Azure Cloud Platform and Services

Microsoft Azure is a comprehensive cloud platform providing infrastructure, platform, and software services for building modern applications. This collection covers Azure services, deployment patterns, cost optimization, and practical cloud architecture decisions for organizations adopting Azure.

Azure Services and Strategic Use

Azure encompasses hundreds of services spanning compute, storage, networking, databases, AI/ML, integration, and analytics. Effective cloud architects understand not just what services exist, but when to use them and when alternatives are more appropriate.

Compute Services range from virtual machines for lift-and-shift migrations, to App Service for web applications, to container services and serverless options. The choice depends on workload characteristics, team expertise, and operational requirements.

Data Services include relational databases, NoSQL options, data warehousing, and analytics platforms. Each makes specific trade-offs about consistency, scalability, query patterns, and operational complexity.

Integration and Messaging services connect applications, enable asynchronous workflows, and support event-driven architectures.

Cloud Adoption and Operations

Articles in this section cover Azure service selection, infrastructure as code with Bicep and Terraform, cost management strategies, security and compliance, and operational patterns for production Azure workloads. Topics include migration strategies, hybrid scenarios, and designing for Azure’s specific capabilities.

The emphasis remains practical: understanding Azure options, making informed architectural choices, and avoiding vendor lock-in decisions made without deliberation.

Observability in AKS CNI Overlay: When Pod IPs Hide Behind Nodes

CNI Overlay masks pod IPs behind node IPs through SNAT, breaking traditional observability. Network logs show nodes, application logs show pods. Without Container Insights, correlation IDs, and distributed tracing, you’re debugging blind. SNAT port exhaustion mimics network failures, and timestamp-based correlation is fragile. The cost of proper monitoring is trivial compared to debugging outbound connectivity at 3 AM without visibility.

Your Azure SQL Is Public Right Now. ISO 27017 Demands You Fix It

That SQL Server you deployed last week? Publicly accessible. That Storage Account? Same story. Azure defaults are security theater. ISO 27017 calls this a compliance violation, and your next audit will too. Stop trusting “cloud-native” to mean “secure” and start implementing VNets, Private Endpoints, and NSGs before your data becomes someone else’s problem.

AKS Cost Optimization: Resource Governance That Actually Works

AKS costs are brutally simple: node sizing, pod density, workload sprawl, and reserved capacity. If you don’t have visibility and governance, your cloud bill will punch you in the face—usually when it’s too late to react without pain. I’ve watched teams scramble to cut costs after the invoice lands, breaking production in the process. This guide is for practitioners who want to avoid that mess. No theory, no vendor fluff: just what actually works to keep AKS costs under control without sacrificing reliability.

Storage Architecture & Stateful Workloads in AKS

Stateful workloads in Kubernetes require understanding PersistentVolume architecture, Azure storage trade-offs, and backup strategies. This article covers PVC/PV patterns, Azure Disk vs Files performance profiles, Velero backup configurations, and multi-cluster replication patterns based on production experience.

Your appsettings.json Is a Compliance Violation

Hardcoded secrets aren’t just bad practice—they’re ISO 27017 violations with real consequences: failed audits, denied insurance claims, contractual penalties. That connection string in your appsettings.Production.json? It represents a compliance gap your organization probably doesn’t even know exists. Azure Key Vault with Managed Identity isn’t an optional security enhancement—it’s the minimum viable implementation of standards you already claim to follow.

Audit Logging That Survives Your Next Security Incident

Your audit logs probably won’t survive a real security incident. Most implementations log too much, protect too little, and provide zero value when something breaks at 2 AM. Here’s how to fix that with structured logging that actually works.

AKS Cluster Upgrades: Zero-Downtime Operations That Actually Work

AKS cluster upgrades involve node replacement and pod eviction, which can cause service disruption without proper controls. This article explains cordon and drain mechanics, Pod Disruption Budget configuration, and multi-node-pool rollout strategies with validation-driven automation for reliable zero-downtime upgrades.

Why ISO Standards Actually Matter for .NET Developers

Cloud-native .NET development has transformed ISO/IEC 27001, 27017, and 27701 from abstract compliance requirements into concrete daily coding decisions. This guide shows .NET developers how security standards directly map to Azure Key Vault integration, Azure AD authentication, and proper logging—with real code examples demonstrating compliant vs. non-compliant implementations.

Pod Identity & Access Control in AKS: What Actually Breaks

Traditional AKS authentication relied on service principals and mounted secrets. Workload Identity Federation eliminates credential lifecycle problems, but introduces new failure modes. This article covers the operational realities: where credentials still leak, how RBAC layers compound across Kubernetes and Azure, and validation patterns that prevent identity failures in production.

AKS Network Policies: The Security Layer Your Cluster Is Missing

Network segmentation is a fundamental security control for modern Kubernetes environments. AKS supports multiple networking models such as kubenet, Azure CNI, and overlay CNIs. The networking model matters, but the decisive factor for enforcing isolation and compliance is the consistent application of network policies.

This article describes how network policies work in AKS, the available engines, practical examples, and recommended practices for enforcing a zero-trust posture within a cluster.

AKS Networking Clash: kubenet vs. CNI vs. CNI Overlay

Selecting the right network model is arguably one of the most critical architectural decisions you will make when deploying a Kubernetes cluster on Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS). This choice ripples through nearly every aspect of your cluster’s lifecycle, influencing how pods communicate, how efficiently you use your IP address space, which Azure services integrate seamlessly with your workloads, and ultimately, how well your infrastructure scales to meet future demands. It affects scalability, security posture, operational cost, performance characteristics, available integration options, and your long-term operational flexibility.

Reimagining the Microsoft Certification Exam UI Experience

Embark on a journey through Microsoft’s redesigned certification exam UI. Discover streamlined navigation, enhanced accessibility, and personalized experiences, revolutionizing the exam-taking experience.