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<title>Hybrid Cloud Blog</title>
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<link>https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/hybridcloud</link>
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<title>On-Demand Webinar: 5 days to make IT Ops more efficient</title>
<link>https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/hybridcloud/2017/03/23/on-demand-webinar-5-days-to-make-it-ops-more-efficient/</link>
<comments>https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/hybridcloud/2017/03/23/on-demand-webinar-5-days-to-make-it-ops-more-efficient/#respond</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 23 Mar 2017 19:00:27 +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=14635</guid>
<description><![CDATA[When you are managing multiple resources across heterogenous environments, you need to make operations work for you. A few of the most critical areas you can improve efficiency in are service management, application management, and security. Join us for this on-demand webinar to learn how to remediate infrastructural issues, understand application health, and establish preventative <p><a class="read-more" href="https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/hybridcloud/2017/03/23/on-demand-webinar-5-days-to-make-it-ops-more-efficient/">Continue reading</a></p>]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>When you are managing multiple resources across heterogenous environments, you need to make operations work for you. A few of the most critical areas you can improve efficiency in are service management, application management, and security. Join us for this <a href="https://info.microsoft.com/5-Days-To-Make-IT-Ops-More-Efficient-On-Demand.html">on-demand webinar</a> to learn how to remediate infrastructural issues, understand application health, and establish preventative security in your organization.</p> <p>Nick Burling and Melanie Maynes from the Enterprise Cloud Management team at Microsoft will give you an overview of Azure tools that can help you increase your efficiency in 5 simple ways:</p> <ol> <li>Use Desired State Configuration to automate processes and improve your service level quality</li> <li>Monitor the performance and behavior of your applications and workloads</li> <li>Keep track of service changes that occur in your environment</li> <li>Track security alerts, missing updates, and malicious activity</li> <li>Bring app and server analytics together for dependency mapping and diagnostics</li> </ol> <p>See close-up screenshots from the webinar below.</p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="999" border="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="499"> <p align="center"><a href="https://msdnshared.blob.core.windows.net/media/2017/03/DSC_Config.png"><img title="DSC_Config" class="aligncenter" style="float: none;padding-top: 0px;padding-left: 0px;margin-left: auto;padding-right: 0px;margin-right: auto;border-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_Config" src="https://msdnshared.blob.core.windows.net/media/2017/03/DSC_Config_thumb.png" width="240" height="145" /></a><br /> Set Desired State Configuration</p> </td> <td valign="top" width="499"> <p align="center"><a href="https://msdnshared.blob.core.windows.net/media/2017/03/DSC_Nodes.png"><img title="DSC_Nodes" class="aligncenter" style="float: none;padding-top: 0px;padding-left: 0px;margin-left: auto;padding-right: 0px;margin-right: auto;border-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_Nodes" src="https://msdnshared.blob.core.windows.net/media/2017/03/DSC_Nodes_thumb.png" width="240" height="145" /></a><br /> DSC nodes status</p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="499"> <p align="center"><a href="https://msdnshared.blob.core.windows.net/media/2017/03/AppInsights_Main.png"><img title="AppInsights_Main" class="aligncenter" style="float: none;padding-top: 0px;padding-left: 0px;margin-left: auto;padding-right: 0px;margin-right: auto;border-width: 0px" border="0" alt="AppInsights_Main" src="https://msdnshared.blob.core.windows.net/media/2017/03/AppInsights_Main_thumb.png" width="240" height="145" /></a><br /> App Insights dashboard</p> </td> <td valign="top" width="499"> <p align="center"><a href="https://msdnshared.blob.core.windows.net/media/2017/03/AppInsights_FailedRequests.png"><img title="AppInsights_FailedRequests" class="aligncenter" style="float: none;padding-top: 0px;padding-left: 0px;margin-left: auto;padding-right: 0px;margin-right: auto;border-width: 0px" border="0" alt="AppInsights_FailedRequests" src="https://msdnshared.blob.core.windows.net/media/2017/03/AppInsights_FailedRequests_thumb.png" width="240" height="145" /></a><br /> App Insights failed requests</p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="499"> <p align="center"><a href="https://msdnshared.blob.core.windows.net/media/2017/03/AutomationMainView.png"><img title="AutomationMainView" class="aligncenter" style="float: none;padding-top: 0px;padding-left: 0px;margin-left: auto;padding-right: 0px;margin-right: auto;border-width: 0px" border="0" alt="AutomationMainView" src="https://msdnshared.blob.core.windows.net/media/2017/03/AutomationMainView_thumb.png" width="240" height="145" /></a><br /> Automation dashboard</p> </td> <td valign="top" width="499"> <p align="center"><a href="https://msdnshared.blob.core.windows.net/media/2017/03/ChangeTracking.png"><img title="ChangeTracking" class="aligncenter" style="float: none;padding-top: 