> to get everything up and running. From there, you can <a href="https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-stack/azure-stack-first-scenarios">configure Azure Stack</a> to meet your needs, such as connecting tools, creating accounts, quotas, and operating system images in the marketplace.</p>&#10;<h2>Get Azure Stack Tools and configure Azure</h2>&#10;<p>To recap, we know what we want to build, we have a place to work in Azure, and we have an Azure Stack stood up to check our work. The next thing we need to do is get a few tools to help us work in Azure in a way that wont cause us trouble later by using functionality that isnt yet in Azure Stack. The main thing we need is the <a href="https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-stack/azure-stack-policy-module">Azure Stack Policy module</a>. This tool lets us configure an Azure Subscription with the same versioning and services as Azure Stack. What this means, is that when you try to create something in Azure that isnt available on Azure Stack, youll get an error. As we continue with bringing API and Service consistency to Azure Stack through the development process, the delta of difference will close, but the policy module should help you get started now.</p>&#10;<p>To help with how the policy module can be used in Azure, we got one of the Azure Stack PMs to sit down and do a <a href="https://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/azurestack/Azure-Stack-for-Developers-Part-2-Tooling-Overview">video</a> walking through it.</p>&#10;<h2>Start iterating and expanding</h2>&#10;<p>From there, you can start working to build your applications in Azure that you plan to run on Azure Stack later. As you become comfortable with the platform and tools, it will go a long way to start introducing new techniques, such as <a href="https://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/azurestack/Azure-Stack-for-Developers-Part-4-Building-a-Hybrid-CICD-Pipeline">hooking up a Hybrid CI/CD pipeline</a>. As you go, validate your work on the Azure Stack Technical Preview to ensure that you are not going off the rails.</p>&#10;<p>Good luck!</p>&#10;]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/hybridcloud/2017/03/02/building-applications-with-azure-and-azure-stack/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>Now Available! Windows Server Premium Assurance and SQL Server Premium Assurance</title> <link>https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/hybridcloud/2017/03/01/now-available-windows-server-premium-assurance-and-sql-server-premium-assurance/</link> <comments>https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/hybridcloud/2017/03/01/now-available-windows-server-premium-assurance-and-sql-server-premium-assurance/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Wed, 01 Mar 2017 22:00:47 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Cloud Platform Team]]></dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category> <category><![CDATA[SQL Server]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/hybridcloud/?p=14435</guid> <description><![CDATA[This post was authored by the Windows Server and SQL Server Product Teams. Today we are announcing the availability of Windows Server Premium Assurance and SQL Server Premium Assurance. With Windows Server Premium Assurance and SQL Server Premium Assurance, you receive critical and important security updates and bulletins for an additional six years after the <p><a class="read-more" href="https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/hybridcloud/2017/03/01/now-available-windows-server-premium-assurance-and-sql-server-premium-assurance/">Continue reading</a></p>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em>This post was authored by the Windows Server and SQL Server Product Teams.</em></p>&#10;<p>Today we are announcing the availability of Windows Server Premium Assurance and SQL Server Premium Assurance. With Windows Server Premium Assurance and SQL Server Premium Assurance, you receive critical and important security updates and bulletins for an additional six years after the end of Extended Support. This means you can get up to 16 years of total support, an extension from the usual five years each of Mainstream and Extended support.