The last several posts in this series have zeroed in on specific structural and technical pitfalls to avoid when getting started with Azure. In this post, let’s zoom out a bit and consider a mistake that’s more conceptual than it is technical—namely, that switching from an on-premises environment to the cloud will not exactly replicate […]

The next pitfall to avoid in setting up your Azure environment is one that trips up many organizations. If you fail to establish clear naming conventions, you will limit your team’s ability to know what’s going on, find things, and understand and manage them. So don’t start naming things “Nathan’s test” or “Bob’s system!” Here’s […]

My last posts covered structuring, securing, and controlling deployment of your Azure environment. In the realm of safety and security measures, what comes next is developing a recovery and release strategy for cloud-based applications and servers. Let’s break this down into three pieces. First, assume re-deployability and DevOps are at every level. We talk a […]

Our last posts covered structuring and securing your Azure environment. Now, we’ll focus on a topic important for its actual use: how strictly to control deployment. What people often do is create a portal between developers and Azure itself. This isn’t surprising, as it’s probably what they have on-premises: a portal that exists between developers […]

Now that your Azure Environment is effectively and properly structured, as noted in our previous post, we come across a slippery slope that must be avoided. Now that it has been created, it needs to be secured. It has become second nature to use a seatbelt, lock doors and assure the area is clear when […]

In our previous post, we discussed the challenges that surface when you do not retrain or restructure existing employees before starting your Azure implementation journey. Now that you have your team on board and organized correctly, the next step is to create an effective structure in the Azure environment. There are many badly designed structures […]

I’m presenting on Azure Operationalization at the AON Center in Chicago, November 12th from 9:00 – 12:00.  I’m presenting alongside Microsoft Midwest Chief Technologist Paul Edlund.  Join us!   https://www.eventbrite.com/e/azure-operationalization-event-tickets-51514958628