WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.240 Do you ever feel like you're just drowning in information, 2 00:00:02.960 --> 00:00:06.480 especially with the complex tech stuff like cloud computing, and 3 00:00:06.519 --> 00:00:08.240 you just wish someone would I don't know, handy the 4 00:00:08.279 --> 00:00:11.759 highlights reel. You want those aha moments, Yeah, bits that 5 00:00:11.839 --> 00:00:19.160 really matter. Well, you're in the right place. Welcome to 6 00:00:19.199 --> 00:00:22.879 the deep dove. Today we're taking a let's say, a 7 00:00:22.920 --> 00:00:25.960 high speed tour through Microsoft Azure. We're looking at how 8 00:00:25.960 --> 00:00:30.000 it's really this foundation for digital transformation. Our guide, the 9 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:33.840 Azure Strategy and Implementation Guide, fourth edition. So our mission 10 00:00:33.840 --> 00:00:35.960 today is simple, cut through the noise. We want to 11 00:00:35.960 --> 00:00:38.479 get to the strategic heart of Azure, its core services, 12 00:00:38.679 --> 00:00:42.280 how you adopt it, different migration paths, automation, security, costs, 13 00:00:42.439 --> 00:00:44.960 all that good stuff. We're looking for the surprising facts, 14 00:00:44.960 --> 00:00:47.679 those practical nuggets that mean you walk away feeling genuinely 15 00:00:47.759 --> 00:00:50.479 clued in. Let's unpack how Azure really underpins so much 16 00:00:50.520 --> 00:00:53.640 of modern it and you know what that actually means. 17 00:00:53.399 --> 00:00:55.240 For you exactly, And we'll try to hit the y 18 00:00:55.479 --> 00:00:58.240 behind the what Yeah see, the strategy behind the tech. 19 00:00:58.359 --> 00:01:00.679 Perfect. Okay, so let's start right at the beginning when 20 00:01:00.719 --> 00:01:05.680 we say Microsoft Azure, what is it really beyond the buzzword. 21 00:01:05.879 --> 00:01:11.760 Well, at its core, Azure is Microsoft's big cloud computing platform. 22 00:01:12.040 --> 00:01:14.560 Think of it like a huge toolbox available whenever you 23 00:01:14.599 --> 00:01:20.840 need it, full of shared computing resources, so storage, servers, applications. 24 00:01:21.040 --> 00:01:21.640 The whole lot. 25 00:01:21.840 --> 00:01:26.799 Yeah, but the real game changer it's the speed rapid provisioning. 26 00:01:27.040 --> 00:01:30.359 You can spin up complex environments in minutes, literally minutes, 27 00:01:30.400 --> 00:01:33.640 not months. Forget waiting for physical hardware. 28 00:01:33.400 --> 00:01:36.040 Right, no more racking and stacking. And it's definitely not 29 00:01:36.120 --> 00:01:39.560 just one thing, is it? We hear is PAS, SAWS 30 00:01:39.760 --> 00:01:42.599 server lists. What's the key difference there for someone trying 31 00:01:42.599 --> 00:01:43.920 to make strategic choices. 32 00:01:44.040 --> 00:01:47.000 Yeah, that's super important. The different models, it's really about 33 00:01:47.000 --> 00:01:48.719 where you want your team to focus. It's about that 34 00:01:48.719 --> 00:01:52.680 shared responsibility. But more strategically, it's about control versus convenience. 35 00:01:52.920 --> 00:01:55.959 So sas think Microsoft three sixty five. You basically buy 36 00:01:55.959 --> 00:01:59.040 the finished product. Microsoft handles pretty much everything. Your team 37 00:01:59.120 --> 00:02:02.400 just uses it. Simpole then pettys platform as a service. 38 00:02:02.599 --> 00:02:06.680 Microsoft manages the underlying infrastructure, the OS patching your developers 39 00:02:06.719 --> 00:02:09.199 they just focus on the application go. That means faster development, you. 40 00:02:09.199 --> 00:02:11.240 Know, boosts velocity exactly. 41 00:02:11.360 --> 00:02:14.080 Then there's ias infrastructure as a service. This is more 42 00:02:14.159 --> 00:02:16.120 like the raw building blocks. You get the virtual machines, 43 00:02:16.159 --> 00:02:18.639 the network, the storage, the book mentions. This is great 44 00:02:18.680 --> 00:02:21.759 for custom solutions because you have maximum control, but that 45 00:02:21.800 --> 00:02:25.120 control comes with more responsibility. You're managing the OS, the 46 00:02:25.120 --> 00:02:27.879 patching configurations, so as a trade off, you choose where 47 00:02:27.879 --> 00:02:30.000 your expertise adds the most value. 