Azure Documentation

Introduction to Azure

Welcome to the Azure Fundamentals learning path! This path is designed to provide a strong foundation in Microsoft Azure, covering essential concepts, core services, and fundamental principles for cloud computing.

What is Cloud Computing?

Cloud computing is the delivery of computing services—including servers, storage, databases, networking, software, analytics, and intelligence—over the Internet (“the cloud”) to offer faster innovation, flexible resources, and economies of scale.

Why Azure?

Microsoft Azure is a comprehensive suite of cloud services that enables you to build, deploy, and manage applications and services through Microsoft-managed data centers. It offers a vast array of services, robust security, and global reach.

Core Azure Services

Azure offers a wide range of services. Understanding the core ones is crucial for building any solution.

Compute Options

Azure provides various compute services to run your applications:

• Virtual Machines (VMs): On-demand, scalable computing resources.
• Azure App Service: A fully managed platform for building, deploying, and scaling web apps and APIs.
• Azure Functions: Event-driven, serverless compute services.
• Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS): Managed Kubernetes for container orchestration.

Azure Storage

Reliable and scalable storage solutions for various data needs:

• Blob Storage: For unstructured data like text or binary data.
• File Storage: Managed file shares in the cloud.
• Queue Storage: For reliable messaging between application components.
• Table Storage: NoSQL key-attribute store for structured non-relational data.

Networking in Azure

Connect and manage your Azure resources securely:

• Virtual Network (VNet): Provides a private network in Azure.
• Load Balancer: Distributes network traffic.
• VPN Gateway: Securely connects on-premises networks to Azure.
• Azure Firewall: A managed, cloud-based network security service.

Databases in Azure

A variety of managed database services:

• Azure SQL Database: Fully managed relational database service.
• Azure Cosmos DB: Globally distributed, multi-model NoSQL database service.
• Azure Database for MySQL/PostgreSQL/MariaDB: Managed open-source relational databases.

Security and Identity

Protecting your cloud resources and managing access.

• Azure Active Directory (Azure AD): Identity and access management service.
• Role-Based Access Control (RBAC): Granular access management to Azure resources.
• Azure Security Center: Unified security management and advanced threat protection.
• Key Vault: Securely manage secrets, keys, and certificates.

Monitoring and Management

Keeping your Azure environment healthy and optimized.

• Azure Monitor: Collects, analyzes, and acts on telemetry from your Azure and on-premises environments.
• Azure Advisor: Provides personalized recommendations to improve Azure resource performance, security, reliability, and cost.
• Azure Resource Manager (ARM): Deployment and management service for Azure.

Azure Governance

Ensuring compliance, cost management, and resource consistency.

• Azure Policy: Enforces organizational standards and assesses compliance at scale.
• Azure Blueprints: Defines a repeatable set of Azure resources that adhere to an organization's standards.
• Cost Management + Billing: Understand, manage, and optimize your Azure costs.

Next Steps

Congratulations on completing the overview of Azure Fundamentals! To deepen your understanding and prepare for certifications like the AZ-900 Azure Fundamentals exam, explore the following: