Microsoft Azure Tutorial for Beginners

Introduction

Microsoft Azure is a cloud computing platform that provides a variety of services, including virtual machines, databases, and AI capabilities. It utilizes a global network of data centers to deliver scalable and reliable solutions. Azure supports multiple programming languages, frameworks, and operating systems, making it versatile for diverse technical requirements. Its robust infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) and platform-as-a-service (PaaS) offerings enable developers to build, deploy, and manage applications with high flexibility and efficiency. Let’s figure it out in this Azure tutorial! 

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What is Microsoft Azure?

Azure is a cloud platform by Microsoft that offers various cloud services and resources for managing and storing data. Users can access these services through the Azure portal with an active internet connection. You do not need to store your data on Azure to use its services, but you can if you choose to.

Today, Microsoft Azure is the fastest-growing cloud computing service in the market. Let us compare Azure with the market leader, AWS, in Cloud Computing, on the basis of different factors:

Why is Microsoft Azure so widely used?

Azure is growing at a very fast rate and is trying to close the gap between itself and the market leader AWS in the cloud domain. There are some distinct features of Azure that are making it grow so fast in the cloud domain. In this Azure tutorial, we have listed some of the top reasons why Azure is being so widely used even though it is such a late entrant in the cloud domain:

• Azure offers a very good Platform as a Service (PaaS) with excellent tools and building blocks.
• It offers compatibility with .NET programming languages which is a great advantage.
• The security and data protection feature of Azure is second to none in the cloud domain.
• Azure offers excellent hybrid cloud features and easy migration from on-premise to cloud.
• It gives an integrated environment for app development, testing, and deployment in the cloud.
• You can learn Azure without any hassles and successfully set up an Azure cloud infrastructure.
• Azure has enterprise agreements with Windows users making it easy for them to migrate to Azure.

Features of Microsoft Azure

Here, we list some of the top features of Azure that are forcing enterprises of all sizes to move to the Azure cloud infrastructure:

• Azure Virtual Machines come in new sizes and series, like the H100 and Hb v4 series, specifically designed for heavy-duty tasks such as machine learning and high-performance computing. 
• Azure Container Instances support Windows containers, enabling developers to operate both Windows and Linux containers simultaneously.
• Azure Kubernetes Service supports Kubernetes 1.25 and has features like CSI drivers and RuntimeClass.
• Azure Blob Storage offers pricing choices, featuring a Hot tier tailored for frequently accessed data.
• Azure Files supports SMB over TCP, enabling users to access Azure Files shares from any location globally.
• Azure Machine Learning includes features promoting responsible AI, such as explainability and fairness.
• Azure Search can be used to embed search functionality into any custom application.
• Azure ExpressRoute offers a direct connection between Azure data center and your on-premise environment.
• Secure, dedicated access to Redis cache is possible with Azure Redis Cache.
• Azure Batch lets you effortlessly run and execute your applications like an assembly line.
• Azure Data Factory lets you seamlessly work on the on-premise or cloud infrastructure.
• Azure Load Balancer is a cloud-based system that accepts client requests, determines which machines in the set can handle them, and then forwards those requests to the appropriate machines.

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Top Azure Services

Here, we will list some of the top Azure services available:

• Computing: The computing services offered by Azure are for managing virtual machines and supporting remote applications, containerization, and batch processing.

• Web: The web services offered by Azure include those used for the development and deployment of web applications, along with the services for search, API management, and content delivery, among others.

• Storage: Azure offers a whole range of services for scalable cloud storage for both structured and unstructured data. This support is available for the persistent and archival storage of big data.

For instance, Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2. It is a dependable and protected service designed for storing and processing massive volumes of data. It supports multiple data formats, including JSON, CSV, and Parquet, making it versatile for various data analysis needs.

• Networking: Azure virtual network services are offered for establishing dedicated connections and gateways and also for load balancing, traffic management, DNS hosting, and network security.

• Analytics: The range of analytical services offered by Azure includes Big Data Analytics, real-time analytics, Machine Learning, IoT, and data warehousing, among others.

• Content Delivery: Azure offers services for globally distributed networks for content caching, on-demand streaming services, media playback, encoding, and so on.

• Identity and Access Management (IAM): The Azure IAM services ensure authorized access to the Azure network, encryption, protection of sensitive information, Azure Active Directory, and so on. It is also referred to as Azure Entra ID.

• Hybrid Integration: Azure offers services in on-premise infrastructure in connection with Azure data centers, server backup, and recovery.

Applications of Azure

Since the move toward the cloud is unstoppable, in this section of the Azure tutorial, we will see the various applications of Azure.

• Development: Azure helps in successful software development by assisting with code sharing, testing applications, troubleshooting, software development kits, and so on.
• DevOps: Azure DevOps offers a complete set of tools and services for DevOps implementation that includes application diagnostics, test labs for build testing, experimentation, Visual Studio Team Services, and so on.
• Machine Learning: Machine Learning applications offered by Azure include those used for creating powerful AI and cognitive computing models, datasets for training the models, and so on.
• Containerization: Containerization services include the Azure platform for Docker and Kubernetes implementation for creating and orchestrating huge volumes of containers.
• Internet of Things: Azure offers multiple services for capturing, monitoring, and analyzing the IoT data that emanates from sensors and other devices, and then for analyzing and monitoring issue notifications and support for the successful IoT implementation.
• IT Security: This includes identifying and responding to IT security in the cloud and managing sensitive assets and encryption keys.

Why should you learn Azure?

Azure is growing rapidly and is the fastest-growing cloud platform in the world. Since it is a new offering from Microsoft, we can expect the company to grow at an accelerated pace well into the future. All this means, that there will be a huge number of job opportunities for professionals who are trained and certified in Microsoft Azure. This means, that if you go through this Azure tutorial and master it, then you will have a basic understanding of this powerful cloud platform which will naturally help you fast-track your career in the cloud domain.

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This Microsoft Azure tutorial further covers the introduction to Microsoft Azure, the definition of Cloud Computing, the advantages and disadvantages of Cloud Computing, constructing Azure Virtual Machines, hosting web applications on the Azure platform, storing SQL and tabular data in Azure, storage blobs, designing a communication strategy by using queues and the service bus, and Azure Resource Manager.

Recommended Audience

Anybody who wants to make a career in the cloud domain can go through this Azure tutorial and learn Azure in an easy yet effective manner. IT and Software Developers, System Administrators, Project Managers, and others can benefit from this Azure tutorial.

Prerequisites

There are no prerequisites for this Azure tutorial. If you want to learn Azure, then all you need to have is a basic understanding of the cloud concepts and you are good to go.