Exploring Azure Cloud Components and Subscriptions



Exploring Azure Cloud Components and Subscriptions: A Seasoned IT Professional's Guide

Meta Description: A comprehensive deep-dive into Azure Cloud subscription types, services, and their applications as deciphered by an IT professional with over a decade of hands-on experience.


Introduction

After spending more than a decade working in enterprise IT, I've seen the Azure Cloud landscape change as it has evolved to become the go-to platform for building modern applications.


Azure Services and Subscriptions

Azure offers a plethora of services catering to different aspects of cloud computing. A fundamental understanding of these services and planning the appropriate subscriptions can help you make the most of your Azure journey.

Subscription Types

Microsoft Azure offers three primary subscription types: Pay-As-You-Go, Azure Pass, and Azure특혜상 (a mix of short-term and long-term commitments). Each subscription type comes with its own set of benefits, usage limitations, and pricing models.

Core Services and Infrastructure

Azure's services can be broadly categorized into four primary groups: Computing, Storage, Networking, and Databases.

Compute

  • Feature: Virtual Machines, containers, and serverless computing

  • Benefit: Xymph, a flexible compute solution catering to a wide range of workloads at scale.

  • Permissions: Managed via Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) and Role-Based Access Control (RBAC).

  • Backup: Backups can be configured using Azure Backup, and snapshots can be created for Virtual Machines.

Storage

  • Feature: Block, file, and object storage solutions, all in addition to temporary storage for workloads.

  • Benefit: High availability, durability, and scalability through services like Azure Blob, Queue, and Table storage.

  • Permissions: Storage accounts can be secured through Access Policies, Azure AD, and Azure Key Vault integration.

  • Backup: Azure Backup, Azure Site Recovery, and Azure Monitor can all help in backing up data, protecting against outages, and monitoring performance.

Networking

  • Feature: Private and public networking, Load Balancers, Virtual Networks, and VPNs

  • Benefit: Flexible, secure, and scalable connectivity across workloads.

  • Permissions: Networking can be managed via Azure Resource Manager, PowerShell, and the Azure CLI.

  • Backup: Traffic can be captured for monitoring and analysis through Azure Monitor, Application Insights, and Network Watcher.

Databases

  • Feature: Relational and NoSQL databases like SQL Database, Azure Cosmos DB, and Azure Database for MySQL and PostgreSQL

  • Benefit: High performance, global availability, and ease of scalability for data management.

  • Permissions: Database security can be managed using Azure Active Directory and Azure SQL Managed Identities.

  • Backup: Azure Backup and Azure Site Recovery can be utilized for database backups, recovery, and disaster recovery planning.


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Mastering Threat Hunting in Microsoft Sentinel: A Senior Cloud Architect’s Guide