Talks

Upcoming Talks

Moving Web Apps to the Cloud

As a developer with years of experience developing web apps using ASP.NET, SQL Server, Windows Server and Active Directory, how do you move to the cloud with Windows Azure? How can you apply your existing skills and experience to developing cloud apps in Windows Azure? In this session, we will take a simple, traditional ASP.NET app and walk through the migration to Windows Azure. We’ll discuss the important considerations, practices, architectural differences, challenges, advantages and economic benefits to consider when migrating to Windows Azure.

October 7, 2011
Tulsa TechFest 2011
OSU-Tulsa, 700 North Greenwood Ave, Tulsa, OK 74106
http://techfests.com/Tulsa/2011/Speakers/EricDBoyd/default.aspx


Overview of the Windows Azure Marketplace DataMarket

Whether it is buying clothing, food, or software, consumers like the simplicity of the one-stop shopping experience. Product producers also benefit greatly by being a part of a community marketplace. These rules of commerce apply to data just as much as physical goods and mobile apps. The Windows Azure Marketplace DataMarket is the marketplace for data set distribution in the cloud. In this session we will explore the benefits of the marketplace and the cloud for distributing data. Next, we will review the features and capabilities of Azure DataMarket. We will then walkthrough subscribing to, consuming and paying for data from Azure DataMarket. And finally, we will explore what this means for data publishers and how you can get data into the Azure DataMarket.

October 7, 2011
Tulsa TechFest 2011
OSU-Tulsa, 700 North Greenwood Ave, Tulsa, OK 74106
http://techfests.com/Tulsa/2011/Speakers/EricDBoyd/default.aspx


If Not laaS, When Should I Use Azure VM Role?

The Windows Azure Platform is a great cloud platform for scalable, on-demand computing power. However, there are scenarios that are not supported by Azure’s web and worker role abstractions. In this session, we will explore the traditional Azure web and worker compute roles and walkthrough the common challenges encountered using these. We will explore the architecture and internals of Windows Azure, and then explore the new VM Role and the scenarios that are enabled having access to OS. Finally, we will explore the tradeoffs to consider when using the Azure VM Role.

October 18, 2011
Visual Studio Live! Redmond 2011
Redmond, WA
http://vslive.com/Events/Redmond-2011/Sessions/Tuesday/T4-If-Not-laaS-When-Should-I-use-Windows-Azure-VM-Role.aspx


BI in the Cloud with SQL Azure Reporting

Why maintain infrastructure for operational reporting, when you can do it in the cloud with SQL Azure Reporting? SQL Azure Reporting provides a set of capabilities that are familiar for developers using SQL Server Reporting Services on-premise. We will begin this session by considering the benefits and scenarios for BI in the cloud. Next, we will walkthrough what you need to get started using SQL Azure Reporting. We will then develop and deploy some reports to SQL Azure Reporting. Unfortunately, SSRS and SQL Azure Reporting do not have complete feature parity. As a result, we will conclude by reviewing the challenges and limitations of using SQL Azure Reporting over SQL Server Reporting Services.

December 7, 2011
Visual Studio Live! Orlando 2011
Orlando, FL
http://vslive.com/Events/Orlando-2011/Sessions/Wednesday/W14-BI-in-the-Cloud-with-SQL-Azure-Reporting.aspx


If Not laaS, When Should I Use Azure VM Role?

The Windows Azure Platform is a great cloud platform for scalable, on-demand computing power. However, there are scenarios that are not supported by Azure’s web and worker role abstractions. In this session, we will explore the traditional Azure web and worker compute roles and walkthrough the common challenges encountered using these. We will explore the architecture and internals of Windows Azure, and then explore the new VM Role and the scenarios that are enabled having access to OS. Finally, we will explore the tradeoffs to consider when using the Azure VM Role.

December 7, 2011
Visual Studio Live! Orlando 2011
Orlando, FL
http://vslive.com/Events/Orlando-2011/Sessions/Wednesday/W03-If-Not-IaaS-When-Should-I-Use-Azure-VM-Role.aspx

Past Talks

Mobile + Cloud: Using the Azure Toolkit with Windows Phone

Most consumers expect cloud services without ever thinking about “The Cloud”. As consumers, we use services like Gmail, Dropbox, twitter andeven Xbox Live and we expect our information to be available from any locationand on all of our devices. When creating quality, mobile apps, we should provide a similar experience because our customers expect it. The Cloud enables startups and mobile developers to provide the same user experience as large enterprises and Fortune 500 companies. It levels the playing field and eliminates the upfront investment previously required for servers and datacenters.

