Dear Community Members, Friends, and Colleagues,

As I mark my 15th anniversary in the Microsoft MVP program, I’m filled with immense gratitude, humility, and pride. What began as a passion for sharing knowledge and building connections has blossomed into a deeply rewarding journey—one shaped by innovation, collaboration, and the extraordinary people who make this community thrive.

Over these 15 years, I’ve had the privilege to learn from brilliant minds, contribute to inspiring projects, and witness the transformative power of technology firsthand. Whether through speaking engagements, blog posts, mentoring, or hands-on technical work, being part of the MVP program has continually deepened my commitment to empowering others and fostering open, inclusive collaboration.

To the community: thank you for challenging, supporting, and celebrating with me. Your curiosity, creativity, and kindness are what keep this ecosystem alive and forward-looking.

To Microsoft: thank you for the honor and trust. The MVP program is a unique platform that amplifies voices, nurtures growth, and builds bridges—not just between developers and users, but between ideas and action.

While this milestone is a moment to reflect, it’s also a reminder that there’s always more to explore, create, and share. I look forward to continuing this journey together—with the same spark, but even greater purpose.

With heartfelt appreciation,
James

Here are some photos with Awesome people that I have met during these years:

Here you see Vijay Tewari in the middle who nominated me for the first time
Damian Flynn on the left and me on the right are Microsoft MVPs for Virtual Machine Manager (VMM)
at that time in 2011.

Here you see Tina Stenderup-Larsen in the middle, she is amazing! A Great Microsoft Community Program Manager
supporting all the MVPs in the Nordics & Benelux doing an Awesome Job!
On the right is Robert Smit a Great Dutch MVP and friend.

Mister OMS alias Scripting Guy Ed Wilson.

When there is a Microsoft Windows Server event, there is Jeff Woolsey 
“The three Musketeers”

Meeting Brad Anderson, he had great lunch breaks interviews in his car
with Awesome people.

The Azure Stack Guys on the 25th MVP Global Summit

Mister PowerShell Jeffrey Snover at the MVP Summit having fun

Scott Guthrie meeting him at the Red Shirt Tour in Amsterdam.

Great to meet Yuri Diogenes in 2018 with his book Azure Security Center.
I know him from the early days with Microsoft Security, like ISA Server

Mister Azure, CTO Mark Russinovich meeting at the MVP Global Summit in Redmond.
a Great Technical Fellow with Awesome Azure Adaptive Cloud Solution Talks!

Mister DevOps himself Donovan Brown in Amsterdam for DevOps Days

My friend Rick Claus Mister MS Ignite.

Mister Azure Corey Sanders at the MVP Summit.

Mister Channel 9, MSIgnite, AI Specialist Seth Juarez
He is a funny guy.

Meeting Scott Hanselman in the Netherlands together with MVP Andre van den Berg.
Scott is Awesome in developer innovations and technologies.
Following Azure Friday from the beginning.

Windows Insider friends for ever meeting Scott Hanselman.
With on the left MVP Erik Moreau.

Windows Insiders for Ever
Here together with Dona Sarkar here in the Netherlands

Windows Insider Friends having fun with Ugly Sweater meeting.
On the right my friend Maison da Silva and on the upper right Erik Moreau and Andre van den Berg.
Friends for Life

Microsoft Global MVP 15 Years Award disc is in the House
on Monday the 14th of July 2025.

Thank you All

50 years of Microsoft

A Legacy of Innovation and Transformation

Half a century ago, on April 4th, 1975, two young visionaries, Bill Gates and Paul Allen, co-founded Microsoft with a bold ambition: to make computing accessible and essential for everyone. What began as a small software company has grown into a global technology leader, continuously transforming industries and empowering billions of lives. As we celebrate Microsoft’s 50-year journey, let’s explore its milestones, innovations, and impact, including its contributions to datacenters, Windows Server, Hyper-V, Azure, and the leadership of its CEOs.

The Early Years: Coding the Future

Microsoft’s first big breakthrough came with the creation of an operating system for the fledgling personal computer market. In 1980, the company introduced MS-DOS, laying the groundwork for the revolutionary Windows operating system, launched in 1985. This graphical interface transformed computing, making it accessible to both businesses and individuals.

