About Christian Longstaff

Hi. I work for Microsoft Australia as the Azure Business Development Manager, helping partners grow their businesses with the Microsoft Cloud platform. I have been with the company for over 12 years in various partner facing, business development and technical marketing roles. This blog covers a variety of topics but I am especially interested in Partners adopting, selling, developing and supporting Microsoft Azure, but also any software, services and communities. I would love to hear from you if you have a great powered-by-Azure example, especially around Mobile, Social Media Apps or Websites. To contact me, please email christian dot longstaff at microsoft dot com

Loving the Big Picture!

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I had a great time at the Big Picture in Melbourne and Sydney is tomorrow. No event is ever perfect, but the team did a great job creating this new style of event. I really hope we continue this format in the future.

Here are some tips to get the most out of the event:

1) Review the Agenda and Sessions and if there’s a session you like, get in quick. The early sessions full up quickly. Or hang out until the afternoon as there’s plenty of room. Download the full agenda | Download the event guide

2) When you arrive, make a note of the areas you’re interested in and see which Microsoft people are in the room. If you need an introduction, please shout.

3) If you’re with a colleague, maybe split up as you’ll cover more ground.

4) Preinstall a QR code readeron your device so you can build your digital back pack.

5) Create yourself an electronic business tag using a QR code generator or Microsoft tag, especially if you don’t have any business cards handy :)

6) If you have a question or can’t find someone, please let one of us know.

Cloud is featured at the event, both in the Mission Control (how to manage your infrastructure) and the Productivity areas. Hope to see you there!

Event website is: http://www.microsoft.com/australia/thebigpicture

Pictures from the event are here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/microsoftaustralia/

[Update: Tim Buntel has uploaded his slides to his slideshare]

How SaaS Changes and ISVs Business Model

David Chappell, Principal of Chappell & Associates in San Francisco, visited Australia last month to deliver his latest Cloud deck. Part of this presentation was “How SaaS Changes and ISVs Business Model”. David has also recommended some additional reading and recorded a number of short videos to help think through some of the challenges ISVs face when creating software as a service.

Video Series: How SaaS Changes an ISV’s Business, David Chappell

Further reading:

Windows Azure Conf: 14 November 2012

AzureConf Logo

November 14, 2012
8:00 AM – 5:00 PM PST (which is 3am for Aussies according to timeanddate.com)
Channel 9
Download the .ICS file and add it to your schedule

The Windows AzureConf web site will be updated continually between now and the event, so check the site regularly for session list updates or information pertaining to the event. On the day of the event, the Windows AzureConf web site will have a direct link to the Channel 9 site for the event and hopefully an on demand version for when Australia wakes up.

Get on the Platform
With Windows AzureConf coming to introduce you to creative ways in which Windows Azure can help solve your enterprise, mobile, virtualization, and web development challenges, this is the best time to sign up for a free Windows Azure account. To sign up for a free trial account and to have access to numerous free resources such as Windows Azure Web Sites, click here.

Get Prepared
If you’re new to Windows Azure development and want to get up to speed prior to the event, take a look at the Windows Azure Training Kit. The Training Kit contains dozens of excellent resources on Windows Azure Web Sites, Mobile Services, the Windows Azure Service Bus, Windows Azure Storage, and much more.

Get the Tools
To start developing applications for Windows Azure, visit the Windows Azure Developer Center. It contains a wealth of information on developing Windows Azure solutions using a variety of technologies. Whether you’re using Microsoft.NET, PHP, Node.js, or Python to develop custom web applications, or you’re a mobile solutions developer, there’s information and development resources available.

Imagine Cup Invitation

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Join us for a celebration of incredible ideas and innovation at the Microsoft Imagine Cup Worldwide 2012 Finals. The finals bring together over 400 of the most talented students from 107 countries to showcase their world-changing solutions and to compete for the worldwide title.

Arrive early to meet the students and mentors at The Imagine Cup Showcase and be part of the celebration.

When: Tuesday 10th July 2012 | Showcase: 2–4pm | The World Festival: 4–6.30pm Where: Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre, Darling Harbour
Seats are strictly limited. Reserve your complimentary ticket here.

Australian Windows Azure Innovation

Since joining the Partner Team to help partners adopt the Windows Azure platform, I have met many companies producing awesome apps powered by Azure. As such, I created this collection of stories to share with you. If you would like more information, or have your own story to share, please let me know.

My thanks go to the following Australian partners, who are featured in this first Windows Azure catalogue:

Download the book from: http://download.microsoft.com/documents/australia/azure/Windows-Azure-eBook.pdf
or http://aka.ms/azureebook

Let me know what you think…