Eric D. Boyd will present the common scenarios for incorporating Cloud services into your mobile apps. Eric will take us through Platform as a Service (PaaS) and Windows Azure and get us equipped with the necessary tools to build cloud services for our mobile apps using Windows Azure. Eric will also demonstrate how to create Windows Phone apps with Windows Azure services and point us to some tools that will help with Windows Phone development.

September 1, 2011
The Chicago Windows Phone Developer Group
TechNexus, 200 S Wacker 15th Floor, Chicago, IL
http://www.meetup.com/Chicago-Windows-Phone-Developers/events/27292731/


Windows Phone + Cloud: Building Great Mobile Apps with Cloud Services and Windows Azure

While today’s mobile devices are incredibly powerful, there is still processing and storage limitations that can be augmented by utilizing services in the cloud. In this session, we will explore scenarios where consuming web services make sense and consider how this benefits our users. Next we will create a Windows Phone application using available Web API’s. Then we will review the Windows Azure platform and discuss how Azure fits. Finally, we will integrate our own Windows Azure services into our Windows Phone app which will result in a Cloudy Mobile App.

August 27, 2011
Mobile + Cloud Jumpstart
Morningstar, 22 W Washington St, Chicago, IL 60602
http://mobilecloudjumpstart.eventbrite.com/


Making $$$ with Windows Phone

The release of Windows Phone has created a rare opportunity for app developers to get in on the ground floor of a new and fast-growth mobile app marketplace. In this session, we will explore the ins and outs of the Marketplace and how to get started building and monetizing apps for the Windows Phone.

August 13, 2011
Dallas TechFest 2011
University of Texas at Dallas
http://dallastechfest.com/Sessions/1549/Making–with-Windows-Phone-7


Data In Windows Azure

The Windows Azure Platform provides a plethora of options for data storage and trying to make sense of it all can be overwhelming. In this session we will explore the many Azure data services including SQL Azure, Azure Storage, Local Storage and AppFabric Caching. We will walk through the scenarios that each storage service addresses. Next we will dig into how to use each storage service and how they can complement each other when used together. Finally, we will explore the pricing and economic drivers that encourage one storage service over another when multiple fit into your solution.

August 13, 2011
Dallas TechFest 2011
University of Texas at Dallas
http://dallastechfest.com/Sessions/663/Data-in-Windows-Azure


Windows Phone + Cloud: Building Great Mobile Apps with Cloud Services and Windows Azure

While today’s mobile devices are incredibly powerful, there is still processing and storage limitations that can be augmented by utilizing services in the cloud. In this session, we will explore scenarios where consuming web services make sense and consider how this benefits our users. Next we will create a Windows Phone application using available Web API’s. Then we will review the Windows Azure platform and discuss how Azure fits. Finally, we will integrate our own Windows Azure services into our Windows Phone app which will result in a Cloudy Mobile App.

August 12, 2011
Dallas TechFest 2011
University of Texas at Dallas
http://dallastechfest.com/Sessions/666/Windows-Phone–Cloud-Building-Great-Mobile-Apps-with-Cloud-Services-and-Windows-Azure


Making $$$ with Windows Phone

The release of Windows Phone has created a rare opportunity for app developers to get in on the ground floor of a new and fast-growth mobile app marketplace. In this session, we will explore the ins and outs of the Marketplace and how to get started building and monetizing apps for the Windows Phone.

August 6, 2011
St. Louis Day of .NET 2011
Ameristar Casino & Resort, One Ameristar Blvd, St. Charles, MO 63301
http://www.stlouisdayofdotnet.com/2011/sessions/making-with-windows-phone-7


Overview of the Windows Azure Marketplace DataMarket

Whether it is buying clothing, food, or software, consumers like the simplicity of the one-stop shopping experience. Product producers also benefit greatly by being a part of a community marketplace. These rules of commerce apply to data just as much as physical goods and mobile apps. The Windows Azure Marketplace DataMarket is the marketplace for data set distribution in the cloud. In this session we will explore the benefits of the marketplace and the cloud for distributing data. Next, we will review the features and capabilities of Azure DataMarket. We will then walkthrough subscribing to, consuming and paying for data from Azure DataMarket. And finally, we will explore what this means for data publishers and how you can get data into the Azure DataMarket.

August 6, 2011
St. Louis Day of .NET 2011
Ameristar Casino & Resort, One Ameristar Blvd, St. Charles, MO 63301
http://www.stlouisdayofdotnet.com/2011/overview-of-the-windows-azure-marketplace-datamarket


Architecting for Massive Scalability

The Cloud now makes seemingly infinite amounts of computing power accessible to everyone. However, to maximize this power, your applications need to scale. In this session, we will explore patterns that enable massive scalability. We will examine Brewer’s CAP Theorem and contrast it to the ACID principles that guide traditional LOB applications. And finally, we will explore how to apply these patterns when building applications for the Cloud using Windows Azure.

