Fundamentals of Microsoft Azure: AZ-900

Cloud Computing Fundamentals
What is Cloud Computing?
Cloud computing is a technology that enables users to access and use
computing resources, such as servers, storage, and applications, over
the internet. Instead of owning and maintaining physical hardware,
users can leverage remote servers hosted in data centers to store data,
run applications, and perform various computing tasks.
Let’s understand with an example-

OpEx Vs CapEx
Operational Expense
• Pay as you go model.
• Bill is generated immediately.
• No depreciation
Capital Expenditure
• Upfront spending money on physical infrastructure.
• Cost have a value which reduces overtime.

Shared Responsibility Model
The shared responsibility model in cloud computing is a framework that
outlines the division of security responsibilities between a cloud service
provider (CSP) and its customers. It's a collaborative effort to ensure the
overall security of the cloud environment.

Shared Responsibility Model in Azure
Microsoft’s
Responsibilities
Networking
Virtualization
Infrastructure
Physical
Infrastructure

User’s
Responsibilities
Data Encryption
Identity &
Access
Management
Configuration
Management

Shared
Responsibility
Operating
System
Applications
Data

Types of Cloud
Service Model
Deployment
Model
Types of Cloud

Types of Cloud - Service Model

Types of Cloud - Deployment Model
Public Cloud
• Owned and managed by a third party cloud provider
• Can be accessed through public network.
• Provides IT resources to general public and multiple organizations.
• Perfect for organizations with growing and fluctuating demands.

Private Cloud
• Cloud environment created in organization’s on site data center or
hosted by third party service provider.
• Organizations are responsible for maintaining the services they
provide.
• Does not provide access to users outside the organization.

Hybrid Cloud
• Combines functionalities of both public as well as private cloud.
• Ideal for legacy companies.

Pillars of Cloud
Reliability
Ensuring consistent
performance and
dependability of cloud
services.
Governance
Implementing policies
and controls to manage
and regulate cloud
resources effectively.
Security
Availability
Safeguarding data and
resources from
unauthorized access and
breaches.
Maximizing system
uptime and minimizing
downtime.

How to create an Azure account?
Click on the link here - https://azure.microsoft.com/en-in and choose
the option of Free Account.

You will be redirected to this page and click on “Start Free”

Sign up with your Microsoft account. If you don’t have one, you can
create a new one too.

Here are the services you would get with your free Azure account.

As Azure operates on a pay-as-you-go model, you'll need to input your
credit/debit card details. A nominal charge of 2 rupees will be made
temporarily, but it will be refunded in a few days. No additional
automatic deductions will occur from your card.

Voila!! Your free Azure account is created. Click on “Go to Azure portal”
to get started.

Azure portal opens up.

Azure Overview
● Azure is a could platform by Microsoft that offers various cloud services and resources for
managing and storing data.
● Users can conveniently access these services via the Azure portal when connected to the
internet.
● Microsoft Azure services are widely used across all industries for running applications, storing
and analyzing data, software development, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and other
services.
● Azure offers four different forms of cloud computing: infrastructure as a service (IaaS), platform
as a service (PaaS), software as a service (SaaS) and serverless functions.
● Microsoft adopts a pay-as-you-go model for Azure, where subscribers receive a monthly bill
based solely on the specific resources and services they've utilized.

Why Azure?
Security 1
Best Hybrid Cloud Solution 2
Cost Effectiveness 3
Quick and Adaptable 4

Azure Certifications
●A series of over a dozen certifications offered by Microsoft Azure is
designed to assist professionals working in cloud computing or those
aspiring to begin a career in the field.
●These certifications are categorized into different levels, and some
certifications do not have a group classification-
1 2 3
Fundamentals
4
Expert-level Speciality
Associate-level

Fundamentals
●Tailored for individuals without a technical background who are eager to
embark on their cloud computing journey, as well as for emerging cloud
professionals who are just initiating their career in the field.

Associate-Level
●Most appropriate for candidates possessing a robust grasp of the
fundamentals of Azure. If you already have a familiarity with Azure, you
are well-prepared to incorporate the certifications listed into your resume,
showcasing your proficiency in the platform.

Expert-Level
●Designed for those with a solid background in the cloud, including an
associate-level certification and hands-on cloud experience. If you already
have experience and a good understanding of Azure at the associate level,
you can pursue an expert certification.

Specialty
●These specializations emphasize Azure IOT Developer Specialty and Azure
for SAP Workloads. Specialty-level Azure certifications are designed to
provide in-depth expertise in specific areas, allowing professionals to
showcase their specialized skills and knowledge within the Azure
ecosystem.

