All right, day one at TechEd 2012 is complete and we learned a host of new things, met a lot of new people and handed out many, many novelty glasses.  Opening day at TechEd held a diverse set of options for learning and community.  From the keynote and breakout sessions to the Expo hall reception there was plenty to see and plenty to talk about. After 20 years TechEd continues to deliver an immersive learning experience and showcase for the latest in IT innovation.

The day started with the keynote which was delivered by Satya Nadella, President, Server and Tools Business and Jason Zander, Corporate Vice President, Visual Studio.  Nadella discussed cloud OS and the new era of IT, essentially two components, a modern datacenter and the app platforms that run on top of it. From here we were shown some examples of how new Microsoft technologies and an optimized datacenter can deliver efficient on demand IT services.  There were a couple of impressive demos, one of which being when Microsoft Virtualization Program manager Jeff Woolsey moved a 10Gb file in about 10 seconds with Windows Server 2012 and Hyper-V.

We also found that the use of technology can be unpredictable (surprise).  Microsoft’s Scott Guthrie created a simple Azure web app http://messagescott.com which allowed anyone with web access to send a message which would be displayed in a simple message box. The attendees made quick use of this to say their hello’s but also ask important questions such as “Who farted?” or a little SQL injection, both of which brought some serious laughs.

After the keynote the Expo hall was open to attendees with the foundational sessions and breakouts starting shortly, As with MMS 2012 the theme is decidedly private cloud. One of the sessions I attended that I found particularly interesting was AAP304 Private Cloud Principles, Concepts, and Patterns delivered by Tom Shinder, a Principle Knowledge Engineer at Microsoft. In the session he presents some of the core elements of how the private cloud differs from a traditional architecture and some of the key concepts to consider when moving to the strategy. I will definitely be taking these principles into consideration in any private cloud discussion.

In the evening the Expo hall re-opened for the attendee reception and we met a great deal of new people.  In all my years at TechEd I don’t remember the reception ever being that congested. Not that it was bad; it looks like the conference is as strong as ever. As I mentioned previously we were handing out novelty glasses as part of our cruise promotional giveaway. They were certainly a hit we went through everything we had in about an hour or so.  Steve, Jeff and Adam were on hand giving live demos while the e-space invader was out looking to get caught in the twitterverse. Overall a great start to what looks like another great TechEd.

If you get a chance stop by GSX at booth 1944 and say hi. Also Don't forget, I'll be hosting a session Thursday morning, BOF13-ITP THe Ever Expanding Roles an Responsibilities of an Exchange Adminstrator.