creating-azure-account-activating-msdn-benefits

Creating a trial Windows Azure account and activating MSDN benefits

What is Azure? In short, it’s Microsoft’s cloud platform: a growing collection of integrated services —compute, storage, data, networking, and app— that help you move faster, do more, and save money. You can build infrastructure, develop modern applications, gain insights from data, manage identity and access and more.

In this lab you will create a free trial Windows Azure account, and you will activate the benefits available to MSDN subscribers.

This lab includes the following tasks:

1. Creating a trial Windows Azure Account
2. Activating MSDN benefits

##Creating a trial Windows Azure Account

There are several ways to get an Azure subscription, such as the free trial subscription, the pay-as-you-go subscription, which has no minimums or commitments and you can cancel anytime; Enterprise agreement subscriptions, or you can buy one from a Microsoft retailer. In this task you are going to create a free trial subscription.

1. Browse to the following page http://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/free-trial/ to obtain a free trail account.

2. Click the Try it Now button.

3. Enter the credentials for the Microsoft account that you want to use. You will be redirected to the Sign up page.

   Note: Some of the following sections could be ommited in the Sign up process, if you recently verified your Microsoft account.

4. Enter your personal information in the About you section. If you have previously loaded this info in your Microsoft Account, it will be automatically populated.

   Sign up page - About you section

5. In the Mobile verification section, enter your mobile phone number, and click the Send text message button.

   

   Sign up page - Mobile verification section

6. When you receive the verification code, enter it in the corresponding box, and click Verify code.

   

   Sign up page - Mobile verification

7. Fill in the Payment information form.

   

   Sign up page - Payment information

   Note: You may be prompted to agree the User Consent in order to enter your payment information. If this happens, after reading the dialog, click Agree.

8. In the Agreement section, check the I agree to the Windows Azure Agreement, Offer Details, and Privacy Statement option, and click Sign up

9. Your free subscription will be set up, and after a while, you can start using it. Notice that you will be informed when the subscription expires.

   

   Sign up page - Agreement section and Signup

   

   Free Trial subscription completed

   Note: Your credit card will not be billed, unless you remove the spending limits. If you run out of credit, your services will be shut down unless you choose to be billed.

10. Cick the Portal link at the top-right of the page, to navigate to the Azure Management Portal. You will be greeted by the Windows Azure Tour dialog, which gives you a sense on how to move around in the Azure portal.

    
    Windows Azure Tour

##Activating MSDN benefits If you happen to be an MSDN subscriber you can activate your Azure MSDN benefits. It is no charge, you can use your MSDN software in the cloud, and most importantly you get up to $150 in Azure credits every month. You can also get 33% discount in Virtual Machines and much more.

1. To active the MSDN benefits, browse to the following URL: http://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/member-offers/msdn-benefits-details/

2. Scroll down to see the full list of benefits you will get for being a MSDN member. There is even a FAQ section you can read.

3. Click the Activate button to activate the benefits.

   Activate Azure Benefits site

4. You will need to enter your Microsoft account credentials to verify the subscription and complete the activation steps.

##Summary

In this lab you have seen how to create a free Microsoft Azure trial account, and how to activate the MSDN subscription benefits in your azure account.