Azure Networking: Request for Granular Control of “Allow Azure Services and Resources”
I would like to get the Azure community’s thoughts on a networking/security improvement that I believe could help organizations implement a stronger least-privilege model. Several Azure resources provide an option similar to: “Allow Azure services and resources to access this resource.” This is useful when an Azure service needs to access another Azure resource, but the current option can be quite broad. Example: Power BI → Azure SQL For example, suppose Power BI Service needs to access an Azure SQL Server. The actual requirement might be: Power BI → Specific Azure SQL Server = Allow However, the available option may require enabling: “Allow Azure services and resources to access this server” This effectively creates a much broader trusted-service exception than the actual requirement. Ideally, I would like to see something like: Azure SQL Server │ ├── Power BI Service → Allow ├── Azure Data Factory → Deny ├── Azure Functions → Deny ├── Azure App Service → Deny └── Other Azure Services → Deny Proposed improvement Could Microsoft provide an additional option such as: “Allow selected Azure services and resources” where customers can explicitly select which Azure service/resource is allowed to bypass the network restriction? Depending on the Azure service, the selection could potentially be based on: Specific Azure service Specific Azure resource Resource ID Subscription Resource group Tenant Managed identity / Entra identity Specific service instance For example: Trusted Azure Services / Resources Power BI → Production Analytics → Allow All other Azure services → Deny Why I think this would be useful This would give customers a middle ground between: Disabling public access and implementing Private Endpoint/private connectivity, or Allowing all Azure services/resources through the broad trusted-service exception. A granular trusted-service model would allow: Only the Azure service/resource that actually requires access is trusted. This would better support least privilege, Zero Trust, security, and compliance requirements. Broader Azure applicability My suggestion is not specifically for Azure SQL. The Power BI → Azure SQL scenario is just an example. I think this could be a common Azure networking capability for all Azure resources that currently support a trusted Azure services / “Allow Azure services and resources” type of bypass. I would be interested to hear from the Azure community and Microsoft: Is there already a way to achieve this level of granularity? Are there architectural/security reasons why this cannot currently be implemented? Is Microsoft considering a more granular trusted-service model? Would a feature like “Allow selected Azure services/resources” be technically feasible? I would appreciate any feedback or guidance from the Azure networking/service teams.
Three Cloud Myths I Believed Before Studying Azure Fundamentals
While preparing for AZ-900, I realized that several assumptions I had about cloud computing were incomplete. ☁️ Myth 1: The cloud is always cheaper Cloud services can reduce upfront costs, but unused resources, incorrect sizing, and poor planning can quickly increase the bill. 🖥️ Myth 2: The cloud means there are no servers The physical infrastructure still exists. What changes is how much of it is managed by the cloud provider. ⚙️ Myth 3: More control is always better Additional control also means additional responsibility for patching, monitoring, configuration, security, and maintenance. My biggest takeaway was that cloud computing is not automatically cheaper, simpler, or better. It is about finding the right balance between cost, control, responsibility, and speed. For beginners interested in exploring these concepts, Microsoft Learn provides an official learning path: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/training/courses/az-900t00?wt.mc_id=studentamb_615882 Which cloud misconception did you believe when you first started learning?
Building Production-Ready Pipelines in Azure DevOps: Beyond the Documentation Examples
Hi everyone, When moving from basic Azure DevOps tutorials to enterprise production environments, we all quickly realize that documentation examples don't always cover real-world complexities. Handling multi-stage dependencies, keeping Terraform state secure, and managing secrets across environments requires a highly strategic approach. To help DevOps engineers bridge this gap, I recently put together a deep-dive architecture breakdown detailing how to build a resilient, multi-stage YAML pipeline from scratch. Here is a quick look at the core enterprise architecture I focus on: - Multi-Stage Lifecycle: Safe progression flows through Build, Dev, QA, UAT, and Production stages. - Infrastructure Automation: Clean integration with Terraform, including state and secrets management using Azure Key Vault. - Security Gates: Implementation of SAST scanning, Workload Identity, and automated approval policies. - Team Alignment: Connecting Azure DevOps with project tools like Asana to streamline cross-platform tracking. I wanted to share this pattern here to get some community feedback on the YAML structure. Before I post the full configuration snippets, I would love to hear how your teams handle environment gates and approvals. What are the biggest bottlenecks you run into with multi-stage YAML pipelines? Let's discuss in the comments below! Best regards, Abdullah ShahidAzure VM resize: PowerShell lists Dv5 sizes, but Azure Portal only offers Dv4
