Phase 2: Implementing IaaS & PaaS Solutions

Welcome to Phase 2, where we begin the practical application of Azure compute services. Building upon your foundational knowledge from Phase 1, this section marks a pivotal shift into implementing and managing Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) and Platform as a Service (PaaS) solutions.

This phase is crucial for the AZ-204 exam, which demands not just recall, but the ability to implement, manage, and configure various Azure compute solutions. We'll explore architectural patterns and best practices that ensure your applications are deployed securely, scalably, and efficiently, whether you need full infrastructure control or prefer managed platform services. The focus here is on comprehension and practical application, enabling you to build robust compute solutions.

Scenario: You're tasked with deploying different types of applications to Azure: a legacy application that requires full control over the operating system, a new web API that needs automatic scaling without server management, and event-driven microservices.

Reflection Question: How does understanding the distinct operational models and use cases for IaaS (Virtual Machines) and PaaS (App Service, Functions, Containers) fundamentally guide your architectural choices for optimal control, scalability, and cost efficiency for diverse application workloads?