Scott Guthrie is Microsoft’s senior most Windows Azure development executive. And the cloud leader is encouraging developers to take advantage of their Azure credits that they receive via their Microsoft Developer Network subscriptions.
The corporate vice president for Windows Azure urged MSDN subscribers during his keynote speech at the Visual Studio Live! conference on Tuesday, that is taking place in Redmond, Washington.
When inquired about the best way for developers to start, Guthrie said:
“Use what you know today. The beauty about Azure is that it works well with what you already have. You don’t have to jump in the deep end to begin with. If you just want to host a Web site, it works pretty much the way you’re used to.
But then you can add on more. You can gracefully add capabilities and features.”
The senior executive estimated that 90 percent of MSDN subscribers could cover their development and testing costs through these benefits — without incurring any additional charges.
Microsoft, as you may recall, streamlined and expanded MSDN benefits back in June.
The Windows Azure benefits for MSDN subscribers vary by the subscription level.
The basics start with Visual Studio Professional members, who get $50 in free Azure credits every month, while members with Visual Studio Premium with MSDN get $100 in credits. And finally, members with Visual Studio Ultimate with MSDN get $150 in credits.
But these monthly figures add up to $750, $1,300 and $1,850 per year respectively.
