Microsoft Platform Ready is the place for partners to go for step-by-step guidance on adopting our various platform products. You also get valuable testing benefits that can help you earn points toward Microsoft competencies. And if you sign up and profile your Windows Azure application, that helps evangelists like me around the world know to reach out to you for relevant offers and events in your area (make sure you check the box saying that we can contact you – we take privacy very seriously, and we’ll never sell your information … but if you tell me not to contact you, I can’t). There is a lot of innovation happening with Windows Azure, so sign up for Microsoft Platform Ready, profile your Windows Azure application, and make sure you are in the loop.

If you just want to try Azure for free for 30 days without a credit card, sign up for the Windows Azure Pass with promo code DPCE01.

If you are a Microsoft partner developing for Azure, be sure to use your free benefits that come with each MSDN subscription.

Also check out the free Microsoft Cloud Essentials Pack for Microsoft partners (a good way to put your public website on Windows Azure).

Or check out these other offers (that page also includes an offer comparison table, and a TCO Calculator).

Speaking of TCO, read the whitepaper on Economics of the Cloud (November 2010).

For a peek into some of our data center techniques, watch a video on unloading a container in the Chicago data center (:36) or how a data center container (ITPAC) works (3:07).

If you’re a partner looking to build your own private cloud(s), check out the Hyper-V Cloud Fast Track and pay close attention to the Microsoft Virtualization Team Blog. In particular, read these posts about SCVMM and Server App-V.

Looking for something? Send me an email Patrick.Foley@microsoft.com, and I’ll try to find it for you.