2.1. Domain Overview: Describing Azure Architecture and Services

Describing Azure architecture and services begins with a fundamental First Principle: Azure provides a vast portfolio of services built upon a resilient global infrastructure, enabling you to design and deploy solutions that are scalable, secure, and highly available.

This domain explores the foundational elements of the Azure platform, including:

• Core Architectural Components: The global infrastructure and management hierarchy that underpins all Azure services.
• Core Azure Compute and Networking Services: The services that run your applications and connect them securely.
• Core Azure Storage Services: The various options for storing different types of data.
• Core Azure Identity, Access, and Security Services: The services that protect your resources and data.

The focus is on comprehending the purpose and primary use case of each service, which is essential for making sound architectural choices.

Scenario: A project manager asks you for a high-level overview of the main categories of services available in Azure. You need to explain the different options for compute, storage, networking, and identity.

Reflection Question: How does a broad understanding of the different service categories in Azure help you to start thinking like a solutions architect, piecing together different services to build a complete solution?

💡 Tip: Think of Azure services as building blocks. The AZ-900 exam tests whether you know what each block is for.