December, 2022 | NextPhase

Azure provides one of the most dynamic platforms for collecting and analyzing data from various resources. It enables a scalable solution to optimize data management architecture throughout an organization’s data ecosystem. That includes integration with tools used in security, IT services, DevOps, and more while promoting a robust data reliability solution. As there are many applications and use cases for Azure, engaging the Azure Monitor to proactively see any potential errors throughout these resources' performance ensures better outcomes. It provides a company with a much clearer view of the overall picture of its data management architecture at any given time using detailed metrics and logs through visualizations. What is Azure Monitor? The goal of Azure Monitor is to collect and analyze data based on the performance of cloud, hybrid, and on-site application environments. This further supports business operations by proactively measuring the performance and visibility of any Azure-related resources to reduce and identify problems. In addition, the tool is fully scalable to the needs of an organization’s data management architecture. With Azure Monitor, you get an easy-to-use experience that doesn’t require in-depth configuration to gain custom insights. Instead, everything is presented using visuals through a single dashboard/viewpoint. These powerful data insights provide proactive troubleshooting and data management diagnosis to prevent application downtime or errors so you can respond in near real-time or scale when the load increases. How Does Azure Monitoring Work? The goal is to maximize the use and availability of any application or service leveraged in your data management architecture. That includes on-site, cloud, or hybrid environments. The Azure Monitor provides a high-level view of various apps and services by collecting metrics and logs. These are then processed to provide alerts, analyses, and other actions via reports and visualizations for the users. Metrics are measurements that view aspects of various resources. This could be checking on how many connections are made, CPU utilization memory, and basically any numerical values that help to describe some integral process (limited to time). Logs are performance data. They are the telemetry that includes traces and events that are used to speed up analysis with queries. You can use Log Analytics through the Azure Portal to either analyze data directly once it is collected or leverage visualizations based on saved queries. These tools improve the overall operations of connected applications and services that are being run through the Azure Monitor. Having reliable data about the function of resources increases the quality of data used in decision-making. Utilizing Monitoring Data Points for Problem Resolution and Improving Data Quality Data quality is foundational to any data management architecture. Without reliable data to gain valuable insights, leaders and stewards are likely to make decisions that end in lost revenue or improper use of valuable business resources. Having a system that proactively reports on potential errors through data points lessens the likelihood of poor decision-making. Using a tool like Azure Monitor allows for the real-time or near-real-time collection of integral data metrics used for problem resolution. Capturing data from strategic points helps frame the problems and identify where changes need to be made. Incorporating visualizations that allow for a quick review of these potential problems leads to higher data quality because less time is spent trying to find the source of the problem. Instead, resources can be directed at the root cause, so the ecosystem continues to thrive. This allows for strong data management. Defining a DataOps Service Model to Help Enterprises Optimize Data Management The Azure Monitor is a form of DataOps service modeling. It provides a high-view analysis of the data management architecture concerning the various connected services and applications being used in a company. Visualizations allow you to see how data about the resources used are collected and analyzed in real-time. The resulting outcome is a system that can be scalable, provides repeatable information, and allows for predictable data flows that inform the user of potential errors. The same idea can be applied to any other DataOps service model being utilized to optimize data management. A business should want a service in place that controls the flow of data from various sources to valuable insights for decision-making. The more observation of critical metrics, the greater the insight potential. Dedicated Data Operations Function Azure Monitor provides a dedicated data operations environment. The curated visualizations offer the ability to maximize the value of applications and resources being observed. This, in turn, accelerates operational value. Most companies do not maintain a dedicated data operations team because of costs, training, or other resource allocation challenges. Azure Monitor acts as a reliable data operations function by collecting, storing, managing, analyzing, and securing data related to the various connected services and resources. This creates valuable insights for: Applications: obtain and monitor data on the usage of on-site or cloud/web apps. Containers: actively monitor and analyze the capabilities of various container workloads. Virtual Machines (VM): quickly view the health and performance of any VMs associated with your ecosystem (Win/Linux). Summary Visualizations: easy-to-understand tables, charts, and reports that summarize all collected data. Comprehensive Dashboards: a single structure that combines the various inputs into a unified portal that can be shared with others. And more This is like having a team providing real-time analysis of your data management architecture ready at any time of day from anywhere you want. That kind of reliability helps minimize errors. Proactive Alert Management and Problem Resolution Azure Monitor provides alerts to help detect any issues that may arise. It uses automated services to proactively notify a business or organization of a potential problem within the data management architecture. This includes specific alerts related to any collected metric or log data source. Alert rules actively monitor the telemetry, capturing signals that may indicate something wrong is occurring with specified resources. If that signal meets predefined criteria, the alert reaches your notification so you can address the issue before it becomes more critical. The Azure Monitor maintains a record of any generated alerts over the previous 30 days on the Alerts Page inside the portal. This helps inform problem resolution needs by both proactively addressing errors and helping your team see trends in various activities inside the data management architecture. Trend and Pattern Analysis for Continuous Improvement The benefits of having visualizations help you get down into the underlying issues that may be arising as well as identify patterns of activities. Azure Monitor includes an Overview page where charts, graphs, and other critical metrics are displayed in easy-to-understand visualizations. That way, you can quickly assess and monitor the performance of any given resource or set of resources. These are automatically collected and do not require any advanced configuration. You can also leverage the metrics explorer, log analytics, and workbooks. This last choice provides a more flexible visual for end-to-end monitoring views if you leverage multiple Azure sources and connections. Having such a rich visual representation of your data management architecture allows your team to continually reconfigure and improve operations. This way, you can grow, scale, and improve to remain competitive. Conclusion Data operations require robust monitoring to ensure the reduction of potential errors. Azure Monitor provides those critical data management architecture resources that help improve your processes. This way, your team can ensure the total efficiency of any applications, VMs, containers, and other resources connected to this tool. The more reliable your data management architecture, the more precise the data quality for decision-making and valuable insight generation. Integrating an Azure Monitor into your operations will help to improve overall benefits to your data-driven business or organization.

Month: December 2022

Azure Monitor and How to Align It with Your Data Management Architecture

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