48 00:02:30.120 --> 00:02:32.360 That's a great way to frame it. So beyond just 49 00:02:32.439 --> 00:02:35.639 shifting where the work happens, what are those big tangible 50 00:02:35.879 --> 00:02:38.400 business benefits driving companies to Azure. 51 00:02:38.599 --> 00:02:43.840 Fundamentally, it's agility and efficiency. First, scalability, it's practically unlimited 52 00:02:44.080 --> 00:02:47.080 need more CPU memory, storage, network bandwidth. You get an 53 00:02:47.120 --> 00:02:50.919 on demand that's huge for handling peaks or even just 54 00:02:50.960 --> 00:02:53.280 testing new ideas without a massive upfront cost. 55 00:02:53.400 --> 00:02:54.240 Okay, it makes sense. 56 00:02:54.439 --> 00:02:57.479 Then cost savings. You're moving from CAPEX buying service to 57 00:02:57.560 --> 00:03:00.400 op x paying for what you use. That as you 58 00:03:00.439 --> 00:03:04.639 go model is attractive and for businesses already using Microsoft stuff. 59 00:03:05.039 --> 00:03:08.199 The Azure hybrid benefit lets you reuse existing licenses. 60 00:03:08.319 --> 00:03:12.360 Oh yeah, the hybrid benefit. That can be a massive saving, right, huge. 61 00:03:12.120 --> 00:03:14.919 It's often a key part of the business case. Then 62 00:03:14.960 --> 00:03:17.800 there's speed to market, no more waiting weeks for hardware, 63 00:03:18.000 --> 00:03:21.479 you provision infrastructure in minutes. Plus you get instant access 64 00:03:21.479 --> 00:03:25.919 to cutting edge tech like Azure, AI, machine learning, IoT services, 65 00:03:26.439 --> 00:03:29.120 stuff that's really hard and expensive to build yourself. 66 00:03:29.199 --> 00:03:32.360 So it boils down to businesses can move faster, innovate 67 00:03:32.400 --> 00:03:35.120 more easily, and potentially save a lot of money by 68 00:03:35.159 --> 00:03:36.759 just paying for what they actually consume. 69 00:03:36.919 --> 00:03:41.240 Precisely and crucially, it lets you build secure hybrid environments too, 70 00:03:41.759 --> 00:03:44.840 applying consistent security across both your own data center and 71 00:03:44.879 --> 00:03:45.360 the cloud. 72 00:03:45.560 --> 00:03:50.280 Okay, a really powerful foundation, but getting there adopting Azure 73 00:03:50.639 --> 00:03:52.520 it's not just one path. Is that there's a whole 74 00:03:52.560 --> 00:03:55.319 spectrum of choices. This is where it gets really interesting. 75 00:03:55.319 --> 00:03:58.159 I think you're absolutely right. The how is deeply strategic. 76 00:03:58.479 --> 00:04:03.199 It depends entirely on what you're organization needs, control, compliance, cost, 77 00:04:03.719 --> 00:04:05.680 maybe even where your data physically sits. 78 00:04:05.800 --> 00:04:08.360 Like you've got the public cloud that's where resources are 79 00:04:08.400 --> 00:04:11.759 owned by Microsoft Shared infrastructure I think Office three sixty five, 80 00:04:12.000 --> 00:04:15.520 lots of different companies using it. Great for reliability, scale, 81 00:04:15.680 --> 00:04:16.800 usually the lowest cost. 82 00:04:17.199 --> 00:04:20.160 Right, But then you contrast that with private cloud that's 83 00:04:20.240 --> 00:04:23.600 exclusive use for one organization, might be on site, might 84 00:04:23.600 --> 00:04:25.480 be hosted by someone else. You see this a lot 85 00:04:25.519 --> 00:04:29.600 with government finance places with really strict rules. They need 86 00:04:29.600 --> 00:04:32.240 that extra control, that flexibility, got it. 87 00:04:32.680 --> 00:04:35.639 And hybrid that seems like a really popular middle ground. 88 00:04:35.759 --> 00:04:39.120 It is hybrid cloud strategically blends your own data center 89 00:04:39.399 --> 00:04:43.120 with the public cloud. The classic example a tax company, 90 00:04:43.199 --> 00:04:45.839 they need huge amounts of compute power for just a 91 00:04:45.879 --> 00:04:48.839 few months a year. Hybrid lets them burst out to 92 00:04:48.920 --> 00:04:52.040 Azure for that peak, then scale right back down, keeps 93 00:04:52.040 --> 00:04:55.600 costs manageable, and it's a stable, integrated setup, not just 94 00:04:55.639 --> 00:04:56.480 a temporary fix. 95 00:04:56.560 --> 00:04:59.920 Okay. And then it gets even more complex or flexible, 96 00:05:00.079 --> 00:05:01.800 depending on how you look at it. Multi cloud. 