(High Level) Azure VM Setup Guide 

This is going to be what I call in my weird head a, “High Level – In Depth” Guide to setting up an Azure Environment. It is rather basic in terms of dealing only with a Single VM, but I try to go to a “Surface” level in depth with some explanations of what is going on around setting up that first Azure Environment VM.  

So here we go with the guide!  

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1. Sign up for an Azure Account: To get started with Azure, you will need to sign up for an account. If you already have an Azure account just sign in here ( https:///portal.azure.com ) and move to the next step. Otherwise, you sign up for a free account by visiting the Azure website and following the prompts below to create a new account.  

• To sign up for an Azure account, visit the Azure website at azure.com. 
• On the Azure homepage, click on the “Free account” button in the top-right corner of the page. 
• In the “Email” field, enter the email address you want to use for your Azure account. 
• In the “Password” field, create a password for your Azure account. Make sure to choose a strong and secure password. 
• In the “Confirm password” field, re-enter your password to confirm it. 
• In the “Country/region” dropdown, select the country or region where you reside. 
• Check the box to indicate that you have read and agree to the Azure terms of use. 
• Once you have entered all the necessary information, click on it to create your Azure account. 
• Azure will send a verification email to the email address you provided. Follow the instructions in the email to verify your email address and complete the sign-up process. 

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2. Set up a payment method: Once you have an Azure account, you will need to set up a payment method so that you can pay for the resources you use. You can do it with the following steps. 

• Click on the ” Billing” tab in the left-hand navigation. 
• On the “Billing” page, click on the subscription that you want to add a payment method to. 
• On the “Subscription details” page, click on the “Payment methods” tab at the top of the page. 
• On the “Payment methods” page, click on the “Add payment method” button in the top-right corner of the page. 
• On the “Add a payment method” page, select the payment method you want to use. You can choose from credit card, debit card, or bank account. 
• Follow the prompts to enter your payment information. You will need to provide your billing address and any other required information. 
• Review the payment method you have added to make sure it is correct, and then click on the “Save” button to confirm it. 

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3. Create a resource group: A resource group is a logical container that holds related resources for an Azure solution. To create a resource group, go to the Azure portal and click on “Resource groups” in the left-hand navigation. From there, click on the “Add” button to create a new resource group. 

• Being logged in to the Azure portal, click on “Resource groups” in the left-hand navigation to view a list of your existing resource groups. 
• To create a new resource group, click on the “Add” button in the top-left corner of the page. 
• In the “Name” field, enter a name for your resource group. This can be any name you choose, but it should be descriptive and meaningful, as it will help you identify your resources later. 
• In the “Subscription” dropdown, select the subscription that you want to use for your resource group. 
  • Pay-As-You-Go: With a Pay-As-You-Go subscription, you pay for the resources you use on a pay-as-you-go basis. This is a viable choice if you want the flexibility to scale up or down as needed. 
  • Enterprise Agreement: With an Enterprise Agreement subscription, you can purchase Azure resources at a discounted rate in exchange for a commitment to a certain level of usage. This is an excellent choice if you have many users and can commit to a certain level of usage. 
  • Cloud Solution Provider: With a Cloud Solution Provider subscription, you can purchase Azure resources through a partner who can provide additional support and services. This is a desirable choice if you need additional support and services beyond what Azure offers. 
• In the “Location” dropdown, choose the location you want to use for your resource group. This should be the location that is closest to your users, as it will help ensure fast access to your resources. 
• Once you have entered all the necessary information, click on the “Review + create” button to review your resource group configuration. 
• The “Review + create” page will show you a summary of your resource group configuration. Review the information to make sure it is correct, and then click on the “Create” button to create your resource group. 
• It may take a few minutes for your resource group to be created. You can check the status of your resource group by looking at the notification banner at the top of the page. Once your resource group has been created, the notification banner will show a success message. 

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4. Create a virtual machine: A virtual machine (VM) is a virtualized version of a physical server that runs on Azure. To create a VM, follow the steps below… 

• Logged in to the Azure portal, click on “Virtual machines” in the left-hand navigation to view a list of your existing VMs. 
• Click on the “Add” button in the top-left corner of the page. 
• On the “Create a virtual machine” page, select the configuration you want to use for your VM. You need to choose an image, a size, and a resource group. 
• On the “Create a virtual machine” page, you will need to configure networking for your VM. You will need to choose a virtual network, a subnet, and a public IP address. 
• On the “Create a virtual machine” page, you will need to configure security for your VM. You will need to choose a username and password for the VM, as well as any additional security options you want to use. 
• Once you have entered all the necessary information, click on the “Review + create” button to review your VM configuration. If everything looks correct, click on the “Create” button to create your VM. 
• It may take a few minutes for your VM to be created. 

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5. Configure networking: Azure offers a range of networking options, including virtual networks, load balancers, and VPN gateways. To configure networking follow the below steps… 

• Being logged in to the Azure portal, if you are not already there, click on “Virtual machines” in the left-hand navigation to view a list of your existing VMs. 
• On the “Virtual machines” page, click on the VM you want to configure to open its details page. 
• On the VM details page, click on the “Networking” tab at the top of the page. 
• On the “Networking” tab, you will be able to configure the networking settings for your VM. You can choose the virtual network and subnet that you want to use and assign a public IP address if needed. 
• Once you’ve configured the networking settings for your VM, click on the “Save” button to apply your changes. 