Hello, We recently migrated two production Azure virtual machines away from the retiring Bv1 family. Initially, the VMs were running as: Standard_B2ms Standard_B4ms Our goal was to move them to a newer supported VM family. Environment Region: France Central Managed OS disks (one Standard SSD, one Standard HDD/Standard LRS) SCSI disk controller Windows Server virtual machines What we observed After stopping and deallocating the VM, we queried the available resize targets using PowerShell: Get-AzVMSize ` -ResourceGroupName "<ResourceGroup>" ` -VMName "<VMName>" For one VM, PowerShell returned, among others: Standard_D2ads_v5 Standard_D2ds_v5 Standard_D2d_v5 Standard_D2as_v4 Standard_D2ds_v4 For the other VM, it returned: Standard_D4ads_v5 Standard_D4ds_v5 Standard_D4d_v5 Standard_D4as_v4 However, when opening VM → Size in the Azure Portal, the v5 sizes were not available. Only the following sizes appeared: Standard_D2as_v4 Standard_D4as_v4 As a precaution, we resized both VMs using the sizes proposed by the Azure Portal: Standard_B2ms → Standard_D2as_v4 Standard_B4ms → Standard_D4as_v4 The migration completed successfully and both VMs are running correctly. Question Can someone explain why there is a difference between: the sizes returned by Get-AzVMSize, and the sizes displayed by the Azure Portal? More specifically: Does Get-AzVMSize return VM sizes that are not actually valid resize targets? Does the Azure Portal apply additional compatibility or capacity checks that PowerShell does not? Is this related to: regional capacity, VM generation, disk controller, managed disk type, host cluster, or another compatibility requirement? Would you recommend staying on Das_v4, or should we plan another migration to Dads_v5 if possible? I am trying to understand the reason behind the different behavior rather than forcing the resize through PowerShell. Thank you in advance for your insights.Building Production-Ready Pipelines in Azure DevOps: Beyond the Documentation Examples
Hi everyone, When moving from basic Azure DevOps tutorials to enterprise production environments, we all quickly realize that documentation examples don't always cover real-world complexities. Handling multi-stage dependencies, keeping Terraform state secure, and managing secrets across environments requires a highly strategic approach. To help DevOps engineers bridge this gap, I recently put together a deep-dive architecture breakdown detailing how to build a resilient, multi-stage YAML pipeline from scratch. Here is a quick look at the core enterprise architecture I focus on: - Multi-Stage Lifecycle: Safe progression flows through Build, Dev, QA, UAT, and Production stages. - Infrastructure Automation: Clean integration with Terraform, including state and secrets management using Azure Key Vault. - Security Gates: Implementation of SAST scanning, Workload Identity, and automated approval policies. - Team Alignment: Connecting Azure DevOps with project tools like Asana to streamline cross-platform tracking. I wanted to share this pattern here to get some community feedback on the YAML structure. Before I post the full configuration snippets, I would love to hear how your teams handle environment gates and approvals. What are the biggest bottlenecks you run into with multi-stage YAML pipelines? Let's discuss in the comments below! Best regards, Abdullah Shahid
Cost increases when selecting Amortised cost in cost analysis
Hi, this seems like a bug. When i select Amortized cost in Cost analysis, our monthly cost jumps from $25,664.54 to $76,315.83. The resource that causes the jump is a Reservation for a D4asv5 virtual machine. It jumps to $3,120.09 per day. Can someone please try it their side.Agentic AIOps vs Traditional AIOps: What Actually Changes in Practice?
Artificial Intelligence for IT Operations (AIOps) has transformed how organizations monitor, manage, and optimize modern IT infrastructure. By combining machine learning, analytics, and automation, Traditional AIOps has helped IT teams reduce alert fatigue, identify anomalies faster, and improve operational efficiency. https://dellenny.com/agentic-aiops-vs-traditional-aiops-what-actually-changes-in-practice/How to Build Your First IT Support Agent Using Azure AI
Artificial Intelligence is transforming the way businesses provide IT support. Instead of waiting for a technician to answer every question, organizations are increasingly using AI-powered support agents that can troubleshoot common issues, answer employee questions, and automate repetitive tasks. Thanks to Microsoft Azure AI, building an intelligent IT support agent is no longer limited to data scientists or large enterprises. Even beginners can create a functional AI assistant with minimal coding. https://dellenny.com/how-to-build-your-first-it-support-agent-using-azure-ai/Dealing with Legacy Systems and Services in Cloud Computing
Every organization reaches a point where technology that once powered innovation begins to slow progress. Legacy systems, although reliable and familiar, often become barriers to growth, agility, and digital transformation. As businesses increasingly adopt cloud computing to improve scalability, reduce operational costs, and enhance security, one major challenge remains how to deal with legacy systems and services without disrupting business operations. https://dellenny.com/dealing-with-legacy-systems-and-services-in-cloud-computing/Open in VS Code for the web fails ... tunnel 400 error ?
Hello everyone, The last week I have problem connecting to VS Code for the Web, my cloudshell works correctly, my account is ok, everything works BUT when tryont to open through browser - azure portal the VS Code for the Web, I got errors similar to .... *************************** https://ccon-prod-northeurope-aci-01.servicebus.windows.net/.../tunnel Result: 400 Bad Request Response: {"error":{"message":"Error creating dev tunnel","details":""}} Tested from: - Multiple browsers - InPrivate - Different PC - Azure VM *************************** I even renamed ~/code , ~/.vscode-server-insiders and restart cloudshell and VSCode web, same errors (and folders were not recreated) Any help would be greatly appreciated !! BR, Panos
