Managing and deploying Azure resources

📘Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900)

1. What is the Azure Portal?

The Azure Portal is a web-based interface used to create, manage, and monitor Azure resources.

It runs in a web browser.
You access it at: https://portal.azure.com
You sign in using a Microsoft account or Microsoft Entra ID account.

For the AZ-900 exam, you must understand:

What the Azure Portal is
What it is used for
Its key features
How it helps manage Azure resources
How it compares to other management tools

2. Purpose of the Azure Portal

The Azure Portal allows users to:

Create resources (like virtual machines, storage accounts, databases)
Configure settings
Monitor performance
Manage users and access
View billing information
Manage subscriptions

It is the graphical user interface (GUI) for Azure.

In an IT environment, administrators use the Azure Portal to:

Deploy a new virtual machine for a testing team
Configure a storage account for backups
Monitor CPU usage of production servers
Assign access permissions to employees
Review monthly cloud spending

3. Azure Portal Interface Overview

The Azure Portal is customizable and organized into different sections.

A. Dashboard

The Dashboard is the main screen after login.

It displays:

Resource summaries
Monitoring charts
Quick access tiles
Alerts
Recent activity

You can:

Add or remove tiles
Resize tiles
Create multiple dashboards
Share dashboards with other users

For example:
An IT admin may create a dashboard showing:

CPU usage of virtual machines
Storage usage
Security alerts
Application health status

This helps quickly monitor important systems.

B. All Services

The All Services menu shows all available Azure services.

Examples:

Virtual Machines
App Services
Storage Accounts
Azure SQL Database
Microsoft Entra ID
Networking services

This section allows you to search and access any Azure service.

C. Resource Menu (Left Navigation Pane)

This is where you:

Access recently used services
Navigate to subscriptions
Open resource groups
View cost management
Access monitoring tools

D. Resource Blade

When you open a resource (like a VM), it opens in a panel called a Blade.

A Blade displays:

Overview
Activity log
Access control (IAM)
Networking settings
Monitoring
Configuration options

Blades allow step-by-step configuration without leaving the page.

4. Creating Resources in the Azure Portal

To create a resource:

Click Create a resource
Choose a service (e.g., Virtual Machine)
Fill in required details:
- Subscription
- Resource group
- Region
- Name
- Pricing tier
Review and create

The portal validates inputs and shows pricing estimates.

For AZ-900, understand:

Most resources require:
- A subscription
- A resource group
- A region

5. Resource Groups in Azure Portal

A Resource Group is a container that holds related resources.

In the portal, you can:

Create resource groups
Move resources between groups
Delete entire groups

In an IT environment:
A development team might have:

A resource group for development
A separate one for production

Deleting a resource group deletes all resources inside it.

6. Subscriptions in the Azure Portal

A Subscription is used for:

Billing
Resource management
Access control

In the portal, you can:

View subscription details
Manage payment methods
Set budgets
View usage reports

Organizations often have:

One subscription for production
One for testing
One for development

7. Azure Portal and Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)

The Azure Portal supports Role-Based Access Control (RBAC).

Using the portal, you can:

Assign roles to users
Limit access to specific resources
Apply permissions at:
- Subscription level
- Resource group level
- Resource level

Common built-in roles:

Owner
Contributor
Reader

Example in an IT environment:

Developers get Contributor access to a development resource group.
Auditors get Reader access to billing data.
Security team gets access to monitoring and policies.

8. Monitoring and Diagnostics in Azure Portal

The Azure Portal includes built-in monitoring tools:

Azure Monitor

Used to:

View metrics
Track performance
Analyze logs
Set alerts

You can:

Create alerts for high CPU usage
Monitor network traffic
View application logs

Example:
If a production server shows high memory usage, the admin can:

Open the VM blade
Check metrics
View logs
Configure alerts

9. Cost Management in Azure Portal

The Azure Portal includes Cost Management + Billing features.

You can:

View current spending
Analyze cost by service
Create budgets
Set spending alerts
Forecast future costs

This helps organizations control cloud expenses.