97 00:05:01.839 --> 00:05:04.600 Yeah, multi cloud means using services from more than one 98 00:05:04.639 --> 00:05:07.839 cloud provider. Maybe you need data in a specific region 99 00:05:07.879 --> 00:05:11.040 one provider doesn't cover well, or there are regulatory reasons, 100 00:05:11.199 --> 00:05:13.879 or maybe it's for disaster recovery. Backing up data in 101 00:05:13.959 --> 00:05:16.519 two different public clouds as your ARC is a big 102 00:05:16.519 --> 00:05:19.319 help in managing that complexity, which we'll touch on right ARC. 103 00:05:19.399 --> 00:05:20.959 And the last one, edge computing. 104 00:05:21.319 --> 00:05:24.720 Edge computing pushes that cloud intelligence right out to where 105 00:05:24.720 --> 00:05:29.079 the data is generated. Think IoT devices, sensors like that 106 00:05:29.199 --> 00:05:33.079 UNDP fleet management example, using IoT trackers for real time, data, 107 00:05:33.399 --> 00:05:37.399 reduces latency, gives instant insights. It's cloud power, but you 108 00:05:37.399 --> 00:05:38.360 know right at the edge. 109 00:05:38.399 --> 00:05:41.079 Wow. Okay, So a whole range of deployment models. And 110 00:05:41.120 --> 00:05:42.720 once you've picked a model, how do you actually get 111 00:05:42.720 --> 00:05:46.560 your applications there? The migration strategies the RS my. 112 00:05:46.639 --> 00:05:49.839 Yes, the three RS critical to understand the trade offs here. 113 00:05:49.879 --> 00:05:52.759 First up is rehosting. That's the lift and shift right. 114 00:05:52.839 --> 00:05:54.800 Just pick up a VM or an app from on 115 00:05:54.920 --> 00:05:56.240 prem and drop it into Azure. 116 00:05:56.360 --> 00:05:59.680 Pretty much minimal changes usually the fastest, easiest way to 117 00:05:59.680 --> 00:06:02.279 get some of the cloud. If speed is your absolute 118 00:06:02.279 --> 00:06:04.399 top priority, rehosting is often. 119 00:06:04.199 --> 00:06:06.839 The answer, but maybe not the most optimized often not. 120 00:06:07.040 --> 00:06:10.720 No, that leads to replatforming. Here, you're moving an application 121 00:06:10.839 --> 00:06:14.240 to a pain ass service in Azure. So maybe moving 122 00:06:14.279 --> 00:06:16.040 a web app running on an ISIS server on a 123 00:06:16.120 --> 00:06:19.319 VM to something like az your app service. You manage 124 00:06:19.360 --> 00:06:23.240 the app, Microsoft handles the underlying platform a good balance. 125 00:06:22.920 --> 00:06:25.639 Okay, and the most involved refactoring. 126 00:06:25.879 --> 00:06:30.439 Refactoring or modernization. This means actually rewriting parts of your 127 00:06:30.439 --> 00:06:34.360 application code to really take advantage of cloud native Azure services. 128 00:06:34.800 --> 00:06:38.519 I think micro services serverleist functions. It offers the highest 129 00:06:38.519 --> 00:06:43.600 potential for long term benefits optimization, innovation, but it's also 130 00:06:43.680 --> 00:06:46.879 the riskiest in terms of time and cost if you 131 00:06:46.879 --> 00:06:47.920 don't plan it well. 132 00:06:48.160 --> 00:06:51.519 Here's something interesting from the guide though. While lift and 133 00:06:51.600 --> 00:06:56.519 shift is fastest, initially delaying that replatforming or refactoring can 134 00:06:56.560 --> 00:06:59.040 actually cost you more down the line you miss out 135 00:06:59.040 --> 00:06:59.759 on optimization. 136 00:07:00.000 --> 00:07:02.639 It's a crucial point, so strategic trap some fall into 137 00:07:03.040 --> 00:07:06.040 just getting to the cloud, isn't the end goal. Aligning 138 00:07:06.040 --> 00:07:09.439 your migration strategy with your long term business objectives is 139 00:07:09.480 --> 00:07:12.639 absolutely key. There's no single right answer, just the best 140 00:07:12.639 --> 00:07:13.399 fit for your needs. 141 00:07:13.600 --> 00:07:16.319 Right, So you've picked your path, You've migrated some apps. 142 00:07:16.360 --> 00:07:18.879 Now you need to build and govern this environment effectively. 143 00:07:19.319 --> 00:07:22.319 Sounds like automation and control become really important here, especially 144 00:07:22.360 --> 00:07:23.160 at scale. 145 00:07:22.920 --> 00:07:27.199 Oh absolutely critical. Without strong automation and governance, things can 146 00:07:27.199 --> 00:07:31.920 get messy, fast, cost spiral security gaps appear, it becomes unmanageable. 147 00:07:32.120 --> 00:07:34.879 And that's where something like as your DevOps comes in. 148 00:07:35.040 --> 00:07:37.120 It seems like more than just tools, it's a whole 149 00:07:37.160 --> 00:07:38.600 integrated platform. 150 00:07:38.800 --> 00:07:39.399 It really is. 151 00:07:39.680 --> 00:07:42.639 As your DevOps provides that end to end life cycle management. 