Would you like to know how to leverage your existing ASP.NET skills to build Windows Azure applications?  Then be sure to check out two new articles, Cloud Development in Visual Studio 2010 and Developing and Deploying Windows Azure Apps in Visual Studio 2010, that explain how to build cloud services and applications with Visual Studio 2010. Written by Windows Azure Tools experts Hani Atassi, Anson Horton, Jim Nakashima and Danny Thorpe, these articles provide step-by-step instructions showing you how to use Visual Studio 2010 for the entirety of the Windows Azure application development lifecycle.

The Windows Azure Tools add-in is designed for both Visual Studio 2010 and Visual Studio 2008. The easiest way to install the Windows Azure Tools for Visual Studio 2008 is by using the Web Platform Installer; be sure to add the developer tools scenarios in the options.  And if you aren’t a Visual Studio user today, you can use the Windows Azure support in Visual Studio 2010 Express to evaluate the Windows Azure Tools for Visual Studio for free.