</p>&#10;<p>These new offerings are designed to provide flexibility by enabling legacy applications to continue running without disruption as you modernize applications and infrastructure, or move to cloud. Some of the key benefits include:</p>&#10;<ul>&#10;<li>Sustain critical and legacy applications for six additional years</li>&#10;<li>Stay compliant with regulatory requirements</li>&#10;<li>Maintain security on systems that may not be ready to update</li>&#10;</ul>&#10;<p>Premium Assurance is available for both Windows Server and SQL Server, which helps you sustain key scenarios that might require older versions of Windows Server and SQL Server. For example:</p>&#10;<ul>&#10;<li>A legacy ERP system that is heavily integrated with other systems</li>&#10;<li>Critical applications that cannot support the down time required for updates</li>&#10;<li>Custom applications that might be working fine and would be expensive to rearchitect</li>&#10;<li>Industry-specific applications not yet offered as cloud-based solutions</li>&#10;</ul>&#10;<h2>Purchase now and lock in savings</h2>&#10;<p>The sooner you buy Windows Server Premium Assurance or SQL Server Premium Assurance, the more you will save. Buying through June of this year will save you up to 60 percent, as price of the offering will increase over time. Since your initial purchase price remains consistent over time and renewal periods, you are locking in those savings for the future.</p>&#10;<p>To support a specific product version, you must purchase the Windows Server Premium Assurance or SQL Server Premium Assurance offering before that version goes out of support. For example, to support Windows Server 2008 product versions, you have through December 2019 to purchase Premium Assurance. To support SQL Server 2008 version, you have through June 2019 to purchase this offering.</p>&#10;<p>You can purchase at any time; there is no need to wait until renewal. After your initial purchase, you have the option to add licenses for the Premium Assurance offerings at any time. If your needs change, you can also reduce licenses or drop them altogether at the time of your Software Assurance renewal.</p>&#10;<p>Windows Server Premium Assurance and SQL Server Premium Assurance are purchased as add-ons to Software Assurance on that product. You must purchase the Premium Assurance add-on for all servers with active Software Assurance. We have priced the add-ons with the full coverage in mind, making it easier for you not to have to keep track of which servers are running which versions, and providing you the flexibility to adjust to changes in the future.</p>&#10;<h2>Software Assurance is still the best way to protect your investments</h2>&#10;<p>Software Assurance provides you with several different notable benefits to help you maintain the value of your investments in Windows Server and SQL Server, including:</p>&#10;<ul>&#10;<li>The rights to the latest versions of Windows Server and SQL Server, with the latest innovations built in, so that you can build more agile, intelligent, and secure applications.</li>&#10;<li>The ability to move applications to Azure, taking advantage of speed, scale, and economics of cloud computing. Save up to 50% when running Windows Server in Azure with the <a href="https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/hybrid-use-benefit/">Azure Hybrid Use Benefit</a>. License Mobility provides the flexibility to deploy existing SQL Server licenses in the cloud without additional fees.</li>&#10;</ul>&#10;<p>On top of these benefits, Windows Server Premium Assurance and SQL Server Premium Assurance add six more years of product support for eligible productsfor a total of 16 years of support.</p>&#10;<p>Learn more about <a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/cloud-platform/premium-assurance">Windows Server Premium Assurance and SQL Server Premium Assurance</a>.</p>&#10;]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/hybridcloud/2017/03/01/now-available-windows-server-premium-assurance-and-sql-server-premium-assurance/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>2</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>Azure Stack updates &#8211; TP3 availability and pay-as-you-use business model</title> <link>https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/hybridcloud/2017/03/01/azure-stack-updates-tp3-availability-and-pay-as-you-use-business-model/</link> <comments>https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/hybridcloud/2017/03/01/azure-stack-updates-tp3-availability-and-pay-as-you-use-business-model/#respond</comments> <pubDate>Wed, 01 Mar 2017 16:30:06 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Cloud Platform Team]]></dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/hybridcloud/?p=14345</guid> <description><![CDATA[This post was authored by the Azure Stack Team. Today we were excited to announce the third Technical Preview of Azure Stack the final preview before general availability in mid-calendar year 2017. Azure Stack is the vessel that brings the agility and fast-paced innovation of cloud computing to on-premises environments. We think of Azure <p><a class="read-more" href="https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/hybridcloud/2017/03/01/azure-stack-updates-tp3-availability-and-pay-as-you-use-business-model/">Continue reading</a></p>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em>This post was authored by the Azure Stack Team.</em></p>&#10;<p>Today we were excited to announce the <a href="https://aka.ms/azuretp3announcement">third Technical Preview of Azure Stack</a> the final preview before general availability in mid-calendar year 2017.