Join my session on Global Azure 🚀 2024 – to get started in your Cloud Architect learning journey. 💪

Greetings to all #CloudMarathoner friends!

This week, we have a wonderful opportunity to learn from a number of different sessions by attending the Global Azure 2024 event. Yay!

Generally speaking, this event is a huge success as Microsoft community members all over the world are celebrating this occasion by submitting their session for acceptance. This year, I submitted my session with the Microsoft community in the USA, called GIMME CLOUD TALKS.

Global Azure 2024, catalog of sessions

As a #CloudMarathoner we submitted one session with a title – “How to get started in your Microsoft Azure Architect learning journey?”

And as you may already know, it was accepted by one of the organizers. Wooho!!!

Check out the LinkedIn post on this unique event!

In this lightning talk, I shared bits and tips on how you could get started in your Cloud Architect journey. Namely, we focused on designing Microsoft Azure Infrastructure Solutions exam objectives which is an important part of the AZ-305 exam.

By the end of the session, you should be well-informed on how to start your cloud learning journey and build toward your desired goal of becoming a Cloud Architect. As a complimentary bonus, I shared community created learning resources that will boost your knowledge, and help you get prepared for an important exam in 2024.

Please, check the recorded session below and let me know your feedback. Thank you!

Celebrating MCT Regional Lead announcements

Hello, my dear Cloud Marathoners!

As a #cloudmarathoner, I am excited 😍 to share with you 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 an awesome news that I have been selected as MCT Regional Lead for the year 2024 from the USA 🎉

I would like to thank everyone, including my MCT (Microsoft Certified Trainer) colleagues who nominated me for this important role to help our community of MCTs.

Special thanks 🙏 go to Dwayne Natwick, 🎼Brian Gorman, Jared Bell, Jason Keplinger, and Microsoft MCT leadership for recognizing my #community contributions and continued support👏

🤔 Well, who are the MCT Regional Leads ❓

MCT Regional Leads are a group of experienced MCTs committed to providing community connection and support to MCTs at the regional level. The Regional Leads promote MCT career opportunities, mentor new trainers, and continue to advocate for programs and resources meeting MCT needs.

I am truly thrilled to meet, collaborate, and contribute with fellow MCT Regional Leads and the MCT community from all around the world 🌍 🌐

📞 Need help from MCT Regional Lead then let’s connect 😉

Check out my LinkedIn post on this matter an feel free to ask questions in comments section.

Festive Tech Calendar session – Unboxing the Festive Design patterns with Santa

Hello Cloud Marathoner friends,

I was thrilled that my both sessions have been accepted for the Festive Tech Calendar 2023 events. The first session has been already announced and posted with a #cloudmarathoner community member and contributor, Kasun which is referenced below.

  1. Dec 23 session with Kasun Rajapakse: “The 12 Bicep 💪 Tips of Christmas”
  2. Dec 28th session: “Unboxing the Festive Design Patterns with Santa”

Today’s post is dedicated to the second session where we will embark on a cloud journey with Santa. Santa will be helping us to understand something about clouds, but not the fluffy white ones in the sky – we’re talking about those special computer clouds!

Here is the festive description of the session:

So, imagine all the important things that people do with their computers, like making games, apps, and websites. These things need a special place to live so they can work properly. That special place is like a magical cloud where you can keep all those important things safe and make them work really well.

Now, the clever grown-ups who help with these computer things are learning more about how to use this cloud in the best way. They want to make sure everything in the cloud works just right. To do this, they plan carefully and design everything perfectly, like how we plan Santa’s route on Christmas Eve to deliver presents.

In a special meeting, they will talk about something called “design patterns.” These are like tricks and plans to help make sure everything in the computer cloud is super safe, works really well, and can grow if more people use it. It’s a bit like Santa’s workshop, where we have special patterns for making toys.

