What is Microsoft Azure? Everything you need to know

Cloud computing has become integral to modern digital infrastructure, revolutionizing how organizations design, deploy and deliver services. One platform at the forefront of this migration to the cloud is Microsoft Azure, a leading provider that offers an extensive suite of cloud-based solutions. 

In this article, we'll explore the world of Microsoft Azure and provide you with the knowledge to navigate its capabilities. We'll also look at Azure certifications, which could be your ticket to a rewarding cloud computing and cybersecurity career. 

Understanding Microsoft Azure

Microsoft Azure is a cloud computing platform, which you can think of as a giant digital toolbox with a seemingly endless supply of resources. You can access these resources, from storage space to processing power, over the internet, eliminating the need for your own corporate data center and the bulky physical servers it would hold. 

Azure started in 2008 as an internal project called "Project Red Dog." It was Microsoft's answer to Amazon EC2 and Google App Engine and its initial goal was to make it easier for developers to build and deploy web applications. 

Over the years, Azure has expanded its offerings to cater to a wider range of needs, which can be broken down into four fundamental components: 

• Compute: This is the processing power of Azure. It includes services like virtual machines, Azure Kubernetes Service and Azure Functions, which provide scalable compute resources on-demand. 

• Storage: From blob storage for unstructured data to Azure SQL Database for relational databases, there's a storage option for every type of information. 

• Networking: Azure's networking capabilities enable secure and reliable connectivity with features like virtual networks, load balancers, VPN gateways and Azure Content Delivery Network (CDN). 

• Security: Azure boasts a robust security layer with features like firewalls, encryption and identity management. 

Azure's global infrastructure is vast and distributed, comprising over 60 regions worldwide. Within these regions are availability zones: physically separate locations within an Azure region comprised of one or more data centers with independent power, cooling and networking to ensure resiliency. 

Key Azure features and services 

Microsoft Azure offers an extensive suite of features and services, over 600 total, designed for a wide range of business needs, enabling individuals and organizations to build, deploy and manage applications and workloads in the cloud. These include: 

• Virtual Machines (VMs): Virtual machines allow Azure users to spin up virtual "computers" that run as software, with many Windows and Linux versions to choose from. 

• Azure Active Directory (AAD): Azure AD gives Azure users identity and access management that they can use to secure access to applications and resources. 

• Azure SQL Database: This fully managed relational database service provides high performance, scalability and robust data security features. 

• Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS): AKS is a fully managed Kubernetes service that simplifies the deployment, management and scaling of containerized applications. 

• Azure App Service: This is a fully managed platform for building and hosting web applications, mobile backends and RESTful APIs. 

• Azure Functions: Azure Functions is a serverless compute service that allows you to run code on demand without provisioning or managing infrastructure. 

Azure also offers a range of specialized surfaces for unique scenarios: 

• Azure Machine Learning: This cloud-based service enables data scientists and developers to build, train and deploy machine learning models. 

• Azure Cognitive Services: This service provides pre-built AI models and APIs for vision, speech, language and decision-making tasks. 

• Azure IoT Hub: This fully managed service enables secure and reliable bi-directional communication between IoT devices and cloud applications. 

• Azure IoT Edge: IoT Edge allows users to run cloud workloads on edge devices, enabling low latency processing and offline capabilities for IoT. 

For industries with unique needs, Azure also offers industry-specific solutions and services: 

• Healthcare: Azure provides HIPAA compliance services and solutions for healthcare organizations. 

• Finance: Azure has solutions for financial services, including risk management, fraud detection, trading analytics and regulatory compliance tools. 

• Government: Azure Government Cloud meets the stringent security and compliance requirements of government agencies and organizations. 

• Retail: For retailers, Azure offers omnichannel experiences, supply chain optimization and customer analytics. 

• Manufacturing: Azure has IoT connectivity, predictive maintenance and supply chain optimization for manufacturing companies. 

Microsoft Azure for beginners 

If you're overwhelmed by all the possibilities that Azure offers, don't worry. Getting started with Azure is surprisingly easy. To get started, go here and click the "Start free" button. You'll need a Microsoft account, or you can create one during the process. Once you log in with your Microsoft account and agree to the subscription agreement, you will be asked to verify your identity with either your phone number or a credit card. 

Once you complete these steps, you can access the Azure Portal and explore the wide range of services available to you. Many of the services will always be free up to a certain usage level. Some will be free to a certain level for your first 12 months. 

As you navigate the Azure portal, you'll encounter some new terms besides those we've already covered. Here's a quick breakdown of a few essentials: 

• Azure Portal: This is the name of the web-based management console that allows you to create, manage and monitor Azure resources. 

• Subscription: This is your Azure account, where you organize and manage all your resources. 

• Resource: Anything you deploy or create in Azure, such as virtual machines, databases and storage accounts, is considered a resource. 

• Resource Group: You can think of a resource group as a folder in your cloud storage. It helps you organize all the related Azure services you're using for a specific project. 

• Management Group: This is a container for managing one or more subscriptions. 

