How to get started with Azure, Microsoft’s Could Computing:
Like any other tech giant, Microsoft also offers you the possibility of Cloud Computing.
Cloud computing is, in simple terms, using someone’s most powerful computer and infrastructure to build and deploy your projects.
If your computer is not powerful enough or you don’t feel like stuffing your home or office with expensive and noisy servers, Microsoft Azure could be the enterprise option you are looking for.
The benefits of cloud computing are many, for most people managing local servers and deploying cloud systems locally could be more a problem than a solution. Leaving this to the experts like Microsoft, AWS, or even Linode could be the simplest and fastest solution for most companies.
Microsoft Azure is a cloud computing platform that provides a wide range of services for building, deploying, and managing applications in the cloud. Here are the basics to help you get started with Azure:
1. Azure Account: To use Azure, you need to create an Azure account. Just open google and search for Azure. You can sign up for a free Azure account, benefits of a free account can vary depending on Microsoft promos, but basically, you get the first 12 months of basics services for free, which is pretty neat, and enough for us to start testing things out.
Once you have created your account an verified it, you can now access the Azure Portal.
2. Azure Portal: The Azure Portal is a web-based interface that allows you to manage your Azure resources. You can access the portal at https://portal.azure.com. From the portal, you can create and manage resources, monitor performance, and configure settings. Also, you can personalize your experience using the on-boarding assistant.
3. Azure Services: Azure offers a wide range of services, including:
- Compute Services: Azure provides virtual machines (VMs), which allow you to create and manage virtualized servers. You can choose from a variety of operating systems and VM sizes. Azure also offers serverless computing options, such as Azure Functions, which let you run code without managing servers.
- Storage Services: Azure provides several storage options, including blob storage for unstructured data, file storage for file shares, and queue storage for message queuing.
- Database Services: Azure offers various database services, including Azure SQL Database, Cosmos DB (a globally distributed, multi-model database), and Azure Database for MySQL and PostgreSQL.
- Networking Services: Azure provides virtual networks, load balancers, and other networking services to connect and secure your resources.
- Analytics Services: Azure offers services for big data analytics, such as Azure Synapse Analytics and HDInsight for Apache Spark and Hadoop.
- AI and Machine Learning: Azure provides services like Azure Machine Learning and Cognitive Services for building and deploying AI models.
- Co-pilot: One of Azure’s best features is providing us with Co-Pilot, Microsoft’s tailored AI agent to help us along the way, this resource add a great value if it’s used correctly.
4. Azure Resource Groups: Azure resources, such as VMs, storage accounts, and databases, are organized into resource groups. A resource group is a logical container that makes it easier to manage and monitor related resources.
5. Azure CLI and PowerShell: Azure provides command-line interfaces (CLI) and PowerShell modules that allow you to manage Azure resources from the command line or through scripts.
6. Azure Pricing and Support: Azure offers various pricing options, including pay-as-you-go, reserved instances, and subscription plans. Microsoft provides different levels of support for Azure, including documentation, community forums, and paid support plans.
7. Azure Security: Azure provides a range of security features and services to protect your data and resources, including identity and access management, encryption, and network security.
It’s also important to mention that Microsoft has free courses for every service that Azure offers, and there’s no need for a paid account to access them, anyone can learn and practice right there in the same portal.
These are some of the basics to get you started with Microsoft Azure. It’s a vast platform with numerous services, so you can explore the Azure documentation and tutorials to dive deeper into specific areas of interest.
