Announcing: Microsoft Tech Ed “Cloud Challenge” Sweepstakes for IT Pros

Build your very own Virtual Network in the Cloud for FREE with the Windows Azure cloud platform, and Enter for a chance to win one of the following fantastic prizes:

• One Grand Prize: Ticket to Tech Ed 2013 North America in New Orleans, LA ( $2,195 retail value ) PLUS a $500 VISA Gift Card.
• Two First Prizes: One of two Microsoft Surface Pro devices ( $899 Retail Value )
• Twenty-Five Second Prizes: One of twenty-five Microsoft Certification Exam Vouchers ( $150 Retail Value )

You could win a ticket to Microsoft TechEd 2013, a Microsoft Surface Pro or Certification Exam Voucher!

But Wait! There’s More!

In addition to a chance to win one of the prizes above, EVERY ENTRANT will receive up to 750 compute hours and up to 35GB cloud storage to use as you’d like each month for 90-Days as part of the Windows Azure free trial program.

How To Enter the “Cloud Challenge”

You can enter the Microsoft TechEd“Cloud Challenge” Sweepstakes by completing all of the THREE EASY TASKS below to activate a Windows Azure FREE 90-Day Trial Account ( no subscription obligation or fees required ) and build your Virtual Network in the Cloud.  Be sure to complete the last task to submit your proof-of-completion for entry into this sweepstakes.

• Entries must be received between April 1, 2013 and April 30, 2013 to be eligible. One entry per individual.
• This contest is open to all IT Professionals Age 18 and over that are legal residents of the United States.
• Estimated Completion Time: 15-20 minutes

TASK 1 – Activate a FREE Windows Azure 90-Day Trial

Activate a FREE Windows Azure 90-Day Trial Account to receive up to 750 compute hours and up to 35GB cloud storage to use as you’d like each month for 90-days.  After the free 90-day period ends, there is absolutely no obligation required for a paid subscription.

DO IT:Activate a FREE Windows Azure 90-Day Trial
NOTE: When activating your FREE Trial for Windows Azure, you will be prompted for credit card information.  This information is used only to validate your identity and your credit card will not be charged, unless you explicitly convert your FREE Trial account to a paid subscription at a later point in time.

TASK 2 – Build your Virtual Network in the Cloud

Virtual Networks on the Windows Azure Cloud Platform allow you to define a predictable set of virtualized IP subnets upon which you can place one or more Virtual Machines running Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2008 R2 and Linux.  You can even securely connect a Windows Azure Virtual Network to your on-premise environment via a Site-to-Site IPsec VPN tunnel to leverage Windows Azure as a remote datacenter for disaster recovery, online backup, pilots, migrating applications … and MORE!

Complete the steps in this task to sign-in to the Windows Azure Management portal and quickly provision a new Virtual Network in the cloud.

1. Sign-in to the Windows Azure Management Portal with the Microsoft account credentials used in the prior task to activate your free 90-day trial.
2. On the bottom toolbar, click the +New button in the lower-left hand corner, then select Network | Virtual Network | Quick Create.  
   
   Creating a Virtual Network using Quick Create
   
3. On the Quick Create form, complete the following fields of information:
   - Name: xxxlabnet01 ( where “xxx” is replaced by your initials ). 
   - Address Space: 10.---.---.---
   - Maximum VM Count: 4096 [CIDR: /20]
   - Affinity Group / Region: East US
   - Connect to Existing DNS Server: None
   - Subscription: 3 Month Free Trial
   
   Virtual Network Quick Create Form

Click the Create A Virtual Network button to create your new Virtual Network on the Windows Azure Cloud Platform!

Congratulations! You now have a new virtual network that you can use to connect multiple virtual machines together on the Windows Azure Cloud Platform.  Learn more about using your new Virtual Network with our FREE Online Training at http://aka.ms/AzureVMTraining.

TASK 3 – Submit Proof-of-Completion

Complete the steps in this task to submit your proof-of-completion entry into the Microsoft TechEd “Cloud Challenge” Sweepstakes for a chance to win one of the exciting prizes listed above.

1. Sign-in to the Windows Azure Management Portal with the Microsoft account credentials used in the prior task to activate your free 90-day trial.
2. On the Windows Azure Management Portal page, Click on the ALL ITEMS link on the left navigation panel.
   
   Windows Azure All Items Page

1. Press the PrtScn ( Print Screen ) function key on your keyboard to copy an image of this page to your PC clipboard.
2. Click on THIS LINK to create a new email message addressed to the sweepstakes team atCloudChallenge@microsoft.com
3. IMPORTANT: In the body of the email, include this exact text:
   “I’ve completed the Microsoft TechEd Cloud Challenge for Windows Azure Virtual Networks.”
4. IMORTANT: Paste the image copied in Step 3 into the body of the new email message created  above.
5. Click the Send button in your email client to submit the email message as your proof-of-completion and sweepstakes entry.

Upon submitting your entry, you will receive a confirmation email within 24-hours.

COMPLETED! But … Want more?

Now that you’ve built your Windows Azure Virtual Network in the cloud, start leveraging it with these additional free learning resources.

• Want to learn more about Windows Azure Virtual Machines and Virtual Networks?
  • COMPLETE the FREE online training on Windows Azure
  • COMPLETE Getting Started with Servers in the Cloud
  • COMPLETE additional lab scenarios with Step-by-Step Guides

• Want to learn more about Windows Server 2012? Become our next “Early Expert”!
  • DOWNLOAD Windows Server 2012 for further evaluation.
  • JOIN our Windows Server 2012 “Early Experts” Challenge IT Pro Study Group. 
• Want to learn more about our FREE Hyper-V Server 2012?
• DOWNLOAD Hyper-V Server 2012 for evaluation and production use.