August 5, 2011
St. Louis Day of .NET 2011
Ameristar Casino & Resort, One Ameristar Blvd, St. Charles, MO 63301
http://www.stlouisdayofdotnet.com/2011/architecting-for-massive-scalability


Consuming Data From Many Platforms: The Benefits of OData

The amount of data stored today is growing at a rapid rate. However, data is only valuable if it is accessible and can be consumed by people and systems. OData is an open protocol for sharing data that is positioned to solve this problem. OData uses the standard HTTP protocol using REST principles to make data accessible and has huge industry momentum with rapid adoption growth. In this session, we will explore what OData is all about and how to expose relational and non-relational data as OData using WCF Data Services. We will then walkthrough developing apps to consume the OData feeds from multiple clients including mobile devices. Finally, we will take a look at how you can benefit from using Azure to publish your data with OData services.

August 5, 2011
St. Louis Day of .NET 2011
Ameristar Casino & Resort, One Ameristar Blvd, St. Charles, MO 63301
http://www.stlouisdayofdotnet.com/2011/consuming-data-from-many-platforms-the-benefits-of-odata


Making $$$ with Windows Phone

The release of Windows Phone has created a rare opportunity for app developers to get in on the ground floor of a new and fast-growth mobile app marketplace. In this session, we will explore the ins and outs of the Marketplace and how to get started building and monetizing apps for the Windows Phone.

July 27, 2011
Windows Phone Unleashed @ TechWeek Chicago
Microsoft Office @ AON Center, 200 E Randolph, Chicago, IL 60617
http://windowsphonetechweek.eventbrite.com/


Moving Web Apps to the Cloud

As a developer with years of experience developing web apps using ASP.NET, SQL Server, Windows Server and Active Directory, how do you move to the cloud with Windows Azure? How can you apply your existing skills and experience to developing cloud apps in Windows Azure? In this session, we will take a simple, traditional ASP.NET app and walk through the migration to Windows Azure. We’ll discuss the important considerations, practices, architectural differences, challenges, advantages and economic benefits to consider when migrating to Windows Azure.

July 13, 2011
WI .NET User Group
Northwoods Software, 4600 West Schroeder Drive, Brown Deer, WI 53223
http://ericdboyd.com/2011/07/08/moving-web-apps-to-the-cloud-at-wi-net-user-group/


Understanding the Value of the Cloud

Cloud computing is one of the most important shifts in computing since PC/Client-Server from the 90s. In this presentation we will reminisce about the major milestones in computing history, look at where we are now, and dream about what the future will look like with the introduction of the cloud. Next, we will examine the challenges of the traditional data center and dig into the benefits and value provided by leveraging the cloud. Finally, we will discuss how you can identify opportunities in your organization that are a good fit for the cloud and explore strategies for getting started.

June 9, 2011
Architect Factory 2011
Microsoft NERD (Cambridge, MA), One Memorial Drive, Cambridge, MA 02142
http://architectfactory.com/Agenda_2011.aspx


Understanding the Value of the Cloud

Cloud computing is one of the most important shifts in computing since PC/Client-Server from the 90s. In this presentation we will reminisce about the major milestones in computing history, look at where we are now, and dream about what the future will look like with the introduction of the cloud. Next, we will examine the challenges of the traditional data center and dig into the benefits and value provided by leveraging the cloud. Finally, we will discuss how you can identify opportunities in your organization that are a good fit for the cloud and explore strategies for getting started.

June 2, 2011
Centare Lunch & Learn
T.G.I. Fridays at Miller Park, 1 Brewers Way, Milwaukee, WI 53214
http://www.centare.com/events/understanding-the-value-of-the-cloud/


Testing the User Interface: Coded UI Tests with VS2010

With the new Coded UI test in Visual Studio 2010, building automated tests for the user interface is no longer the unattainable Nirvana. In this session, we will explore the features of Coded UI tests in VS 2010. We will walkthrough how you record tests, add assertions and customize the resulting tests for increased automation. Finally, we will explore how to customize existing Coded UI tests and how to run them with your automated builds.

May 14, 2011
Chicago Code Camp
College of Lake County, 19351 W. Washington Str. Grayslake, IL 60030-1198
http://chicagocodecamp.com/sessions/113


Community, You Have a Voice So Speak Up!

Clark Sell has asked a number of community leaders across the Midwest to speak as part of a community panel. This panel would like to explore the current state of our community and how can continue to improve it.

May 14, 2011
Chicago Code Camp
College of Lake County, 19351 W. Washington Str. Grayslake, IL 60030-1198
http://chicagocodecamp.com/sessions/77