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5 tips that can lead to Azure cloud management success
Many factors go into managing Azure resources, and they vary based on a company's needs. Explore five pieces to the larger cloud management puzzle to optimize your environment.
The complexities of the public cloud can intimidate IT teams as they try to figure out exactly which tools and strategies will benefit their company.
Microsoft, like the other major cloud providers, has a wide range of tools and services organizations can use to gain insights into their environments. But with so many options to choose from, successful Azure cloud management doesn't always seem feasible.
Review these five Azure cloud management tips to get more out of this Microsoft platform.
How to deploy Azure low-priority VMs
To cut costs, organizations can turn to Azure low-priority VMs, which make underutilized capacity available at a cheaper price than on-demand instances, though not without limitations. Azure's discounted VMs are designed for workloads that can handle disruptions, due to the fact they might not always be available. While low-priority VMs do offer considerable savings, IT teams should use them judiciously.
Explore the Azure low-priority VMs use cases to see how they can fit within your cloud strategy, and learn how this discount program compares to competitive offerings from AWS and Google.
Decipher how and when to utilize the Azure logging services
Logs are a major factor when it comes to successful cloud management. Azure users can access a variety of native logging services to maintain reliable and secure operations. These logging options can be broken down into three overarching types, as well as eight log categories. The granular data collected by Azure logs enables enterprises to monitor resources and helps identify potential system breaches.
Familiarize yourself with the available Azure options and get a better handle on the right logging strategy for your workloads.
Evaluate updates to Azure Cost Management post-Cloudyn acquisition
Microsoft has made major improvements to Azure Cost Management since it acquired Cloudyn and integrated it into its cloud platform. However, there are still some notable kinks relating to the acquisition that Microsoft is working to address -- especially when it comes to the Cloudyn portal and access to multiple clouds. For example, it remains to be seen if this service will continue to be cloud agnostic or if Azure will have a preferred status when it comes to features and integration.
Review the questions that still need to be answered, as well as the notable upgrades to this cost management service, so you can implement a successful Azure cloud management strategy.
Explore Azure interface options for cloud developers
With so many cloud interface options to choose from, it can be difficult to pick the best ones to fit your enterprise's specific needs. Azure provides multiple interface options -- such as Azure Cloud Shell and the Azure portal -- to aid development, deployment and management. On top of the different interface options, users also have to decide the best way to interact with Azure, whether that's PowerShell or its platform-agnostic command-line interface tools.
Evaluate your interface options and determine which one best fits your company's workloads.
Microsoft Azure AD complements Active Directory
Azure Active Directory (Azure AD), Azure's identity and access management service, offers sign-in capabilities and access to a variety of resources. While most IT shops are familiar with the company's on-premises model, Active Directory, Azure AD is not a carbon copy nor is it a competitor. Instead, these two services should be used together, extending Active Directory's capabilities to the cloud.
Get to know the differences between the two services and learn how to utilize both to get the most out of Azure.