So, you see, just like Santa prepares for Christmas, these clever people are getting ready to make the computer cloud a better and safer place for everyone. It’s like their own magical holiday season for computers! 🎅🌟🖥️

Festive Tech Calendar 2023 session

So, if you are intrigued with it then please check my recorded session to learn about the Festive Cloud design patterns > https://youtu.be/Yj-lXf1l1ng?t=17

Wish you all Happy Holidays and Happy New Year !!!

Festive Tech Calendar session – The 12 Bicep 💪 Tips of Christmas

Hi friends,

I hope everyone has a joyful festive season with family and has more than one reason to celebrate. In the spirit of the season, We (#cloudmarathoner community) rolled our sleeves and produced two sessions for the Fesive Tech Calendar 2023 event.

The first session – “The 12 Bicep 💪 Tips of Christmas: Best Practices for Azure Deployment” is done in collaboration with Kasun Rajapakse – a Microsoft Azure MVP and a #cloudmarathoner community contributor.

In this session, we invite you to take a trip to Azure with ‘The 12 Bicep Tips of Christmas: Best Practices for Azure Deployment.’ We encourage you to open the present of knowledge as we show you the ropes and help you use Azure Bicep to its best potential. By joining us you will spread good cheer for a prosperous and trouble-free Azure experience this holiday season in honor of efficient cloud management.

Don’t forget to check our recorded session to learn about those sweet 12 Tips and tricks to enhance your Azure Bicep skills > https://youtu.be/xjwq6wVvoRE?feature=shared

This session has been also shared on our LinkedIn post as a Day 23 event session.

Wish you all Happy Holidays and Happy New Year !!!

How could you implement microservices in practice with Node.js, Docker 🚀 in Azure with 💪 Bicep power ⁉ 🤔

Hello #CloudMarathoner community!

Recently, I have been asked for a reference on how to implement a microservices architecture from code to production, using an open-source stack with Azure.

Node.js Microservices Workshop

I am really glad to discover and test the following workshop >> Microservices in practice with Node.js, Docker and Azure.

In this workshop, you will build a complete application including a website with authentication and 3 microservices, deploy it to Azure using a CI/CD pipeline, monitor and tune the scaling of our services, and use log tracing to debug issues.

And yes, all that is done without needing to use Kubernetes while using the #AzureBicep 💪 for #infrastructureascode (IaC) and deployment!

💡 Check the details in the GitHub repo 👉 https://lnkd.in/eBZTMw5V #sharingiscaring ❤️

Alternative Approach

This workshop approach is one of many ways to get started with Node.js Microservices in Azure. But, I am interested to hear from you.

What is your preferred way to implement microservices in Azure ⁉ 🤔
Please, share your feedback 💬 in the comments or in the following LinkedIn post.

In Summary

I hope you will enjoy this reference architecture and the @GitHub code repo. More importantly, you got a chance to learn something new. Hopefully, you’ll be able to take this knowledge back to your projects and improve your solutions.

How to automate consistent resource naming in Microsoft Azure?

Hello, my dear Cloud Marathoner community!

Anyone who manages Azure resources knows that consistent naming is key to understanding what a service is, where its location and purpose, and to whom it belongs to.

Are there any tools?

In a recent couple of days, I was exploring a tool/framework that could help me with consistent naming of cloud resources issues. And I was nicely surprised to find the Azure Naming Tool v2.


“The Azure Naming Tool was created to help administrators define and manage their naming conventions while providing a simple interface for users to generate a compliant name.”

What is it for?

The tool was developed using a naming pattern based on Microsoft’s best practices. Once an administrator has defined the organizational components, users can use the tool to generate a name for the desired Azure resource.

📌 Check out the “Azure Naming Tool v2” 👉 https://lnkd.in/etHZf64z #sharingiscaring ❤

Demo video?

Yes, it has a nice demo video that demonstrates how to install and configure this tool as a container for your unique needs.

📌 Video link 👉 https://youtu.be/Ztmxx_KhZdE

These recent updates come with globally optional components, multi-type name generation, some style and/or layout updates, and more.

