As organizations migrate to the cloud, understanding the core components of Azure is essential for a successful deployment. Unlike AWS, where you need to set up VPCs, security groups, IAM policies, and EC2 instances, Azure has its own ecosystem of services tailored for enterprise workloads.
In this blog, we’ll break down the essential Azure resources needed to provision a new Azure environment and help businesses scale securely and efficiently.
🔹 1. What You Need to Run a Business in Azure
When setting up Azure for an enterprise, you’ll need the following:
| Component | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Azure Active Directory (Entra ID) | Identity & Access Management (like AWS IAM) |
| Azure Virtual Network (VNet) | Private networking (like AWS VPC) |
| Azure Virtual Machines (VMs) | Compute power for applications (like AWS EC2) |
| Azure Storage Accounts | Cloud storage for files, databases, backups |
| Azure Firewall / NSGs | Security for controlling inbound/outbound traffic |
| Azure Site Recovery & Backup | Disaster recovery and business continuity |
| Azure Monitor & Security Center | Log analytics, security monitoring, and alerting |
| Azure App Services | Hosting for web applications (like AWS Elastic Beanstalk) |
| Azure SQL / Cosmos DB | Managed database services for storing business data |
🔹 2. Step-by-Step: Setting Up an Azure Business Environment
🆕 Step 1: Create an Azure Subscription
Before you deploy resources, you need an Azure account and subscription:
powershellCopyEditConnect-AzAccount
New-AzSubscription -Name "CompanySubscription"
👉 This allows billing, permissions, and resource management.
🔑 Step 2: Configure Azure Active Directory (Entra ID)
Azure AD (now Entra ID) manages user access and authentication:
1️⃣ Create a new Azure AD Tenant:
powershellCopyEditNew-AzADServicePrincipal -DisplayName "CompanyAD"
2️⃣ Add users & assign roles:
powershellCopyEditNew-AzADUser -DisplayName "Admin User" -UserPrincipalName "[email protected]" -PasswordProfile (New-Object -TypeName Microsoft.Open.AzureAD.Model.PasswordProfile -Property @{Password = "SecurePass123!"})
3️⃣ Enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA):
powershellCopyEditSet-MsolUser -UserPrincipalName "[email protected]" -StrongAuthenticationRequirements @(New-Object -TypeName Microsoft.Online.Administration.StrongAuthenticationRequirement -Property @{RelyingParty = "*"; State = "Enabled"})
✅ Why? Azure AD ensures secure authentication, integrates with SSO, and supports Conditional Access to prevent unauthorized logins.
🌐 Step 3: Set Up Azure Virtual Network (VNet)
Azure VNets allow private, secure communication between resources (like AWS VPC).
powershellCopyEditNew-AzVirtualNetwork -Name "CompanyVNet" -ResourceGroupName "CompanyResources" -Location "EastUS" -AddressPrefix "10.0.0.0/16"
Add a subnet for workloads:
powershellCopyEditAdd-AzVirtualNetworkSubnetConfig -Name "WebSubnet" -VirtualNetwork (Get-AzVirtualNetwork -Name "CompanyVNet") -AddressPrefix "10.0.1.0/24"
✅ Why? A VNet is required to connect virtual machines, databases, and cloud apps securely.
💻 Step 4: Deploy Virtual Machines (VMs) for Workloads
To host applications, databases, or remote desktops, deploy Azure Virtual Machines:
powershellCopyEditNew-AzVM -ResourceGroupName "CompanyResources" -Name "CompanyWebServer" -Location "EastUS" -VirtualNetworkName "CompanyVNet" -SubnetName "WebSubnet" -Image "Win2022Datacenter" -Size "Standard_B2ms"
✅ Why? VMs are essential for compute power, running legacy applications, or supporting cloud-based workloads.
💾 Step 5: Create Azure Storage Accounts for Business Data
Azure Storage Accounts allow businesses to store and manage files, backups, and logs:
powershellCopyEditNew-AzStorageAccount -ResourceGroupName "CompanyResources" -AccountName "companyfiles" -Location "EastUS" -SkuName "Standard_LRS"
✅ Why? Storage accounts support blobs, file shares, queues, and tables, making it ideal for structured and unstructured data.
🚀 Step 6: Implement Network Security (NSGs & Firewalls)
To secure Azure workloads, configure Network Security Groups (NSGs) and Azure Firewall:
1️⃣ Create an NSG and apply security rules:
powershellCopyEditNew-AzNetworkSecurityGroup -ResourceGroupName "CompanyResources" -Location "EastUS" -Name "CompanyNSG"
Add-AzNetworkSecurityRuleConfig -NetworkSecurityGroupName "CompanyNSG" -Name "AllowWeb" -Direction Inbound -Priority 100 -Access Allow -SourceAddressPrefix "*" -SourcePortRange "*" -DestinationAddressPrefix "*" -DestinationPortRange "80,443" -Protocol Tcp
2️⃣ Deploy Azure Firewall:
powershellCopyEditNew-AzFirewall -Name "CompanyFirewall" -ResourceGroupName "CompanyResources" -Location "EastUS" -Sku "Standard"
✅ Why? NSGs protect workloads from cyber threats, while Azure Firewall enables advanced network security policies.
📊 Step 7: Enable Monitoring & Security
Monitor performance, security, and alerts using Azure Monitor and Defender for Cloud.
1️⃣ Enable Azure Monitor:
powershellCopyEditNew-AzMonitorLogProfile -Name "CompanyMonitor" -Locations "EastUS" -StorageAccountId "/subscriptions/xxx/resourceGroups/CompanyResources/providers/Microsoft.Storage/storageAccounts/companyfiles"
2️⃣ Enable Microsoft Defender for Cloud:
powershellCopyEditSet-AzSecurityCenterSetting -Name "SecurityCenter" -Enable
✅ Why? Proactive security monitoring helps prevent breaches, downtime, and performance issues.
📌 Step 8: Set Up Azure SQL Database or CosmosDB for Business Data
To store business data, you can use Azure SQL Database or Cosmos DB.
1️⃣ Create a SQL Database:
powershellCopyEditNew-AzSqlDatabase -ResourceGroupName "CompanyResources" -ServerName "CompanyDBServer" -DatabaseName "CompanyData"
2️⃣ Create a Cosmos DB for NoSQL workloads:
powershellCopyEditNew-AzCosmosDBAccount -ResourceGroupName "CompanyResources" -Name "CompanyCosmosDB" -Location "EastUS" -Kind GlobalDocumentDB
✅ Why? SQL databases support transactional workloads, while Cosmos DB is best for scalable, NoSQL applications.
💡 Best Practices for a New Azure Environment
✔ Use Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) to grant least privilege access
✔ Enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) for admin accounts
✔ Implement Azure Security Center for real-time threat monitoring
✔ Use Azure Policy to enforce governance and compliance
✔ Set up Backup & Disaster Recovery (Azure Site Recovery)
🚀 Final Thoughts
Setting up Azure for a business requires careful planning. Whether migrating from on-premises or AWS, you need to configure:
✅ Identity & Access (Azure AD)
✅ Networking (VNet, NSGs, Firewalls)
✅ Compute (Azure VMs, App Services)
✅ Storage (Blob, File Shares, Databases)
✅ Security (Defender for Cloud, Monitor, MFA)
📌 By automating Azure provisioning with PowerShell, businesses can save time, improve security, and scale efficiently.
💬 Are you setting up a new Azure environment? What challenges have you faced? Let’s discuss! 🚀