The Azure Cloud Accelerate Partners are select partners with proven implementations on the Azure Cloud and with an edge to accelerate business growth by building or selling cloud solutions based on Microsoft technologies. Sysfore has built strong capabilities on the Microsoft technology platform over the last decade and has proven implementations having taken existing customers to migrate and deploy applications on the Azure Cloud platform and also build new applications for deployment on the Azure Cloud.

Talk to us, and we?ll guide you in building your first cloud application or migrating an existing application to the Windows Azure Cloud platform.

PILSR:

Microsoft?s Partners in Learning School Research is a self-assessment survey research system that helps educators and school leaders understand and measure innovative teaching practices that develop the skills students need for life and work in the 21st Century. This research incorporates methods from a rigorous international research project, Innovative Teaching and Learning Research (ITL Research), to provide individual schools a system that defines innovative teaching and measures it. In addition, the School Research helps schools monitor how innovative teaching practices within their school are emerging over time.

Sysfore built a completely robust cloud application with Microsoft Windows Azure and SQL Azure. The application has an n-tier architecture which is expected to handle users in 65 different countries supporting all these languages. Application has a secure Windows Live ID integration and all the users are authenticated before allowing to access the various features. There are role based restrictions to the various modules for each user.

Here are some of the goals for the application:

• Windows Live ID authentication security using RPS
• Use SQL Azure as the back-end
• Use Windows Azure Storage as the repository for reports, training materials etc
• Use the Service Layer patterns for business logic
• Use Domain Model objects that require complex saves across table storage and blob storage
• Re-usable storage logic using C# generics
• Access Windows Azure Storage from outside of a hosted Windows Azure application role
• Worker roles for scheduled tasks such as mail sending, automated report generation etc

Components Used:

RPS

Relying Party Suite (RPS) is a server-side software component that enables you to implement Windows Live ID authentication on web site.

OOXML

Office Open XML (also informally known as OOXML or OpenXML) is a zipped, XML-based file format developed by Microsoft for representing spreadsheets, charts, presentations and word processing documents

Reporting:

The output of survey research system is summarized and represented as power point presentation. This comprises of both textual and graphical representations. We are using OOXML to generate this type of reports and windows azure storage Blob as the repository for these reports. The school Research System will provide each school a report within 24 hours of the surveys? completion. This is achieved using a Windows Azure compute service named as Worker Role.

Sysfore works with Cross-Tab, a market research outsourcing leader, provides a full range of market research and data analytics solutions to global clients. From managing end-to-end research operations, to market research process outsourcing, secondary research, and paneling services. As a global technology company, Microsoft has a clear interest in helping education systems around the world understand how to use technology effectively to improve student learning. Microsoft?s Partners in Learning is the organization that sponsors ITL Research and Partners in Learning School Research. The goal is to develop evidence and tools to support this kind of effective educational change.

CertiTrac:

CertiTrac is a first-of-its-kind service that enables secure digital distribution and verification of convocation certificates, being offered by MeritTrac , a leading skills assessment company. With this solution MeritTrac greatly reduces the difficulty and delay currently being experienced by customers in the process of certificate verification. CertiTrac also provides an interface for recruiters to instantly verify the Convocation Certificate of candidates seeking employment. The solution uses the Windows Azure Compute instances for running the application, Azure storage for storing images (student photos). SQL Azure for maintaining relational data for all students.

Cross-Tab, Microsoft are Trademarks of Cross-Tab and Microsoft Corporation respectively.