Content Index

Microsoft IT Showcase

Welcome to an insider's view of the Microsoft enterprise IT environment. Here you'll find a complete list of content on Microsoft IT's best practices and lessons learned as we plan for, develop, deploy, and manage Microsoft products in our own global enterprise. A - C D E - F G - H I - L M - N O - S T -Z A - C A quick video tour of the OneNote app Published: 08/24/2015 Updated: 09/08/2015 Microsoft's Jason Draime takes you on a quick tour of the OneNote modern app where you can use the radial wheel to create lists and format on the fly, use a stylus to transcribe your handwriting, and take a quick picture to upload to your Notebook. This readiness guide brought to you by Microsoft IT aims to help you be more productive and inspire an all-digital culture within Microsoft. Readiness Guide Aligning the IT Organization to Deliver Modern Applications Published: 07/24/2014 The recent creation of app stores containing small, focused apps, available across a range of consumer devices, has created challenges for Information Technology (IT) departments in many organizations. In order to address these challenges, Microsoft IT created a centralized app certification process and single app portfolio, both managed from a single point. This provided a mechanism for Microsoft to provide apps developed in an agile software development environment, to distribute these apps to users across a range of devices, and to still maintain control in terms of functionality, security, and regulatory and corporate compliance. Business Case Study Architecting your network for successful Azure adoption Published: 10/07/2015 Updated: 05/10/2016 Microsoft IT experienced network-related challenges as it moved its application portfolio to the public cloud. To address these challenges, it took a series of steps to improve network performance and reliability, which included analyzing network traffic flow changes, redesigning the corporate network edge to the Internet, and adding ExpressRoute connections for Microsoft Azure. Technical Case Study Be productive anywhere with Office 365 Published: 09/23/2015 Updated: 09/29/2015 You are busy and need to be productive whether you are at your office, on the road, or at home. By installing Microsoft Office 365 for Business on your PC, tablet, and smartphone, you can keep up with your email and calendar, and work on documents, wherever you are. With your Microsoft Office 365 account, your documents, preferences, and other settings follow you across the PCs, tablets, smartphones, and even web browsers that you use. So at any time, anywhere, you can pick up right where you left off. Productivity Guide Become a Pro in SharePoint Online Published: 08/24/2015 Updated: 09/08/2015 Discover some key SharePoint Online ribbon functions to help you be more productive: add a list, a new view, or an alert to a file to receive notification updates, and sync your SPO document library to your Outlook. This readiness guide brings tips and tricks from Microsoft IT that improve digital productivity and help create an all-digital culture within Microsoft. Readiness Guide Building a Modern Role Guide App to Manage Training and Compliance Published: 08/25/2014 Role Guide is an immersive modern app and seamless learning experience for Microsoft employees that helps HR target the right training courses to the right audience. Video Capture and Share Whiteboard Photos with your Surface with Windows RT Published: 02/08/2013 The portability and long battery life of your Surface with Windows RT device make it easy to carry with you to meetings. Using Microsoft OneNote, Microsoft Outlook 2013 and your tablet’s built-in camera, you can easily capture and share pictures of the whiteboard diagrams from your meetings. Work Smart Guide Collaborating by Using SharePoint Server 2010 Published: 11/30/2010 Updated: 05/14/2014 Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 helps people share files and collaborate. It’s designed to work effectively with other technologies, including the Microsoft Office applications. Use this guide to learn about the features and capabilities of SharePoint Server 2010. Work Smart Guide Consumerization of IT Published: 02/18/2013 People want to use their personal devices to work, often outside of core business hours, but also want the flexibility to utilize the same technologies and applications at work that they use on their personal time. This blending of consumer and enterprise technologies is the Consumerization of IT, and it has led many organizations to rethink their business models to promote agility and flexibility for their employees. Quick Reference Guide Cortana for Windows 10 Published: 06/29/2015 Updated: 09/08/2015 Cortana is your personal digital assistant in Windows 10. She gets to know you and helps you get things done, letting you interact with her in a way that’s easy and natural. She can search the web, find things on your PC, show you the local news and weather, and provide reminders based on time or location. Just tell Cortana what you want, and she’ll be there to help you out. Readiness Guide Creating a Self Service Model for BI@Microsoft Published: 08/29/2014 Hear how IT created their data governance, federation and self-service BI model at