152 00:07:42.920 --> 00:07:45.480 You've got as your repots for source control yeah, but 153 00:07:45.519 --> 00:07:48.839 then as your pipelines for CICD, as your boards for planning, 154 00:07:49.120 --> 00:07:50.959 test plans, artifacts for packages. 155 00:07:51.720 --> 00:07:53.879 The power is how they all work together. 156 00:07:53.759 --> 00:07:57.079 Creates that traceable, slow from code to deployment. 157 00:07:56.759 --> 00:08:01.399 Exactly a high speed, audible process. And it's worth noting 158 00:08:01.439 --> 00:08:04.279 it's free for up to five users, which is great 159 00:08:04.319 --> 00:08:07.399 for smaller teams starting out nice. 160 00:08:06.759 --> 00:08:09.160 And alongside DevOps for the process. You've got air M 161 00:08:09.240 --> 00:08:12.720 templates for the infrastructure itself, infrastructure as code. 162 00:08:12.360 --> 00:08:15.720 Correct as your resource manager templates. Think of them like 163 00:08:15.959 --> 00:08:19.639 blueprints for your Azure environment. You write down in code 164 00:08:19.839 --> 00:08:23.560 usually JSON, exactly what you want deployed, maybe through web servers, 165 00:08:23.600 --> 00:08:27.240 a specific database configuration, a load balancer declarative. 166 00:08:27.360 --> 00:08:29.199 You say what you want, not how to build it. 167 00:08:29.199 --> 00:08:33.120 Step by step precisely, you define the desired state, and 168 00:08:33.240 --> 00:08:35.440 as your resource manager figures out how to make it 169 00:08:35.440 --> 00:08:39.559 happen consistently every single time. No more Snowslake servers built 170 00:08:39.559 --> 00:08:42.960 slightly differently by hand. It guarantees repeatability. 171 00:08:42.440 --> 00:08:46.240 Huge for consistency, massive and a key best practice. 172 00:08:46.240 --> 00:08:49.759 The guide mentions you secure strings for passwords and secrets 173 00:08:49.759 --> 00:08:51.919 in your templates, never ever hardcode them. 174 00:08:52.080 --> 00:08:52.879 Seems obvious, but. 175 00:08:52.960 --> 00:08:56.639 Yeah, you'd be surprised. Okay, so automation is sorted. What 176 00:08:56.759 --> 00:08:59.639 about controlling who can do what and making sure everything 177 00:08:59.679 --> 00:09:04.200 meets company standards? Governance and identity non negotiable. 178 00:09:05.000 --> 00:09:08.360 Azure Active Directory Azure AD is the heart of identity 179 00:09:08.360 --> 00:09:12.159 and access control, the absolute best practice. Integrate it with 180 00:09:12.200 --> 00:09:14.720 your on premises AD using Azure AD connect if you 181 00:09:14.720 --> 00:09:17.799 have one, and enable multi factor authentication, Just do it. 182 00:09:18.000 --> 00:09:21.559 MFA is crucial, right, MFA everywhere. And for managing the 183 00:09:21.559 --> 00:09:23.960 broader environment policies and stuff, that's where you. 184 00:09:23.879 --> 00:09:27.120 Get into Azure management groups, Azure Policy and Azure blueprints. 185 00:09:27.399 --> 00:09:30.639 Management groups let you organize your subscriptions hierarchically, maybe prod 186 00:09:30.679 --> 00:09:33.080 versus nonprod, and apply policies across them. 187 00:09:33.080 --> 00:09:35.000 Policies like rules. 188 00:09:34.919 --> 00:09:39.240 Exactly, rules that enforce standards, maybe restricting what VM sizes 189 00:09:39.240 --> 00:09:43.039 can be deployed, or requiring certain tags on resources. The 190 00:09:43.120 --> 00:09:46.159 advice is usually to start with audit policies, just report 191 00:09:46.240 --> 00:09:50.360 violations before moving to deny policies that actually block things. Yeah, 192 00:09:50.399 --> 00:09:51.759 let's use the impact first. 193 00:09:51.840 --> 00:09:53.799 Smart and blueprints. 194 00:09:53.320 --> 00:09:58.159 Blueprints buddle everything together, role assignments, policies, AARM templates, resource 195 00:09:58.200 --> 00:10:01.519 groups into a repeatable pathckage so you can stamp out 196 00:10:01.559 --> 00:10:05.759 standard compliant environments really easily. And underpinning all this, you 197 00:10:05.799 --> 00:10:09.120 need Azure cost management and billing to track, analyze and 198 00:10:09.159 --> 00:10:13.960 optimize your spending. So connecting it all solid identity, strong governance. 199 00:10:14.360 --> 00:10:17.360 It's not just security theater. It's about efficiency, compliance at 200 00:10:17.360 --> 00:10:20.080 scale and making sure your cloud use actually aligns with 201 00:10:20.120 --> 00:10:21.039 what the business needs. 