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Getting Started on Windows Azure with your MSDN subscription! Also see Free Trial!

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It is no secret that everything is moving the cloud. I’ve been getting started with Windows Azure and wanted to share a few tips and resources.

 

Did you know that you can get access to Windows Azure using your MSDN subscription? To get access, simply login to MSDN.

Click My Account

MyAccount

 

Click Activate Windows Azure

Activate

 

Follow the instructions and then you’ll be able to access Azure using your Microsoft Account (formerly Windows Live Account) at https://manage.windowsazure.com 

To give you an idea as to the value of this offering, check out the following article:

Microsoft Exec Urges MSDN Subscribers To Use Azure Credits 

You can also check out the Azure Free Trial offering.

Once you have access, you can quickly create Virtual Machines, Web Sites, SQL Databases, SRS Sites, and much more from the Windows Azure website.

In order to fully leverage Azure, you’ll need to install Windows Azure PowerShell.  If you are new to Azure and/or PowerShell, check out the Install a new Active Directory forest in Windows Azure tutorial on the Windows Azure website for a really good starter guide.

I’d also like to mention Michael Washam’s blog. He posted a Windows Azure PowerShell Reference Guide that was really beneficial to me.

Happy Cloud Computing!

Ryan