</p>&#10;<p>Azure Stack is the vessel that brings the agility and fast-paced innovation of cloud computing to on-premises environments. We think of Azure Stack as an extension of Azure, enabling organizations to run a true hybrid cloud. This offers customers greater choice and flexibility, with some workloads running behind the firewall, and some potentially running in Azure.</p>&#10;<p>The Azure blog post walks through whats new in Azure Stack, including:</p>&#10;<ul>&#10;<li>TP3 software available for download</li>&#10;<li>Packaging and pay-as-you-use pricing model</li>&#10;<li>Roadmap update, including what to expect leading up to general availability</li>&#10;</ul>&#10;<p>Head over to Azure to <a href="https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/overview/azure-stack/">download Azure Stack TP3</a> and start building innovative applications that work in Azure and on-premises environments.</p>&#10;]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/hybridcloud/2017/03/01/azure-stack-updates-tp3-availability-and-pay-as-you-use-business-model/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>Demo Tuesday // How to avoid storage network overload with Storage QoS</title> <link>https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/hybridcloud/2017/02/28/demo-tuesday-how-to-avoid-storage-network-overload-with-storage-qos/</link> <comments>https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/hybridcloud/2017/02/28/demo-tuesday-how-to-avoid-storage-network-overload-with-storage-qos/#respond</comments> <pubDate>Tue, 28 Feb 2017 17:00:00 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Microsoft Windows Server Team]]></dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/hybridcloud/?p=14326</guid> <description><![CDATA[Welcome to our new Demo Tuesday series. Each week we will be highlighting a new product feature from the Hybrid Cloud Platform. Every systems administrator who manages I/O intensive workloads is acutely aware of the problems that happen when storage controllers become overloadedapplications come to a screeching halt. This is especially problematic for database administrators <p><a class="read-more" href="https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/hybridcloud/2017/02/28/demo-tuesday-how-to-avoid-storage-network-overload-with-storage-qos/">Continue reading</a></p>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>Welcome to our new Demo Tuesday series. Each week we will be highlighting a new product feature from the Hybrid Cloud Platform.</strong></p>&#10;<p>Every systems administrator who manages I/O intensive workloads is acutely aware of the problems that happen when storage controllers become overloadedapplications come to a screeching halt.</p>&#10;<p>This is especially problematic for database administrators managing busy transactional workloads across multiple virtual machines. When storage devices come under load, you need to be able to utilize every available IOPS to maximize performance.</p>&#10;<p>Windows Server 2016 with Storage Quality of Service (QoS) offers greater control over how you reserve IOPS for each virtual machine, enabling you to make more efficient use of storage bandwidth across virtual machines. Admins can set not only the maximum IOPs limit for each VM, but in a feature unique to Windows Server 2016, they can also set the minimum IOPs that should be allocated for each VM. This level of fine-tuned control means IT can optimize the performance of all available storage resources. Take a look at this brief demo:</p>&#10;<p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EyuZdfH2Gxc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>&#10;<p>Storage QoS offers two important advantages: 1) it helps you to get more bang for your storage buck by better utilizing the storage you already own, and 2) it makes storage performance more reliable, even for workloads with uneven traffic across virtual machines.</p>&#10;<p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8nfc9haGeb7C9h0mejs_4-OeNeT-y7Ct">Watch more of the Windows Server 2016 demo series</a> and learn more about software-defined storage options in<a target="_blank" href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/cloud-platform/software-defined-storage">Windows Server 2016</a>.