0px;padding-left: 0px;margin-left: auto;padding-right: 0px;margin-right: auto;border-width: 0px" border="0" alt="ChangeTracking" src="https://msdnshared.blob.core.windows.net/media/2017/03/ChangeTracking_thumb.png" width="240" height="145" /></a><br /> Configuration change tracking</p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="499"> <p align="center"><a href="https://msdnshared.blob.core.windows.net/media/2017/03/Security_Main.png"><img title="Security_Main" class="aligncenter" style="float: none;padding-top: 0px;padding-left: 0px;margin-left: auto;padding-right: 0px;margin-right: auto;border-width: 0px" border="0" alt="Security_Main" src="https://msdnshared.blob.core.windows.net/media/2017/03/Security_Main_thumb.png" width="240" height="145" /></a><br /> Security and audit dashboard</p> </td> <td valign="top" width="499"> <p align="center"><a href="https://msdnshared.blob.core.windows.net/media/2017/03/Security_Threat_Detection.png"><img title="Security_Threat_Detection" class="aligncenter" style="float: none;padding-top: 0px;padding-left: 0px;margin-left: auto;padding-right: 0px;margin-right: auto;border-width: 0px" border="0" alt="Security_Threat_Detection" src="https://msdnshared.blob.core.windows.net/media/2017/03/Security_Threat_Detection_thumb.png" width="240" height="145" /></a><br /> Threat detection map</p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="499"> <p align="center"><a href="https://msdnshared.blob.core.windows.net/media/2017/03/Service_Map_Alert.png"><img title="Service_Map_Alert" class="aligncenter" style="float: none;padding-top: 0px;padding-left: 0px;margin-left: auto;padding-right: 0px;margin-right: auto;border-width: 0px" border="0" alt="Service_Map_Alert" src="https://msdnshared.blob.core.windows.net/media/2017/03/Service_Map_Alert_thumb.png" width="240" height="145" /></a><br /> Service Map critical alert</p> </td> <td valign="top" width="499"> <p align="center"><a href="https://msdnshared.blob.core.windows.net/media/2017/03/Service_Map_Security.png"><img title="Service_Map_Security" class="aligncenter" style="float: none;padding-top: 0px;padding-left: 0px;margin-left: auto;padding-right: 0px;margin-right: auto;border-width: 0px" border="0" alt="Service_Map_Security" src="https://msdnshared.blob.core.windows.net/media/2017/03/Service_Map_Security_thumb.png" width="240" height="145" /></a><br /> Service Map security issue</p> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> ]]></content:encoded>
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<title>Five reasons to run SQL Server 2016 on Windows Server 2016, part 1</title>
<link>https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/hybridcloud/2017/03/23/five-reasons-to-run-sql-server-2016-on-windows-server-2016-1-security/</link>
<comments>https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/hybridcloud/2017/03/23/five-reasons-to-run-sql-server-2016-on-windows-server-2016-1-security/#respond</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 23 Mar 2017 16:00:09 +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=14845</guid>
<description><![CDATA[This is the first blog in a five-part series. Keep an eye out for upcoming posts, which will cover cutting cost and improving performance of storage, BI, and analytics; improving uptime and reliability; reaching data insights faster by running analytics at the point of creation; and maintaining a consistent data environment across on-premises, hybrid, and <p><a class="read-more" href="https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/hybridcloud/2017/03/23/five-reasons-to-run-sql-server-2016-on-windows-server-2016-1-security/">Continue reading</a></p>]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em>This is the first blog in a five-part series. Keep an eye out for upcoming posts, which will cover cutting cost and improving performance of storage, BI, and analytics; improving uptime and reliability; reaching data insights faster by running analytics at the point of creation; and maintaining a consistent data environment across on-premises, hybrid, and cloud environments.</em></p> <h2>Reason #1: Security</h2> <p>Wall, ditch, moat, palisades, watch towers, guards, highly trained soldiers: Even 2,000 years ago, when the Romans built their defenses, they deployed multiple layers of protection to deter invaders and keep intruders out. Today, on the electronic front, IT environments demand no less than a strong, layered approach to ensuring that data assets are protected from attacks such as stolen administrator credentials, unauthorized access, and pass-the-hash exploits.</p> <p>You can see how important security is by examining the cost of data breaches, which is growing rapidly and represents a significant risk to business, as Figure 1 illustrates. To address this, <a href="http://news.microsoft.com/security2015/">Microsoft’s $1 billion annual investment in security</a> demonstrates the companys long-standing and proven commitment to building security capabilities into both its applications and operating systems. This means you can take advantage of layered security and mitigate risk.