Summary

The Azure Naming Tool was designed to be as extendable and functional as possible. In order to accommodate that flexibility, several architectural aspects were implemented.

The ANT team will continue to improve the tool and publish updates to the GitHub repository. All feedback is welcome, and feel free to submit a code change if you have a better idea for any part of the tool. Good luck!

#AzureSpringClean 2023 event speaker submission is accepted 🎉

Hello Cloud Marathoners!

I am really excited and happy to see my session is accepted ✅ for this year’s #AzureSpringClean2023 event 🎉

What is Azure Spring Clean?

The Azure Spring Clean 2023 is an event that promotes well-managed Azure tenants. In order to achieve this goal, organizers encourage the cloud community professionals to create articles that highlight best-practices, and lessons learned, and help with some of the more difficult topics of Azure Management.

Session details

Join me this March, to learn and explore 🔍 how to organize Azure Security Services using the IaC approach with Azure Bicep.

We will look into how you could declaratively define and deploy your Azure security resources including Azure Policies to tackle real-world business problems. Thus, get yourself ready for simple yet powerful demos that will turn you into a hero.

In Summary

I would highly encourage everyone to join this event and learn best practices on Azure this spring!

 📌 Check out the post details on LinkedIn platform 👍

Microsoft Cloud Skills challenge is back with #MSIgnite

Hello Cloud Marathoners!

There is a great announcement from the Microsoft Ignite event that announced the Cloud Skills Challenge will be back this year. YAY !

Cloud Skills Challenge

This is a time bounded event where you choose your tech challenge and earn a Microsoft certification exam by studying the Microsoft technology of your choice.

And this year, there will be 7 challenges available to choose from, select one that’s right for you.

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Registration Page

Complete one of the learning challenges below to get a 100% discount (aka #free) on one of the following Microsoft certification exams:

▶ AZ-305: Designing Microsoft Azure Infrastructure Solutions
▶ AZ-400: Designing and Implementing Microsoft DevOps Solutions
▶ DP-100: Designing and Implementing a Data Science Solution on Azure
▶ MB-240: Microsoft Dynamics 365 Field Service Functional Consultant
▶ MS-700: Managing Microsoft Teams
▶ MS-720: Microsoft Teams Voice Engineer
▶ PL-100: Microsoft Power Platform App Maker
▶ SC-200: Microsoft Security Operations Analyst

Registration page details are provided here.

Summary

Now that you know this great announcement, it is time to get ready for the challenge and learn cool stuff at the Microsoft Ignite 2022 event.

Take care and see you all there!

Cloud Interviewing guidance and tips for military veterans

Hello dear Cloud Marathoners,

This week, I had an opportunity to join a meeting in order to share my experience with military veterans on how to get them ready for the first cloud position interview. We had really awesome participation and a number of questions that benefited all attendees.

Thank you, Douglas for an opportunity to help the transitioning service members and veterans with critical technical and career skills development and tips.

MSSA career development and interview tips

Thank you, Microsoft, for running the very important MSSA (Microsoft Software and Systems Academy) for transitioning service members and veterans!

The MSSA provides technical training that enables the service members to leverage their core skills and interests to chart—and start—their career journey in IT.

Summary

It was truly a unique event to help our transitioning service members and veterans and Thank You to everyone who took some time in providing follow-up feedback on the following LinkedIn post.

Microsoft Ignite 2022 is open for registrations as a Hybrid event!

Hello, my Cloud Marathoner friends!

Are you ready for the Microsoft Ignite 2022?
This is an annual signature event for developer and IT professionals hosted by Microsoft. As usually, there would be many new Microsoft and Azure announcements in this upcoming conference.

How to register for Microsoft Ignite?

The registration for this event is #free. Yes, it is indeed free for digital attendees, and you can do it below:

Ignite 2022

Summary

I hope you will register and book your calendar for this fantastic event, and explore the latest innovations, learn from product experts and partners, level up your skillset, and create connections from around the world.