</p>&#10;]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/hybridcloud/2017/02/28/demo-tuesday-how-to-avoid-storage-network-overload-with-storage-qos/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>Get ready for the 4 big trends in hybrid cloud</title> <link>https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/hybridcloud/2017/02/23/get-ready-for-the-4-big-trends-in-hybrid-cloud/</link> <pubDate>Thu, 23 Feb 2017 17:00:44 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Microsoft Server and Cloud Platform Team]]></dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/hybridcloud/?p=14315</guid> <description><![CDATA[Over 90 percent of companies surveyed in this report say they are using cloud in a meaningful way, including 42 percent reporting a cloud-first or cloud-only strategy. The cloud is now mainstream, but that doesnt mean it isnt still growing and changing. Now that weve entered 2017, its time to look forward. Big changes will <p><a class="read-more" href="https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/hybridcloud/2017/02/23/get-ready-for-the-4-big-trends-in-hybrid-cloud/">Continue reading</a></p>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Over 90 percent of companies surveyed in <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/North_Bridge/2016-future-of-cloud-computing-study">this report</a> say they are using cloud in a meaningful way, including 42 percent reporting a cloud-first or cloud-only strategy. The cloud is now mainstream, but that doesnt mean it isnt still growing and changing. Now that weve entered 2017, its time to look forward. Big changes will continue to challenge and excite us as we move toward a more connected and efficient world. Whats on the horizon for hybrid cloud? Here are a few of the biggest trends emerging this year.</p>&#10;<h2>Hybrid cloud becomes the standard for enterprises</h2>&#10;<p>The industry is already trending this way, <a href="https://www.gartner.com/doc/3396633/market-trends-cloud-adoption-trends">according to Gartner</a>. In 2016, even major public cloud players <a href="http://www.cio.com/article/3152764/cloud-computing/has-vmware-found-a-cloud-strategy-savior-in-aws.html">changed strategy</a> to embrace some of the benefits of a truly hybrid model. It is no longer a transitional state. Today, <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/Microsoft/millennials-and-the-next-generation-of-it">91 percent of IT workers</a> believe hybrid cloud will remain the approach of their organization five years from now. Thats because there is still a very real need to maintain data and applications on-premises, whether its for compliance or simply because its not worth it to move. Its also clear that there are massive benefits to extending certain workloads to the cloud. This dynamic isnt going anywhere. As businesses realize this, and the relative ease of getting started, hybrid becomes the clear option.</p>&#10;<h2>Rapid industry expansion continues</h2>&#10;<p>More vendors, more services, and more niche solutions will flood the industry than ever before, creating a muddy and inconsistent marketplace. The average organization already uses dozens of different solutions. Many feel those offerings, while they may be great at their specific tasks, dont successfully work with other solutions in play. This has created more work when the promise was efficiency. So while point solutions will continue to multiply, there very well could be a movement towards a larger, <a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/cloud-platform/hybrid-cloud">holistic and more consistent approach to hybrid cloud</a>.</p>&#10;<h2>Greater focus on holistic management</h2>&#10;<p>As cloud deployments continue to get more complex, IT teams are often finding it difficult to keep control and visibility across multiple clouds and platforms. A solution that provides consistency is needed. In the ideal situation, you would be able to configure, monitor workloads, and surface security issues in a single interface. If you are in the process of going hybrid or thinking about it, this will quickly become one of the biggest items on your wish list.</p>&#10;<p>While much of the industry is still tackling this important issue, <a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/cloud-platform/operations-management-suite">Microsoft Operations Management Suite</a> is already here. It offers a single, visual dashboard to help you streamline operations management and security across on-premises and cloud platforms. Learn more about Microsoft Operations Management Suite through this <a href="https://youtu.be/OPAimg743f8">video</a> overview.</p>&#10;<h2>Built-in security in cloud offerings</h2>&#10;<p>In the current environment, you have multiple different solutions for your datacenter and cloud services, and then you have security solutions to protect them. With each of them operating a slightly different way and using a slightly different language, it can introduce vulnerabilities.</p>&#10;<p>The trend in 2017 will be an increasingly unified experience. You will always want and need extra layers of security, but you will begin to see more built directly into solutions. At Microsoft, <a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/security/default.aspx">its already happening</a>.</p>&#10;<h2>Final thoughtsPrepare your business for hybrid</h2>&#10;<p>If you are in the process of evaluating a hybrid environment, a great place to start is Windows Server 2016. It takes all of the learnings from Microsoft Azure and builds it into your on-premises datacenter operating system. It provides added layers of security and new, streamlined deployments options. It also perfectly sets you up for a transition to hybrid cloud when you are ready.