Introduction to Azure and Cloud Computing

You land here! The world of Azure and cloud computing with real life scenarios and hands on experience! In this chapter, we will lay the foundation for your journey into cloud technologies by learning about the essential concepts of cloud computing and the Microsoft Azure platform, because I truly believe in a strong foundation and specially since in this book we will be covering different projects in an advance level. As businesses increasingly move to the cloud, understanding these basics is critical for anyone looking to work with modern IT infrastructure and services.

We will start by exploring the fundamentals of Microsoft Azure, one of the leading cloud platforms in the market, in brief We’ll learn about the features of Microsoft Azure, such as scalability, cost efficiency, and flexibility, which are driving its adoption across industries.

Next, we will dive into an overview of Microsoft Azure portal and learn about its core services and solutions, including computing, storage, networking, and databases. We’ll also discuss the global network of Azure data centers and the importance of regions and availability zones in ensuring high availability and resilience.

By the end of this chapter, we will have a solid understanding of cloud computing principles and the Azure ecosystem. This knowledge will serve as the foundation for the hands-on projects and advanced topics we’ll cover in the subsequent chapters. We’ll be ready to start building, deploying, and managing cloud solutions on Azure, harnessing the power of the cloud to meet modern business needs.

This chapter will cover the following topics:

• What is Microsoft Azure?
• Exploring the Azure Portal
• Overview of Azure Core Services and Solutions
• Understanding Azure Regions and Availability