Guiding Microsoft Through Its Evolution: The CEOs Who Shaped the Company

Microsoft’s trajectory has been shaped by its visionary leadership. From the founders to the present, each CEO has left an indelible mark:

1. Bill Gates (1975–2000): As co-founder and first CEO, Gates spearheaded the company’s initial growth, launching pivotal products like MS-DOS, Windows, and Office. His focus on innovation and accessibility built the foundation of Microsoft’s success.
2. Steve Ballmer (2000–2014): During his tenure, Ballmer led Microsoft through massive expansion, particularly in enterprise solutions and cloud computing. He introduced Windows Server and laid the groundwork for services like Azure. Ballmer’s energy and passion defined his leadership style and kept Microsoft competitive in a rapidly changing market.
3. Satya Nadella (2014–Present): Nadella ushered in a cloud-first, AI-driven era, transforming Microsoft’s culture and business model. His emphasis on inclusivity, empathy, and sustainability revitalized the company. Under his leadership, Azure became one of the world’s leading cloud platforms, and Microsoft made transformative acquisitions like LinkedIn, GitHub, and Activision Blizzard.

Lake Bill on Redmond Campus

Redefining Enterprise Technology: Datacenters, Windows Server, and Virtualization

As businesses increasingly relied on technology, Microsoft expanded its offerings to support enterprise needs. Windows Server, introduced in 1993, became a cornerstone for server management and networking. It evolved over the decades, incorporating features such as Active Directory, high availability, and security enhancements.

Microsoft played a pivotal role in virtualization with Hyper-V, launched in 2008. Hyper-V allowed organizations to maximize resource efficiency and reduce costs by running multiple virtual machines on a single physical server. Modern datacenters powered by Microsoft’s hardware and software solutions now form the backbone of its cloud services.

Embracing the Cloud: The Azure Revolution

Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform, launched in 2010, redefined computing. It enabled organizations to access scalable infrastructure, deploy applications globally, and harness artificial intelligence with ease. Azure spans over 60 regions worldwide, making it one of the most comprehensive cloud platforms. Its ecosystem includes hybrid cloud solutions, advanced analytics, and IoT technologies.

Gaming, Devices, and Consumer Innovation

Microsoft entered the gaming industry with the Xbox in 2001, creating a thriving gaming ecosystem. Beyond gaming, the company innovated with devices like the Surface lineup, combining sleek design with productivity. Its integration of hardware and software demonstrated Microsoft’s versatility.

Shaping the Future: AI, Sustainability, and Datacenters

Microsoft continues to lead in artificial intelligence with tools like Microsoft Copilot. Its pledge to be carbon-negative by 2030 highlights environmental responsibility, with sustainable datacenter operations playing a central role.

Conclusion: A Legacy Built to Inspire

Microsoft’s 50-year journey is a testament to the power of innovation and visionary leadership. From Bill Gates to Steve Ballmer to Satya Nadella, each CEO has steered the company to new heights. With contributions ranging from datacenters and Windows Server to Hyper-V and Azure, Microsoft’s impact has been profound. As the company looks ahead, it remains dedicated to empowering people and organizations to achieve more, ensuring the next 50 years are as groundbreaking as the last.

Here’s to Microsoft—a company built to inspire and shape the future.

at Building 92 of the Microsoft Campus in Redmond.

 

Install-Module -Name Microsoft.OSConfig -Scope AllUsers -Repository PSGallery -Force

The security baselines can be configured through PowerShell, Windows Admin Center, and Azure Policy. The OSConfig tool is a security configuration stack that uses a scenario-based approach to deliver and apply the desired security measures for your environment. The security baselines throughout the device life cycle can be applied using OSConfig starting from the initial deployment process.

To verify that the OSConfig module is installed, run the following command:
Get-Module -ListAvailable -Name Microsoft.OSConfig

Here we check the Baseline Security Compliance:
Get-OSConfigDesiredConfiguration -Scenario SecurityBaseline/WS2025/MemberServer | ft Name, @{ Name = “Status”; Expression={$_.Compliance.Status} }, @{ Name = “Reason”; Expression={$_.Compliance.Reason} } -AutoSize -Wrap

You will see that the Security Baseline is not Complaint.

Set-OSConfigDesiredConfiguration -Scenario SecurityBaseline/WS2025/MemberServer -Default

Get-OSConfigDesiredConfiguration -Scenario SecurityBaseline/WS2025/MemberServer

Now we do the Security Baseline Compliance Check again:

Get-OSConfigDesiredConfiguration -Scenario SecurityBaseline/WS2025/MemberServer | ft Name, @{ Name = “Status”; Expression={$_.Compliance.Status} }, @{ Name = “Reason”; Expression={$_.Compliance.Reason} } -AutoSize -Wrap

Conclusion

With OSConfig you can set the default of Microsoft Security Baseline in a quick way. It’s important to test everything first in a test environment before you set these settings in production. Here you find more information on GitHub

You can make also your own custom Security Baselines with OSConfig.