</p> <p><strong>Figure 1: Growing cost of data breach</strong></p> <p><a href="https://msdnshared.blob.core.windows.net/media/2017/03/Figure-1.png"><img width="281" height="394" title="Figure 1" style="float: none;padding-top: 0px;padding-left: 0px;margin-left: auto;padding-right: 0px;margin-right: auto;border-width: 0px" alt="Figure 1" src="https://msdnshared.blob.core.windows.net/media/2017/03/Figure-1_thumb.png" border="0" /></a></p> <p>Consider Windows Server 2016 and SQL Server 2016, for example: Security is built into both. Windows Server 2016 adds new OS-level security capabilities to existing security functionality. On top of Windows Servers built-in security, SQL Server has consistently been the least vulnerable database, according to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). As a result, if you use both SQL Server 2016 and Windows Server 2016 together, you get enterprise-scale security that meets the strictest organizational and industry standards for your infrastructure and your data.</p> <p><strong>Figure 2: Independent findings show unparalleled security</strong></p> <p><a href="https://msdnshared.blob.core.windows.net/media/2017/03/Figure-2.png"><img width="297" height="327" title="Figure 2" style="float: none;padding-top: 0px;padding-left: 0px;margin-left: auto;padding-right: 0px;margin-right: auto;border-width: 0px" alt="Figure 2" src="https://msdnshared.blob.core.windows.net/media/2017/03/Figure-2_thumb.png" border="0" /></a></p> <h2>Windows Server 2016 security</h2> <p>Windows Server 2016 includes built-in breach-resistance mechanisms to establish strong security layers to help thwart attacks. The Windows Server 2016 operating system is a strategic layer in your infrastructure and serves as the foundation for your SQL Server data security. To prevent data exposure, you need the most advanced protection you can get. By modernizing both your server platform and your data platform together, you can be assured youre doing your best to protect your business. The security functionality in Windows Server 2016 includes:</p> <ul> <li>Device Guard helps lock down what runs on the server so that you are better protected from unauthorized software running on the same server as your SQL Server application.</li> <li>Credential Guard helps protect SQL Server admin credentials from being stolen by Pass-the-Hash and Pass-the-Ticket attacks. Using an entirely new isolated Local Security Authority (LSA) process, which is not accessible to the rest of the operating system, Credential Guards virtualization-based security isolates credential information to prevent interception of password hashes or Kerberos tickets.</li> <li>Control Flow Guard and Windows Defender protect against known and unknown vulnerabilities that malware can otherwise exploit. Control Flow tightly restricts what application code can be executed, especially indirect call instructions. Lightweight security checks identify the set of functions in the application that are valid targets for indirect calls. When an application runs, it verifies that these indirect call targets are valid. Windows Defender works hand in hand with Device Guard and Control Flow Guard to prevent malicious code of any kind from being installed on your servers.</li> </ul> <p>To learn more about the advanced layers of OS security, visit the <a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/cloud-platform/windows-server-security">Windows Server security webpage</a> and read the <a href="http://download.microsoft.com/download/6/7/3/673E651E-C5B3-4C93-A69A-94042EB6DE22/Windows_Server_2016_Security_Better_protection_begins_at_the_OS_Whitepaper_EN_US.pdf">white paper</a>.</p> <h2>SQL Server 2016 security</h2> <p>When you modernize your data platform to SQL Server 2016, you get access to innovative advanced security features of the least vulnerable database. Three key built-in features that keep unauthorized users from accessing SQL Server data are:</p> <ul> <li>Always Encrypted enables encryption inside client applications without revealing encryption keys to SQL Server. It allows changes to encrypted data without the need to decrypt it first, as shown in Figure 3. The combination of Transparent Data Encryption and Always Encrypted ensures that data is encrypted both at rest and in motion. To learn more please see <a href="https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/dataplatforminsider/2015/11/18/always-encrypted-in-sql-server-azure-sql-database/">Always Encrypted in SQL Server & Azure SQL Database</a>.</li> </ul> <p><strong>Figure 3: </strong><a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/sql-server/data-security"><strong>Always Encrypted protection</strong></a></p> <p><a href="https://msdnshared.blob.core.windows.net/media/2017/03/Figure-31.png"><img width="429" height="161" title="Figure 3" class="aligncenter" style="float: none;padding-top: 0px;padding-left: 0px;margin-left: auto;padding-right: 0px;margin-right: auto;border-width: 0px" alt="Figure 3" src="https://msdnshared.blob.core.windows.net/media/2017/03/Figure-3_thumb1.png" border="0" /></a></p> <ul> <li>Row-Level Security (RLS), which Figure 4 illustrates, enables developers to centralize row-level access logic in the database and maintain a consistent data access policy to reduce the risk of accidental data leakage. For details please see, “<a href="https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/dataplatforminsider/2016/01/21/limiting-access-to-data-using-row-level-security/">Limiting access to data using Row-Level Security</a>.”