Benefits of Manageability in the Cloud
Slide deck explaining manageability in the cloud, automation, monitoring and alerting, Infrastructure as Code (IaC), Azure Resource Manager (ARM), and best practices for managing cloud resources at scale.
Benefits of Manageability in the Cloud
Introduction to the benefits of manageability in cloud computing, covering consistent and repeatable control of resources at scale.
Benefits of Manageability in the Cloud
Introduction to the benefits of manageability in cloud computing, covering consistent and repeatable control of resources at scale.
Manageability in the cloud
Manageability is consistent, repeatable control of resources at scale. Manage many resources without chaos. Consistent deployments and updates. Less manual work, fewer inconsistencies. Two areas: 'of the cloud' vs 'in the cloud'.
Two types of manageability
'Of' is what you do; 'in' is how you do it. Management of the cloud equals manage resources (automation, monitoring, recovery). Management in the cloud equals manage via tools (portal, CLI, PowerShell, APIs). Same goal: consistency at scale.
Management of the cloud: automation
Automation helps you operate reliably when demand changes. Scale resources based on need. Reduce manual effort during spikes. You configure the rules and thresholds. Goal: stability and consistency.
Monitoring and alerting
You detect issues earlier and respond faster with monitoring and alerts. Monitor health and key metrics. Alerts notify you before users do. Some designs replace failing instances. Better uptime through prepared recovery.
Azure portal: great for interactive work
Use the portal to explore and investigate, not to repeat 200 manual changes. Best for learning and quick checks. Great for interactive troubleshooting. Manual repetition creates inconsistencies. Switch to automation for scale.
Repeatable tools: CLI, PowerShell, APIs
For scale, prefer scripts and APIs over manual clicks. CLI (Command-Line Interface): repeatable commands and scripts. PowerShell: scripting and automation. API (Application Programming Interface): integrate into tools and pipelines. Faster and more consistent changes.
Infrastructure as Code (IaC)
IaC deploys the same desired state repeatedly, reducing drift and mistakes. IaC (Infrastructure as Code) equals describe desired resources and config. Repeatable deployments from a definition. Less manual error, more consistency. Changes are visible and reviewable.
Azure Resource Manager (ARM)
ARM (Azure Resource Manager) supports consistent deployment and management in Azure. ARM equals deployment and management layer in Azure. Supports consistent resource deployment. ARM templates define resources for repeatability. Goal: predictable, standard deployments.
Reducing drift with IaC
Templates plus IaC keep environments consistent over time. Manual setup leads to environment drift. Drift makes deployments unpredictable. Define once, deploy repeatedly. Reviews improve because changes are visible.
Detecting issues early
Monitoring and alerts help you act before users notice. VM (Virtual Machine) or service instance can fail. Monitoring tracks health and metrics. Alerts notify you quickly. Recovery improves when designed and configured.
Hybrid manageability with Azure Arc
Azure Arc helps extend certain management capabilities beyond Azure. Many teams manage cloud plus on-prem resources. Consistency reduces tool sprawl. Azure Arc extends some management capabilities outside Azure. Goal: unified operations across environments.
Pitfalls
Use the right tool and design for consistency—especially at scale. Pitfall: 'Manageability equals portal only'. Pitfall: mixing 'of' vs 'in'. Pitfall: assuming the provider manages your configuration.