If you’re looking to make the most of your Azure experience, check out these practical tips, powerful tools, and helpful resources. Whether you’re just venturing into the world of Azure or you’re a seasoned administrator seeking to optimize your cloud environment, these tips can benefit you all along the way.
Microsoft Learn: Your Azure learning resource
If you’re looking to skill up on Azure and its many services and features, go to Microsoft Learn—a family of skill-building offerings and resources, bringing together all Microsoft technical content and learning tools. While you’re there, connect and engage with experts and peers in the Microsoft Learn Community.
On Microsoft Learn, you can also select Explore Q&A to find questions and answers that address your Microsoft-related technical queries. Drawing answers from Stack Overflow, MSDN, and TechNet Forums, this informative tool helps ensure that you have access to comprehensive solutions and resources.
Azure: Free services and more
There are more than 50 services always available to you at no charge on Azure, including Azure Cosmos DB, Azure App Service, Azure Functions, Azure Kubernetes Service, and more. To try them, create a free Azure account. With this account, you also receive a $200 credit that you can use to run other Azure services for 30 days. Plus, you get access to additional Azure services—such as Azure SQL Database, Azure VPN Gateway, and Azure Container Registry—at no charge for 12 months. After you use your $200 credit or 30 days have passed, you’re charged for any usage that is beyond the free service limits. Check out free Azure services and other pricing details. Keep in mind that you can cancel or add new services to your account at any time.
Quickstart Center: Your guide to Azure deployment
In the Azure portal, explore the Azure Quickstart Center, designed to help you improve your knowledge of Azure and to show you how to effortlessly onboard and set up your cloud environment and services—regardless of your technical expertise. If you’re unfamiliar with Azure and want to migrate services from on-premises to the cloud, take advantage of the comprehensive migration guide.
Azure Cloud Shell: Execute tasks with ease
If you’re an Azure administrator who needs to install Azure CLI and Azure PowerShell, Azure Cloud Shell makes this a straightforward task. Cloud Shell offers seamless access to PowerShell and Azure CLI directly within the Azure portal. You can run commands and manage your Azure resources without worrying about installations. It also empowers you to streamline your administrative tasks and enjoy a hassle-free scripting experience.
The Azure mobile app: Your on-the-go Azure resource manager
The Azure mobile app is a lightweight yet powerful app for managing Azure resources on the move. With this convenient application, you can stay connected and easily check the status of your Azure resources anytime, anywhere—directly from your phone:
- View and manage your Azure subscriptions.
- Monitor resource status, and receive Azure service health alerts.
- Access Azure Cloud Shell to manage resources and execute essential tasks.
Azure Advisor: Your optimization assistant
Azure Advisor is a valuable, complimentary service that offers tailored recommendations to enhance the reliability, performance, security, and cost-efficiency of your Azure resources. By analyzing your usage patterns, it provides actionable insights to optimize your environment.
Microsoft Cost Management: Effective Azure expense management
Microsoft Cost Management empowers organizations to effectively manage Azure expenses, providing comprehensive spending visibility, resource usage analysis, alerts, and cost driver identification:
- Get a clear breakdown of Azure spending, resource usage, and cost efficiency.
- Set up cost alerts to prevent unexpected overruns and adjustments.
- Define spending limits for specific time periods, forecast expenses, and track real-time progress.
The Microsoft Cloud Adoption Framework for Azure: Your path to successful implementations
The Cloud Adoption Framework for Azure is a set of best practices, guidance, and tools to help you effectively plan, design, and implement your cloud environment. When setting up an Azure solution, this proven guidance can help you follow industry best practices, optimize your implementation, and streamline—or even accelerate—your Azure adoption process, while mitigating risks associated with some cloud deployments.
Make the most of Azure tools and resources
As we’ve learned, there are several Azure tools and resources available to assist you in maximizing your cloud experience, and I’ve listed just a few of them. I’d love to hear about your favorite Azure tips, tools, and resources. Feel free to share them in the comment section, or join me in my Microsoft Community Learning Room, Azure Knowledge Base with Kazeem.
Meet Kazeem Adegboyega, Microsoft Learn expert
Kazeem Adegboyega is a Cloud Architect with a passion for helping people learn. As a Microsoft Azure Most Valuable Professional (MVP), he has a wealth of experience and knowledge that he loves to share with others. As Kazeem says, “Whether you’re just starting out or looking to advance your career, I am here to help. Let’s learn together and achieve your goals! Do not hesitate to get in touch with me today.”
Learn more about Kazeem Adegboyega