</p>&#10;<p>Get <a href="https://info.microsoft.com/rs/157-GQE-382/images/HybridCloud_WS_UltimateGuidetoWindowsServer2016.pdf">The Ultimate Guide to Windows Server 2016</a> and see if its right for you.</p>&#10;]]></content:encoded> </item> <item> <title>Introducing Network Performance Monitor for network visibility across public and hybrid clouds</title> <link>https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/hybridcloud/2017/02/22/introducing-network-performance-monitor-for-network-visibility-across-public-and-hybrid-clouds/</link> <pubDate>Wed, 22 Feb 2017 17:00:44 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Microsoft Server and Cloud Platform Team]]></dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/hybridcloud/?p=14265</guid> <description><![CDATA[This post was authored by Ajay Gummadi, Principal Program Manager, Enterprise Cloud Management Teamand Abhave Sharma, Program Manager, Enterprise Cloud Management Team. In todays hybrid IT environment, troubleshooting issues related to application connectivity is complex and challenging, especially due to the difficulty in isolating the source of the problem in a network. As you manage <p><a class="read-more" href="https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/hybridcloud/2017/02/22/introducing-network-performance-monitor-for-network-visibility-across-public-and-hybrid-clouds/">Continue reading</a></p>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em>This post was authored by Ajay Gummadi, Principal Program Manager, Enterprise Cloud Management Teamand Abhave Sharma, Program Manager, Enterprise Cloud Management Team.</em></p>&#10;<p>In todays hybrid IT environment, troubleshooting issues related to application connectivity is complex and challenging, especially due to the difficulty in isolating the source of the problem in a network. As you manage your cloud applications, it is also important to have visibility into the virtual network connections between your datacenters, remote office sites, and critical workloads. An unified network monitoring experience that gives you network visibility across public and hybrid clouds, and helps in proactive identification and resolution of potential issues is essential for managing todays networks.</p>&#10;<p>Today, we are announcing the general availability of Network Performance Monitor (NPM), a cloud-aware network monitoring solution in <a href="http://microsoft.com/oms">Operations Management Suite</a> Insight &amp; Analytics, that monitors networks for performance degradation and outages. The solution continuously tests for reachability between various points on the network across public clouds, datacenters and user locations, and enables application administrators to quickly identify the specific network segment or device that may be causing the problem.</p>&#10;<p>One customer, TrueSec, Inc., has already seen the power of Azure and Network Performance Monitor together. Using these technologies has not just helped us monitor the network, but also, detect network links with poor performance, says Markus Lassfolk, Chief Executive Officer. NPM has also made it easier for both the admins and networking team to see patterns and get alerts when something abnormal is happening before the users experience the problem and contact us.&#8221;</p>&#10;<h2>Interactive network monitoring, from any browser</h2>&#10;<p>Since the <a href="https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/msoms/2016/07/27/introducing-oms-network-performance-monitor/">public preview release</a> last year, thousands of customers have used the solution and shared their feedback and suggestions. The following new features and enhancements have been added to the Network Performance Monitor solution to aid in comprehensive monitoring and faster troubleshooting:</p>&#10;<ul>&#10;<li><strong>ICMP based reachability tests:</strong> NPM can detect connectivity using Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP), in addition to TCP. ICMP-based probing is used in environments with restrictive firewall configurations, that prevent routers, switches, and hosts from responding to TCP based probes. This post provides <a href="https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/log-analytics/log-analytics-network-performance-monitor#choose-the-right-protocol-icmp-or-tcp">guidance on selection of the right protocol</a> for your environment.</li>&#10;<li><strong>Network State Recorder:</strong> Enhancements to NPM, enable the admin to view the state of the network at any point in the past. To investigate a network connectivity incident, that a user may have encountered last Friday night select the date and time and NPM presents the connectivity, loss, and latency status at that instant.