Throughout the series, we’ll explore both popular and lesser-known Azure services. Our journey will cover a wide range of topics including:
- IaaS, PaaS, SaaS – what does it all mean?
- How businesses can build, deploy, and manage applications through Azure.
- The benefits of using Azure, including its scalability, flexibility, and cost-effectiveness.
These practical guides will shine a light on networking, virtual machines, Logic Apps, Kubernetes, Azure’s newer AI features, and all sorts of other concepts.
Our aim is to get you moving with Azure and help you understand the next steps for Azure certifications. We’ll introduce you to totally free services you can use, alongside those free for the first 12 months, alongside the $200 Azure credits offer. (If you’re sensible with them, they can last quite a while.)
First things first – let’s get you started using the platform.
Day one: account setup and your first look at the portal
To begin with, you’ll want to use Google / Bing to search for “Azure trial.” Click on the azure.microsoft.com link and follow the steps to create your free Azure account.
On the starter page, you’ll see a list of services. Some are free for 12 months, and over 55 of the other services are always free. You should also see the promotion for $200 in free Azure credits that you can start with – jackpot.
If you manage it wisely, this $200 credit can last quite a while. While it is possible to eat through it pretty quickly, if you’re sensible it can last a few months. Shutting down and deallocating VMs when not using them will definitely help extend its lifetime. After it’s done, you’ll still have a lot of free services to use. And the spending limit means that your services should be disabled when you hit the cap, rather than accruing a massive bill if you’ve spun up a thousand VMs just for fun.
Getting started with Azure
Let’s begin with your account setup. You’ll start by logging in with a pre-existing or new Microsoft account. Then, you’ll be asked to give a phone number for authentication, and enter bank card details (you shouldn’t be charged at this stage).
You’ll then land on the Azure portal page. Here, you can customise your Azure portal experience by adjusting appearance settings and startup views to your preference. That’ll include menu layouts, light mode / dark mode, and so on.
Exploring the Azure Portal
The portal is your first stop in finding exactly what you need. You can use the portal to explore services alphabetically via the list, or you can use the search feature to go straight to what you want. Here you can also adjust settings like language, regional format, and the default directory.
We’d recommend having a good browse through the various services, especially focusing on the free ones to start with. What interests you? What might you need in future? What’s Azure capable of? Now’s a good time to start exploring the answer.
So there you go – you’ve taken the crucial first steps on Azure, the world’s greatest cloud platform.
What’s next in our Azure Masterclass series
Our next article will take you through setting up Azure Groups and Resources.
Throughout the rest of this Azure Masterclass series, we’ll go through some of the most important features and services Azure has to offer. We’ll explore Azure Active Directory, Cosmos DB, MS SQL, Kubernetes, DevOps, and more, along with CI/CD and demo pipelines
Security and management topics will include Azure Lighthouse, Key Vault, management groups, and how to set them up properly.
On the storage front, we’ll look into storage accounts, blob storage, Azure Files, Data Factory, and Logic Apps.
We’ll also go deeper into Azure Virtual Desktop, virtual networks (of which you can have up to 50 for free), VPN gateways, and an in-depth look at Azure virtual machines for both Windows and Linux.
We’ll also cover right-sizing your VMs, setting up DNS servers, and more.
Stick with us for more Azure
Azure is the best platform to host your cloud-powered work life.
At Synextra, we’re a boutique team of elite cloud specialists. We’re here to help you navigate the complexities of Azure. If you have any questions about Azure services, feel free to drop us a message.