Microsoft. With Kirkland Barrett and Brad Sutton. TechNet Radio Creating a Portable Windows 10 Environment with Windows To Go Published: 07/21/2015 Updated: 09/08/2015 You can use Windows To Go, a feature in Windows 10 Enterprise (and previous versions), to provision a USB drive with a complete and managed Windows 10 system image. You can insert the USB drive (known as a Windows To Go workspace) into a managed or unmanaged Windows 10 host computer to boot and run a managed Windows 10 system. You don’t have to install any software on the host computer to use the Windows To Go workspace. Readiness Guide Creating a Portable Windows 8 Environment with Windows To Go Published: 12/28/2012 Updated: 05/16/2014 Windows To Go is a new feature in the Windows 8 Enterprise operating system that you can use to provision a USB drive with a complete, managed Windows 8 system image. You can insert the USB drive (known as a Windows To Go workspace) into any Windows 7–based or Windows 8–based host computer to boot and run a managed Windows 8 system without installing any software on the host computer. This guide shows you how to create a Windows To Go workspace. Work Smart Guide D Delivering an Extensible CRM Solution Using Agile Development Published: 01/04/2013 Microsoft Information Technology (MSIT) worked with the Microsoft Sales, Marketing and Services Group (SMSG) to rapidly develop and deliver Small and Medium Business for Dynamics CRM (SMB CRM), a new management application for sales leads. The application, which is used internally at Microsoft, collects and manages incoming leads from SMB accounts, and routes the leads to telesales call centers. Technical Case Study Deploying Microsoft BitLocker Administration and Monitoring 2.0 at Microsoft Updated: 06/27/2013 Microsoft IT wanted to implement Microsoft BitLocker Administration and Monitoring (MBAM) 2.0 to reduce operational costs and take advantage of the increased functionality for provisioning, monitoring, reporting, and integration tasks. Microsoft IT planned and implemented MBAM 2.0 as an upgrade to their existing MBAM 1.0 infrastructure while maintaining service availability and BitLocker functionality. The MBAM 2.0 environment provides a more manageable and user-friendly BitLocker experience for both end users and Microsoft IT. Technical Case Study Deploying Microsoft Virtual Desktop Infrastructure Using Thin Clients Published: 12/29/2014 To provide cost-effective, reliable desktop services and standardization within a new technical support center, Microsoft IT created a thin client Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI). Business Case Study Deploying Windows 10 at Microsoft as an in-place upgrade Published: 12/14/2015 As the "First and Best" customer of the Windows Devices Group, Microsoft IT recently deployed Windows 10 to 96,000 distributed users at Microsoft. The deployment included both remote users and users on the corporate network and was completed in nine weeks. To improve on past operating system deployments, Microsoft IT deployed Windows 10 as an in-place upgrade that maintained productivity and offered a consistent user experience. Technical Case Study Digital Crimes Unit Uses Microsoft Data Analytics Stack to Catch Cybercriminals Published: 03/25/2015 Microsoft’s Digital Crimes Unit consistently leverages the latest in analytics technology, relying on some of the brightest employees, some of the smartest scientists, and certainly some of the company’s best partners in law enforcement, to disrupt and dismantle devious cybercriminals. Learn how Microsoft used some of our best technology to uncover the behavior of one cybercriminal ring, and how the Digital Crimes Unit worked in partnership with Microsoft IT and federal law enforcement, to shut down one of the nation’s most prolific cybercrime operations. Article Driving cloud adoption in an enterprise IT organization Published: 09/22/2015 Microsoft IT is driving the company's vision of "Microsoft runs in the cloud." To advance that vision, Microsoft IT created processes and teams to migrate over 2100 internal applications from on-premises servers to the cloud. The biggest challenge was not technology but a cultural change within the organization. Using a cohesive strategy and process, Microsoft IT has changed its culture and integrated cloud adoption into the business. Business Case Study E - F Email and calendar on the go with Outlook 2016 Published: 09/23/2015 Use Microsoft Outlook 2016 to keep your world in sync and stay more connected. Microsoft Outlook helps you manage everything you do, no matter where you are. Get your emails, calendars, contacts, tasks, and to-do lists all in one place, in a clear, unified view. Because Outlook is built into Microsoft Office 365, you can sign in from any browser, tablet, or phone—and of course, you can always use the full version on your desktop. Productivity Guide Exchange Server 2010 Design and Architecture at Microsoft Published: 07/09/2010 By replacing Exchange Server 2007 servers with servers running Exchange Server 2010, Microsoft IT created new opportunities to drive down costs and system complexities while at the same time increasing security and deploying new features not available in previous versions of Exchange Server. Technical White