</li> </ul> <p><strong>Figure 4: Row-Level Security</strong></p> <p><a href="https://msdnshared.blob.core.windows.net/media/2017/03/Figure-41.png"><img width="414" height="202" title="Figure 4" class="aligncenter" style="float: none;padding-top: 0px;padding-left: 0px;margin-left: auto;padding-right: 0px;margin-right: auto;border-width: 0px" alt="Figure 4" src="https://msdnshared.blob.core.windows.net/media/2017/03/Figure-4_thumb1.png" border="0" /></a></p> <ul> <li>Dynamic Data Masking (DDM) lets you conceal your sensitive data or personally identifiable information (PII) such as customer information such as phone number, bank information, or Social Security number. DDM and Row-Level Security (RLS) help developers build applications that require restricted direct access to certain data as a means of preventing users from seeing specific information. Figure 5 illustrates. For deeper information please see, “<a href="https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/dataplatforminsider/2016/01/25/use-dynamic-data-masking-to-obfuscate-your-sensitive-data/">Use Dynamic Data Masking to obfuscate your sensitive data</a>.”</li> </ul> <p><strong>Figure 5: Dynamic Data Masking</strong></p> <p><a href="https://msdnshared.blob.core.windows.net/media/2017/03/Figure-51.png"><img width="410" height="251" title="Figure 5" class="aligncenter" style="float: none;padding-top: 0px;padding-left: 0px;margin-left: auto;padding-right: 0px;margin-right: auto;border-width: 0px" alt="Figure 5" src="https://msdnshared.blob.core.windows.net/media/2017/03/Figure-5_thumb1.png" border="0" /></a></p> <p><sup>1</sup> National Institute of Standards and Technology Comprehensive Vulnerability Database, update 2016.</p> <p> </p> <p>To learn more about SQL Server 2016 security, you can visit the <a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/sql-server/data-security">SQL Server data security webpage</a> and read the <a href="http://download.microsoft.com/download/9/0/E/90E591E0-1F6D-4C79-A0C8-9E2B29A94B15/SQL_Server_2016_Keeping_Data_Secured_White_Paper_EN_US.pdf">security white paper</a>.</p> <p>Thanks for reading our first blog in the series. For more info, check out this <a href="http://download.microsoft.com/download/F/2/7/F27DCF07-9558-4C26-80A2-79A4846B16A1/SQL_Server_2016_and_Windows_Server_2016_Better_Together_datasheet_EN_US.pdf">summary of five reasons to run SQL Server 2016 with Windows Server 2016</a>.</p> <h2>Ready to give it a try? Check out our free evaluation options:</h2> <p>Dont wait until you experience a data breach to get tougher on your security stance. Build your own layers of defense to protect your organizations most important data and keep the bad guys out.</p> <p><a href="https://info.microsoft.com/WindowsServer2016VirtualLabs.html">Windows Server Virtual Labs</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/evaluate-windows-server-2016">Windows Server 2016 Free Evaluation</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/sql-server/sql-server-downloads">SQL Server 2016 Free Evaluation</a></p> <p><a href="https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/virtuallabs?id=IMUmyf7VAbE">SQL Server Virtual Labs</a></p> ]]></content:encoded>
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<title>Bridge gap between app and infra with Azure management and security updates</title>
<link>https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/hybridcloud/2017/03/22/bridge-gap-between-app-and-infra-with-azure-management-and-security-updates/</link>
<comments>https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/hybridcloud/2017/03/22/bridge-gap-between-app-and-infra-with-azure-management-and-security-updates/#respond</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 22 Mar 2017 17:00:00 +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=14525</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Silos within organizations arent new, and they arent a new source of issues. As IT groups today work to eliminate bottlenecks and increase speed, one important area to consider is simplifying the connections between teams. The tools you use to manage your environment can be an important part of your approach. Today, were sharing recent <p><a class="read-more" href="https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/hybridcloud/2017/03/22/bridge-gap-between-app-and-infra-with-azure-management-and-security-updates/">Continue reading</a></p>]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Silos within organizations arent new, and they arent a new source of issues. As IT groups today work to eliminate bottlenecks and increase speed, one important area to consider is simplifying the connections between teams. The tools you use to manage your environment can be an important part of your approach. Today, were sharing recent updates to Azure management and security services that are designed to make it easier to anticipate issues and resolve them more quickly when they arise.</p> <p>Service management, security, and performance management are all high priority areas where the activities of different groups may intersect. For greater efficiency in handling incidents, you can now bring together system logs and service management features into interactive dashboards for <a href="https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/hybridcloud/2017/02/22/introducing-network-performance-monitor-for-network-visibility-across-public-and-hybrid-clouds/">network performance</a> and <a href="https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/hybridcloud/2016/11/21/introducing-service-map-for-dependency-aware-monitoring-troubleshooting-and-workload-migrations/">application dependency mapping</a>. For greater insight into security incidents, we recently announced <a href="https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/preview-the-new-enhancements-to-azure-security-center/">enhanced behavioral analytics and advanced prevention technologies</a>.