Keep your Microsoft Security Baseline up-to-date

OSConfig Overview

 

Once upon a time, in a world where technology and holiday cheer intertwined, there was a bustling community of developers eagerly awaiting the latest updates from the Microsoft Windows 11 and Windows Server Insider programs. As the festive season approached, the air was filled with excitement and anticipation.

In the heart of this community were the Microsoft MVPs (Most Valuable Professionals) and Docker Captains, who were known for their expertise and passion for technology. They decided to come together to create something truly magical for developers around the world.

One snowy evening, as the MVPs and Docker Captains gathered around a virtual fireplace, they began to brainstorm ideas. “What if we could combine the power of Windows 11, Windows Server, and Docker Containers to create a seamless development experience?” suggested one MVP, their eyes twinkling with excitement.

The idea quickly gained momentum, and soon, the group was hard at work. They envisioned a world where developers could effortlessly build, test, and deploy applications using the latest features of Windows 11 and Windows Server, all within the flexible and scalable environment of Docker Containers.

With the help of the Insider programs, they gained early access to cutting-edge features and updates. The MVPs and Docker Captains worked tirelessly, sharing their knowledge and expertise to create a series of tutorials, guides, and sample projects. These resources were designed to help developers harness the full potential of Windows 11, Windows Server, and Docker Containers.

As the holiday season progressed, the community began to see the fruits of their labor. Developers from all corners of the globe started to adopt the new tools and techniques, marveling at the ease and efficiency they brought to their workflows. The combination of Windows 11’s sleek interface, Windows Server’s robust capabilities, and Docker Containers’ flexibility created a harmonious symphony of technology.

To celebrate their success, the MVPs and Docker Captains organized a virtual holiday party. Developers joined from far and wide, sharing stories of their experiences and the innovative projects they had created. The virtual room was filled with laughter, camaraderie, and a shared sense of accomplishment.

As the night drew to a close, one of the Docker Captains raised a toast. “Here’s to the power of collaboration, the spirit of innovation, and the joy of the holiday season. May we continue to push the boundaries of technology and inspire developers everywhere.”

And so, the story of the Microsoft Windows 11 and Windows Server Insider Christmas, made possible by the dedication and expertise of the MVPs and Docker Captains, became a cherished tale in the developer community. It was a reminder that, with passion and teamwork, even the most ambitious dreams could come true.

Happy holidays, and may your coding adventures be merry and bright!

Mark Russinovich and Scott Hanselman on Stage talking about Copilot, ChatGPT and AI

Scott and Mark learn responsible AI

Always check the output of AI

Microsoft Azure Local 

NEW Microsoft Introducing disconnected Operations (Preview)

Azure Local with disconnected Operations
Awesome!

NSG with Azure Local

Security in Azure Local video

 

Defender for Cloud

Get Started Today

Azure Linux 3.0 on AKS kubernetes in Preview

QuickStart

AKS Automatic
Dynamic System Node pool in Preview

More Buit-in policies for AKS

Auto-Instrumentation with Application Insights
Preview in January 2025

Enhanced Risk & Attack Path Analysis for Containers

Microsoft Azure Container Registry – Image Auto Patching in Private Preview
Security on Vulnerabilities

Network Isolated Cluster in Public Preview
Here you find Best practices for cluster isolation in Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)

Microsoft Container Vulnerabilities Management

Container Vulnerabilities Assessment throughout the software development lifecycle.

Defender for Cloud Container Security
Continuously reduce risks.

Attack path and remediation on your AKS Kubernetes Cluster Inside overview

Container Security posture from Code to runtime is important!

Microsoft Azure Kubernetes Fleet Manager Auto-Upgrade

Microsoft AKS Static Egress Gateway for Pod-level Access Control.

Block pod access to the Azure Instance Metadata Service (IMDS) endpoint (preview)

Trusted launch for Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)

Seccomp Default Public Preview

Node Auto Provisioning GA January 2025

Comprehensive Security Controls overview

Experience Security Copilot Today

My Conclusion

Always start small with New innovative features like Azure Copilot or making your Adaptive Cloud first in a test environment.
Do your own experiences, testing and make your Secure architecture designs for your production. Keep it simple because it can be quick complex with a lot of dependencies. Microsoft works hard to make your life more easy in this changing IT landscape
I like to thank all the people who supported the Microsoft Ignite 2024 event, it was Awesome with a lot of Great News.

Here you find the Microsoft Ignite 2024 Book of News.

