I’ve had many conversations lately with people about using Windows Azure to build “Hybrid Solutions.” The typical response I get is “what’s that?” When I explain that it is the concept of running part of your application in Windows Azure and part of it in your own datacenter, the typical response I get is “I didn’t know that was possible.” Not only is it possible, but it is relatively painless to setup. Two of the common scenarios that this approach applies to are:
- Enterprise app migrated to Windows Azure that requires access to on-premise SQL Server
- Windows Azure app domain-joined to corporate Active Directory
A good example of the first scenario is the need to protect data “at rest” in order to comply with laws, regulations, and guidelines established in various industries. SQL Azure does not currently offer the Transparent Data Encryption (TDE) feature like its on-premises sibling (SQL Server). This is a perfect scenario for a hybrid solution using Windows Azure Connect. In this scenario, you still get the opportunity to take advantage of many of the cloud computing benefits the Windows Azure Platform such as Compute (Web/Worker/Virtual Machine) Roles, Caching and more.
So in an effort to do my part to help raise broader awareness, I recorded this screencast:
Gold Coast 