Understanding Azure Arc Cost and Management

Azure Arc is a service offered by Microsoft that allows you to manage and govern hybrid cloud environments. Azure Arc enables you to deploy and manage Azure services on-premises, at the edge, or in other clouds.

You can use Azure Arc to manage your costs by setting budgets and tracking expenses. This is especially useful if you have a large and complex environment to manage.

Azure Arc provides a single pane of glass to view and manage your costs across multiple environments. This can save you time and reduce errors by eliminating the need to log in to multiple systems.

By using Azure Arc, you can also get better visibility into your costs and make more informed decisions about your cloud spend.

Azure Arc doesn't come with an additional charge, but you may need to pay for integrated services used within it.

Azure control plane functionality and Azure update management are provided for Azure Arc resources at no extra cost.

Some services, like Azure policy configuration for guests, come with a price tag - $6 per server per month for inventory tracking, state configuration, and change tracking.

For Kubernetes clusters, the first six vCPUs are free, but additional vCPUs are charged at a rate of $2 per vCPU per month.

Azure Arc is a cost-effective solution, but it's essential to understand the pricing model. Azure Arc is promoted as coming at no additional charge, but customers may need to pay for integrated services they use.

Some services, like Azure control plane functionality and Azure update management, are provided for Azure Arc resources free of charge. This means you can use these services without incurring any extra costs.

However, other services, such as Azure policy configuration for guests, come with a price tag. For instance, inventory tracking, state configuration, and change tracking are charged at a rate of $6/Server/Month.

Kubernetes clusters also have a pricing model. The first six vCPUs are free, which is a great starting point. But if you need more, you'll be charged $2/vCPU/Month for each additional vCPU.

Azure Arc is a cost-effective solution, but it's essential to understand the pricing model. Azure Arc itself doesn't come with an additional charge, but you may need to pay for integrated services used in Azure Arc.

Some services, like Azure control plane functionality and Azure update management, are provided for free. On the other hand, services like Azure policy configuration for guests are charged at $6 per server per month.

The pricing for Azure policy configuration is calculated per server, not per resource. This means that if you have multiple resources on a single server, you'll only pay $6 per month for the entire server.

Azure Arc also offers a free tier for Kubernetes clusters, with the first six vCPUs included. Additional vCPUs are charged at $2 per vCPU per month. This can add up quickly, so it's essential to plan your cluster accordingly.

Understanding the pricing for Azure Arc can help you make informed decisions about your cloud strategy. By knowing what you'll be charged for, you can avoid unexpected costs and stay within your budget.

Azure Arc offers Extended Security Updates for Windows Server 2012/R2 and SQL Server 2012/2014, allowing organizations to deploy updates in on-premises or multicloud environments from the Azure portal.

These updates are available at a pay-as-you-go subscription model, giving more flexibility to organizations. Extended Security Updates will be available for free for customers on Azure, including workloads running on Azure Virtual Machines, Azure Dedicated Host, Azure VMWare Solutions, Nutanix Cloud Clusters on Azure, and Azure Stack Hub/Edge/HCI.

Azure Update Manager is a unified service to help manage and govern updates for all your machines. It monitors Windows and Linux update compliance across your deployments in Azure, on-premises, and on other cloud platforms from a single dashboard.

Azure Update Manager is available at no extra charge for managing Azure VMs and Arc-enabled Azure Stack HCI VMs. For Arc-enabled servers, it is charged at a daily prorated value which amounts to $5/server/month (assuming 31 days of connected usage).

Here's a breakdown of the costs associated with Azure Update Manager:

Azure Update Manager is included with Azure benefits for Azure Stack HCI, Extended Security Updates enabled by Azure Arc, and Microsoft Defender for Servers Plan 2.

Azure Arc offers a range of management and tooling options to help you stay on top of your infrastructure costs.

Azure Update Manager is a key component of Azure Arc's management capabilities, and it's charged at a daily prorated value of $-/server/day, which amounts to $-/server/month.

This means you'll only be charged for days when your machine is connected to Azure Arc and managed by Azure Update Manager.