The best way to learn is by getting your hands dirty. Here are a few beginner-friendly projects to get you comfortable with Azure: 

• Deploy a web app: Use Azure App Service to deploy a simple web application. 

• Create a virtual machine: Provision a virtual machine in Azure and explore its features. 

• Build a serverless function: Create a serverless function using Azure Functions, which can be triggered by various events, such as Azure storage events. 

• Store and retrieve data: Experiment with Azure storage services by managing files and data. You might combine it with your serverless function to trigger an action when files are uploaded. 

Microsoft Azure vs. Microsoft Cloud: Understanding the difference 

While you might hear the terms "Microsoft Azure" and "Microsoft Cloud" thrown around interchangeably, there's a difference between the two. Microsoft Cloud is the umbrella term that encompasses a suite of cloud-based services offered by Microsoft. Azure is a prominent part of the Microsoft Cloud, but it's not the only one. 

Microsoft Cloud also contains these other services: 

• Microsoft 365: Once known as Office 365, this suite provides familiar productivity tools like Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint in a cloud-based subscription model. 

• Dynamics 365: This cloud-based platform empowers businesses to manage customer relationships, operations and finances. 

• Power Platform: This suite of tools allows users with little coding experience to build applications, automate workflows, analyze data and create websites. 

While Azure provides the foundational cloud infrastructure, services and the ability to build and deploy your own custom applications, platforms like Microsoft 365 and Dynamics 365 are application suites that offer pre-built functionality for tasks like productivity, customer relationship management and business operations. 

Azure and cloud security 

As businesses embrace digital transformation and migrate to the cloud, Azure is helping lead this revolution. Businesses increasingly recognize the benefits of cloud computing, from scalability and cost efficiency to enhanced collaboration and innovation. Azure provides the secure foundation businesses need to constantly migrate their operations and data to the cloud. 

Unlike physical servers, Azure offers a multi-layered security framework from the ground up. Here's how: 

• Network security: Azure utilizes firewalls and other controls to safeguard your resources from unauthorized access and malicious traffic. 

• Identity management: Azure Active Directory acts as your digital gatekeeper, ensuring only authorized users and applications can access your data and resources. 

• Threat intelligence: Azure security tools, such as Azure Security Center and Azure Sentinel, offer advanced threat detection and response capabilities. 

Azure also meets a broad set of international and industry-specific compliance standards, including ISO/IEC 27001, HIPAA, FedRAMP and SOC reports among others. Azure's compliance offerings are extensive, covering over 100 certifications. 

Azure careers and certifications 

The growth in cloud computing is driving a surge in demand for skilled Azure professionals. From IT specialists to cybersecurity experts, possessing Azure certifications can significantly boost your resume and open doors to more career opportunities. 

Microsoft offers a comprehensive certification pathway that is structured to guide IT professionals from the basics to advanced levels of expertise. The following Microsoft Azure certifications are valuable for organizations and professionals seeking to enhance their cloud computing skills: 

• AZ-900 Microsoft Azure Fundamentals: This entry-level certification is ideal for those new to Azure or cloud computing and provides a foundational understanding of Azure services. 

• AZ-104 Microsoft Azure Administrator: This certification is for Azure administrators who manage cloud services that span storage, security, networking and compute Cloud capabilities. Many IT professionals with existing cloud experience begin with AZ-104 certification. 

• AZ-500 Microsoft Azure Security Technologies: This certification focuses on the security, identity and compliance features of Azure. 

• AZ-800 Windows Server Hybrid Administrator Associate: This certification is designed for hybrid cloud IT professionals who work with both cloud and traditional hardware-based technologies. 

• AZ-801 Windows Server Hybrid Administrator Expert: This certification expands on AZ-800 and focuses on Advanced hybrid cloud scenarios. 

Cloud computing is the future of IT, and Azure is at the forefront. As more and more businesses migrate to or start in the cloud, the demand for skilled Azure security professionals will only grow and investing in Azure certifications is an investment in your future. 

Getting started with Azure certifications 

Preparing for Azure certification exams requires some strategy. Here are some tips to get you started: 

• Choose the right certification: If you don't know much about Azure or cloud platforms in general yet, you might start with AZ-900 to learn Microsoft Azure Fundamentals, but if you already have worked with Azure, you could start with AZ-104 to become a certified Azure administrator. 

• Understand the exam content: Microsoft offers study guides for each exam, like this one for AZ-104, to help you understand what to expect. 

• Learn the question types: Familiarize yourself with the format and types of questions you might encounter during the exam while reviewing the official study guide. 

• Practice your skills: Use the free tier in the Azure portal to experiment with various Azure services and put your knowledge to practice. 

While you can get far by practicing your skills, structured Microsoft Azure training courses, like those offered by Infosec, can help you make sure you're studying everything that will be on the exam. They will also provide practice exams that match the format of the actual exam, so you'll know what to expect. If you choose a boot camp, like the Microsoft Azure AZ-104: MS Azure Administrator Training Boot Camp, you could be ready to take the exam in four or five days.