Microsoft Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900) flashcards

A managed container orchestration service for deploying, managing, and scaling containerized applications using Kubernetes. Azure handles the management of the Kubernetes control plane.

• Managed Kubernetes offering in Azure.
• Simplifies deployment and management of containerized apps.
• Provides high availability and scalability for microservices.
• Integrates with other Azure services for networking, storage, and monitoring.

Memory trick: AKS orchestrates many containers, ACI runs one.

A cloud service model where the cloud provider hosts and manages the entire application stack, making it available to end-users over the internet.

• Ready-to-use applications
• Minimal customer management
• Subscription-based pricing

Memory trick: IAP SF: Imagine A Perfect Solution, Simply Functional

A feature of Azure Storage that encrypts data at rest by default using Microsoft-managed keys (MMK) or customer-managed keys (CMK) stored in Azure Key Vault, providing control over encryption keys.

• Encrypts data at rest in Azure Storage
• Can use Microsoft-managed keys (default)
• Can use Customer-managed keys (CMK) via Key Vault
• Ensures compliance and data sovereignty

Memory trick: Encrypting storage is like putting your data in a safe, with keys you control.

Cloud capabilities are available over the network and accessed through standard mechanisms that promote use by heterogeneous thin or thick client platforms.

• Accessible over the internet
• Uses standard network mechanisms
• Supports various client devices

Memory trick: BROAD access is like a wide internet HIGHWAY for all devices.

A service that provides physical servers dedicated to a single customer, allowing for hardware isolation for Azure Virtual Machines.

• Provides single-tenant physical servers for VMs.
• Offers the highest level of hardware isolation and control.
• Useful for strict compliance and regulatory requirements.

Memory trick: Dedicated Host is the 'Do Not Disturb' server.

The ability of a cloud system to automatically and dynamically adjust its computing resources (e.g., CPU, RAM, storage) to meet fluctuating demand, without human intervention.

• Scales resources up or down automatically.
• Optimizes cost by paying only for what's used.
• Crucial for unpredictable workloads.
• Often confused with scalability, which can be manual.

Memory trick: Cloud services stretch like an elastic band, always fitting the demand.

The ability of cloud providers to deploy and operate services across numerous geographical regions and availability zones worldwide, allowing customers to place applications and data closer to their users for lower latency and improved resilience.

• Deploy services in multiple regions
• Reduces latency for global users
• Enhances disaster recovery and resilience

Memory trick: GLOBAL REACH means your cloud is a 'world traveler', always near your users.

A cloud deployment model where the cloud infrastructure is provisioned for exclusive use by a single organization, comprising multiple consumers.

• Dedicated infrastructure, not shared
• Highest control over security and data
• Can be on-premises or off-premises

Memory trick: Private cloud is your own locked-down digital mansion.

Azure Synapse Analytics is a limitless analytics service that brings together data integration, enterprise data warehousing, and big data analytics.

• Unifies data warehousing and big data analytics.
• Offers various engines: SQL, Spark, Data Explorer.
• Supports data integration pipelines (Data Factory capabilities).

Memory trick: Synapse Analytics is the 'Grand Central Station' for all your data, connecting everything for analysis.

The ability to rapidly provision, de-provision, scale, and configure computing resources to meet changing business demands.

• Fast resource deployment
• Quick response to market changes
• Enables rapid iteration and innovation

Memory trick: Agility is the cloud's 'speed demon' for resources.

A suite of developer services that provide an end-to-end solution for planning, developing, testing, delivering, and operating software. It includes Azure Pipelines for CI/CD.

• Comprehensive developer services
• Includes Azure Pipelines for CI/CD
• Integrates with GitHub and other VCS
• Supports Agile planning (Azure Boards)

Memory trick: DevOps is the complete factory for your code, from idea to deployment.

A serverless compute service that enables you to run small pieces of code (functions) in response to events without explicitly provisioning or managing infrastructure.

• Serverless compute.
• Event-driven execution.
• Automatic scaling.
• Consumption-based billing (pay per execution).

Memory trick: Functions are like tiny, powerful robots that wake up only when needed.

The cloud computing benefit of minimizing or eliminating large upfront costs for IT infrastructure by paying for resources on a consumption model.

• Avoids purchasing physical hardware
• Shifts costs from CapEx to OpEx
• Enables pay-as-you-go pricing

Memory trick: Cloud saves cash, makes you fast, and reaches far.

