I am learning Azure and so can you!!
AZ-900 Summary — Article one
I just completed AZ-900 Course by freeCodeCamp on Youtube. The Course was crisp and to the point and so is this article.
It is imposible to cover the gratness of Azure in just one article. It will also be lenthy and you would not read it all the way. lets take a look at Basic things such as what is cloud and cost-effectiveness of the cloud.
So here are my learnings.
The AZ-900 (Microsoft Azure Fundamentals Exam) is designed to understand the basics of Microsoft Azure, and it is the stepping stone for other Azure technology verticals such as AZ-104, Az-500, etc.
AZ-900 is targeted at sales, finance and beginner level folks which provides them an overview of subscriptions, Azure cloud model, Azure terminology, cost management, Azure Services, etc.
Why Azure?
Azure is one of the leading cloud platforms. It is a cloud computing platform run and maintained by Microsoft. I think one of the reasons why Azure is one of the best performing cloud platforms is because of its valuable feature, Integration with the Active Directory. The mighty Windows Operating system and its market share also has a role in making Azure successful.
So let’s start with the obvious question — What is Cloud?
Cloud is nothing but a server which is at remote place and may be located across the globe. It's not owned by you or your organization, but the Cloud Service Providers or CSPs own the hardware, software, and other necessary things needed to run a server.
Now one might wonder why would anyone want to use a server which is not owned by you or on which you have very little control. The answer lies in the features and flexibility the cloud services provides. Let's take a look at the features which make cloud technology amazing.
Renting something is cheaper than owning something!!
As the server hardware, software, man power, electricity, maintenance etc. is already taken care of by the CSPs, your CapEx decreases drastically and converts it into OpEx which is more manageable and less of a commitment from the organization and stakeholder standpoint.
Example — Lets say a generic server costs around $1000 to $2500 (Yeah, I googled it), for which you have to pay upfront, and then you have to hire “IT tech people” such as system admins to maintain that server, troubleshoot and keep it available. Server hardware is useless without the obvious Operating systems and other software programs necessary to keep the server performance optimal, so you spend more money on the software licenses. A server without electricity is just a hunk of metal which costs a fortune, so you provide electricity, cooling, etc. All above-mentioned things are costly, and you pay upfront to have a functioning server.
When it comes to cloud, you are just renting all those things. As the same hardware is used by more than one user (organization), the cost of computing power, electricity, cooling, licenses is split between the many. Now that you have converted your spending from CapEx to OpEx. You get the same level of performance your own server could have delivered at a fraction of the cost.
Now that you are spending little, by using Cloud services, similarly, let's keep the learnings short but helpful. We will learn more about Cloud and other Azure terminologies in upcoming articles.
Reference — AZ-900 Course on freeCodeCamp
Check out my earlier article on Terraform by clicking here