</p> <blockquote><p>The insight gives everyone at different levels, and from different perspectives, a better view of whats happening with an application or a network segment. If we compare it to a water service, its like looking at a water pipe from inside the house to the sidewalk and all the way to the water tower.</p> <p>Shawn Williams, Systems Engineer, Purdue University</p></blockquote> <h2>Service management</h2> <p>Connecting your log data across datacenters, remote office sites, and critical workloads can make it easier to troubleshoot IT issues and provide faster resolutions across teams. Gain visibility into the virtual network connections in your environment using the Network Performance Monitor in <a href="https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/services/insight-analytics/">Azure Insight & Analytics</a>. This network monitoring tool scans networks for performance degradation and outages in near real-time, and enables you to drill-down into each node and visualize network segments and devices that may be causing the problem. Additionally, Service Map, currently in public preview, is an application and server dependency mapping tool that discovers and maps server and process dependencies and visualizes application components, service dependencies, and supporting infrastructure configuration. This helps you eliminate the guesswork of problem isolation, identify surprise connections and broken links in your environment, and perform Azure migrations knowing that critical systems and endpoints wont be left behind.</p> <h2>Security</h2> <p>Security is a major focus area for most organizations, and you dont want to be the bottleneck in ensuring your systems are secure and compliant. You can use Azure security tools to monitor security events leveraging Microsofts threat intelligence engine, and to respond immediately. Servers remain a top target for breaches, but now with new behavioral analytics and advanced prevention technologies available you can help identify suspicious activity, such as process persistency in the registry, processes masquerading as system processes, and attempts to evade application whitelisting if a server becomes compromised. You can also use the power of machine learning to detect brute force attacks, and to determine if virtual machines are taking part in a DDoS attack by joining network and machine data together, so you can work together with your security counterparts to resolve issues quickly.</p> <h2>Performance management</h2> <p>Application developers and IT are both concerned with the health and performance of critical applications and the platforms on which they run. To help you improve collaboration between teams, weve made it possible to use the same application data across Azure services with custom views to meet different needs. Azure Insight & Analytics enables IT to see server, workload and network performance across your environment, coupled with application data on web tests, page views, server requests, exceptions and custom events, in a single, connected workspace. For developers, you can use Azure Application Insights, which was <a href="https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/general-availability-of-azure-application-insights/">announced at Connect() in November</a>, to visualize application behavior and usage patterns, including interactive charts for app responsiveness, load times, and slow requests. You can also deploy and test new features, using custom telemetry, to see how they are performing.</p> <p>Azure management and security services enable organizations to see in near real-time what is happening in a hybrid, cross-platform environment. For Shawn Williams, systems engineer at Purdue University, The insight gives everyone at different levels, and from different perspectives, a better view of whats happening with an application or a network segment. If we compare it to a water service, its like looking at a water pipe from inside the house to the sidewalk and all the way to the water tower.</p> <h2>Get started now</h2> <p>Try today with a <a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/cloud-platform/operations-management-suite-trial">free account</a>, and <a href="http://feedback.azure.com/">send us your feedback</a>.</p> ]]></content:encoded>
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<title>The successful hybrid cloud deployment checklist</title>
<link>https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/hybridcloud/2017/03/16/the-successful-hybrid-cloud-deployment-checklist/</link>
<comments>https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/hybridcloud/2017/03/16/the-successful-hybrid-cloud-deployment-checklist/#respond</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 16 Mar 2017 19:00:43 +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=14505</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Organizations often lack the technology prerequisites needed to fully realize hybrid cloud capabilities. In this article, we explore two of the four critical competencies that mark a successful hybrid deployment, with recommendations on how some of these capabilities can be best achieved. The four pillars of successful cloud deployment As Gartner reports, companies that have <p><a class="read-more" href="https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/hybridcloud/2017/03/16/the-successful-hybrid-cloud-deployment-checklist/">Continue reading</a></p>]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Organizations often lack the technology prerequisites needed to fully realize hybrid cloud capabilities. In this article, we explore two of the four critical competencies that mark a successful hybrid deployment, with recommendations on how some of these capabilities can be best achieved.