Jun 09
First Two Days at TechEd – Cloud Computing and Virtualization
Eric Inch
I enjoy learning, using and helping others through technology. This is my second year with C/D/H after many years of consulting for numerous small and mid-sized companies. I enjoy challenging projects and continual improvement in all areas. Most recently, I have been working to help grow the virtualization practice at C/D/H and hopefully add that area to the already impressive expertise in infrastructure consulting at C/D/H.
When I’m not working, I enjoy spending time with my family. I have two little girls who keep me extremely busy but are always the highlight of my day.
For a more in-depth bio and a list of my areas of expertise, please visit http://www.cdh.com.
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Articles by Eric Inch
After two days at Microsoft TechEd, it’s easy to see the theme: cloud computing. Similar to the strategic direction discussed at the VMware Partner Conference in February, Microsoft has stated the importance of cloud computing and how Azure is a main focus moving forward.
The keynote was interesting. Microsoft talked about Azure, the new Visual Studio, Windows 7 Mobile, Communications Server “14”, and System Center Virtual Machine Manager’s new capabilities.
The majority of my sessions have focused on Unified Communications and Communications Server “14”. Some of the impressive features include:
- Virtualization support
- High availability and branch office appliance
- DNS load balancing support for specific traffic
- Authentication enhancements including PIN-based authentication
- Server role / topology design
- No more 1-to-1 requirement for mediation server and gateway
- Integration with cloud offerings like Exchange Unified Messaging
I also spent a little time in the virtualization area. I wanted to see how Microsoft plans to compete with another known virtualization vendor. I was very impressed with the new capabilities of System Center Virtual Machine Manager including deploying App-V packages to virtual machines. Not sure how much value it will have on server workloads, but it will definitely impact desktop workloads.
Which brings me to the next point: Microsoft’s VDI offering is getting a great enhancement with RemoteFX. The delivery protocol is going to bring Microsoft’s RDS solution closer to the current leaders in this space (Notice I said closer. They still need to address how to reduce disk images, similar to XenDesktop and Provisioning Server or VMware with Linked Clones).
I will update again before the conference is over. I hope to include more security focused content. (DirectAccess, UAG, TMG, Rights Management, etc.).
