What is Microsoft Azure Stack? Services and products

What is Microsoft Azure Stack?

Azure Stack is an extension of Microsoft Azure available from the local data center. It lets you build, deploy, and operate advanced cloud applications while maintaining high elasticity, efficiency and control. Both services have compatible API and almost identical administration panel what makes the hybrid infrastructure management easier and quicker.

Azure Stack operates in a unified model with the same architecture style as the Azure platform. The service can be implemented in the connected mode to ensure the maximum integrity with the Microsoft global solution.

When choosing Azure Stack you can be sure, that your recourses are located at particular Data Center. Thanks to that, as an example, personal data which need to be processed on the territory of the European Union, are placed in one precise location, under the Polish address.

What are Azure Stack offers?

Provider as the Cloud Service Provider creates public offers (available to all clients) as well as private offers (assigned only to particular companies). The offers consist of plans and plans consist of quotas, which define the limits of resources that a user subscription can provide or consume. Quotas under the offer are defined by provider as the Cloud Service Provider, but Microsoft also defines global limits which apply to the providers. Those limits are related to i.a. maximum capacity and maximum number of virtual machines. The infrastructure can be built within the designated parameters.

What are the limitations of Azure Stack in comparison to the Azure global cloud?

Currently not all functionalities available in Azure are also possible in Azure Stack. Nevertheless, the list is constantly growing along with subsequent Microsoft updates.

Selected Azure Stack functions:

  • Azure Virtual Machines,
  • Azure App Service,
  • Azure Storge,
  • Azure Functions,
  • Azure LoadBalancer,
  • Azure Virtual Network,
  • Azure VPN Gateway,
  • Azure MS SQL Database,
  • Azure SQL Database for MySQL.

What are the advantages of Azure Stack over Azure?

Azure Stack enables to create a consistent, hybrid cloud environment with an option to store data with the local partner. Thanks to it, as an example, personal data which need to be processed on the territory of the European Union, are placed in one precise location, under the Polish address. It also enables different types of audits to be conducted.

Azure Stack products

Azure Stack simplifies the deployment and management of applications in the cloud and accelerate their development thanks to fully managed database services

Azure Kubernetes Service

Azure Kubernetes Service is a service that runs and manages containers based on Kubernetes. It helps you deploy containerized applications in Azure or Azure Stack cloud in a quick and easy way and manage them without container orchestration expertise. This service enables you to dynamically scale your application infrastructure with confidence and agility.

  • Easy Kubernetes platform deployment and management
  • Easy migration of existing applications to containers
  • Quick development of containerized applications
  • Confident scaling and running the application
  • Easy integration of Kubernetes platform with Azure and Azure Stack platform

Azure Service Fabric

Azure Service Fabric is a distributed systems platform that makes it easy to package, deploy and manage scalable and reliable microservices and containers. It also addresses the complex challenges related to the infrastructure so that you can focus on implementing mission-critical, demanding workloads.

  • Easy microservices development and application lifecycle management
  • Reliable scalability as well as containers and microservices orchestration
  • Running any solution – your choice of languages and programming models
  • The guarantee of low latency and high efficiency on a large scale
  • Scaling up to thousands of machines

Azure SQL Database – Database as a Service

Azure SQL Database is a relational cloud database service based on the latest version of Microsoft SQL Server Database Engine. It enables to migrate your SQL Server databases without changing your apps. This service helps you build data-driven applications and websites in the programming language of your choice, without needing to manage infrastructure.

  • Compliance with the latest version of SQL Server Database Engine
  • Easy scaling and sharding large databases in small parts in order to improve performance of applications
  • Business continuity guaranteed – built-in high availability and automated backup

Azure Database for MySQL – Database as a Service

Azure Database for MySQL is a relational database service based on the open source MySQL Server engine. It is a fully-managed, ready-to-use database as a service, which helps you easily lift and shift to the cloud, using languages and frameworks of your choice.

  • High availability and dynamic scaling
  • Popular open source languages of your choice
  • Flexible pricing model so you can choose resources for your workload with no hidden cost