Microsoft Azure Tutorial for Beginners

Topics Covered

Here are the topics covered in the Azure tutorial:

• What is Azure?
• Azure Data Factory
• Azure Active Directory
• Azure Interview Questions

Why Learn Azure Tutorial?

Since its inception in 2010, Microsoft Azure has grown into world-leading cloud computing services. Here are the main benefits associated with this Azure tutorial:

• Comprehensive understanding of the Microsoft Azure cloud platform
• Learn the commercial services offered by Azure
• Familiarize with the workflow of Azure
• Have technical perspectives of cloud computing for interview preparation
• Scope and future perspective for a career in Azure

This Microsoft Azure tutorial covers all the fundamentals of this cloud computing platform and provides a systematic learning curve for a successful career ahead. 

Application of Azure

1. Computing Applications 

Microsoft Azure allows the use of Software as a Service (SaaS), Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), and Platform as a service (PaaS). Azure empowers developers to manage and publish websites using PHP, Node.Js, ASP.NET, and Python, through different protocols from Git, FTP, user portal, and Mercurial. 

2. Identity Management

Azure Active Directory offers identity management services to synchronize on-premises directories, sign-on, consumer identity, access management, and connect with virtual machines for specific domains.

3. Mobile Applications

Azure mobile services also collect and provide real-time analytics for monitoring user behavior. Users can also use services for building, distributing, and testing mobile apps.    

4. Storage Applications

Disk storage, blog storage, Queue storage, and File storage using different protocols using REST, SDK APIs on the cloud.  

5. Data Management Applications

Microsoft Azure offers data explorers for working with Big Data analytics and data exploration features. Azure Data Lake is a highly scalable data integration solution to manage significant data workload and empowers professionals to run a large number of parallel queries. Other essential concepts include Cosmo DB (NoSQL), Redis Cache, StorSimple, comprehensive search, SQL database, Synapse analytics, HDInsight, and serverless features through Azure Stream Analytics. 

6. Messaging Applications

Microsoft Azure Service Bus has a service-oriented architecture (SOA) that allows both on or off-premises devices to build more scalable and complex applications. It provides support with four different types of messaging mechanisms. 

• Event Hubs, for the events and telemetry ingress at low latency, higher reliability, and at an unprecedented level. 
• Queues for seamless communications.
• Topics provide communication for subscriber patterns with more specific filter attributes.
• Relays for bi-directional communication and passes thoroughly without saving. 

7. CDN

Microsoft Azure also offers CDN services for a global Content Delivery Network (CDN) for all static files, including images, applications, videos, audios, etc. 

8. Machine Learning Applications

Microsoft Azure Machine Learning (Azure ML) is offered under the Cortana Intelligence Suite. The main features are predictive analytics, natural language and speech processing, visual feature tagging, face recognition and verification, clipart recognition, etc.

9. Internet of Things (IoT) Applications

Microsoft Azure has three specific components for implementing IoT technology. 

Azure IoT Hub allows us to connect, manage, and monitor millions of assets within a network.

Azure IoT Edge offers fully managed services that provide cloud intelligence on top of IoT hubs for seamless deploying on nearby devices. Amazon IoT Central is scalable SaaS solutions to connect, manage, and monitor millions of IoT assets within a network. 

10. Azure Block Bench Workbench 

Azure Blockbench provides comprehensive support for specific blockchain solutions for Hyperledger Fabric, Ethereum, Corda, etc. 

Microsoft Azure also boasts of the highest number of data centers among the cloud platforms. There are currently around 42 data centers and expects to add 12 more to a truly global platform. This Azure tutorial offers real-time used cases and applications for candidates to learn and grasp cloud computing fundamentals. 

Qualifications You Need to Learn Azure

Candidates with no programming knowledge can also learn the use of Microsoft Azure. Though for deploying an application on the Azure platform, you must be able to write a specific script or configuration code. Graduates in Information Technology (IT) or computer science are preferred. Freshers or Web developers with 1+ experience can familiarize themselves with cloud computing concepts with this Azure tutorial. 

Professionals with more experience (4+ years) in IT companies can scale their careers with Microsoft Azure and enhance their job prospects in the future. 

Prerequisites of Azure Tutorial

Microsoft Azure is a comprehensive cloud computing platform. So, preferably, you should have an understanding of cloud computing and basic concepts around the Cloud. Microsoft Azure is quite easy to run and has become the first choice for deployment in the cloud. Though there are no complex coding procedures involved still, some experience is beneficial. 