</li>&#10;<li><strong>Topology Map:</strong> This map presents all the network paths between the endpoints and helps localize a network problem to a particular path. You can drill down into the node links and visualize the hop-by-hop topology of routes. The topology map is now interactive, enabling the filtering of paths by health status (e.g. paths with a high loss), addition/removal of network hops, zoom, and more.</li>&#10;</ul>&#10;<p><a href="https://msdnshared.blob.core.windows.net/media/2017/02/NPMGABlog-Picture1-Topology.png"><img width="586" height="337" title="NPMGABlog-Picture1-Topology" class="aligncenter" style="float: none;padding-top: 0px;padding-left: 0px;margin-left: auto;padding-right: 0px;margin-right: auto;border: 0px" alt="NPMGABlog-Picture1-Topology" src="https://msdnshared.blob.core.windows.net/media/2017/02/NPMGABlog-Picture1-Topology_thumb.png" border="0" /></a></p>&#10;<ul>&#10;<li><strong>Improved Alert Management:</strong> NPM now leverages the alert management capabilities in OMS. Users can now get email-based alerts, in addition to the existing alerts within NPM. Alerts can also be used to trigger remedial actions via runbooks or integrate with existing service management solutions using webhooks.</li>&#10;</ul>&#10;<p><a href="https://msdnshared.blob.core.windows.net/media/2017/02/NPMGABlog-Picture2-Alert.png"><img width="610" height="323" title="NPMGABlog-Picture2-Alert" class="aligncenter" style="float: none;padding-top: 0px;padding-left: 0px;margin-left: auto;padding-right: 0px;margin-right: auto;border: 0px" alt="NPMGABlog-Picture2-Alert" src="https://msdnshared.blob.core.windows.net/media/2017/02/NPMGABlog-Picture2-Alert_thumb.png" border="0" /></a></p>&#10;<ul>&#10;<li><strong>Windows desktop support:</strong> NPM agents can now run on Windows desktops/client operating systems (Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 8, and Windows 7), in addition to the previously supported Windows Server OS.</li>&#10;<li><strong>Linux support:</strong> NPM agents can now test network connectivity from Linux workstations and servers. The following distributions are supported: CentOS Linux 7, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7.2, Ubuntu 14.04 LTS, Ubuntu 15.04, Ubuntu 16.04 LTS, Debian 8, and SUSE Linux Server 12.</li>&#10;<li><strong>Search:</strong> Improvements in search, enable quicker drill-down to the specific network and subnets that may be faulty, thereby enabling faster identification and remediation.</li>&#10;</ul>&#10;<p><iframe width="640" height="360" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" src="https://channel9.msdn.com/Series/Operations-Management--Security/Network-Performance-Monitor-Deep-Dive/player"></iframe></p>&#10;<p>These enhancements are available to users today and do not require any manual upgrades of your agents. Learn more by visiting the <a href="https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/log-analytics/log-analytics-network-performance-monitor">documentation</a> page, and provide feedback via the <a href="https://feedback.azure.com/forums/267889-log-analytics/category/188146-network-monitoring">User Voice</a> forum. See for yourself and sign-up for a <a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/cloud-platform/operations-management-suite-trial">free trial</a> online today!</p>&#10;]]></content:encoded> </item> <item> <title>Demo Tuesday // How to turn event logs into security intelligence</title> <link>https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/hybridcloud/2017/02/21/demo-tuesday-how-to-turn-event-logs-into-security-intelligence/</link> <pubDate>Tue, 21 Feb 2017 17:00:55 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Microsoft Server and Cloud Platform Team]]></dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Microsoft Operations Management Suite]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/hybridcloud/?p=14285</guid> <description><![CDATA[Welcome to our new Demo Tuesday series. Each week we will be highlighting a new product feature from the Hybrid Cloud Platform. Smart security with OMS and Windows Server 2016 The flood of security event logs can be enough to overwhelm an army of system administrators. In the event of a breach, whats needed isnt <p><a class="read-more" href="https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/hybridcloud/2017/02/21/demo-tuesday-how-to-turn-event-logs-into-security-intelligence/">Continue reading</a></p>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>Welcome to our new Demo Tuesday series. Each week we will be highlighting a new product feature from the Hybrid Cloud Platform.</strong></p>&#10;<h2>Smart security with OMS and Windows Server 2016</h2>&#10;<p>The flood of security event logs can be enough to overwhelm an army of system administrators. In the event of a breach, whats needed isnt necessarily more data, its better data for better analysis.