Azure

Building a simple and secure DNS updater for Azure DNS with PowerShell

(or: making life better by fixing one small issue at a time) I love designing and building solutions for my customers. Lately they’ve been more on the Microsoft Azure side, especially with serverless and security. The problems I encounter are interesting, require me to dive deep into certain aspects of the customer’s business domain and they enforce me to become a better professional. I truly think being able to work with cloud-based architectures is the best job on the planet right now. Then there are the times when I have a small but itching problem at home, that I really hope someone else would have resolved by now. As it turns out, last Friday when I was done with mostly… Read More »Building a simple and secure DNS updater for Azure DNS with PowerShell

Managing your costs in Microsoft Azure with Sharegate’s Overcast

  • Azure
I started using Microsoft Azure in the very early days in 2008, when the whole idea with cloud computing was something very different than it is today. During recent years I’ve found myself working mostly with Azure-related architectures, deployments and governance projects as the platform has matured to fit any type of customer need. One recurring challenge I find many organizations facing is the shift from capital expenditures (CAPEX) to operational expenditures (OPEX). Traditional IT has always relied on a 12-36-month investment cycle, and one the decision for investment has been made, it’s mostly a sunken cost. Afterwards the cost is something that is rarely revisited. With Azure, and similarly with other cloud providers, the shift to operational costs brings… Read More »Managing your costs in Microsoft Azure with Sharegate’s Overcast

Thoughts on Microsoft ❤ GitHub announcement

By now, it is old news that Microsoft officially announced they will acquire GitHub for $7.5 billion. Rumors started swirling on Sunday, and as is often the case, they are more or less to the point. I’ve been following with interest the different takes on this deal. First, Slashdot. I regularly check the news on Slashdot, mostly for the commentary. Unfortunately many people still post as Anonymous Cowards, so you have to filter out a lot to get to the thought-provoking comments. There’s a petition to stop Microsoft in finalizing the deal (which presumably takes until the end of the year to finalize), with 908 supporters as of now. In some of the comments, people point out that everyone will… Read More »Thoughts on Microsoft ❤ GitHub announcement

Embracing the future: Integrating SharePoint Portal Server 2001 with Microsoft Azure Functions

During Christmas break in late 2016 I started planning for my upcoming presentations and demos for the first half of 2017. I’ve held talks on a wide range of topics, including all things SharePoint, Microsoft Azure Security, PowerApps and Flow, and Azure App Service to mention a few. I like the challenge of learning about new technologies, platforms, frameworks and approaches for productivity and modern work. So once again in December it was time to think about something new. My first presentation was yesterday in Paris, for the Microsoft Cloud Summit. I knew I wanted to touch a bit on PowerApps and Flow, since they’ve progressed hugely in the past few months. In addition I’ve been using Azure Functions quite… Read More »Embracing the future: Integrating SharePoint Portal Server 2001 with Microsoft Azure Functions
Configuring Synology to synchronize with Microsoft Azure

Configuring Synology to synchronize with Microsoft Azure

I’ve been looking for a robust and affordable storage solution for use at home, and possibly at the office also. A few years ago I found the Synology devices, and started my journey by purchasing a Synology DS 412+ device (the ‘12’ reflects the year of release, and 4 reflects the amount of disks the device can hold). It’s been a truly great investment as I can use the same small form-factor device for my media needs with Plex, backup, apps and storage. It’s been really robust with zero issues or hiccups during the two years or so I’ve been using it daily. [Note April 2, 2019: This model is not sold anymore, as it’s about 7 years old already.… Read More »Configuring Synology to synchronize with Microsoft Azure
Moscone Center

Announcements and thoughts from Microsoft Build 2016

(This post is updated March 30th, 11 am PDT) Build 2016: Announcements and thoughts (this blog post) Build 2016: Second day This week I am in San Francisco for the yearly Microsoft Build-conference. I try to attend at least one major Microsoft event every year and as Microsoft Ignite was rescheduled for September, I had a chance to allocate some time to spend 6 days in sunny San Francisco. This blog post will serve as a placeholder for my blogging throughout the week – I hope you’ll find this useful! Travel I’m based in Helsinki, Finland. That’s about 8700 km (5400 miles) of air travel for me, so I spent the better portion of Monday in transit. I’m able to… Read More »Announcements and thoughts from Microsoft Build 2016