</p> <h2>The four pillars of successful cloud deployment</h2> <p>As Gartner reports, companies that have successfully realized the full benefits of their hybrid cloud strategies demonstrate mature competence in four key areas, specifically:</p> <ul> <li>Virtualization</li> <li>Standardization</li> <li>Automation</li> <li>Instrumentation</li> </ul> <p>Organizations must evaluate their competencies in these disciplines objectively and be aware that the level of maturity they develop in each area can directly impact the level of benefits they can expect from their hybrid cloud.</p> <h2>1. Virtualize more than your compute environment</h2> <p>As you probably already know, virtualizing as many things as you can saves you money and time. However, the organization looking to leverage the full benefits from their hybrid cloud should focus on extending virtualization beyond compute storage. To help understand your readiness, consider the following:</p> <ul> <li>Have you targeted your virtualizing infrastructure silos for applications that can be virtualized?</li> <li>Have you achieved at least an 80 percent virtualization level at the compute layer?</li> <li>Have you procured compute, storage, and networking that can be leveraged by any cloud management platform?</li> </ul> <h2>2. Standardize components that make up the services</h2> <p>Standardization can help dramatically reduce the diversity of an organizations infrastructure services. Hardware standardization allows easier pooling of resources. Likewise, software standardization can have a profound impact on provisioning, patching, and governance. When assessing your competence in this area consider:</p> <ul> <li>Have you standardized all components wherever possible?</li> <li>Have you instituted a formal governance process for new products, a process that includes multiple IT disciplines and can ensure standards are known throughout the organization?</li> <li>Have you made it difficult to add components without valid business reasons?</li> </ul> <p>Are you getting the full benefits of the hybrid cloud? Download this <a href="https://info.microsoft.com/Gartner-Report-On-Hybrid-Cloud-Deployment.html">report</a> and find out what your organization needs.</p> <p>While many organizations have developed mature competencies in virtualization and standardization, as deployments grow, the need for similar competencies in automation and instrumentation become rapidly apparent.</p> <p>The degree to which an organization can eliminate infrastructure and operational tasks, as well as provide real-time visibility into infrastructure and application components, directly impacts the level of benefits they can expect from their hybrid cloud deployment.</p> <p>For in-depth recommendations on how to develop the competencies required for a successful hybrid cloud deployment, get the Gartner report: <a href="https://info.microsoft.com/Gartner-Report-On-Hybrid-Cloud-Deployment.html">Successful Hybrid Cloud Deployment Requires Maturity in Four Key Areas</a>.</p> ]]></content:encoded>
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<title>On-demand webinar: Accelerate application delivery with Docker Containers and Windows Server 2016</title>
<link>https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/hybridcloud/2017/03/16/on-demand-webinar-accelerate-application-delivery-with-docker-containers-and-windows-server-2016/</link>
<comments>https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/hybridcloud/2017/03/16/on-demand-webinar-accelerate-application-delivery-with-docker-containers-and-windows-server-2016/#respond</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 16 Mar 2017 16:00:18 +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=14495</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Adoption of Windows Server 2016 is well underway, and one area of innovation getting a lot of interest is the new Windows Server and Hyper-V Containers, which work with the Docker Engine that comes with each license of Windows Server 2016. Whether your organization is creating new applications or modernizing traditional applications, please join us <p><a class="read-more" href="https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/hybridcloud/2017/03/16/on-demand-webinar-accelerate-application-delivery-with-docker-containers-and-windows-server-2016/">Continue reading</a></p>]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Adoption of Windows Server 2016 is well underway, and one area of innovation getting a lot of interest is the new Windows Server and Hyper-V Containers, which work with the <a href="https://blog.docker.com/2016/09/dockerforws2016/">Docker Engine that comes with each license of Windows Server 2016</a>. Whether your organization is creating new applications or modernizing traditional applications, please join us for this <a href="https://aka.ms/ws16containerswebcast">on-demand webinar</a> to explore how containers can accelerate application delivery in your organization.</p> <p>Webinar hosts Taylor Brown from Microsoft and Mike Coleman from Docker will:</p> <ul> <li>Dive into the architecture of the new container technology.</li> <li>Distinguish how Virtual Machines and containers are different.</li> <li>Talk about development and deployment experiences and best practices.</li> <li>Explore Docker, the engine used to create and run Windows application containers.</li> <li>Walk through technical demos and application deployment scenarios.</li> </ul> <p>No need to wait, <a href="https://aka.ms/ws16containerswebcast">start watching now</a>!</p> ]]></content:encoded>
