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Secret Store Pattern in Azure Using Secure Vaults for Credentials and Secrets
In today’s cloud-native applications, securing sensitive information such as API keys, passwords, connection strings, and certificates is non-negotiable. Hardcoding secrets or storing them in configuration files is a major security risk. This is where the Secret Store Pattern comes into play. https://dellenny.com/secret-store-pattern-in-azure-using-secure-vaults-for-credentials-and-secrets/Building Resilient Systems with Immutable Infrastructure on Azure
In modern DevOps and cloud-native architecture, immutable infrastructure has become a best practice for ensuring consistency, security, and reliability. This pattern means that once a virtual machine (VM), container, or other infrastructure component is provisioned, it is never modified. If changes are required (such as a software update or configuration tweak), a new version is built and deployed instead of patching the old one. In this blog, we’ll explore: What the Immutable Infrastructure pattern is Benefits of using it How to implement it using Azure services A sample deployment workflow using Azure DevOps and ARM/Bicep/Terraform https://dellenny.com/building-resilient-systems-with-immutable-infrastructure-on-azure/DevOps Meets Microsoft AI Accelerating Innovation in the Cloud Era
In today’s rapidly evolving software landscape, agility, automation, and intelligence are no longer optional — they’re mission-critical. Enter DevOps, the cultural and technical movement that unifies software development (Dev) and IT operations (Ops), and Microsoft AI, a powerful suite of tools and services that infuses intelligence into applications, processes, and infrastructure. Together, they’re transforming how organizations build, deploy, and scale software in the cloud. https://dellenny.com/devops-meets-microsoft-ai-accelerating-innovation-in-the-cloud-era/Unlocking Innovation with the Microsoft Scenario Library
In the ever-evolving world of digital transformation, having the right tools, guidance, and inspiration can make the difference between a good solution and a great one. Enter the Microsoft Scenario Library—an underutilized gem that can accelerate your solution design process, align your projects with best practices, and help you deliver value faster across Microsoft’s cloud platforms. https://dellenny.com/unlocking-innovation-with-the-microsoft-scenario-library/Boosting Performance with the Materialized View Pattern in Azure
Modern data systems must strike a balance between high-performance querying and cost-effective data processing. In many scenarios, especially when working with large datasets or serving low-latency analytical dashboards, raw data queries can become a bottleneck. This is where the Materialized View pattern comes into play—a design approach that precomputes and stores query results for rapid access. In this blog, we’ll explore what the Materialized View pattern is, why it matters, and how to implement it effectively in Microsoft Azure. https://dellenny.com/boosting-performance-with-the-materialized-view-pattern-in-azure/Cache-Aside (Lazy Loading) Load Data into a Cache on Demand in Azure
As applications grow in complexity and usage, performance and scalability become critical. One of the most effective strategies to improve responsiveness and reduce load on databases is caching. Among various caching patterns, Cache-Aside, also known as Lazy Loading, is a widely-used and simple approach. In this post, we’ll explore the Cache-Aside pattern, why it’s useful, and how to implement it in Azure using Azure Cache for Redis. https://dellenny.com/cache-aside-lazy-loading-load-data-into-a-cache-on-demand-in-azure/Azure Well-Architected Tool with AI A Game-Changer for Solution Architects
In today’s cloud-driven landscape, building secure, high-performing, resilient, and efficient applications requires more than just best practices—it demands continuous assessment and optimization. That’s where the Microsoft Azure Well-Architected Tool (WAT) comes in. Recently enhanced with AI-powered insights, this tool has become indispensable for solution architects looking to align their workloads with the Microsoft Azure Well-Architected Framework (WAF). In this post, we’ll explore how the AI-infused Azure Well-Architected Tool enhances architecture reviews, provide real-world use cases, and walk through the step-by-step process of using the tool effectively. https://dellenny.com/unlocking-the-power-of-the-azure-well-architected-tool-with-ai-a-game-changer-for-solution-architects/Leveraging CQRS in #Azure Separating Read and Write Operations for Performance and Scalability
In today’s cloud-native world, high-performance, scalable applications are not just a luxury — they’re a necessity. As application complexity grows, so does the need to architect systems that can scale efficiently, remain responsive under heavy load, and evolve with minimal friction. This is where CQRS (Command Query Responsibility Segregation) comes into play. In this blog post, we’ll explore the CQRS pattern, why separating read and write operations matters, and how to effectively implement it using Microsoft Azure to unlock performance and scalability benefits. https://dellenny.com/leveraging-cqrs-in-azure-separating-read-and-write-operations-for-performance-and-scalability/
Network Design Ideas for VMs
I am analyzing the current Azure environment at my new job and trying to figure out the architectural choices mostly networking wise. Currently, we have 10 VMs and each VM has its own VNet and they are all in the same region. In my experience so far, I have never seen such network design in Azure before.
Optimizing Three-Tier Architecture for Scalable, Secure, and High-Traffic Web Applications
What is your preferred approach for implementing a **three-tier architecture** to efficiently deploy modern web applications that can handle **high internet traffic** with **automatic scaling**? Key considerations: - **Security:** Restricting direct user access to only the frontend via a **public load balancer**, while shielding backend and database tiers from the internet. - **Scalability & Availability:** Utilizing **Virtual Machine Scale Sets** to ensure high availability and reliability by distributing servers across multiple **Zones and Availability Sets**. How do you structure your deployment to achieve optimal **performance, security, and resilience**? Let's discuss best practices!
