Azure Virtual Machines (VMs) are a core part of Azure’s Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) offering. They let you run full software environments in the cloud, with the flexibility to choose your operating system, software, and configurations.
What Are Azure Virtual Machines?
A virtual machine is a software-based emulation of a physical computer. It includes:
- A virtual processor
- Memory (RAM)
- Storage, such as managed disks
- Networking components
You can deploy a VM in minutes, and it behaves just like a physical machine.
For resources which are required with VMs, go to AZ-900: Describe the resources required for virtual machines.
With VMs, you have full control over:
- The operating system (Windows or Linux)
- Installed software and runtime environments
- Security configurations, firewalls, and updates
Azure allows you to scale your VM workloads efficiently using Virtual Machine Scale Sets. This feature lets you deploy and manage multiple VMs as a group, allowing them to scale up or down based on demand.
When to Use Virtual Machines
Azure VMs are useful in a wide range of scenarios:
- Development and testing environments where you need to start and stop systems quickly.
- Handling sudden increases in demand, such as high-traffic web events.
- Disaster recovery strategies that rely on quickly recreating environments in the cloud.
- Lift-and-shift migrations, where existing on-premises applications are moved to Azure with minimal changes.
- Extending your on-premises network into Azure to create a hybrid cloud model.
Click here for more information about Virtual Machines.
Conclusion
Azure Virtual Machines offer flexibility, control, and power for running workloads in the cloud. Whether you need just one machine or thousands, VMs let you build, test, and scale with confidence.
Want to start using Azure Virtual Machines effectively? Watch our AZ-900 video course at https://idodata.com/az-900-microsoft-azure-fundamentals/, or go back to our AZ-900 Topic List.
Please click here to find out more about Microsoft’s AZ-900 exam.
