Bring Azure Services to your preferred choice of Datecentres
Let me start with how Microsoft brings the Cloud Services to you by focusing on Intelligent Cloud portfolio, from Public Cloud with Microsoft Azure, to newly announced Azure in Space (Azure Sphere), down to any location of your choice as Intelligent Edge.
Intelligent Edge computing brings the power of Azure, to the location closet to you for obvious reason. First, you can optimize cost, from infrastructure that fits to your needs, to eliminating cost of low-latency link from your location to selected location of Public Cloud region. Next, edge provides simpler management with local management plane, as well as centralize management of stamp from Public Cloud portal in a secured manner. Lastly, with edge computing right where it is needed, edge workload is guaranteed with performance, low-latency respond, single-tenant high performance hardware, as well as accelerator including GPU/FPGA.
Microsoft Intelligent Edge primary comes from Azure Stack family. Azure Stack family has full-cloud native solution like Azure Stack Hub, modern virtualization infrastructure like Azure Stack HCI, and rugged devices like Azure Stack Edge. Azure Stack Edge has variety of form factor, including ruggedized (Pro R) for any harsh environment, Mini R for battery-powered portability in your backpack, to Edge Pro that comes with Ai/ML-accelerator. While Azure Stack Hub provides consistent Azure Cloud experience in the location of your choice, in connected / partially connected / disconnected mode.
Azure Stack HCI proved to be the solid choice for any infrastructure modernization requirement, with hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) architecture, scale from 2 nodes for remote branch office, to large datacenter needs. Azure Stack HCI-as-a-Service provide single subscription service with constant features rollout and security updates yet secured environment and high performance for SQL or intensive workloads. The exciting features is the announced Stretched Cluster
Second, the next exciting features is Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) on HCI! AKS on HCI provides consistent AKS services that allow IT Pro or Infrastructure Admin deploys modern container in an easy step-by-step guided manner, enabling DevOps scenario for challenging business needs.
What’s more, AKS follows the cloud pace of agile development to bring features to Azure Stack HCI, follow the GitHub release page for more updates until GA. Exciting isn’t it?
Contact us for more in-depth discussion on how these tools supercharged your business modernization journey!
Written by Reng Kwan (Cloud Transformation Officer)