Paper Exploring Windows 10 Published: 06/29/2015 Updated: 09/08/2015 Windows 10 is designed to please both touch and mouse users. It’s also designed to be intuitive for users of both Windows 7 and Windows 8.1, incorporating the “best of both worlds” to enhance your experience and help you be more productive. The Start menu is back, putting all your apps, settings, and files just a few keystrokes, clicks, or taps away. Cortana helps make things easier for you and keeps you up to date. Microsoft Edge, the new browser in Windows 10, is designed to deliver a better web experience. It’s also easier to find and switch between open apps, keep them organized, resize and reposition them, keep track of notifications, and access frequently used system settings. Readiness Guide G - H Get more done with Windows 10 Mobile Published: 12/24/2015 Windows 10 Mobile empowers you to do great work on any device. It allows you to be more efficient because your user experience stays consistent. And because your settings, data, and access rights follow you, you don’t have to adjust to changes in formatting or layout when you switch between devices. You can operate your Windows 10 Mobile phone like a PC with Continuum for phones—and still make and receive calls. Every Windows 10 Mobile device comes with the Microsoft Office Mobile suite built in. Skype for Business, OneDrive for Business, and other productivity apps can quickly be installed, making it easy to connect and collaborate with your coworkers, partners, and customers. Productivity Guide Get Started: Office 365 Published: 05/21/2014 The Microsoft Office 365 suite of cloud-based services and productivity tools helps you work and collaborate wherever you are, online or offline. Quick Reference Guide Get Started: Office 365 Published: 05/16/2014 Read this guide to see how to use your Office 365 account to its fullest potential by checking email through Microsoft Outlook Web App, sharing files, and using Office 365 on mobile devices. Work Smart Guide Get Started: Microsoft Excel 2010 Published: 03/30/2012 Updated: 05/15/2014 Use this guide to learn about some of the features that are available in Microsoft Excel 2010 spreadsheet software. Work Smart Guide Get Started: Microsoft Office 2010 User Interface Published: 11/30/2011 Updated: 05/14/2014 You can use this guide to learn how to use the features of the ribbon and other elements of the Microsoft Office 2010 user interface (UI). Work Smart Guide Get Started: Microsoft Outlook 2010 Published: 11/30/2011 Updated: 05/14/2014 You can use the Microsoft Outlook 2010 messaging and collaboration client to manage your email messages. This guide describes some of the features in Outlook 2010. Work Smart Guide Get Started: Microsoft Word 2010 Published: 03/30/2012 Updated 05/15/2014 Use this guide to learn about some of the features that are available in Microsoft Word 2010. Work Smart Guide Get started with Word 2016 Published: 09/23/2015 Microsoft Word 2016 is a new, modern version of the classic desktop application, built for maximum productivity. Quickly produce professional documents using the rich authoring features. Share, present, and work together on projects with built-in team collaboration tools. Access your documents in the cloud whenever and wherever you need them. Your Word, always good, is now better than ever. Productivity Guide Getting started with Excel 2016 Published: 11/01/2016 Updated: 01/26/2017 With new chart types and improvements to PivotTables, Excel 2016 makes it easier to work with a large amount of data and give it even more meaning. Organize, view, and analyze your data in spreadsheets to better inform your decisions. Save your workbooks in the cloud and collaborate with others. With Microsoft Office 365, you can use Excel on your PC or Mac, as well as on your Windows, iOS, or Android device, staying productive whether you are at work, at home, or on the go. Productivity Guide Getting started with Skype Meeting Broadcast Published: 11/24/2015 Skype Meeting Broadcast is a new broadcast solution from Skype for Business, designed to scale to thousands of participants. It delivers a high quality video stream to any device running any operating system, with no need for plugins or downloads. Participants can join from anywhere using any device – an Internet connection is all they need. Skype Meeting Broadcast is ideal for internal meetings and streaming events to external customers. This guide provides detailed instructions on how to get started using Skype Meeting Broadcast.