Getting Started with Azure Subscriptions

With the recent growth of cloud usage, more and more companies are searching for skilled individuals who understand how the cloud works and how it enhances a company's processes and products. One of the roles needed is an Azure administrator (operator), who is responsible for configuring various aspects of that cloud solution and keeping an eye on users, usage, and configuration.

The first and the most important element when managing systems in Azure is a subscription. You will not be able to get started with Azure without a subscription as this is the main element of that cloud solution. In this chapter, you will learn how to get an Azure subscription and configure it. We will also cover typical management tasks such as managing cost, monitoring usage, and defining quotas for services. For the more advanced topics, we will take a look at Azure Blueprints and management automation using Azure Event Grid. This chapter should give you a better understanding of how to get started with Azure from an administrator's point of view and introduce you to the most basic concepts of this cloud solution without diving into more detailed topics (which are to be described later).

The following main topics will be covered in this chapter:

• Getting an Azure subscription
• Implementing subscription policies
• Using Azure Blueprints for repeatable deploy and update operations
• Checking usage and managing quotas
• Cost monitoring and analysis
• Implementing management automation