A cloud execution model where the cloud provider dynamically manages the allocation and provisioning of servers. Developers write and deploy code (functions) which are executed in response to events, and they are billed only for the resources consumed during execution.

• No server management required by the developer.
• Automatic scaling of functions.
• Pay-per-execution (consumption-based billing).
• Ideal for event-driven architectures and microservices.

Memory trick: Serverless: Your code runs, but the servers are invisible and you only pay for the magic.

A fully managed platform-as-a-service (PaaS) for building, deploying, and scaling web apps and APIs.

• Supports multiple languages and frameworks (e.g., .NET, Java, Node.js, Python).
• Built-in autoscaling, continuous deployment, and high availability.
• Integrated with Azure DevOps and GitHub.

Memory trick: App Service is the 'Application's Best Friend'.

Microsoft's globally distributed, multi-model database service for managing data at planet-scale with guaranteed high availability and low latency.

• Globally distributed.
• Multi-master replication.
• Multi-model (document, key-value, graph, column-family).
• Guaranteed low latency and high availability.

Memory trick: Cosmos is for global, fast, and flexible data needs.

A cloud computing environment that combines a private cloud with one or more public cloud services, with proprietary software enabling communication between the two distinct environments.

• Mixes private and public cloud
• Enables workload portability
• Offers flexibility and compliance

Memory trick: Hybrids combine home and public for the best ride.

Azure Event Hubs is a highly scalable data streaming platform and event ingestion service capable of processing millions of events per second.

• Designed for high-throughput data ingestion.
• Supports real-time analytics pipelines.
• Acts as a 'front door' for data pipelines.

Memory trick: Event Hubs acts like a giant funnel, catching every drop of data from a flood of events.

The ability of cloud providers to offer services, resources, and data centers in numerous geographic regions and availability zones across the world. This enables applications to be deployed closer to users for lower latency and helps meet regional data residency requirements.

• Worldwide presence of data centers
• Low latency for global users
• Supports data residency and compliance needs

Memory trick: Global reach means your cloud is everywhere on Earth.

An Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) offering that provides on-demand, scalable computing resources. VMs allow you to run operating systems and applications just like a physical computer.

• Provides full control over the operating system.
• Can run Windows or Linux distributions.
• Charged based on usage (compute, storage, networking).
• Suitable for lift-and-shift migrations or custom application hosting.

Memory trick: VMs are like your own computer in the cloud.

A set of technologies that extends Azure management capabilities and services to any infrastructure, including on-premises, multi-cloud, and edge environments.

• Extends Azure management plane.
• Manages servers, Kubernetes clusters, data services.
• Works across on-premises, multi-cloud, and edge.
• Integrates with Azure Policy, Monitor, Security Center.

Memory trick: Azure Arc is the bridge that connects all your different cloud and on-prem islands to Azure.

A serverless Azure service that allows you to run Docker containers directly in Azure without provisioning virtual machines or managing orchestrators.

• Fully managed compute environment for containers.
• Ideal for isolated, burstable, and simple container workloads.
• Pay per second of container runtime.

Memory trick: ACI makes containers 'fly' without a 'pilot'.

Containers that help you manage access, policy, and compliance across multiple Azure subscriptions. They provide a hierarchical structure that is above individual subscriptions.

• Organize subscriptions into a hierarchical structure.
• Apply policies and access controls at an enterprise scale.
• Inheritance of policies and RBAC roles down the hierarchy.
• Maximum of six levels of depth (including the root management group).

Memory trick: Management Groups manage many subscriptions, subscriptions manage many resources.

The ability of cloud computing resources to be provisioned and de-provisioned quickly and automatically to scale up or down in response to fluctuating demand.

• Automated scaling of resources
• Handles unpredictable workloads
• Optimizes cost and performance

Memory trick: Elastic clouds stretch to fit any load, fast!

A cloud deployment model where computing services are delivered over the public internet by a third-party provider. Resources are shared among multiple tenants, and services are typically offered on a pay-as-you-go basis.

• Shared infrastructure among many users.
• High scalability and elasticity.
• Lower capital expenditure, pay-as-you-go pricing.
• Managed by the cloud provider, reducing operational burden.

Memory trick: Public cloud is like a shared utility: pay for what you use, no ownership worries.

A framework outlining the security responsibilities between a cloud provider and a customer in a PaaS environment.

• Provider: OS, network, physical security
• Customer: Applications, data, access management
• Shared: Network controls, identity management

Memory trick: PaaS: Provider handles Platform, You handle Your Apps and Data.