​ Productivity Guide Getting Started with Skype Meeting Broadcast Published: 12/22/2015 Skype Meeting Broadcast is a new broadcast solution from Skype for Business, designed to scale to thousands of participants. It delivers a high quality video stream to any device running any operating system, with no need for plugins or downloads. Participants can join from anywhere using any device - an Internet connection and link to the meeting is all that’s needed. Skype Meeting Broadcast is ideal for internal meetings and streaming events to external customers. This training deck provides detailed instructions on how to schedule and manage a Skype Meeting Broadcast, plus how to publish a recording and create insightful reports. It may be used to help deliver in-class or online readiness training and can be downloaded and adapted for the intended audience. Productivity deck Global Marketing Operations at Microsoft uses BI to better understand its customers Published: 06/18/2015 In the past, Microsoft sales professionals had to search through data in 10 or more programs to learn about their customers—which didn’t leave them much time to interact with those customers. See how this has changed, thanks to an application called Customer Insights, developed by Microsoft Global Marketing Operations (GMO) in partnership with Microsoft IT. Article Go Paperless by Using OneNote 2013 Published: 06/20/2013 Updated: 05/16/2014 The Microsoft OneNote 2013 note-taking program can help support corporate initiatives to reduce employee dependence on paper and printed documents. This guide gives you a quick primer on OneNote 2013 so you can join the paperless revolution. Work Smart Guide Go paperless with OneNote 2016 Published: 09/23/2015 OneNote makes your paper notebooks, index cards, and sticky notes obsolete, taming the “paper jungle” and raising your note taking to a whole new level. Microsoft OneNote 2016 makes taking notes a paperless activity, helping you become more organized, more productive, and more persuasive with your ideas than ever before. OneNote 2016 is the perfect solution for creating, organizing, searching, and sharing notes online. It stores your notebooks in the cloud, so you can access your work from anywhere and share it with your colleagues any time. Productivity Guide How IT and Finance Partner to Create Impact at Microsoft Published: 10/20/2014 Like many organizations, separate groups at Microsoft of IT and Finance must have a strong partnership to deliver results. Wilson Garone, Corporate VP and CFO of Microsoft Worldwide Sales Marketing Services Group Finance, and Donna Cheesebrough, VP of Corporate Functions IT discuss how embracing a mobile first, cloud first world helps deliver business impact that increases productivity, enables efficiencies and of course, helps deliver on our financial commitments with their strong partnership. Video How Microsoft IT Deploys Windows Client Published: 03/19/2015 In this webinar, Robert Van Winkle, Principal Program Manager at Microsoft IT, and Amrinder Singh Chadha, Senior IT Program Manager, discuss how Microsoft IT deploys the Windows client. Topics include enterprise upgrade, clean installation with data migration, IT Easy Installer, and application compatibility. Robert and Amrinder also discuss deployment scenarios that use System Center Configuration Manager operating system deployment for upgrades. Webinar How Microsoft IT Implements Server Patch Management Published: 04/30/2012 MSIT uses Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager to comprehensively assess and update servers, both physical and virtual, in the enterprise. Assessing and maintaining the integrity of software in a networked environment through a well-defined configuration management program is a key first step toward successful information security. Technical White Paper How Microsoft IT Integrated Lync and Helpdesk Published: 02/07/2014Understand how Microsoft integrated Lync and IT Helpdesk to reduce employees' time spent on service tickets, giving time back and enabling real-time end-user support. Business Case Study How Microsoft IT manages and governs the internal SharePoint environment Published: 11/16/2015 SharePoint Online hosts over 200,000 team sites, personal sites, and portals internally at Microsoft—which can be challenging to manage. In this webinar, David Johnson, Senior IT Program Manager, and Carrie Doring, Senior Business Program Manager, walk through how Microsoft IT uses a combination of custom solutions, organizational policy, and user communications to ensure that Microsoft content is protected and relevant to users. Webinar How Microsoft IT Manages Authentication and Authorization in a Hybrid Cloud World Published: 03/27/2015 In this webinar, Laura Hunter, Principal Enterprise IT Architect, discusses how Microsoft IT strikes a balance among enterprise authentication requirements, security, privacy, and compliance while creating a great user experience for those who want to stay connected and productive anywhere on any device. Webinar How Microsoft IT manages mobile device management Published: 07/02/2015 Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) is no longer just a trend. It is arguably the dominant culture in the workplace; a majority of employees now use personal devices for work. This has implications for both users and IT departments, particularly in the search for balance between convenience and security. This case study provides an update about how Microsoft IT is evolving to deliver mobile device management in a large organization. Technical Case Study How Microsoft IT uses Microsoft SharePoint and Office 365 Published: 05/08/2015 In this webinar, David Johnson, a Principal Program Manager at Microsoft IT, discusses how Microsoft uses Microsoft SharePoint and Microsoft Office 365 to support information sharing through portals, team sites, OneDrive for Business, and discovery solutions. David also discusses the Microsoft internal hybrid footprint, moving to the cloud, enhancing