Azure Core
Services
Security
Storage Network
Compute

Azure Compute Services
● The Azure Compute service plays a crucial role in hosting and running applications, ensuring
they are live and available.
● It serves as the foundation for executing various applications in a real-time environment.
● Azure Compute handles deployment, hosting, management, and the actual running of
applications, making it essential for the overall functioning of diverse software in the Microsoft
Azure ecosystem.
● This service provides the necessary infrastructure to support the execution of applications
seamlessly.

Virtualization
• Virtualization is a technology that allows you to create a simulated or
virtual version of something, such as a computer or an operating system,
within another system.
• It enables one physical machine to run multiple virtual machines, each
with its own isolated environment, as if they were independent and
separate entities.

Azure Virtual Machine
• An Azure Virtual Machine is a computing resource provided by Microsoft
Azure, which is a cloud computing platform.
• Azure VMs allow you to run virtualized Windows or Linux servers in the
cloud.
• These virtual machines operate just like physical computers but are hosted
and managed in Microsoft's data centers.

Azure App Service
• Azure App Service is PaaS (Platform-as-a-Service) cloud service by
Microsoft. This service takes away some of the additional responsibilities
of customer, and gives it back to cloud provider, for which customer is
responsible while working with Azure VMs.

Azure Functions (Serverless)
● Azure Functions is a service from Microsoft that lets you run code without worrying about
servers. It responds to certain events or conditions, like when an order comes in on an IoT
system or a new message arrives in a queue.
● Azure Functions allows the users to implement their logic in particular pieces of code. These are
known as “functions”. Various functions run at various times of response.
● When the requests increase, Azure Functions create as many resources and function instances as
required as per the need. Again, when the requests decrease, the extra resources and function
instances are deleted automatically.

Azure Storage Services
● Microsoft Azure Storage is a cloud storage service provided by Microsoft Azure, offering a
scalable and secure solution for storing and retrieving data in the cloud.
● Azure Storage is-
○ Durable
○ Secure
○ Scalable
○ Managed
○ Accessible

Azure Blob Storage
● Azure Blob Storage is a cloud-based storage service provided by Microsoft Azure. It allows you
to store and manage large amounts of unstructured data, such as text or binary data.
● It saves text and binary data to facilitate big data analysis through Data Lake Storage Gen2. Blob
Storage allows direct browser access to image files, PDFs, or documents using a single link.
● Blobs support streaming for audio and video, and they enable distributed file access and log file
management.

Azure File Storage
● Azure File Storage serves as a suitable choice when there's a need for a shared drive connecting
multiple servers or users.
● Microsoft Azure File storage is a type of Azure service that was designed to support the needs of
the Azure VM environment. That storage is, in essence, a network share. You can store files there
that can be accessed from different Virtual Machines.
● File Storage can be used if your business use case needs to deal mostly with standard File
extensions like *.docx, *.png and *.bak then you should probably go with this storage.

Azure Queue Storage
● Azure queues are like virtual mailboxes where you put messages.
● Imagine you have someone sending messages (a sender) and someone else picking them up
and doing something with them (a client).
● Each message has special features, like a time limit before it disappears (expiry time).
● So, it's a way to organize and manage messages between different parts of a system.
● Azure Queue Storage is a service provided by Microsoft Azure, which is a cloud computing
platform. It's like a virtual "message queue" that helps different parts of a program or different
programs communicate with each other.
● Decoupling the components is one of the advantages of message queue services.

Azure Table Storage
● Azure Table Storage is a cloud-based NoSQL data store provided by Microsoft Azure. It is
designed to store and retrieve large amounts of semi-structured data, making it suitable for
scenarios where you need to manage and query massive datasets.
● If you have a super large amount of data and you want to store it in a NoSQL manner in Azure
and performance is not a concern for you, you can definitely go for the Azure table storage,
which is very cheap and could fit into your budget.

Networking in Azure
●Azure offers a variety of networking services to help users build, deploy,
and manage applications and services in the cloud. These services enable
organizations to establish secure and scalable network architectures. Here
are some key Azure networking services:
○Azure Virtual Network
○Load Balancer
○Application Gateway
○Traffic Manager

Azure Virtual Network
● Azure Virtual Network is the fundamental building block for your private network in Azure. It
allows you to create isolated networks to host your VMs and other Azure resources.
● Why to use Azure VNets?
○ Provides an isolated environment.
○ Subnet can access the public cloud.
○ Traffic can be easily filtered from resources.
○ Highly secured.
○ High network connectivity.
○ Building sophisticated network topologies in a simple manner.

