Azure Virtual Machines - Windows and Linux VMs in the Cloud

Azure Virtual Machines give you the flexibility of virtualization without having to buy and maintain physical hardware — choose from Windows or Linux and numerous VM sizes optimized for different workloads.

What is Azure Virtual Machines?

Azure Virtual Machines is Microsoft Azure’s Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) computing service for provisioning Windows and Linux VMs. The service provides complete control over the operating system and enables you to run virtually any workload, from classic enterprise applications to modern container platforms.

Azure offers a wide range of VM series for different requirements: B-series for burstable workloads with low average CPU utilization, D-series for general purposes, E-series for memory-intensive applications like SAP HANA, F-series for compute-intensive workloads, M-series for very large in-memory databases, and N-series for GPU-accelerated workloads such as AI training. For high-performance computing, H-series VMs with RDMA networking are also available. Each series offers multiple size variants.

In addition to the classic pay-as-you-go model, Azure offers flexible pricing options: Spot VMs use unused capacity at reduced prices for interruptible workloads, Reserved Instances reduce costs for production workloads with predictable utilization over one- or three-year terms, and Savings Plans offer similar discounts with more flexibility regarding VM size and region. Azure Hybrid Benefit allows you to apply existing Windows Server and SQL Server licenses with Software Assurance in Azure. For high availability, VMs can be deployed in Availability Sets or spread across multiple Availability Zones.

Core Features

• Wide range of VM series for general purpose, compute-, memory-, and storage-optimized as well as GPU and HPC workloads
• Managed Disks in various performance tiers (Standard HDD/SSD, Premium SSD, Ultra Disk)
• Flexible pricing models: pay-as-you-go, Spot VMs, Reserved Instances, Savings Plans
• Azure Hybrid Benefit for applying existing Windows Server and SQL Server licenses
• High-availability options via Availability Sets, Availability Zones, and Proximity Placement Groups
• On-premises connectivity via Site-to-Site VPN, Point-to-Site VPN, or ExpressRoute

Typical Use Cases

Web Applications and APIs

Host web applications with full control over the server stack, particularly for legacy applications with specific OS or kernel requirements. Combined with Load Balancer and Availability Zones, you can achieve high availability for production-critical systems.

SAP Workloads

Azure offers certified VM configurations for SAP HANA and NetWeaver. E- and M-series VMs are suited to large in-memory SAP HANA databases. Azure Hybrid Benefit allows you to continue using existing Windows Server licenses.

Windows Server Migration

Migrate existing Windows Server workloads to the cloud, often without code changes. Azure Migrate assists with assessment and execution of the migration.

High-Performance Computing (HPC)

H-series VMs with RDMA networking and InfiniBand enable tightly-coupled HPC workloads such as simulations, genomic analysis, or computational fluid dynamics.

Dev/Test Environments

Development and test environments can be run cost-effectively with auto-shutdown policies and Spot VMs, since they can be automatically shut down outside usage hours.

Disaster Recovery

Azure Site Recovery replicates on-premises VMs to Azure for business continuity. In an emergency, workloads can be started in Azure, and DR scenarios can be tested without impacting production.

GPU Workloads for AI and Machine Learning

N-series VMs with GPU acceleration are suited to deep learning training, inference, and GPU computing. The specific availability of particular GPU types varies by region and should be checked in the Azure portal beforehand; GPU quotas sometimes need to be requested separately.

Benefits

• Full control over the operating system and configuration, combined with high flexibility in VM sizing
• Wide range of pricing models for different cost requirements
• Seamless integration with the rest of the Azure ecosystem (monitoring, backup, networking, identity)
• Ability to apply existing Microsoft licenses via Azure Hybrid Benefit

Frequently Asked Questions about Azure Virtual Machines

Which VM series should I choose?

The choice depends on the workload: B-series for workloads with low average CPU utilization, D-series for general purposes, E-series for memory-intensive applications, F-series for CPU-intensive workloads, M-series for very large in-memory databases, N-series for GPU workloads. Azure Advisor provides recommendations based on actual utilization.

What are Spot VMs and when should I use them?

Spot VMs use unused Azure capacity at significantly reduced prices, but can be terminated with short notice if Azure needs the capacity elsewhere. They’re suited to fault-tolerant workloads such as batch jobs, rendering, big data analytics, or dev/test environments, but not to production-critical applications without fault tolerance.

Reserved Instances vs. Savings Plans: Which is better?

Reserved Instances offer discounts for one- or three-year commitments on specific VM sizes and regions. Savings Plans offer similar discounts but apply more flexibly across different VM sizes, regions, and in some cases other compute services. Reserved Instances suit stable, predictable workloads, while Savings Plans suit more dynamic environments. Exact discount levels are available on the official pricing page.

How does Azure Hybrid Benefit work?

Azure Hybrid Benefit allows you to use existing Windows Server and SQL Server licenses with active Software Assurance in Azure, which can significantly reduce costs compared to pure pay-as-you-go. Certain Red Hat and SUSE Linux subscriptions can also be applied. Details and current terms are available in the official Azure documentation.

Availability Sets vs. Availability Zones: What’s the difference?

Availability Sets distribute multiple VM instances across fault domains and update domains within a single datacenter and, per Microsoft’s SLA, offer 99.95% availability for at least one instance. Availability Zones distribute VMs across physically separate datacenters within a region and offer 99.99% availability, additionally protecting against entire datacenter failures.

What are Managed Disks and why should I use them?

Managed Disks are the recommended disk type for Azure VMs: Azure automatically manages storage accounts, scaling, and availability. Benefits include simplified snapshots and backups, integration with Availability Sets/Zones, and higher SLA guarantees when using Premium SSD or Ultra Disk. Unmanaged Disks are considered outdated and should no longer be used.

How can I optimize VM costs?

Proven strategies include right-sizing with Azure Advisor recommendations, Reserved Instances or Savings Plans for predictable workloads, Spot VMs for fault-tolerant jobs, auto-shutdown for dev/test VMs, Azure Hybrid Benefit for Windows/SQL licenses, and deallocating rather than just stopping VMs to avoid compute costs. Azure Cost Management helps with monitoring and budgeting.

Can I connect Azure VMs with on-premises infrastructure?

Yes, including via Site-to-Site VPN for an encrypted connection over the internet, ExpressRoute for a dedicated private connection with higher bandwidth and reliability, or Point-to-Site VPN for individual client connections. Azure Virtual WAN simplifies hub-and-spoke topologies.

Integration with innFactory

As a Microsoft Solutions Partner, innFactory supports you in integrating and optimizing Azure Virtual Machines. We help with architecture design, migration of on-premises workloads, cost optimization through right-sizing and suitable pricing models, and implementation of high-availability and disaster recovery scenarios.

Contact us for a non-binding consultation on Azure Virtual Machines and Microsoft Azure.