security, and creating a great user experience. There will be opportunities for questions throughout the presentation. Webinar How Microsoft IT Uses System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager in the datacenter Published: 03/19/2015 In this webinar, Jeremy Young, Senior Service Engineer on the Manageability Team, talks about the processes and tools that Microsoft IT uses to manage configuration of data center servers by using System Center Configuration Manager and patch management disciplines. Webinar How to use Skype Meeting Broadcast Published: 11/24/2015 Updated: 01/26/2017 Skype Meeting Broadcast is a new broadcast solution from Skype for Business, designed to scale to thousands of participants. It delivers a high quality video stream to any device running any operating system, with no need for plugins or downloads. Participants can join from anywhere using any device - an Internet connection is all they need. Skype Meeting Broadcast is ideal for internal meetings and streaming events to external customers. This 1-page quick reference guide provides instructions on how to get started using Skype Meeting Broadcast. Quick Reference Guide How to customize a Skype Meeting Broadcast Published: 11/27/2015 This video is the second in a series of four 'How to' videos providing step-by-step guidance on the new video streaming solution Skype Meeting Broadcast. This video focuses on how to customize your broadcast to include built-in tools such as Yammer and Bing Pulse to keep your audience engaged and collaborating. Video How to manage a Skype Meeting Broadcast Published: 11/27/2015 This video is the third in a series of four 'How to' videos providing step-by-step guidance on the new video streaming solution Skype Meeting Broadcast. This video focuses on how to start and successfully manage your broadcast for maximum impact. Video How to publish a Skype Meeting Broadcast recording and run reports Published: 11/27/2015 This video is final in a series of four 'How to' videos providing step-by-step guidance on the new video streaming solution Skype Meeting Broadcast. This video focuses on post-event activities such as how to download a broadcast to publish online, and pull insightful metrics for reporting to help evaluate and improve future events. Video I - L The journey to a new sales experience with Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online Published: 06/26/2015 The processes and tools that the Microsoft sales organization previously used had become overly complex and kept sellers from focusing on their customers. Starting with the principle that Microsoft should use the products that it sells to customers, Microsoft corporate and field groups worked together to simplify sales processes and deliver a new sales platform that has increased seller productivity and satisfaction. Business Case Study Keeping your files secure in the cloud with SharePoint Online Published: 08/24/2015 Updated: 09/08/2015 How to restrict access to your site through permissions setting and applying Information Rights Management to files. These tips and tricks from Microsoft IT will help improve your digital productivity and create an all-digital culture within Microsoft. Readiness Guide M - N Managing Public Key Infrastructure in the Enterprise Published: 06/26/2014 All organizations that exchange information over the Internet are susceptible to attack from malicious users. Electronic credentials that prove identity are a critical part of security measures. Microsoft IT has developed recommendations to help other enterprises design and protect an infrastructure that supports these credentials. Article Get the most out of Microsoft Edge Published: 07/21/2015 Updated: 11/20/2015 Microsoft Edge, the new browser in Windows 10, is designed to deliver a better web experience. It's fast, compatible, and built for the modern web—designed to work the way you do and help you get things done through easy sharing, reading, discovery, and more. Readiness Guide Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Edge Transport and Messaging Protection Updated: 01/08/2009 In deploying the Exchange 2007-based messaging-protection solution, Microsoft IT used all messaging protection features of the Edge Transport server role and Forefront Security for Exchange Server to block, delete, reject, or quarantine unwanted messages. Technical White Paper Microsoft IT Institute Best Practice Experience: Dynamics CRM at Microsoft Published: 08/27/2014 This session covers “How Microsoft Does IT” and provides insight into how Microsoft is using solutions based on Dynamics CRM to support Microsoft’s 220,000 internal users. Participants will learn the best practices Microsoft has created and employed in designing, developing, deploying, and operating Dynamics CRM service solutions through case studies and demos. Course Description Microsoft IT Institute Best Practice Experience: Lync at Microsoft Published: 08/27/2014 This session covers “How Microsoft Does IT” and provides insight into how Microsoft deploys and manages Lync and conferencing solutions to support Microsoft’s 220,000+ internal users. Participants will learn the best practices Microsoft has created and employed in designing, developing, deploying, and operating Lync, and