For the exam, remember:
Azure Portal provides built-in tools for cost visibility and budgeting.

10. Azure Marketplace in the Portal

The Azure Marketplace is accessible through the portal.

It allows you to deploy:

Pre-configured virtual machines
Third-party software
Security appliances
Enterprise applications

Example:
An organization can deploy:

A pre-configured SQL Server VM
A firewall solution
A monitoring solution

Marketplace solutions simplify deployment.

11. Customization Features

The Azure Portal allows customization:

Create multiple dashboards
Pin resources to dashboard
Use themes (light/dark mode)
Save filters
Create custom views

This helps teams focus only on relevant resources.

12. Azure Portal vs Other Management Tools

For AZ-900, you must understand that Azure can be managed using:

Azure Portal (GUI – web-based)
Azure CLI (Command Line Interface)
Azure PowerShell
ARM Templates / Bicep (Infrastructure as Code)
Azure Cloud Shell (browser-based command line)

When Azure Portal is Used:

Beginners
Small deployments
Visual management
Quick configuration changes

When CLI/PowerShell is Used:

Automation
Large-scale deployments
Scripting
Repeated tasks

Exam Tip:
Azure Portal is best for interactive management.
CLI and PowerShell are better for automation.

13. Azure Cloud Shell in the Portal

The Azure Portal includes Azure Cloud Shell.

Cloud Shell:

Runs inside the browser
Supports Bash and PowerShell
Does not require local installation
Has pre-installed Azure CLI tools

Useful for:

Running scripts
Managing resources quickly
Automation tasks

14. Azure Portal Security Features

Security in Azure Portal includes:

Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)
Conditional Access policies
Activity logs
Audit logs

Every action taken in the portal is recorded in the Activity Log.

This helps organizations:

Track changes
Investigate issues
Maintain compliance

15. Azure Portal and Deployment Models

Azure Portal supports:

1. Azure Resource Manager (ARM) Model (Current Model)

All modern deployments use ARM.

Features:

Resource groups
Role-based access
Templates
Tagging
Dependency management

The older Classic model is no longer recommended.

For the exam:
Azure uses Resource Manager model.

16. Tags in Azure Portal

Tags are key-value pairs used to organize resources.

Example tags:

Environment = Production
Department = HR
Project = WebsiteUpgrade

Tags help with:

Cost tracking
Resource organization
Reporting

Tags can be added during resource creation in the portal.

17. Activity Log in Azure Portal

The Activity Log shows:

Who created a resource
Who deleted a resource
Configuration changes
Access changes

This is important for:

Auditing
Security
Troubleshooting

18. Service Health in Azure Portal

Azure Portal provides:

Azure Service Health

Shows:

Azure outages
Planned maintenance
Service issues

Helps organizations:

Understand if a problem is due to Azure
Stay informed about maintenance events

19. Key Points to Remember for AZ-900 Exam

You should know:

Azure Portal is a web-based GUI.
Used to create, manage, and monitor Azure resources.
Supports dashboards and customization.
Uses Azure Resource Manager model.
Works with subscriptions and resource groups.
Supports RBAC and security controls.
Includes Cost Management tools.
Includes Azure Monitor and Activity Log.
Includes Azure Marketplace.
Includes Cloud Shell.
Best for interactive management.

20. Simple Summary for Non-IT Learners

Think of Azure Portal as:

A website where you manage all your cloud systems.
You can create servers, storage, databases.
You can control who has access.
You can monitor system health.
You can track spending.
You can check security events.

Everything is done through a web browser without installing special software.

Final Exam Preparation Checklist

Before the exam, make sure you understand:

✔ What Azure Portal is
✔ What dashboards are
✔ What resource groups are
✔ What subscriptions are
✔ What RBAC does
✔ What Azure Monitor does
✔ What Cost Management does
✔ What Azure Marketplace is
✔ What Cloud Shell is
✔ ARM model vs Classic model
✔ Tags and Activity Log