Aidan Finn gave an overview of Microsoft Azure, including what it is, what capabilities it provides, and how it compares to competitors. Azure is a cloud computing platform that allows customers to run applications and store data across global data centers managed by Microsoft. It provides infrastructure as a service (IaaS), platform as a service (PaaS), and data services. Azure offers consistent hybrid capabilities with on-premises environments, a global footprint, and continuous innovation through new features and services.

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An Overview of Azure
Aidan Finn, MVP
Technical Sales Lead, MicroWarehouse

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About Aidan Finn
• MVP, Cloud & Datacenter
Management (Hyper-V)
• Azure, Hyper-V, Windows
Server/Desktop, System Center, and IT
infrastructure
• http://www.aidanfinn.com
• http://www.petri.com/author/aidan-finn
• @joe_elway
• aidanfinn.com
Technical Sales Lead, MicroWarehouse

3. www.mwh.ie Agenda

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Agenda
• What is Azure?
• What can Azure do?
• Azure VS the competition
• Buying Azure
• Benefits of Azure to the business
What we are covering today

5. www.mwh.ie Demo

6. www.mwh.ie What is Azure?

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Traditional Server Computing
Think about your experience as a customer or service provider
• Did you have to wait on someone else
to enable some requirement?
• How long does it take to order, install,
and provision a new server?
• How much connectivity is there to that
server?
• Are there constraints on growth?
• How do you pay for that machine? Are
you stuck with it?

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Azure
What the heck is it?
• Think of it as hosted/managed Windows
Server
• You don’t have to deploy the servers
• Or upgrade them
• You just use the bits
• Active Directory
• Hyper-V
• Storage
• Networking
• Web hosting
• Etc
• You manage the bits you deploy

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Where is Azure?
This slide is probably already out of date!
• 32 regions (currently)
• Multiple datacentres each
• Over 100 data centres total
• Millions of hosts
• Locally:
• Europe North (Dublin)
• Europe West (Amsterdam)
• UK South (London)
• UK West (Cardiff)
• Germany Central*
• Germany Northeast*
• Coming soon:
• France Central
• France South
• And more
* Operated by T-Systems, a Deutsche Telekom company

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Data Centres
Multiple data centres per region
• The size of an
American football field
• Thousands of servers
• Software defined:
• Storage
• Networking
• Incredible security &
innovation
• Heavy use of
renewable energy

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Azure Compliance in the EU
My barber’s bookie says that the NSA reads his brain waves
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/trustcenter/Compliance
• 47 different certifications
• Each applying to multiple Azure services
• Highlights include:
• EU Model clauses
• EU-US Privacy Chield
• UK G-Cloud
• PCI DSS
• ISO 27001
• FACT
• HIPAA/HITECH
• HITRUST
• ISO 22301
• ISO 27017
• ISO 27018 *MSFT was first to get this cloud certification

12. www.mwh.ie What can Azure do?

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Solutions
How I break down Azure
• PaaS
• Functions, Azure SQL, IoT
• IaaS
• VM-based solutions, e.g. online application
• Hybrid solutions, e.g. online backup or DR site
• Data
• Hadoop, Data Lakes

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PaaS
Developer focused, scale, economy

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IaaS - Cloud
Familiar VM deployments, networks, security, storage, machines
Internet
Subnet: sn-webfarm-02, 10.0.1.0/24
Subnet: sn-webfarm-01, 10.0.0.0/24
VirtualNetwork:vnet-webfarm,10.0.0.0/16
web-webfarm-01
10.0.0.4
web-webfarm-02
10.0.0.5
db-webfarm-01
10.0.1.4
db-webfarm-01
10.0.1.5
NetworkSecurityGroup
nsg-webfarm-sn02
NetworkSecurityGroup
nsg-webfarm-sn01
Azure Load Balancer
lb-webfarm
Static Public IP Address
pip-webfarm-lb
Availability Set
as-webfarm-web
Availability Set
as-webfarm-db
Probe
NAT/Load Balancing

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Data
Business insights, timely information, opportunity identification

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Built Today For Tomorrow
Continuous innovation
• Machine Learning
• Containers
• Cognitive services
• Azure Bot
• Internet of Things (IoT)

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More Than Microsoft
Third party & Open Source
• Azure Marketplace
• MS partners sell their wares
• ISVs and known vendors
• Examples: business solutions and network
virtualization appliances
• Open Source
• Linux VMs are equal citizens (and supported)
• 30% of current VMs are Linux
• More than 40% of new deployments are Linux
• Components deeply integrated into Azure
• Examples: Docker Swarm, Hadoop

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Constant Evolution
You always have the latest version & newest features
• Concepts of the past:
• Release every 3 years
• Feature requests take 2-3 versions
• Typical Azure release cycle:
1. Private preview
2. Public preview
3. GA – typically just core features
4. Frequent improvement
• Feedback shapes Azure
• I have participated and shaped it
• So have customers
• https://feedback.azure.com

20. www.mwh.ie Why is Azure Unique?

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Azure-Consistent Cloud
Hybrid is more than a network connection

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Stacking Up The Competition
Microsoft is the only company in IaaS, PaaS, & storage Gartner magic quadrants

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Consistent Identity
Finally achieving the big dream
• On-premises: Active Directory
• In Azure: Azure Active Directory
• Connected, shared identity
• Single sign-on:
• Thousands of third-party cloud services
• Custom developed applications
• Trusted identity systems
• Microsoft enterprise cloud services

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Consistent Deployment
Infrastructure-as-code
• Describe your desired deployment
• Deploy the “cookie cutter”
• Rapid
• Easy
• Repeatable
• Consistent
• Example:
• Development
• QA
• Production
• Troubleshooting
• Upgrade testing

25. www.mwh.ie Demo

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What was deployed?
A highly available web application with secure DMZ – in 10 minutes!
Internet
Subnet: sn-webfarm-02, 10.0.1.0/24
Subnet: sn-webfarm-01, 10.0.0.0/24
VirtualNetwork:vnet-webfarm,10.0.0.0/16
web-webfarm-01
10.0.0.4
web-webfarm-02
10.0.0.5
db-webfarm-01
10.0.1.4
db-webfarm-01
10.0.1.5
NetworkSecurityGroup
nsg-webfarm-sn02
NetworkSecurityGroup
nsg-webfarm-sn01
Azure Load Balancer
lb-webfarm
Static Public IP Address
pip-webfarm-lb
Availability Set
as-webfarm-web
Availability Set
as-webfarm-db
Probe
NAT/Load Balancing

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Thank You!
Aidan Finn
aidanfinn@mwh.ie
@joe_elway
aidanfinn.com
http://learn.mwh.ie
@MWHDistribution
Happy to answer questions afterwards