202 00:10:21.320 --> 00:10:24.360 Okay, Now, lots of organizations aren't just in Azure, right, 203 00:10:24.399 --> 00:10:27.480 They've got stuff on prem maybe other clouds, edge devices. 204 00:10:27.679 --> 00:10:30.879 It's complex. How does Azure help unify that kind of 205 00:10:30.960 --> 00:10:31.879 sprawling setup. 206 00:10:32.240 --> 00:10:33.200 That's a huge challenge. 207 00:10:33.240 --> 00:10:36.120 And Azure ARC and the Azure Stack family are Microsoft's 208 00:10:36.120 --> 00:10:39.120 big answers here. They're really key enablers for hybrid and 209 00:10:39.200 --> 00:10:39.840 multi cloud. 210 00:10:40.039 --> 00:10:42.159 Let's start with ARC. You described it as like a 211 00:10:42.279 --> 00:10:43.440 universal remote. 212 00:10:43.639 --> 00:10:46.559 Yeah, that's a good analogy. Azure ARC provides a single 213 00:10:46.600 --> 00:10:49.759 control plane, a single pane of glass to manage resources 214 00:10:49.840 --> 00:10:52.320 no matter where they live. It tackles that problem of 215 00:10:52.360 --> 00:10:55.440 having dozens of different management tools for different environments. It 216 00:10:55.519 --> 00:11:00.519 essentially projects your non Azure resources vms on prem Ubernet's 217 00:11:00.519 --> 00:11:04.759 clusters in another cloud, databases, running elseware into Azure Resource 218 00:11:04.799 --> 00:11:08.440 Manager so you can manage them using familiar Azure tools policies, 219 00:11:08.480 --> 00:11:11.519 security as if they were native Azure resources. 220 00:11:11.559 --> 00:11:15.679 So you can extend Azure management to any infrastructure. 221 00:11:15.039 --> 00:11:18.639 Pretty much any location other clouds, your data center, edge sites. 222 00:11:19.000 --> 00:11:22.519 It helps unify operations for both IOPs and DevOps teams. 223 00:11:22.960 --> 00:11:25.679 You can manage Windows and Linux servers, use getops for 224 00:11:25.720 --> 00:11:29.600 Kubernetes applications anywhere. Even run Azure data services like Azure 225 00:11:29.639 --> 00:11:32.639 SQL or postgressfil hyperscale on your own hardware. 226 00:11:32.679 --> 00:11:35.039 Wow, Okay, that sounds powerful. 227 00:11:35.120 --> 00:11:37.559 It is, and it works in different connectivity modes too, 228 00:11:37.600 --> 00:11:41.440 directly connected for resources with Internet access, indirectly connected for 229 00:11:41.559 --> 00:11:44.799 places with intermitt links or compliance needs. Though fully air 230 00:11:44.840 --> 00:11:46.120 gapped isn't quite there yet. 231 00:11:46.240 --> 00:11:50.399 Gotcha. So ARC extends Azure management outwards. What about bringing 232 00:11:50.399 --> 00:11:52.720 a your inwards into your own data center. 233 00:11:52.759 --> 00:11:56.559 That's Azure Stack exactly. The Azure stack family extends Azure 234 00:11:56.600 --> 00:12:00.600 services and capabilities to your environments. Back Hub is the 235 00:12:00.600 --> 00:12:03.879 big one here. It's an integrated system, hardware and software 236 00:12:03.879 --> 00:12:07.120 that lets you run actual Azure services on premises. 237 00:12:07.159 --> 00:12:07.960 Why would you do that? 238 00:12:08.039 --> 00:12:11.080 Disconnected environments are a major use case thing. Ships Remote 239 00:12:11.120 --> 00:12:14.840 sites also app modernization where you need Azure pass services 240 00:12:14.879 --> 00:12:18.679 locally or really strict data sovereignty or regulatory rules where 241 00:12:18.759 --> 00:12:23.600 data absolutely cannot leave your building, finance, health, common scenarios. 242 00:12:23.879 --> 00:12:27.039 Stack up brings that Azure experience as your pass apps 243 00:12:27.200 --> 00:12:28.480 right into your controlled space. 244 00:12:28.639 --> 00:12:31.480 Okay, so stack hub runs Azur services on prem what's 245 00:12:31.519 --> 00:12:33.120 Azure stack HCI, then. 246 00:12:33.200 --> 00:12:37.639 Azure stack HCI. Hyperconverged infrastructure is different. It's focused on 247 00:12:37.720 --> 00:12:42.080 modernizing your on premises virtualization. It replaces traditional servers and 248 00:12:42.159 --> 00:12:46.399 sands with industry standard servers running software defined compute, storage 249 00:12:46.480 --> 00:12:50.320 and networking. It's ideal for running your existing virtualized Windows 250 00:12:50.320 --> 00:12:54.120 and Linux workloads on prem maybe refreshing aging hardware, but 251 00:12:54.240 --> 00:12:56.919 doing it in a way that deeply integrates with Azure 252 00:12:57.000 --> 00:12:59.879 hybrid services. So you run your vms locally on each 253 00:13:00.759 --> 00:13:05.120 but easily connect to Azure for backup, disaster recovery monitoring. 