You can find an article concerning networking with Azure that I wrote here… 

Azure NEtworking Overview

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6. Set up Security: Azure offers a range of security options, including identity and access management, network security, and data protection. To set up security for your Azure solution, go to the Azure portal and click on “Security” in the left-hand navigation. From there, you can create and configure the security resources you need. 

Azure Security (IAM) 

Azure IAM controls who has access to your Azure resources and what actions they can perform. You can create user accounts, assign roles, and set access policies to secure your Azure solution. Only authorized users will have access to your resources. 

• Click on “Security” on the left-hand navigation to access the security options for your solution. 
• On the “Security” page, click on the “Identity” tab to access the IAM options for your solution. 
• On the “Identity” tab, you can add users and groups to your Azure solution. To add a user or group, click on the “Add” button and follow the prompts to enter the necessary information. 
• On the “Identity” tab, you can also assign roles to your users and groups. Roles determine what actions users and groups can perform within your Azure solution. To assign a role, select the user or group you want to assign a role to, and then choose the appropriate role from the dropdown menu. 
  • Owner: The owner role allows users to manage all aspects of the Azure solution, including creating and deleting resources, assigning roles, and managing billing. 
  • Contributor: The contributor role allows users to create and manage resources within the Azure solution, but they cannot delete resources or manage billing. 
  • Reader: The reader role allows users to view resources within the Azure solution, but they cannot create or modify resources. 
  • Virtual Machine Contributor: The virtual machine contributor role allows users to create and manage virtual machines (VMs) within the Azure solution, but they cannot delete VMs or manage other resources. 
  • Network Contributor: The network contributor role allows users to create and manage networking resources within the Azure solution, such as virtual networks and network security groups, but they cannot delete networking resources or manage other resources. 
  • Security Manager: The security manager role allows users to manage security resources within the Azure solution, such as Azure Active Directory and Azure Key Vault, but they cannot manage other resources. 
• Once you have added users and groups and assigned roles to them, click on the “Save” button to apply your changes. Make sure to review your IAM settings to ensure that they are correct and meet your needs. 

Network Security (VMs) 

Azure network security is a feature that helps you secure the traffic that flows in and out of your Azure resources. With Azure network security, you can create and configure network security groups (NSGs) to control inbound and outbound traffic and set up virtual network security rules to specify the traffic allowed to flow between your resources. Azure network security helps you protect your resources and secure your Azure solution from external threats. 

• Being logged in to the Azure portal, click on “Virtual machines” in the left-hand navigation to view a list of your existing VMs. 
• On the “Virtual machines” page, click on the VM you want to configure to open its details page. 
• On the VM details page, click on the “Networking” tab at the top of the page. 
• Time to configure NSGs. Network security groups (NSGs) are firewalls that control inbound and outbound traffic to and from your VMs. To set up NSGs for your VM, click on the “Add” button under the “Network security groups” section, and then follow the prompts. 
  • On the “Create network security group” page, enter a name for your NSG and select the resource group you want to use. 
  • On the “Create network security group” page, you can configure security rules to control inbound and outbound traffic. To create a security rule, click on the “Add” button and follow the prompts to enter the necessary information. 
    • On the NSG details page, click on the “Inbound security rules” or “Outbound security rules” tab to access the security rules for your NSG. 
    • To create a new security rule, click on the “Add” button in the top-left corner of the page. 
    • On the “Create security rule” page, you will need to enter the necessary information to configure your security rule. You will need to specify the following… 
      • Name: The name of the security rule. 
      • Protocol and port range: The protocol and port range that the security rule applies to. 
      • Source and destination IP addresses: The source and destination IP addresses that the security rule applies to. 
      • Action: The action that is taken when traffic matches the security rules. You can choose to allow traffic, deny traffic, or log traffic. 
    • Once you have configured your security rule, click on the “Review + create” button to review your configuration. If everything looks correct, click on the “Create” button to create your security rule. 
  • Review and create your NSG: Once you have configured your security rules, click on the “Review + create” button to review your NSG configuration. If everything looks correct, click on the “Create” button to create your NSG. 
• Once you have configured your NSGs and virtual network security rules, click on the “Save” button to apply your changes. Make sure to review your network security settings to ensure that they are correct and meet your needs. 

There is a lot more to the security of Azure and I will have an article out on it soon and link it here when I do…. 

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7. Monitor and manage your resources: To ensure that your Azure solution is running smoothly, you will need to monitor and manage your resources. You can do this with the steps below… 

• Click on “Resource groups” in the left-hand navigation to view a list of your existing resource groups. 
• On the “Resource groups” page, click on the resource group you want to manage to open its details page. 
• On the resource group details page, you will see a list of the resources within the resource group. You can click on a resource to view its details and manage it. 
• To monitor resource usage, click on the “Monitor” tab located at the top of the page. On the “Monitor” tab, you can view metrics and charts that show the usage of your resources over time. 
• To set up alerts, click on the “Alerts” tab located at the top of the page. On the “Alerts” tab, you can create alerts that trigger when certain conditions are met, such as when resource usage exceeds a certain threshold. 

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An that should be it! Hopefully this article helped someone out. Even if that person is future me that needs a refresher 🙂