Q1: What is Microsoft Azure, and how does it differ from AWS and Google Cloud?
Answer:
Microsoft Azure is a cloud computing platform and service offering from Microsoft, enabling developers and businesses to build, deploy, and manage applications through Microsoft’s global network of data centers. Compared to AWS (Amazon Web Services) and Google Cloud, Azure provides strong integration with Microsoft products (e.g., Windows Server, Active Directory), making it a great choice for enterprises that are heavily invested in Microsoft technologies. Azure also offers a broader selection of hybrid-cloud solutions, such as Azure Stack, that facilitate integration between on-premises data centers and the cloud.
Q2: What are the different types of cloud computing models in Azure?
Answer:
Azure offers three primary cloud service models:
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Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): Provides virtualized computing resources over the internet (e.g., Virtual Machines, Virtual Networks).
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Platform as a Service (PaaS): Provides a platform that allows customers to develop, run, and manage applications without managing the underlying infrastructure (e.g., Azure App Services, Azure SQL Database).
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Software as a Service (SaaS): Delivers software applications over the internet, eliminating the need for installation or maintenance (e.g., Office 365, Dynamics 365).
Q3: What is Azure Active Directory, and why is it important?
Answer:
Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) is Microsoft’s cloud-based identity and access management service. It helps organizations manage user identities and create secure access to applications, both in the cloud and on-premises. Azure AD is critical for enterprise-level security, offering features like single sign-on (SSO), multi-factor authentication (MFA), and role-based access control (RBAC) to ensure secure access to resources.
Q4: How does Azure ensure high availability and fault tolerance?
Answer:
Azure provides high availability and fault tolerance through multiple features such as:
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Availability Zones: Physically separate data centers within an Azure region, ensuring redundancy and minimizing downtime.
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Azure Load Balancer: Distributes incoming traffic across multiple servers or virtual machines to avoid overloading a single resource.
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Azure Traffic Manager: Provides global load balancing by routing traffic based on performance, geographic location, or other factors.
Q5: What is the role of Azure Resource Manager (ARM)?
Answer:
Azure Resource Manager (ARM) is the deployment and management service for Azure resources. It provides a management layer that enables users to organize and manage resources in a subscription. ARM allows for resource provisioning, access control, monitoring, and managing lifecycle tasks via a consistent API. You can group resources into Resource Groups, making it easier to manage them collectively.