Azure Computer Pricing and Features Overview

Azure offers a range of virtual machine sizes, from small to large, to suit various needs.

The pricing for Azure Virtual Machines is based on the number of vCPUs, memory, and storage, with costs starting at $0.0025 per hour for a small VM.

You can choose from various operating systems, including Windows, Linux, and SQL Server, to run on your Azure Virtual Machines.

Azure also offers a pay-as-you-go pricing model, which allows you to only pay for what you use, with no upfront costs or long-term commitments.

The cost of Azure Storage is based on the amount of data stored, with prices starting at $0.022 per GB per month for hot storage.

Azure's cost and pricing model is primarily based on a PAYG (Pay-As-You-Go) model, which charges users based on their actual usage. This means you only pay for what you need, without any upfront costs or long-term commitments.

Azure Virtual Desktop offers a cost-effective solution by allowing you to pay only for what you need, with usage-based pricing and other cost optimization options. You can also take advantage of existing eligible Windows or Microsoft 365 per-user licenses to minimize costs.

Azure offers a pricing calculator that helps you estimate your expected monthly costs for using any combination of Azure products. This tool is a great way to get an idea of what you'll be paying before you start using Azure.

To give you a better idea of the cost, here are some examples of Azure's pricing tiers and discounts:

Azure uses a PAYG pricing model, charging based on usage, but can get complicated when multiple services are involved, leading to a higher total cost.

You only pay for what you need with Azure Virtual Desktop, which is a cost-effective option for remote work and virtual desktop infrastructure.

Azure offers a discounted rate for long-term commitments, such as compute instances, which can save users up to 80 percent on VM costs.

Azure-native tools, like Azure Cost Management, can help monitor and optimize cloud spending, giving you a better understanding of your costs.

To estimate your expected monthly costs, use the Azure pricing calculator, which allows you to input your specific usage and get a quote.

Entry-level VMs, like A-series VMs, are economical options for development and test workloads, providing a low-cost way to get started with Azure.

Bs-series VMs are another economical option, designed for workloads that need to burst to higher CPU utilization, making them ideal for development and test servers, low-traffic web servers, and small databases.

Here are some key points to keep in mind when it comes to pricing and costs on Azure:

Azure's pricing model can be complex, with many interdependent cloud services and resources involved, but with the right tools and strategies, you can minimize costs and get the most out of your Azure investment.

The competition in the cloud market is fierce, with major players like Google Cloud, AWS, Oracle, and IBM Cloud vying for dominance alongside Microsoft Azure.

Microsoft Azure is one of several major public cloud service providers operating on a large global scale. This means businesses have a wide range of options to choose from when deciding which cloud provider to use.

Currently, there is a lack of standardization among cloud services and capabilities, making it difficult for businesses to use more than one public cloud provider when pursuing a multi-cloud strategy.

Cloud providers rely on APIs and other integrations to handle provisioning and services in a programmatic manner, which can make it challenging for businesses to migrate workloads from one cloud to another. Third-party cloud management tools can help alleviate some of these challenges.

To deploy a virtual machine on Azure, you'll need to navigate to Virtual Machines and click the "Add" button to start creating a new one. This process begins with configuring the basics of your VM, including its name, location, and size.

You can choose from different disk types, such as Standard HDD, Standard SSD, or Premium SSD, and adjust the OS disk size according to your needs. For practice purposes, it's recommended to choose Standard SSD.

Before deploying the virtual machine, review all your configuration settings to ensure accuracy and validate that your selections align with your intended VM setup. This step is crucial to avoid any potential issues during deployment.

If you're looking to modernize your Citrix or VMware deployment, you have a couple of options.

Citrix customers can deploy Windows 11 and Windows 10 Enterprise multi-session on Azure Virtual Machines. This is a great way to give your users a seamless and efficient experience.

VMware customers can also take advantage of this feature, deploying Windows 11 and Windows 10 Enterprise multi-session on Azure Virtual Machines. This provides a flexible and scalable solution for your organization.

To get started with either Citrix or VMware, you can download the respective apps from the links provided.

You've made it to the final step - deploying the virtual machine. Now you have successfully deployed the Virtual Machine in your Virtual Network.

To ensure a smooth deployment, it's essential to review all your configuration settings to ensure accuracy. Review all your configuration settings to ensure accuracy.

You can deploy your virtual machine in any region closest to you. Choose the data center region closest to you.

Here's a quick recap of the steps involved in deploying your virtual machine:

Choosing the right VM configuration is crucial for a smooth deployment. You'll want to select a configuration that meets your workload needs.

Under "Size", select the appropriate configuration for your VM based on CPU, memory, and storage requirements. This will ensure your VM can handle the demands of your application.

Carefully review the available sizes, as they vary in terms of CPU, memory, and storage. For example, G-series VMs feature the Intel Xeon processor E5 v3 family, two times more memory, and four times more Solid State Drive storage (SSDs) than the General Purpose D-series.

G-series VMs provide unparalleled computational performance, memory, and local SSD storage for demanding applications. These include large SQL and NoSQL databases, ERP, SAP, and data warehousing solutions.

If you're looking for storage optimized virtual machines, consider the Ls-series VMs. They're ideal for applications requiring low latency, high throughput, and large local disk storage.

Here's a brief comparison of the G-series and Ls-series VMs:

The Ls-series VMs are built on Intel Haswell processor technology and support up to 6 TB of local SSD. They're perfect for applications like NoSQL databases, data warehousing, and large transactional databases.

Network Configuration is a crucial step in setting up your Azure deployment. You'll want to choose an existing virtual network and subnet or create new ones to get started.

To configure your network, you'll need to assign a public IP address if needed. This will allow your resources to communicate with the internet.

Network security groups are also essential for controlling traffic. By configuring these groups, you can ensure that only authorized traffic reaches your resources.

Here's a quick rundown of the key network configuration options:

By following these steps, you'll be able to set up a secure and efficient network configuration for your Azure deployment.

Management and Monitoring is a crucial step in the deployment and configuration process. It's where you enable diagnostic settings for monitoring, which allows you to keep an eye on your system's performance and identify potential issues before they become major problems.

To start, under the "Management" tab, enable diagnostic settings for monitoring. This will give you a wealth of information about your system's behavior and performance.

Configure boot diagnostics for troubleshooting, which will help you identify any issues that occur during the boot process. This can be a real lifesaver if you're experiencing problems with your system.

Exploring extensions can also add extra functionality to your system, making it easier to manage and monitor. Some extensions may provide additional diagnostic tools, while others may offer more advanced monitoring capabilities.

Here are some key things to keep in mind when configuring management and monitoring settings:

In the left-hand menu, select "Create a resource" > "Networking" > "Route table." This will take you to the route table creation page. Name the route table, choose the appropriate subscription and resource group, and select the region.

Inside the route table, define a custom route to direct traffic to the internet. To do this, navigate to your Virtual Network and select the subnet associated with your virtual machine (likely the public subnet).

You can then choose the recently created route table under the "Route table" section. This will ensure that your virtual machine can access the internet for tasks such as updates, software installations, and communication with external services.