Earlier this month I posted an article about using PowerShell to automate the deployment of Azure ARM VMs.  In this article I expand on that by exploring and automating the deployment of Azure RM Virtual Machine Availability Sets. Availability Set In Azure and similar public clouds, a Virtual Machine is subject to planned and unplanned […]

This article describes automating the process of provisioning an Azure VM (Virtual Machine) and tearing it down. Before we start, let’s clarify few terms: Azure When we talk about Azure it is understood that we’re talking about Microsoft’s public cloud offering. This is sometimes referred to as Azure commercial. In Powershell, this is referred to AzureCloud. […]

Microsoft has provided several ways to back up data to Azure, including Data Protection Manager (DPM) part of System Center, Windows Backup, direct tools like PowerShell, Azure Backup, and to a certain extent StorSimple. They have evolved quickly over the past few years in terms of features and capabilities/limitations. Azure provides an attractive option for […]

GE Healthcare. 3M. NBC Sports. Chances are, whenever you have seen commercials for Microsoft Azure, you’ve also seen the big brands that they tout as customers. Those marquee names can be misleading, because they suggest that Microsoft’s Azure cloud service isn’t a fit for your small or mid-size business. The fact is, Azure can be […]

As a business owner, former IT consultant and admitted techno-geek, I have to admit that I have not been as excited about a platform or technology like Microsoft Azure in a long time.  The sheer scale, power and flexibility of Azure, coupled with the fact that that it was designed to work well with what […]