Azure is versatile. Microsoft Azure cloud service has reached the age of 17. However, this is not about any difficult teenage crisis. Azure’s development has been quite rapid, and Microsoft has continuously introduced new features to meet various organizational needs. My intention in this blog post is to shed some light on its usage possibilities from a basic IT infrastructure perspective. It’s impossible to compress all the possibilities Azure offers into one blog post, but I’ve tried to summarize the most common features that organizations have utilized through our services.
Centralized management and visibility
Many organizations have started their Azure journey by implementing the Azure Arc service, which allows centralized management of server infrastructure from the Azure cloud. Azure Arc can encompass server infrastructure located both in the cloud and in on-premises data centers. The benefits come from gaining unified visibility and manageability across the entire infrastructure. There’s no need to manage the infrastructure through multiple different management interfaces. With Azure Arc, you can implement services like Azure Update Manager, which allows centralized and scheduled security updates for servers. My colleague Lauri Haveri has made two vlogs on the topic, which can be viewed at the following links: Azure tutorial videos – part 1. – Azure Update Manager – Above IT Oy | Azure tutorial videos – part 2. – Azure Arc – Above IT Oy
File usage from Azure cloud
In long-established organizations, file usage from shared drives with directory structures, backed by file servers or NAS network devices, has become standard over the years. File migration to Microsoft 365 service Teams/SharePoint workloads may have been perceived as too big a change in some organizations, but the idea of getting rid of current on-premises hardware has been considered. With Azure Files, the same shared drives and directory structures can be offered to end-users as cloud-based from Azure. The view for the user is exactly the same as if it were provided from local storage systems. It’s worth noting, however, that it’s not the best solution for all file usage. If the organization needs to handle large files, such as CAD files, Azure Files may not be the most suitable option, if only because of latency issues.
Continuity management
Azure offers comprehensive options when considering continuity management for your on-premises infrastructure or multi-cloud environments. Azure’s Backup and Recovery service can secure both physical and virtual servers, as well as files or directories located on servers. Azure’s backup solutions eliminate the need for local physical backup solutions. Additionally, its Site Recovery features allow replication of physical and virtual workloads from other cloud services or on-premises data centers. In case of source service failure, workloads can be run from Azure if necessary and recovered back when the source service is restored to operation.
Security
Microsoft Defender for Cloud is a comprehensive security solution that centrally protects multi-cloud and hybrid environments. The service provides the necessary visibility, monitoring, and threat management for required cloud services and on-premises resources, helping organizations ensure the required level of security and comply with compliance standards.
Remote access solutions
Azure offers different options for remote access solutions. Perhaps the most interesting service is Azure Virtual Desktop. Azure Virtual Desktop is a desktop virtualization service that enables the use of applications and desktops anywhere and on almost any device. For example, it’s an excellent way to provide secure working opportunities for partner application developers who need secure access to do application development work. Microsoft has introduced a separate pre-packaged AVD virtual environment called Azure Devbox for this use case. Azure Virtual Desktop is also a great choice when considering alternatives to traditional Citrix/Remote App remote access environments. Azure Virtual Desktop enables quick and easy scalability, allowing organizations to rapidly adapt their virtual desktop environment to changing needs.
Azure services offered locally
Azure Local is a solution developed by Microsoft that allows companies to utilize Azure cloud services locally in their own data center. The service is based on Microsoft’s Hyper-V virtualization solution. The service enables the implementation of hybrid IT solutions, where both local resources and cloud services are used seamlessly together when needed. Azure Local is an excellent alternative when minimal latencies are required or when workloads need to be run from your own data center. As a usage example, you can run Azure Virtual Desktop environment locally using Azure Local service if needed. We recently held a webinar about Azure Local. The recording is available at the following link: Recording: Azure Local webinar – Above IT Oy
Help with getting started and planning
The foundation for a successful cloud migration or deployment is careful planning and preparation.
Microsoft offers the Azure Migrate tool for planning Azure cloud migration, which helps avoid pitfalls associated with cloud migration. It allows organizations to assess and plan the migration of their applications and workloads to the Azure cloud service. The tool provides a thorough analysis of the current IT infrastructure and gives recommendations for suitable cloud solutions.
It’s advisable to plan the Azure management model well in advance of the first deployments. We held a webinar on Azure management model last year. The recording is available at the following link: Recording: Azure management model webinar – Above IT Oy
Summary
There is no single way of IT infrastructure architecture that would suit all organizations. There are different needs; for some organizations, a native cloud environment works best, while for others, running applications and workloads locally from their own data center is the only option. Today, Azure is designed to offer scalable and flexible solutions for organizations’ various needs, whether it’s a cloud-native, on-premises infrastructure environment, or something in between.
At Above IT, we help organizations identify their usage needs and get the best benefits from Azure. Feel free to contact us below and let’s talk more.