Last September, as part of our global Windows Azure for Research program, we announced our cloud training classes that we designed to show academics how Windows Azure can accelerate their research. Now that we’re almost a month into the new year, we would like to let you know what we have planned for 2014—including some new resources that you can use and share with your colleagues and contacts.
First, I’m pleased to say that you can now download the full course materials for your personal or institutional use and for repurposing in your own class resources. These materials, which are the exact ones we use in the in-person classes, are available in source form, licensed under Apache 2.0. It is a large download—more than 200 MB—so make sure you have a good Internet connection. You can get the download from the Windows Azure for Research Training home page (opens in new tab); look for the link on the right side of the page.
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We are also producing a complete online video version of the class, which we’ll make available as soon as possible. In addition, we’ve created a collection of specialized webinars that supplement the main course materials with deeper content. You can link to the webinar collection, which we will update over time, again through the training home page (opens in new tab).
In addition, we have refined our training schedule for 2014 (opens in new tab) and clarified its presentation by distinguishing between upcoming and past events. By the end of 2013, we had conducted the in-person class in nine cities in seven countries, training some 455 researchers from 13 countries. We have a similar number of events currently planned for the first half of 2014, and we will review the balance between live and online training once the latter becomes available.
As a reminder, Windows Azure is an open and flexible global cloud platform that supports any language, tool, or framework, and is ideally suited to the needs of researchers across disciplines. The course is intended specifically for active scientists who are interested in coding in a modern computing context, as well as for computer scientists who are working with such researchers.
The training outcomes of the course include:
- Gaining an understanding of cloud computing and why and when you would use it in research
- Acquiring hands-on experience in the major design patterns for successful cloud applications
- Developing the skills to run your own application or services on Windows Azure
If you would like to attend one of these courses, see Join a course (opens in new tab) for application instructions. You will be sent a registration link if space is available in the session. Spaces are limited, so potential attendees are encouraged to register early.
If you can’t find a course near you, we will consider suggestions for additional in-person locations—see Request a course in your area (opens in new tab) for instructions on submitting a suggestion. We can’t promise to provide a course in your requested location, but we will consider all requests. And, of course, you can take advantage of the online video presentation of the course as soon as it’s available.
Finally, I would like to thank all of our regional coordinators, partners, and university co-hosts for making such a success of the training program to date, and of course all of our attendees —without you, this would not be possible. For Microsoft Research, this includes Guobin Wu (China), Miran Lee (Korea), Juliana Salles and Jaime Puente (Brazil), and Kenji Takeda (Europe and South Africa).
—Stewart Tansley (opens in new tab), Director, Microsoft Research Connections
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