 

Microsoft Azure Adaptive Cloud approach enabled by Azure Arc.

Adaptive Cloud approach Key Services and Products.

Operate everywhere with AI-enhanced management and security

AI-enhanced Central Management & Security

Get Started with Azure Arc Jumpstart here

Welcome to the heart of our mission at Azure Arc Jumpstart, where we strive to transform your learning experience into a smooth and empowering journey. Our commitment is rooted in the principles that drive us forward:

1. Enabling immediate engagement: Arc Jumpstart is designed to offer a seamless “zero to hero” experience. We understand the value of your time, and our goal is to enable you to dive right into Azure Arc, eliminating barriers and complexities.

2. Comprehensive guidance: We provide more than just guides; we offer comprehensive, step-by-step instructions tailored for various independent Azure Arc scenarios. Our content is meticulously detailed, incorporating extensive automation, vivid screenshots, and insightful code samples. This ensures that your learning journey is not just informative but also visually enriching and deeply engaging.

3. Unparalleled user experience: Our dedication lies in delivering a rich and immersive experience. We go beyond the basics, curating a user-centric environment that resonates with both beginners and seasoned professionals. Whether you’re setting up your environment on-premises or in the cloud, our guides empower you to focus on Azure Arc’s core values without being bogged down by technical intricacies.

4. Embracing platform flexibility: We recognize the diversity of your infrastructure, and our mission is to provide a platform-agnostic approach. Arc Jumpstart accommodates your infrastructure, whether it resides on-premises or in the cloud. Our focus is to ensure that regardless of your setup, you can harness the true potential of the Azure Arc platform effortlessly.

Investments to further the Adaptive Cloud Approach

Introducing Microsoft Azure Local enabled by Azure Arc

Scott Hanselman about Visual Studio and Copilot

More AI development in Visual Studio or VSCode

Microsoft Windows 365 Link

This is Awesome, my next question is:
How fast will this solution be on Mobile?

Windows Hotpatch will be Available Spring 2025
for Windows 11 and Windows 365.

Windows Resilient Security Platform

Quick Machine Recovery in Insider program early 2025.

Microsoft working together with Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency

Smart App Control only Verified apps are allowed.

Windows Hello for Business Update with support for passkey.

Administrator Protection.

Personal Data Encryption to Windows Enterprise
Only decrypted via Windows Hello

Microsoft 365 in File Explorer

Windows Search is Cool
Coming in 2025

My Conclusion

Make your own test environment and become a Windows Insider to be one of the first to test these Awesome New features!
You can make this of course in Microsoft Azure Cloud or in your own Azure Local environment
There are so much possibilities, to keep yourself up-to-date with this changing IT landscape.

 

 

Mark Russinovich Microsoft Azure CTO Starting and Running 10.000 Containers in Azure in just 90 seconds!
That is unbelievable

Here you find my screenshots and links of the Microsoft Ignite 2024 session with Mark Russinovich.
First a quick introduction about Microsoft Azure Boost in this video.

Microsoft Azure Boost more IOPS and Throughput

Before and After Azure Boost Local Storage improvements.

Can you believe it, these are no typo’s 6.6 M IOPS !

Azure Boost Networking

Network driver Update in Azure Boost.

Software Defined Networking (SDN) Today

SDN Accelerating offloads with DPU

 

Secure 1.6 Tbps+ to storage over WAN
Can you believe it

Microsoft announcing Azure Container Instances NGroups (Preview)

Cloud Native Apps are more than just Kubernetes

Radius in the Cloud

New Azure Container Solutions

Security Trusted Execution Environments (TEE)

When you missed Mark Russinovich at Ignite 2024 session, you can watch it on-demand here

My Conclusion

Not only with Microsoft Copilot, Azure AI or Open-AI is the IT landscape changing, but the Adaptive Cloud is evolving very quick and hardware, Software Defined is getting faster and faster but also scaling in Datacenters.

This Jeremy Winter Talking about Power-efficient Datacenter Infrastructure.