Enterprise Voice for our global environment. Course Description Microsoft IT Institute Best Practice Experience: SAP at Microsoft Published: 08/27/2014 This session covers “How Microsoft Does IT” and implements SAP on the Microsoft enterprise platform using SQL, SharePoint, and Windows Server to support the SAP global environment for Microsoft’s 220,000 internal users. Specifically, this session provides insight into the best practices Microsoft has employed in planning, designing, deploying, and operating SAP to run our global enterprise business. Course Description Microsoft IT Institute Best Practice Experience: SharePoint at Microsoft Published: 08/27/2014 This session covers “How Microsoft Does IT” and implements SharePoint globally to support Microsoft’s 220,000 internal users. Specifically, this session provides insight into the best practices Microsoft has employed in planning, designing, deploying, and operating SharePoint as a strategic collaboration platform. Course Description Microsoft IT Institute Best Practice Experience: The Cloud at Microsoft Published: 08/27/2014 This Best Practice Experience Course covers “How Microsoft Does IT” and provides insight into how Microsoft is moving to the Cloud to support Microsoft’s 220,000 internal users. Participants will learn the best practices Microsoft has created and employed in designing, developing, deploying, and operating in the cloud for our global environment. Course Description The Microsoft IT journey to transform BI Published: 06/17/2015 Microsoft IT is on a multi-year journey to transform how the company works with BI. This is a major undertaking for any enterprise, requiring changes for people, processes, and technology. Learn about the roadmap we’ve built and the progress we’ve made so far. We also share the lessons learned, best practices, and reference architecture you can leverage to help your organization effect its own transformation. Technical Case Study Microsoft IT migrates mailboxes to Office 365 Exchange Online Published: 06/22/2015 Updated: 06/23/2015 Before Office 365 was released to the public, Microsoft weighed the pros and cons of migrating its many mailboxes to Office 365 Exchange Online. The company determined that the move was worth the risk and effort because of the many potential advantages of having its mailboxes in the cloud. The IT Exchange Email and Calendaring team at Microsoft IT undertook an extensive planning effort, announced the upcoming migration, prepared the affected teams, and then migrated mailboxes—thousands at a time—learning all the while. In each phase, Microsoft IT used the lessons learned from previous phases. Technical White Paper Microsoft IT Replaces Siebel with Dynamics CRM Published: 05/24/2012 By retiring Seibel and replacing with the Global Sales Experience (GSX) solution powered by Dynamics CRM, Microsoft IT has been able to introduce simplicity for IT, agility and value for the business. This document provides an overview of how Microsoft IT introduced new governance models to rationalize down and upstream applications, access policy management to provide the right data to the right people and increase the time to market of new sales programs. Business Case Study Microsoft IT shares cloud migration insights Published: 10/15/2015 When an enterprise is thinking about migrating to the cloud, it's similar to moving to a new house—IT must plan and organize as well as consider the costs and benefits. To advance the vision of the “mobile first, cloud first” initiative, Microsoft IT migrated its own data and applications. The IT group faced some unexpected challenges, developed several best practices, and learned some lessons to share with companies that also want to make the move to the cloud. Article Microsoft IT Strategy for Deploying System Center Configuration Manager with Windows Intune at Microsoft Published: 12/16/2013 Learn about the Microsoft IT approach to enable unified device management allowing employees to add devices on premise or in the cloud while managing all the devices through one tool. Video Microsoft IT transitions core business applications to Microsoft Azure PaaS Published: 07/30/2015 Microsoft IT has transitioned many line-of-business applications to Microsoft Azure platform as a service (PaaS). This article describes why they moved four of these applications and how the transition helped Microsoft IT, other Microsoft teams, and customers. Technical Case Study Migrating to a Hybrid Server Environment with Microsoft Azure Published: 05/27/2014 Microsoft IT needed to migrate applications and server workloads from a large number of servers located in traditional data centers. With infrastructure replacement costs close to US$200 million, Microsoft IT wanted to leverage the capabilities and benefits of Microsoft Azure to replace the existing infrastructure. Microsoft IT assessed server workloads, created migration plans, and transferred workloads from their existing server infrastructure to Microsoft Azure virtual machines. The migration process enabled Microsoft IT to capture vital lessons and best practices to use in future migration projects, and the migration provided cost and efficiency benefits for Microsoft IT and the business groups it supports. Business Case Study