A cloud-hosted solution back end to connect virtually any IoT device securely to the cloud.

• Enables bidirectional communication (device-to-cloud and cloud-to-device).
• Supports millions of devices and high-volume telemetry ingestion.
• Provides device identity registry and security features.

Memory trick: IoT Hub is the 'Heart' of your IoT solution.

A logical grouping capability for VMs that ensures that the VMs are placed across multiple isolated hardware nodes in a datacenter. This protects against failures within the datacenter.

• Distributes VMs across fault domains (physical server racks).
• Distributes VMs across update domains (groups that can be rebooted together).
• Provides resilience against single points of failure within a datacenter.
• Ensures automatic movement to healthy hosts during hardware failures.

Memory trick: Availability Sets for datacenter, Zones for regions, Regions for global.

Scalability is the ability to handle increased workload by adding resources. Elasticity is the ability to automatically and dynamically adjust resources to meet fluctuating demand, typically scaling down when demand decreases to save costs.

• Scalability ensures performance under high load.
• Elasticity optimizes cost by matching resources to current demand.
• Crucial for applications with unpredictable or seasonal traffic patterns.
• Contributes to high availability and cost-effectiveness.

Memory trick: Cloud saves cash, grows fast, and keeps you safe.

An Azure service that enables disaster recovery by orchestrating replication, failover, and failback of workloads to Azure.

• Supports replication of Azure VMs, on-premises VMs (VMware, Hyper-V), and physical servers.
• Provides recovery plans for orchestrating failover.
• Ensures business continuity with minimal RTO (Recovery Time Objective) and RPO (Recovery Point Objective).

Memory trick: Site Recovery 'Saves' your site from disaster.

A cloud deployment model where the infrastructure is exclusively operated for a single organization, providing ultimate control, security, and isolation, often including direct management of physical hardware.

• Dedicated infrastructure for one organization
• Highest level of security and control
• Can be on-premises or off-premises, but always dedicated

Memory trick: Private cloud is your agency's fortress, all yours.

The concept that digital data is subject to the laws and governance structures of the country in which it is stored. This is crucial for compliance with data residency regulations.

• Data is governed by local laws
• Impacts data storage location decisions
• Essential for regulatory compliance (e.g., GDPR)

Memory trick: DATA SOVEREIGNTY means your data is a citizen of its country, following its laws.

A fully managed relational database service in Azure, based on the Microsoft SQL Server engine.

• Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) offering.
• Automatic patching, backups, and high availability.
• Scalable and secure.

Memory trick: SQL DB is the 'Easy Button' for SQL.

The cloud's capability to deploy and operate resources across multiple geographically dispersed regions and data centers worldwide.

• Low latency for global users
• Data residency compliance
• Disaster recovery across regions

Memory trick: Cloud benefits are a GLAMOURous SCALABILITY story.

The ability of a cloud system to automatically and dynamically adjust the provisioned computing capacity to match the current workload demand, scaling up or down as needed.

• Automatic scaling of resources
• Responds to real-time demand
• Optimizes cost and performance

Memory trick: Elasticity stretches like a rubber band for your cloud.

A cloud characteristic where resource usage is monitored, controlled, and reported, providing transparency for both the provider and consumer. This enables a 'pay-as-you-go' billing model.

• Resource usage is tracked and metered
• Enables pay-per-use billing
• Provides transparency and cost optimization

Memory trick: Measured service is like a utility meter for your cloud bill.

The ability of a cloud system to recover from failures and continue to function, often achieved through redundancy, fault tolerance, and disaster recovery.

• Ensures continuous operation
• Includes disaster recovery planning
• Leverages redundant infrastructure

Memory trick: When the cloud is RELIABLE, your business keeps running smooth, even through storms.

High availability (HA) refers to systems designed to operate continuously without failure for a long time, minimizing downtime by using redundancy and failover mechanisms.

• Ensures continuous operation of services.
• Achieved through redundancy, replication, and failover.
• Critical for mission-critical applications.

Memory trick: Always Up, Always On: cloud's promise of resilience.

The ability of cloud providers to offer services and deploy resources across many distinct physical locations (regions and availability zones) around the world.

• Reduces latency for users by placing resources closer.
• Enables compliance with data residency laws.
• Provides disaster recovery capabilities across regions.
• Increases fault tolerance and business continuity.

Memory trick: Cloud's global reach solves latency for users and laws for data.