Azure architecture & services overview

Understanding Microsoft Azure Architecture and Services

Florin Angelescu

Azure Architect

What is Azure?

• Microsoft's cloud computing platform
• Offers services like:
  • Storage
  • Computing
  • Networking
  • Applications
• Use Microsoft's provided infrastructure over the Internet
• Use computing resources without managing hardware

What can you do with Azure?

• Store data
• Running virtual machines
• Hosting websites and applications
• Machine learning
• Database services

Physical infrastructure

• Global network of data centers located around the world
  • Equipped with servers, storage devices, and networking hardware
  • Grouped into regions or availability zones
  • Designed to ensure redundancy, scalability, and high availability
  • Maintained and managed by Microsoft

¹ Learn more about Azure infrastructure: https://datacenters.microsoft.com/globe

Regions

• Geographical areas that contains a group of data centers
• Allow creation of resources in proximity to consumers
• Offer improved performance and compliance with local regulations

Availability zones

• Separate, physically independent data centers within a region
• Azure services stays available even if there are technical issues in one location

Azure portal

• User-friendly website to access, manage, and control cloud resources
• Azure portal (https://portal.azure.com)

Resources

• Building blocks to create and run activities
  • Website
  • Database
  • Virtual machine
  • Other
• Assigned to a resource group

Resource groups

• Virtual folders for organizing resources
• Resources belongs to only one group at a time
• They can be moved between resource groups
• Resource groups can't be nested

Subscriptions

• Organize resource groups
• Simplify the billing process
• Membership to access to cloud resources
• Purposes:
  • Security
  • Cost management
  • Separating environments
• Linked to an Azure account

Azure account

• Access pass to Microsoft's cloud services
• Allows to use and manage all tools and resources provided by Azure

Management groups

• Optional layer
• Organize and control multiple subscriptions
• Can be nested

Azure hierarchical structure

Let's practice!

Understanding Microsoft Azure Architecture and Services