Azure Tutorial: Table of contents

1. What is Azure and How Does it Work?

Azure is one of the top cloud computing platforms developed by Microsoft for managing applications and services through its global data centers. Popularly known as Microsoft Azure only, it has support for multiple frameworks, tools, and programming languages along with several third-party systems and software. Azure is free to start and uses a pay-per-use model offered as software as a service (SaaS), infrastructure as a service (IaaS), and platform as a service (PaaS). 

Compute Services

Develop Virtual Machines in any operating systems such as Windows, macOS, Linux, etc., within seconds. 

• Cloud Services to build scalable applications in the cloud with complete load balancing, monitoring, and provisioning done with Azure.
• Service Fabric offers the development of microservices for simplifying complex solutions. 
• Functions allow you to build applications using any programming language with no hardware requirements.

Networking

• Azure CDN offers a global content delivery system with high bandwidth and user accessibility.
• Express Route allows users to connect with Microsoft services or cloud systems using a private connection.
• Virtual Network empowers users to utilize Azure services in communicating securely and privately. 
• Azure DNS enables users to host DNS on the Microsoft Azure network.

Storage

• Disk Storage adds more storage options to your system along with virtual machines.
• Blob Storage services aids in storing a high amount of unstructured data, along with text and binary data. 
• File Storage gives users a managed service to access files with SMB protocols.
• Queue Storage is optimized to handle a significant large workload for stable message queuing.

2. Azure Data Factory

Azure data factory is part of the part cloud-integration services that allows seamless movement of data. This process consists of different elements:

• Input datasets are the primary collection of data sets within data stores. 
• A Pipeline allows the movement of datasets, including other activities of data movement and data transformation.
• Output datasets are structured data forms received after the pipeline. 
• Linked services provide specific information for output datasets to connect via external sources. Gateway has an inbuilt agent that provides connectivity from the on-premises data with the cloud.

Cloud empowers users to utilize several analytical frameworks such as R, Hadoop, Apache Spark to visualize and analyze data. The Azure data lake is one of the main distributed, highly scalable, and parallel file system features for working through different analytics frameworks. 

Data lake functions work on two main concepts:

• Storage empowers users to store all types of data with a significantly large size.
• Analytics gives real-time information for monitoring and analyzing through connected devices such as a building, vehicles, or a comprehensive system to control and manage the premises generating alerts, enhancing operations, and decision making for specific events.

3. Azure Active Directory And Why Do You Need It?

Azure Active Directory (AD) is a prolific identity management service with multi-tenant service and cloud-based directory, and you will learn all about it in this Azure tutorial. Azure AD empowers businesses and employees to sign up for multiple services. Thus, allowing them to use the cloud anywhere from around the world with specific login credentials. Azure Active Directory is an OS directory service that gives users a unified experience to facilitate multiple and complex network resources. 

4. Reasons to Get a Microsoft Azure Certification for Building a Cloud Computing Career

Today, cloud computing has brought a successful digital transformation in several industry verticals such as Banking, Healthcare, Education, etc. Azure has received accreditation and certification from the UK government for its efficacy. Here are the main five reasons to start your Microsoft Azure Certification:

• Improved focus on public cloud spending
• Gain access to better security standards and offerings
• Azure has the highest share of cloud computing
• Improving Your DevOps Skills

More than 1000 users signup daily for Microsoft Azure, with more than 57 percent of Fortune companies using these cloud computing services on their premises. 

5. Microsoft Azure Interview Questions and Answers

Learn the Azure tutorial and prepare yourself for a Microsoft Azure interview with these top interview questions and answers. 

These frequently asked interview questions are ideal for freshers, experienced, and expert professionals. There are tremendous scope and opportunities for professionals on the Microsoft Azure platform. These interview questions can help you prepare for topmost industry skill sets and Simplilearn offers multiple Azure certification programs that interested candidates can opt for.

Build a Smart Career in Cloud Computing With This Azure Tutorial 

This Azure tutorial follows systematic guidance, a more practical approach, and prepares candidates on the best industry certifications. Microsoft Azure services are being utilized to build application development, uniform testing procedures, application hosting, create virtual machines and virtual hard drives, collect data, process, and store metrics.

You can also know more about this Azure tutorial's fundamentals by going through individual lessons on Azure data factory and Azure active directory. These concepts will help you acquire the right skills to build a brilliant career in Microsoft Azure. Start learning the Azure tutorial now!