Activate Free MSDN Windows Azure Account From BizSpark benefits

By Now, you should have a LiveID / Microsoft Account. You are enrolled in the BizSpark program so now we need to activate your Free MSDN Windows Azure Account.

1. Login to your BizSpark account (http://www.microsoft.com/bizspark/default.aspx). 
2. Click My BizSpark from the top navigation
3. Click on Get your free software! Then click Download Microsoft Software (via MSDN)

   

4. Notice from here that you can access your subscriber downloads. For now, let’s go ahead and activate our Windows Azure Account.  To do that, in the upper navigation bar click My Account

   

5. The third item down under SUBSCRIPTION BENEFITS is Windows Azure.  Click Activate Windows Azure

   

6. To activate the account you have to verify the account from either a text message or a Microsoft agent can call you
   • Click Send Text message
   • Enter Cell Phone Number Click Send text message
   • Type the verification number that you got on your cell phone click Verify code
   • Turn on the checkbox to accept the license agreement terms
   • Click Purchase

   

7. It will take a minute or two for the account to be activated.  There will be a link to refresh.  Wait a minute and click on click here to refresh

   

8. Repeat the last step if needed until your account shows Active
9. Then click on BizSpark

   

10. You will then see that you have 30 days left and $200 credit remaining.  At the end of your thirty days, your account will automatically be extended for another thirty days and you will be given a $150.00 credit.  This will repeat for three years. You can not click on Portal in the upper right corner to access your Azure Benefits.  If you do find that you need more than the allocated services, you can remove the spending limit by converting the account to a Pay-As-You-Go account.  If you do this, any amount that you use in excess of the free benefit will be charged (note a credit card is required).

     

Now that we have signed up for BizSpark, Activated our MSDN Account and Activated our Windows Azure account, In our next post, we will look at how to use Windows Azure to start building our business infrastructure.