● Components of Azure Virtual Network
○ Subnets - This lets user segment the virtual network into one or more sub-networks.
Subnets provide several benefits, including improved security, efficient network traffic
management, and better organization of resources.
○ Routing - In Azure, routing refers to the process of directing network traffic between
different networks or subnets. Understanding how routing works is crucial for designing a
network architecture that meets your application's requirements.

● Components of Azure Virtual Network
○ Network Security Groups - In Azure, Network Security Groups (NSGs) are a crucial
component for controlling inbound and outbound network traffic to and from Azure
resources. NSGs act as a basic, stateful, and rule-based firewall, allowing you to define rules
that permit or deny traffic based on various criteria.

Load Balancer
● A load balancer distributes user traffic across multiple instances of your applications.
● Load balancer basically reduces the risk of performance issues.
Uses of Azure Load Balancer
○ Load balance both internal and external Azure virtual machine traffic.
○ Distribute resources within and across zones to increase availability.
○ Configure Azure VM outbound connectivity.
○ Monitor load-balanced resources with health probes.
○ Access VMs in a virtual network by port and public IP address with port forwarding.

Application Gateway
● In Azure, an Application Gateway is a load balancer service that enables you to manage and
optimize the traffic to your web applications. It acts as a traffic manager, directing client requests
to the appropriate servers based on various factors.
● It is usually used when you expect many users in your apps or wish to manage web traffic based
on incoming requests.
● Application Gateway balances the traffic across multiple servers and supports routing to a
specific server based on request components.

Azure Traffic Manager
●Azure Traffic Manager is a load balancing solution provided by Azure
Cloud Services Platform that enables in controlling and load balancing the
flow of traffic to specific endpoints.
●These endpoints include any resource from the Azure Cloud Services
platform including virtual machines, websites and databases.

Working of Traffic Manager
● It's like a global traffic cop, directing users to the nearest website endpoint, based on their
location. Here's how it works:
○ User Requests: When a user from, say, Asia tries to access your website, their web browser
sends a DNS request.
○ Traffic Manager Intervenes: The DNS request is intercepted by Azure Traffic Manager.
○ Location Detection: Traffic Manager detects the user's location based on their IP address.
○ Route Optimization: Based on the user's location, Traffic Manager directs them to the
nearest website endpoint. In this case, it would be the endpoint located in Asia.
○ Seamless Delivery: The user is then connected to the nearest endpoint and can access your
website quickly and without any delays.

IAM (Identity & Access Management)
● Azure Identity and Access Management (IAM) is a comprehensive set of services and features
that helps you manage who has access to what in Azure.
● Azure IAM enables you to:
○ Grant and manage access to Azure resources based on the principle of least privilege.
○ Securely store and manage access keys and other sensitive credentials.
○ Monitor and audit access to your Azure resources.
○ Meet compliance requirements for access control and data security.

Azure RBAC
● Azure role-based access control (Azure RBAC) enables access management for Azure resources.
It’s an authorization system built into the Azure Resource Manager.
● You can use Azure RBAC to define which specific users should be allowed access to Azure cloud
resources and assign a set of privileges for each user group.
● There are around 70 roles for RBAC but here are the ones which are very fundamental-
○ Owner
○ Contributor
○ Reader
○ User Access Administrator

Azure Cost Management
● Azure Cost Management is a suite of tools within the Azure platform designed to help you track,
analyze, and optimize your cloud spending. It provides complete visibility into your Azure
resource usage and costs, allowing you to identify cost-saving opportunities and make informed
decisions about your cloud investments.
● Benefits of cost management are-
○ Increased cost visibility
○ Improved cost control
○ Optimized resource allocation
○ Informed decision making
○ Reduce risk of unexpected billing

Azure Cost Management
Features of Cost Management-
● Cost analysis: View detailed cost breakdowns by resource, service, resource group, subscription, and management group.
● Budgeting: Set budgets to track your spending against predefined limits and receive alerts when you approach or exceed
your budget.
● Recommendations: Get personalized recommendations for optimizing your costs, such as identifying underutilized
resources, reserving resources for predictable workloads, and exploring alternative pricing options.
● Cost allocation: Allocate costs to different departments, projects, or teams for better cost tracking and chargeback.
● Exports and reports: Download cost data and generate reports for further analysis and reporting.
● Integrations: Integrate with other Azure services and third-party tools to automate cost management tasks.

Fundamentals of Microsoft Azure: AZ-900

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