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<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> <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> <ul> <li>Help scale up and scale down connections</li> <li>Provide high-end device pass through capabilities for the most graphics-heavy workloads</li> <li>Set up Azure SQL connections that can now be shared across more than one RDS deployment</li> </ul> <h2>Demo #1: Improve GPU virtualization</h2> <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> <p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zfcjLydzOEE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <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> <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> <h2>Demo #2: Beat the remote logon storm</h2> <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> <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> <p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Xi89A2b5b5w" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <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> <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> <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> ]]></content:encoded>
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<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> <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> <p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/d5ke-pQRNB4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <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> <h2>Manage headless (non-GUI) servers too</h2> <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> <h2>Best of all, its free!</h2> <p>There is no risk, so give it a try and let us know what you think.</p> <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> ]]></content:encoded>
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<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>
<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’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> <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’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> <h2>Get into Azure</h2> <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> <h2>Start using Azure Resource Manager</h2> <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> <h2>Learn about hybrid applications and think about use cases for your business</h2> <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> <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> <h2>Get Azure Stack running for prototype validation</h2> <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&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> <h2>Get Azure Stack Tools and configure Azure</h2> <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> <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> <h2>Start iterating and expanding</h2> <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> <p>Good luck!</p> ]]></content:encoded>
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<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> <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> <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> <ul> <li>Sustain critical and legacy applications for six additional years</li> <li>Stay compliant with regulatory requirements</li> <li>Maintain security on systems that may not be ready to update</li> </ul> <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> <ul> <li>A legacy ERP system that is heavily integrated with other systems</li> <li>Critical applications that cannot support the down time required for updates<sub></sub><sub></sub><sub></sub><sub></sub></li> <li>Custom applications that might be working fine and would be expensive to rearchitect</li> <li>Industry-specific applications not yet offered as cloud-based solutions</li> </ul> <h2>Purchase now and lock in savings</h2> <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> <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> <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> <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> <h2>Software Assurance is still the best way to protect your investments</h2> <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> <ul> <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> <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> </ul> <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> <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> ]]></content:encoded>
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<title>Azure Stack updates – 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>
<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> <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> <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> <p>The Azure blog post walks through whats new in Azure Stack, including:</p> <ul> <li>TP3 software available for download</li> <li>Packaging and pay-as-you-use pricing model</li> <li>Roadmap update, including what to expect leading up to general availability</li> </ul> <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> ]]></content:encoded>
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