254 00:13:05.159 --> 00:13:07.679 Maybe even run Azure Kubernetes service on HCI. 255 00:13:07.919 --> 00:13:12.159 So hub brings Azur services in HCI, modernizes virtualization and 256 00:13:12.240 --> 00:13:13.840 connects it to Azure services. 257 00:13:13.879 --> 00:13:14.919 You got it together. 258 00:13:15.000 --> 00:13:18.399 The Stack family gives organizations real flexibility for true hybrid 259 00:13:18.480 --> 00:13:22.720 and multi cloud tackling things like latency or specific compliance needs. 260 00:13:22.799 --> 00:13:24.679 By bringing the cloud experience right where they. 261 00:13:24.600 --> 00:13:27.120 Need it makes sense. Okay, shifting gear slightly, but staying 262 00:13:27.159 --> 00:13:30.519 with modern challenges secure remote work. It's not a trend anymore, 263 00:13:30.519 --> 00:13:32.960 it's just how business is done for many. How does 264 00:13:33.000 --> 00:13:34.720 Azure equip organizations for this? 265 00:13:35.000 --> 00:13:38.000 Azure has a really comprehensive toolkit here. It's not just 266 00:13:38.039 --> 00:13:41.720 about enabling access, it's about making it deeply secure. And 267 00:13:41.759 --> 00:13:46.080 the absolute cornerstone again is Azure Active Directory. That's your 268 00:13:46.080 --> 00:13:47.600 foundation for identity and. 269 00:13:47.559 --> 00:13:52.279 Access and securing that foundation. The book mentions several key things. 270 00:13:52.480 --> 00:13:56.519 MFA obviously absolutely, multi factor authentication non negotiable. It stops 271 00:13:56.759 --> 00:14:00.000 what ninety nine point nine percent of identity attacks just require. 272 00:14:00.080 --> 00:14:03.519 Is that extra proof something you know have are Then 273 00:14:03.559 --> 00:14:07.519 there's Azure AD Identity Protection. It uses Microsoft's Cloud intelligence 274 00:14:07.600 --> 00:14:10.919 machine learning to spot risky sign ins or user behavior 275 00:14:11.159 --> 00:14:14.639 and can trigger protective actions like forcing an MFA prompt 276 00:14:14.720 --> 00:14:15.919 or even blocking. 277 00:14:15.519 --> 00:14:18.480 Access right risk based access exactly. 278 00:14:18.159 --> 00:14:21.279 And for your admin accounts, your privileged accounts, Privileged Identity 279 00:14:21.279 --> 00:14:24.039 Management or pretty M this enforces just in time. 280 00:14:23.840 --> 00:14:26.320 Access, so temporary admin writes only when. 281 00:14:26.159 --> 00:14:30.840 Needed, precisely and just enough access only the specific permissions 282 00:14:30.879 --> 00:14:34.080 needed for the task. You have to request elevation often 283 00:14:34.080 --> 00:14:38.320 with MFA and justification. It's audited, grastically reduces the risk 284 00:14:38.399 --> 00:14:41.720 from compromised admin accounts. It's like getting the master key 285 00:14:41.840 --> 00:14:44.200 for just ten minutes for one specific door. 286 00:14:44.759 --> 00:14:49.000 Love that analogy. Okay, identity secured? What about actually connecting 287 00:14:49.120 --> 00:14:50.639 remote users securely? 288 00:14:51.279 --> 00:14:54.519 Several options. Azure Virtual Wan provides a kind of unified 289 00:14:54.600 --> 00:14:58.440 hub for networking and security, connecting branches remote users via 290 00:14:58.639 --> 00:15:02.720 point to site VPNs across regions as your VPN gateway. 291 00:15:02.759 --> 00:15:05.240 Is maybe more common for standard site to site encrypted 292 00:15:05.279 --> 00:15:08.080 tunnels between on prem and Azure or point to site 293 00:15:08.080 --> 00:15:09.519 for individual remote users. 294 00:15:09.559 --> 00:15:11.639 And for the really high performance needs. 295 00:15:11.480 --> 00:15:15.799 Express rep that's your private, dedicated high bandwidth connection straight 296 00:15:15.840 --> 00:15:19.879 into Azure by passing the public Internet. More complex, more costly, 297 00:15:20.240 --> 00:15:21.759 but essential for some workloads. 298 00:15:21.919 --> 00:15:24.840 Okay, so users are connected securely, how do we protect 299 00:15:24.879 --> 00:15:26.639 the actual applications they're accessing? 