Table of contents
What is Azure?
Azure is Microsoft's cloud platform, similar to Google Cloud and Amazon Web Services (AWS). It lets us use Microsoft's resources without needing to invest in and manage physical servers. For instance, setting up a large server requires significant money, effort, and space. Instead, Azure provides virtual machines, fast data processing, and various analytical and monitoring tools to simplify our tasks. Azure's pricing is straightforward and cost-effective, following a "Pay As You Go" model, meaning you only pay for what you use.
How Does Microsoft Azure Work?
It is a private and public cloud platform that helps developers and IT professionals build, deploy, and manage applications. It uses a technology called virtualization, which separates the hardware from the operating system with a layer called a hypervisor. The hypervisor allows multiple virtual machines to run on one computer, and each virtual machine can run any operating system, like Windows or Linux.
Azure uses this virtualization technique on a large scale in Microsoft's data centers. Each data center has many racks of servers, and each server has a hypervisor to run multiple virtual machines. A network switch connects all these servers.
Types of Azure Services
Microsoft Azure is a cloud computing platform which offers the following types of services:
Infrastructure as a service ( IaaS )
Platform as a service (PaaS)
Software as a service (SaaS)
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
Virtual machines, storage, and networking fall under Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS). Users need to manually build and deploy applications on these resources. Azure supports a wide range of operating systems because of its powerful hypervisor.
Platform as a Service (PaaS)
Azure App Service, Azure Functions, and Logic Apps are examples of Platform as a Service (PaaS) offered by Azure. This service provides features like autoscaling, load balancing, and a pre-configured environment for applications.
Software as a Service (SaaS)
Office 365, Dynamics 365, and Azure Active Directory are examples of Software as a Service (SaaS) provided by Microsoft Azure. In this model, Azure manages the entire application, including deployment, scaling, and load balancing.
Various Azure Services and How Does Azure Work?
Microsoft Azure offers a wide range of services. Here are some of them:
Compute
Virtual Machines: Create and manage virtual servers.
Virtual Machine Scale Sets: Automatically manage multiple VMs.
Functions: Serverless computing to run code on-demand.
Batch: Run containerized batch workloads.
Service Fabric: Orchestrate microservices and containers.
Cloud Services: Build cloud-based apps and APIs.
Networking
Virtual Network: Connect to on-premises data centers.
Load Balancer: Distribute network traffic.
Application Gateway: Manage application traffic.
VPN Gateway: Secure connections to Azure.
Azure DNS: Domain hosting services.
Content Delivery Network: Distribute content globally.
Traffic Manager: Distribute traffic across multiple regions.
ExpressRoute: Private network connections to Azure.
Network Watcher: Monitor and diagnose networking issues.
Storage
Blob Storage: Store large amounts of unstructured data.
Queue Storage: Manage message queues.
File Storage: File shares in the cloud.
Disk Storage: Persistent disk storage.
Data Lake Store: Store and analyze large data sets.
Backup and Site Recovery: Backup data and ensure disaster recovery.
Web + Mobile
- Services to build and deploy web and mobile applications easily.
Containers
Container Service: Supports Kubernetes, DC/OS, and Docker Swarm.
Container Registry: Manage container images.
Tools for developing microservices.
Databases
- Various SQL-based databases and related tools.
Data + Analytics
- HDInsight: Big data tools for Hadoop, Spark, R Server, HBase, and Storm clusters.
AI + Cognitive Services
- Tools for building AI applications, like Computer Vision API, Face API, Bing Web Search, Video Indexer, and Language Understanding Intelligent Service.
Internet of Things (IoT)
IoT Hub: Connect, monitor, and manage IoT assets.
IoT Edge: Extend cloud intelligence to edge devices.
Integrate with machine learning, analytics, and communication services.
Security + Identity
Security Center: Centralized security management.
Azure Active Directory: Identity and access management.
Key Vault: Manage cryptographic keys and secrets.
Multi-Factor Authentication: Enhance security with multiple verification methods.
Developer Tools
Visual Studio Team Services: Development collaboration tools.
Azure DevTest Labs: Develop and test in the cloud.
HockeyApp: Mobile app deployment and monitoring.
Xamarin: Cross-platform mobile development tools.
Azure works by providing these services through its vast network of data centers. Users can access and manage these resources through the Azure portal, APIs, and command-line tools, allowing for flexible and scalable cloud solutions.