</p>&#10;<p>Get more accurate threat identification with larger data scope using Azure-based Operations Management Suite (OMS). This cost-effective solution helps you to turn enhanced event logs from Windows Server 2016 into security intelligence you can take action on immediately. Take a look:</p>&#10;<p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_SaDw1dRy2k" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>&#10;<p>By tapping into the new security features in Windows Server 2016, such as Device Guard and enhanced security-event logging, Operations Management Suite provides a huge upgrade in security out-of-the-box. Simply add the Security and Audit solution from the OMS solutions gallery, and youre ready to start taking advantage of the deep security intelligence and take action to remediate.</p>&#10;<p>This combination enables you to surface suspicious network activity that might otherwise be treated as background noise, and to do things like correlate it with users and IP addresses to identify potentially compromised accounts. Windows Server 2016 + Operations Management Suite helps you to:</p>&#10;<ul>&#10;<li>Prevent and detect malicious activity</li>&#10;<li>Detect vulnerabilities before an attack happens</li>&#10;<li>Analyze and investigate incidents</li>&#10;<li>Streamline security audits</li>&#10;</ul>&#10;<p>You can rely on the intelligence built into Operations Management Suite and Windows Server 2016 to do the heavy lifting, so you can focus on keeping your organization secure.</p>&#10;<p>Get started with OMS<a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/cloud-platform/operations-management-suite-trial">activate your free account today and give it a try</a>.</p>&#10;]]></content:encoded> </item> <item> <title>Demo Tuesday // Shielded Virtual Machines in Windows Server 2016</title> <link>https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/hybridcloud/2017/02/14/demo-tuesday-shielded-virtual-machines-in-windows-server-2016/</link> <pubDate>Tue, 14 Feb 2017 17:00:12 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Microsoft Windows Server Team]]></dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Hybrid Cloud]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Security]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/hybridcloud/?p=14116</guid> <description><![CDATA[Welcome to our Demo Tuesday Series. Each week, we will be highlighting a new product feature from the Hybrid Cloud Platform. You cant put virtual machines (VMs) under lock and key Customers are virtualizing pretty much everything they can today, from SharePoint to SQL Server to Active Directory domain controllers. That has created an interesting <p><a class="read-more" href="https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/hybridcloud/2017/02/14/demo-tuesday-shielded-virtual-machines-in-windows-server-2016/">Continue reading</a></p>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>Welcome to our Demo Tuesday Series. Each week, we will be highlighting a new product feature from the Hybrid Cloud Platform.</strong></p>&#10;<h2>You cant put virtual machines (VMs) under lock and key</h2>&#10;<p>Customers are virtualizing pretty much everything they can today, from SharePoint to SQL Server to Active Directory domain controllers. That has created an interesting new challenge. When workloads ran on physical machines, it was possible to physically secure themput them in cages, padlock them, and protect them with actual security guards. Unfortunately, you cant do that with virtualized machines.</p>&#10;<p>Network admins, backup admins, server admins, storage admins, and potentially others have access to your virtual machines. Any one of them could inject malicious code into the virtual machine or upload a VM onto a USB and take it home for inspection, and youd be none the wiser. Take a look:</p>&#10;<p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xip5Qtk-7d8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>&#10;<h2>Get the benefits of virtualization with the security of physical deployment</h2>&#10;<p>Shielded VMs in Windows Server 2016 allow you to keep malicious actors from stealing copies of your virtual machines. They are fully encrypted and will only run on approved guarded fabrics. That guarded fabric forces strong isolation boundaries between the host and its own virtual machines. From any other aspect, a Shielded VM is just like a normal VM, you can run it, back it up, and live migrate it with no additional operational hassle. Thats the power of the shield in shielded virtual machines.</p>&#10;<p><a href="https://info.microsoft.com/WindowsServer2016VirtualLabs.html">Try it out for yourself in our lab</a> and learn more about how Windows Server 2016 can help shield your virtual machines in this <a href="https://mva.microsoft.com/en-US/training-courses/deploying-shielded-vms-and-a-guarded-fabric-with-windows-server-2016-17131?l=WFLef7vUD_4604300474">Microsoft Virtual Academy session</a>.</p>&#10;]]></content:encoded> </item> </channel> </rss>