Azure Update Manager is included with Azure benefits for Azure Stack HCI, Extended Security Updates enabled by Azure Arc, and Microsoft Defender for Servers Plan 2.

Azure Arc-enabled servers come with a cost, and it depends on the number of Azure management and security services you run on each server and the plan or SKU purchased.

The total monthly price of Azure Arc-enabled servers can vary, but with Microsoft Defender for Cloud Plan 2, Azure Policy guest configuration and Azure Update Manager are included at no additional cost.

With Microsoft Defender for Cloud Plan 1, you'll need to purchase Azure Policy guest configuration and Azure Update Manager separately, adding to your overall cost.

Azure Arc-enabled servers are a great way to manage your on-premises servers with Azure services.

These servers can run add-on Azure management services like Azure Update Manager and Azure Policy guest configuration, which are charged separately.

The total monthly price of Azure Arc-enabled servers depends on the number of services you run on each server and the plan or SKU purchased.

Microsoft Defender for Cloud Plan 2 includes Azure Policy guest configuration and Azure Update Manager at no additional cost.

With Microsoft Defender for Cloud Plan 1, these two services are not included and can be purchased separately.

The prices of Azure Arc-enabled servers vary depending on the services and plans you choose.

SQL Server offers a range of options for managing and licensing your database.

You can unlock Azure manageability and security with Azure Arc, even if you already have an existing SQL Server license. This means you can take advantage of features like Azure manageability and security without having to purchase a new license.

Some features may require a System Administrator (SA) to set up.

If you want to leverage a consumption-based model, you can opt for pay-as-you-go licensing for SQL Server, enabled by Azure Arc for versions 2012 and up. This allows you to pay by the hour for spikes and ad-hoc usage, eliminating the need for full upfront licensing costs.

The pay-as-you-go pricing for SQL Server is as follows:

You can use the pricing calculator for pay-as-you-go Azure Arc-enabled SQL Server to get a more accurate estimate of your costs.

Azure Arc-enabled SQL Server customers can also access additional services like Microsoft Defender for Cloud, Microsoft Purview, and Azure Log Analytics, but these come at an additional cost.

Before diving into the cost implications of Azure Arc, it's essential to consider the underlying architecture and planning required for its implementation.

The minimum supported versions in Azure Arc-enabled data service are Kubernetes v1.17 and OpenShift container platform (OCP) 4.5. This means that if your existing infrastructure is running on an older version, you may need to upgrade before deploying Azure Arc.

Azure Arc can be connected to various Kubernetes platforms, including Amazon EKS, Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS), and Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE). This flexibility is a significant advantage, but it also means that you'll need to plan for compatibility and potential integration issues.

You can connect Azure Arc to your on-premises environment using the Azure Arc jumpstart kit, which provides a streamlined process for setup and configuration. This is especially useful for organizations with limited IT resources or expertise.

Azure Arc offers two connectivity modes: directly connected and indirectly connected. Directly connected mode provides seamless management capabilities and supports role-based access control (RBAC), but it requires a direct connection to Azure over HTTPS/443 protocol.

In contrast, indirectly connected mode does not require a direct connection to Azure, but it has limited functionality and does not support RBAC. This mode is suitable for environments with limited internet connectivity, such as those in the financial, healthcare, or government sectors.

Consider the following factors when planning your Azure Arc implementation:

By carefully evaluating these factors and planning your Azure Arc implementation, you can ensure a successful deployment and minimize potential costs.

Azure Arc is a managed platform that allows you to manage and govern your resources across multiple environments, including on-premises, edge, and multicloud.

You can deploy and manage Azure Arc-enabled servers on-premises, in the cloud, or at the edge, using a consistent set of tools and APIs.

The cost of Azure Arc is based on the number of servers you deploy and the services you use, such as Azure Monitor and Azure Policy.

Azure Arc can help you reduce costs by providing a single, unified view of your resources, which can help you identify and eliminate waste.

The cost of Azure Arc is also affected by the number of regions you deploy to, with costs varying by region.

Azure Arc provides a free tier, which allows you to deploy and manage up to 10 servers for free.