Design infrastructure solutions is a critical domain for Azure Solutions Architect Expert certification that focuses on creating robust, scalable, and secure cloud architectures on Microsoft Azure. This competency encompasses several key areas that architects must master.
First, architects must understand compute solutions, including selecting appropriate services like Azure Virtual Machines, Azure App Service, Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS), and Azure Functions based on workload requirements. Each service offers different scalability options, pricing models, and management overhead considerations.
Network design is equally essential, involving virtual networks (VNets), subnets, network security groups (NSGs), Azure Firewall, load balancers, and Application Gateway. Architects must plan hybrid connectivity using VPN Gateway or ExpressRoute for connecting on-premises infrastructure to Azure.
Storage architecture requires understanding Azure Blob Storage, Azure Files, Azure Disk Storage, and data redundancy options like LRS, ZRS, GRS, and GZRS. Architects must select appropriate storage tiers (hot, cool, archive) based on access patterns and cost optimization.
High availability and disaster recovery planning involves designing solutions using Availability Zones, Availability Sets, Azure Site Recovery, and geo-redundant deployments. Architects must calculate RPO (Recovery Point Objective) and RTO (Recovery Time Objective) requirements.
Migration strategies cover assessing existing workloads using Azure Migrate, planning lift-and-shift versus modernization approaches, and implementing Azure Database Migration Service for database transitions.
Monitoring and management encompass Azure Monitor, Log Analytics, Application Insights, and Azure Policy for governance. These tools ensure operational excellence and compliance.
Cost optimization requires understanding Azure pricing models, Reserved Instances, Spot VMs, and using Azure Cost Management for budget tracking.
Successful infrastructure design balances performance, security, reliability, and cost while meeting business requirements. Architects must document their designs using Azure Architecture Center patterns and validate solutions against Well-Architected Framework pillars.Design infrastructure solutions is a critical domain for Azure Solutions Architect Expert certification that focuses on creating robust, scalable, and secure cloud architectures on Microsoft Azure. This competency encompasses several key areas that architects must master.
First, architects must un…