Working at the Microsoft Innovation Hub has given me hands-on experience with Azure Virtual Machines in enterprise environments. Here are key lessons I’ve learned about VM management at scale.
VM Sizing and Performance
Choosing the right VM size is critical for both performance and cost:
- B-series: Best for dev/test workloads with burstable CPU
- D-series: General purpose computing with consistent performance
- E-series: Memory-optimized for databases and in-memory analytics
- F-series: Compute-optimized for batch processing
Hybrid Cloud Considerations
Many enterprises run hybrid environments. Key areas to address:
- Identity/Governance: Azure AD integration with on-premises AD
- Networking: Site-to-site VPN or ExpressRoute for secure connectivity
- Storage: Azure Files for seamless file sharing across environments
Automation with PowerShell
Automating VM operations saves time and reduces errors:
# Start multiple VMs by tag
$vms = Get-AzVM | Where-Object {$_.Tags["Environment"] -eq "Demo"}
foreach ($vm in $vms) {
Start-AzVM -ResourceGroupName $vm.ResourceGroupName -Name $vm.Name
}Monitoring and Alerting
Enable VM insights for:
- Performance metrics (CPU, memory, disk)
- Connection monitoring
- Dependency mapping
Security Best Practices
- Enable Azure Disk Encryption
- Use Managed Disks for automatic encryption
- Implement NSGs with least-privilege access
- Enable Microsoft Defender for Cloud
These practices have helped me maintain reliable demo environments while ensuring security and cost efficiency.