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Matt Allford's Newsletter | Issue 10
Hey, it's Matt. Well ... it's been a bit of a hectic time in the industry, eh! But with all of the OpenAI stuff to the side, 'tis also the season of the tech conference! The big ones that grabbed my attention in the past few weeks are KubeCon, GitHub Universe, and Microsoft Ignite. Have you had a chance to check out the announcements from these conferences? I don't know about you, but all my current discussions seem to be on the fence between a "we need to get this done by Christmas" or a "let's revisit that after Christmas" ๐ On a personal note, I've got a few video based training courses on the go at the moment. I'm still committed to the Azure Bicep: Zero to Hero course, though being honest and open, the timelines have slipped from my original projections. There's a 25% discount voucher applied if you use that link (coupon code is EARLYACCESS). For my VMware friends, I'm also working through an update to the VCP-DCV certification path at Pluralsight, to align to the new exam. I'm starting to get to the tail end of my recommended podcasts. Do you have another idea for something you'd like to see in that section of the newsletter instead? Hit reply and let me know. Talk soon - Matt. Microsoft Ignite Book of NewsI find it can be overwhelming to filter through all the announcements and updates from a major tech conference like Microsoft Ignite. But the good news is Microsoft produce the Ignite Book of News, which as per the book itself; The Microsoft Ignite Book of News is your guide to key news items that we are announcing at Microsoft Ignite.
Microsoft Portal Overload - But There's a Solution!Ever feel overwhelmed trying to remember which Microsoft portal to use for which product or solution? There are many Microsoft public portals, and no single source of truth from Microsoft. But the community has done what it does best, driven by Adam Fowler, and created a one-stop shop for links off to all the various portals. Now all you need to do is bookmark this single landing page, and then launch to the portal you need from there!
Integrate GitHub Hosted Runners With Your Azure Virtual NetworksWhen using GitHub runners to run your workflows, you've had two high level options. Either run it on a runner hosted by GitHub in the cloud, or alternately go down the path of a self-hosted runner, where you provide the compute, and the workflow can run on a machine in your private network. Earlier this month, GitHub announced the public beta of support to integrate GitHub hosted runners with your Azure virtual networks, providing the best of both worlds where you can leverage hosted runners, and ensure your Azure environment remains secure behind private networking constructs. It's worth noting it is currently in public beta with some limitations, and the hardest hit to the wallet it that it requires you to be on Enterprise licensing with GitHub.
Microsoft Applied SkillsI know most of my newsletters are Microsoft oriented, and put simply, that just the world I live in currently, but this one feels more "Microsoftey" than most. With that said, I did want to let you know about a new credential from Microsoft that sits along side certifications, which are Microsoft Applied Skills. I love the idea behind these applied skills, which are aimed to validate your knowledge and understanding of one specific skill set, by assessing you in an interactive lab experience. You actually go and "configure the thing", which I think is fantastic. If you've ever heard me talk about VMware certifications, you'll know my favourite ones are the "VCAP Deploy" exams, where you are thrown in to a hands-on lab environment and you're asked to configure a solution, and troubleshoot problems. I can see myself chipping away at a bunch of these applied skills over time.
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Podcast RecommendationThis is one of those "technically not a podcast" ones, but this week I wanted to recommend The Cloud is Calling, hosted by Derek Smith. Derek has a guest on the show every month or so, which is currently broken in to two seasons on YouTube. The discussions are typically 20-30 minutes long which are nice bite sized chunks, and Derek has had some fantastic guests from the industry and various communities on the show to talk tech. There's a lot of value in these shows, I'd highly recommend giving Derek a follow on the social platforms so you know when a new show is coming, and check out season 1 and season 2 of The Cloud is Calling! Follow and connect with me on the social platforms below. |
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Matt Allford
You can find all previous newsletters here on this page. If you like what you see, you can subscribe to the newsletter easily below!
Hey, it's Matt. I hope you've all been out there vibe coding your ideas into MVPs. I'm looking forward to a bit of a break over Easter. The family and I are going away for three nights down to a spot on the east coast of Tasmania. I've got a couple of books lined up to read that I've found myself not getting to this year, but fingers crossed the weather holds out as it is starting to cool off down here as we approach Winter! I've pulled together a few resources I've seen recently, and thought...
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Hey, it's Matt. Whoops, it's been a little while. Hoping you've had a great Christmas, and maybe able to step away from work for a week or two! I've got a goal to get this newsletter on a proper cadence in 2025. Hopefully fortnightly, but at least monthly is my initial goal. As usual I've collected a few pieces of information below that I hope you find helpful, as well as the usual podcast recommendation at the bottom. Talk soon, Matt. Azure CDN from Edgio Retiring on Jan 15 2025 As well as...