February 2011 Azure Cloud Events in Boston Area

For those interested in Cloud Computing, especially those interested in Cloud Computing using Microsoft Windows Azure, there are some events in the Boston/Cambridge area which you can attend in person and for FREE.

Here are the ones I know about, in the order in which they will occur.

Know of any more cloud events of interest to the Windows Azure community? Please let me know in the comments.

1. Maximizing Your Monthly Recurring Revenue

• when: Wed 02-Feb-2011, 11:30 – 2:00 PM
• where: Towne Stove & Spirits, 900 Boylston Street, Boston, MA, (near the T)
• food: Lunch will be served
• cost: FREE
• what: This is a business-focused lunch demonstration of how to incorporate the Zuora SaaS billing system into your cloud offering, including (of course) if the platform for your application or service is Windows Azure. Zuora has the Zuora Toolkit for Windows Azure.
• More info & Register: http://info.zuora.com/FY12Q1-BostonZ-TourRegistrationPage.html?mkt_tok=

2. Azure Hackathon hosted by Boston Azure User Group

• when: Wed 16-Feb-2011, 4:00 – 9:00 PM
• where: Hosted at NERD Center
• food: Food (pizza + maybe salad) and drinks will be provided
• cost: FREE
• what: This is an Azure-focused Hackathon – writing code for Windows Azure
• More info: Summary here, plus join the conversation on the Boston Azure Project’s CodePlex Discussion forum
• Register: http://events.constantcontact.com/register/event?llr=v6qmy8dab&oeidk=a07e3aphcm081cb0d51

3. Azure Hackathon hosted by Cloud Hackathon Meetup Group

• when: Thu 17-Feb-2011, 6:30 – 9:30 PM
• where: Hosted at NERD Center
• food: (not sure)
• cost: FREE
• what: This is an Azure-focused Hackathon – writing code for Windows Azure
• More info: (tbd)
• Register: http://www.meetup.com/Hack-The-Cloud

4. Boston Azure User Group meeting with Cloud Security Theme

• when: Thu 24-Feb-2011, 6:00 – 8:30 PM
• where: Hosted at NERD Center
• food: Food (pizza + maybe salad) and drinks will be provided
• cost: FREE
• what: This is an Azure-focused event which will focus this month on Cloud Security with an emphasis on two areas: Data Security and Identity Management.In the main talk, Walt Lapinsky, VP Cloud Security at Purposeful Clouds, will dig into Data Security concerns for the cloud – generally, and as applied to Windows Azure. Walt has diverse background in this area, with over 40 years of proven expertise in supporting bet-your-business IT environments, including in the military and intelligence communities.In the opening talk, Bill Wilder will introduce how to create a Single Sign On (SSO) experience in the cloud using capabilities such as Windows Identity Foundation (WIF) and Azure’s Access Control Service (ACS), including how to easily outsource your authentication to Facebook, Gmail, LiveId, or other existing providers – with Azure’s ACS and .NET’s WIF doing the heavy lifting.
• NOTE: If you are brand new to the Cloud and need to get oriented before jumping in deeper, check out the Boston WebsiteSpark item below which will happen on the same night and at the same location as the Boston Azure event.
• More info: See Boston Azure cloud user group site for details
• Register: http://events.constantcontact.com/register/event?llr=v6qmy8dab&oeidk=a07e3cxgt9k20c9c5bf

5. Introduction to Cloud Computing and Windows Azure

• when: Thu 24-Feb-2011, 6:00 PM
• where: Hosted at NERD Center
• food: (not sure)
• cost: FREE
• what: Mark Eisenberg  will tell us why cloud computing came to be and how it is defined and used.  As well as an overview of the development and deployment workflow. This is a great cloud computing 101 and how you can take advantage of cloud computing.
• More info: See Boston WebsiteSpark Group page for details
• Register: http://www.meetup.com/Boston-WebsiteSpark-Group/events/16409922/

Know of any more cloud events of interest to the Windows Azure cloud crowd? Please let me know in the comments.