Power-efficient datacenter infrastructure is very important for Microsoft, and what I see is More Software solutions with less hardware.
Software defined and AI solutions are changing the IT Cloud Landscape also in a Hybrid way with On-premises Datacenters.
10 years ago IT workloads was 80% on-premises datacenters and 20% in the Cloud, Today this is Changed to maybe 30% on-premises and 70% in the Cloud of companies IT solutions.  Here you can Learn more at Microsoft Learn Ignite 2024

Photo of the Day Rick Claus at the Microsoft MVP – RD Wall at MS Ignite 2024

Keynote by CEO Satya Nadella

Love this Windows 365 Link Device (Preview)

The world’s Computer

Microsoft Azure Local announcement

Microsoft Azure Integrated HSM

for Security first

Microsoft Azure Boost DPU Chip

Microsoft adopts NVIDIA Blackwell to power the next frontier of AI supercomputing

Security is a Team Effort

Microsoft Security Exposure Management

Scott Guthrie on Stage with the Most Developer Tools

Microsoft Azure AI Foundry Announcement 

Microsoft SQL Server 2025 Preview Announcement by Scott

Microsoft SQL Overview Slide with Fabric

Jeremy Winter about Azure and staying ahead of evolving threats at every layer

Microsoft Windows Server 2025 Hyper-V

This was my first day impression of Microsoft Ignite 2024 Event, It was Awesome to see and hear all the News!

Here you find the Microsoft Ignite 2024 Book of News

Let’s go for Day 2 of Microsoft Ignite 2024

 

Installing Docker on Windows Server 2025 Insider Preview Build 26080.1

During the Microsoft Windows Server Summit 2024 I got inspired to run a Windows Server 2025 Insider Preview Build and do something with Microsoft WinGet because this is now default installed on the latest Windows Server 2025 Insider Preview Build.

So with the following command, I installed Docker on the Window Server Insider Preview Build version 26080:

Invoke-WebRequest -UseBasicParsing “https://raw.githubusercontent.com/microsoft/Windows-Containers/Main/helpful_tools/Install-DockerCE/install-docker-ce.ps1” -o install-docker-ce.ps1
.\install-docker-ce.ps1

Docker running on Windows Server 2025 Insider Preview Build.

Here I’m pulling NanoServer Insider 26080 image.

With the following command:

docker pull mcr.microsoft.com/windows/nanoserver/insider:10.0.26080.1

the NanoServer Insider container image is in the repository.

So now is Microsoft Windows Package Manager (WinGet) tool handy on this Windows Server Insider Build, because I like to have Microsoft Visual Studio Code Installed to play with Windows Nano Server Insider Container.

First I did a Winget upgrade –all

with Winget search vscode you get the list
To install Visual Studio Code with Winget:
winget install Microsoft.VisualStudioCode

Visual Studio Code is installing.

Visual Studio Code is Installed.

I installed the Docker extension in VSCode.

Microsoft Windows Nano Server Insider Image version 26080 in VSCode.

Running Nano Server Insider Container on Windows Server 2025 Insider Preview Build.

On the Container host is a virtual Nat adapter 172.24.16.1 for
the containers the gateway.

Important:

This is not for production environment but for testing and learning only with new Microsoft technologies.

More information about running Containers on Windows Servers

Become Microsoft Windows Server Insider

What a Year 2022!!

I like to thank you Community for Supporting, Sharing and Reading New Microsoft technologies on my Blog, Twitter, Facebook and
LinkedIn Community Groups I wish you all happy Holidays, Merry Christmas and a Healthy New Year 2023 may the Best Wishes comes true !

I’m very proud and Honored  on the Microsoft Global MVP Awards 2022-2023 !

• MVP Award for Cloud and Datacenter Management
• MVP Award for Windows Insiders
• MVP Award for Azure Hybrid

Thank you Microsoft Product Groups, MVP Award Program, Windows Insider Team, Azure Hybrid Team, Windows Server and Azure Stack HCI Team for all your support, NDA PGI sessions, and for the Awesome software, Features, solutions you are building
Wish you all Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas and a Healthy New Year 2023 may the Best Wishes comes true !

Here are some Great links for Reading and Sharing :

JOIN these LinkedIn Community Groups for free and Share New Microsoft Technologies Together:

Windows Admin Center Community Group

Containers in the Cloud Community Group

Microsoft Azure Monitor & Security for Hybrid IT Community Group

Azure Hybrid Community Group

Azure DevOps Community Group

What I really love is the Microsoft Tech Community platform

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For Microsoft Azure Hybrid:

Azure Arc Jumpstart site

Azure Hybrid and Multi Cloud documentation

Microsoft Azure Arc Community monthly Meetup (GitHub)

Follow on Twitter for Azure Hybrid:

Microsoft Windows Insiders Blog

Windows Insider Team on YouTube

The Windows Insider Program Team is really active on Twitter:
@WindowsInsider

@JenMsft

@NorthFaceHiker

@brandonleblanc

@amanda_lango

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Get started with the Windows Server Insider program

What’s New in Windows Server 2022

Overview of Windows Admin Center

What’s New in SQL Server 2022

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