300 00:15:26.960 --> 00:15:32.320 Layered security always as your Web application firewall or waf 301 00:15:32.720 --> 00:15:35.080 sits in front of your web apps, protecting against common 302 00:15:35.080 --> 00:15:38.799 web exploits like the USB top ten as your firewall 303 00:15:38.840 --> 00:15:42.679 provides centralized network security policy management. Think traditional firewall rules, 304 00:15:43.000 --> 00:15:46.200 threat intelligence filtering across your virtual networks. It can even 305 00:15:46.200 --> 00:15:49.039 protect things like Windows Virtual desktop environments right. 306 00:15:49.039 --> 00:15:49.879 Filtering the traffic. 307 00:15:49.960 --> 00:15:51.279 Yeah, an Azure. 308 00:15:51.039 --> 00:15:54.039 Load balancer is key for distributing traffic for high availability 309 00:15:54.039 --> 00:15:57.440 and scale. And what I really like, Azurebastion lets you 310 00:15:57.480 --> 00:16:01.200 securely RDP or SSH into your Azure vms directly through 311 00:16:01.240 --> 00:16:03.879 the Azure portal without needing to expose any public IP 312 00:16:04.000 --> 00:16:06.759 addresses on those vms. Huge reduction in attack surface. 313 00:16:06.879 --> 00:16:10.360 That sounds incredibly useful. And you mentioned Windows Virtual Desktop 314 00:16:10.600 --> 00:16:13.799 WVD that seems purpose built for remote work scenarios. 315 00:16:14.039 --> 00:16:18.320 It absolutely is weved now Azure Virtual Desktop. They renamed it. 316 00:16:18.320 --> 00:16:22.480 It's Microsoft's desktop and app virtualization service, all running on 317 00:16:22.559 --> 00:16:26.399 Azure supports Windows ten eleven. Multi Session integrates fully with 318 00:16:26.480 --> 00:16:29.919 Azure AD for access and security. And the big advantage 319 00:16:30.240 --> 00:16:34.320 Microsoft manages the complex back end infrastructure, the brokers, gateways, 320 00:16:34.320 --> 00:16:37.840 web access. Your team just manages the actual desktop, images 321 00:16:37.840 --> 00:16:41.919 and applications massively simplifies deploying virtual desktops at scale. 322 00:16:42.039 --> 00:16:44.879 Ok, that covers remote work enablement. Let's zeomo ount to 323 00:16:44.919 --> 00:16:48.399 broader cybersecurity. What's the core philosophy Azure promotes now. 324 00:16:48.480 --> 00:16:51.559 It's all about zero trust. The mantra is never trust, 325 00:16:51.600 --> 00:16:54.039 always verify. You have to assume breaches will happen or 326 00:16:54.080 --> 00:16:56.519 are already happening, so you can't rely on just a 327 00:16:56.600 --> 00:17:01.240 strong perimeter anymore. Every access request, every can needs to 328 00:17:01.279 --> 00:17:02.320 be verified. 329 00:17:01.919 --> 00:17:04.519 Continuously assumed breach mentality exactly. 330 00:17:04.720 --> 00:17:07.359 And azur Security Center is your central dashboard for this. 331 00:17:07.400 --> 00:17:11.000 It gives you visibility into your security posture across Azure 332 00:17:11.039 --> 00:17:14.599 and even hybrid resources. It provides that secure score basically 333 00:17:14.680 --> 00:17:17.480 a grade with recommendations on how to improve, plus a 334 00:17:17.519 --> 00:17:20.000 dashboard for checking regulatory compliance. 335 00:17:19.839 --> 00:17:21.759 And for the actual threat detection and protection. 336 00:17:21.920 --> 00:17:25.079 That's where Azure Defender comes in. It's integrated within Security 337 00:17:25.079 --> 00:17:28.599 Center and provides advanced intelligent threat protection for various Azure 338 00:17:28.759 --> 00:17:33.960 services VMS, SQL, databases, storage containers, and even for servers 339 00:17:34.039 --> 00:17:35.920 running outside Azure using Azure Arc. 340 00:17:36.240 --> 00:17:39.599 Okay, so Defender protects specific resources. What about seeing the 341 00:17:39.640 --> 00:17:41.440 bigger picture correlating events? 342 00:17:41.720 --> 00:17:46.119 Sign right, that's Azure Sentinel. It's Microsoft's Cloud Dative SIME 343 00:17:46.200 --> 00:17:51.519 Security Information and Event Management and SR Security Orchestration, Automation 344 00:17:51.640 --> 00:17:54.920 and Response solution. It pulls in data from across your 345 00:17:55.039 --> 00:17:59.960 entire enterprise. Microsoft sources third party sources on prem other clouds, 346 00:18:00.319 --> 00:18:03.839 uses AI and analytics to detect threats, helps you investigate 347 00:18:03.839 --> 00:18:07.079 incidents and automate responses. It's really powerful and it all 348 00:18:07.119 --> 00:18:09.400 ties back to that zero trust philosophy. You need a 349 00:18:09.400 --> 00:18:13.880 network segmentation ideally micro segmentation to stop attackers moving. Laterally, 350 00:18:14.160 --> 00:18:17.400 you need threat protection, scanning traffic. You need encryption everywhere, 351 00:18:17.480 --> 00:18:20.519 data at rest, data and transit. It's a fundamental shift 352 00:18:20.559 --> 00:18:23.160 from this building walls to assuming threats are inside and 353 00:18:23.279 --> 00:18:24.559 verifying everything. 354 00:18:24.400 --> 00:18:27.759 Makes total sense. Okay, last major area, but a hugely 355 00:18:27.799 --> 00:18:32.079 important one. Cost. Cloud costs can escalate quickly if you're 356 00:18:32.079 --> 00:18:35.279 not careful. How does Azure help you optimize spending. It's 357 00:18:35.279 --> 00:18:36.480 not just about cutting. 358 00:18:36.200 --> 00:18:36.440 Is it. 359 00:18:36.599 --> 00:18:37.480 No, not at all. 360 00:18:37.640 --> 00:18:42.759 It's about strategic financial management for your cloud investment. Cloud economics. 361 00:18:43.079 --> 00:18:46.480 You need to really analyze the ROI compared to on premises, 362 00:18:46.880 --> 00:18:51.160 understand your total cost including things like maintenance, licensing, get 363 00:18:51.160 --> 00:18:52.279 the full picture and. 364 00:18:52.240 --> 00:18:55.240 What tools does Azure provide to get a handle on 365 00:18:55.359 --> 00:18:56.519 those costs. 366 00:18:56.160 --> 00:18:58.359 As your cost management and billing is the main one. 367 00:18:58.400 --> 00:19:01.240 It gives you that unified view across Azure and even 368 00:19:01.240 --> 00:19:03.599 other clouds. If you can figure it to analyze spending, 369 00:19:04.160 --> 00:19:08.039 track costs against budgets, set alerts. You can really drill down. 370 00:19:08.079 --> 00:19:10.680 Tags are super important here for allocating costs right. 371 00:19:10.680 --> 00:19:12.880 Tagging resources properly absolutely essential. 372 00:19:13.079 --> 00:19:15.720 Then you've got the Azure Pricing Calculator. Great for estimating 373 00:19:15.720 --> 00:19:18.519 costs for new deployments. But a key tip don't forget 374 00:19:18.559 --> 00:19:22.000 networking costs and try to write size vms from the start. 375 00:19:22.279 --> 00:19:24.720 Don't just over provision just in case. 376 00:19:24.839 --> 00:19:26.359 Yeah, avoid that sprawl and. 377 00:19:26.359 --> 00:19:29.640 The total cost of ownership TCO calculator helps compare on 378 00:19:29.759 --> 00:19:34.319 prem costs to a potential Azure migration even asure Migrate. 379 00:19:34.359 --> 00:19:38.599 The migration tool helps with assessment, which feeds into cost understanding. 380 00:19:38.759 --> 00:19:42.279 Okay, tools help you understand. What about the actual pricing models? 381 00:19:42.279 --> 00:19:43.039 How do you choose? 382 00:19:43.319 --> 00:19:45.359 Mostly it's a mix. You've got pay as you go 383 00:19:45.599 --> 00:19:48.799 the consumption model super flexible, pay only for what you 384 00:19:48.880 --> 00:19:51.400 use second by second or a minute by minute. Great 385 00:19:51.400 --> 00:19:54.400 for things like serverlist functions or databases like Cosmos dB 386 00:19:54.559 --> 00:19:57.680 where demand fluctuates. Costs can be variable though, so you 387 00:19:57.720 --> 00:20:00.039 need things like autoscaling to manage. 388 00:19:59.759 --> 00:20:01.559 It and the alternative fixed price. 389 00:20:01.799 --> 00:20:05.039 Yeah, things like Azure reservations you commit to using a 390 00:20:05.039 --> 00:20:08.160 certain amount of a resource like specific VM types for 391 00:20:08.240 --> 00:20:10.680 a one year or three year term. You pay for 392 00:20:10.720 --> 00:20:12.519 it whether you use it fully or not, but you 393 00:20:12.559 --> 00:20:16.480 get significant discounts in return, much more predictable costs best 394 00:20:16.519 --> 00:20:20.400 for stable, known workloads. Most organizations end up using a 395 00:20:20.400 --> 00:20:21.039 blend of both. 396 00:20:21.200 --> 00:20:24.480 Makes sense. So how do you actively drive down those costs? 397 00:20:24.480 --> 00:20:26.119 What are the big optimization levers? 398 00:20:26.359 --> 00:20:28.279 As Your advisor is a great start. 399 00:20:28.680 --> 00:20:31.640 It gives personalized recommendations, Hey, you've got these idle vms, 400 00:20:31.799 --> 00:20:35.440 or you could downsize this database. Listen to advisor. Then 401 00:20:36.039 --> 00:20:39.799