Operating Azure Workloads

What you will be able to do

• You will be able to instrument Azure workloads with Azure Monitor, Log Analytics, and Application Insights so metrics, logs, and traces land in one queryable place.
• You will be able to write Kusto Query Language (KQL) queries and build alert rules, action groups, and dashboards that fire on real problems instead of noise.
• You will be able to design least-privilege access in Microsoft Entra ID using role-based access control (RBAC), Conditional Access, managed identities, and Privileged Identity Management (PIM).
• You will be able to protect application secrets, keys, and certificates in Azure Key Vault and let workloads reach them without hard-coding credentials.
• You will be able to raise your Microsoft Defender for Cloud secure score by triaging recommendations and closing the posture gaps that carry the most risk.
• You will be able to scale workloads to demand with autoscale, load balancing, and availability zones without over-provisioning.
• You will be able to control cloud spend with Microsoft Cost Management budgets and alerts, right-sizing, reservations, and Azure Advisor recommendations.
• You will be able to enforce governance at scale using Azure Policy, management groups, and resource locks, aligned to the Microsoft Cloud Adoption Framework and the Azure Well-Architected Framework.

What is inside

4 modules, 8 lessons. Each module ends in a graded quiz and most carry an assignment.

1. 01

   Seeing the Workload: Monitoring with Azure Monitor

   You cannot operate a workload you cannot see. This module wires Azure workloads into Azure Monitor: platform metrics, resource logs, and Application Insights traces all landing in a Log Analytics workspace. You will learn to instrument both resources and application code, then query that data with KQL and turn it into alert rules, action groups, and dashboards that surface real problems before your users do.

   2 lessons · 5 quiz questions

2. 02

   Securing the Workload: Entra ID, Key Vault, and Defender for Cloud

   A running workload is an attacked workload, so this module secures the three things attackers reach for: identity, secrets, and misconfiguration. You will grant least-privilege access with Microsoft Entra ID, keep secrets and keys in Azure Key Vault instead of in code, and use Microsoft Defender for Cloud to find and close posture gaps. By the end you can measure your security posture with a secure score and defend the choices behind it.

   2 lessons · 5 quiz questions · assignment

3. 03

   Running It Well: Scaling and Cost Management

   Operating well means the workload keeps up under load and does not bankrupt you when it sits idle. This module scales to demand with autoscale, load balancing, and availability zones, then turns to the bill with budgets, right-sizing, reservations, and Azure Advisor. By the end you can hold a performance target and a cost target at the same time.

   2 lessons · 5 quiz questions

4. 04

   Governing at Scale: Policy, Guardrails, and Landing Zones

   One well-run workload is a skill; a hundred of them running the same way is governance. This module sets guardrails with Azure Policy, initiatives, management groups, and resource locks so good practice is enforced by default rather than remembered by hand. Then it zooms out to the operating model: landing zones, the Cloud Adoption Framework, and the Well-Architected Framework. By the end you can stand up a governed baseline that new subscriptions inherit on day one and that keeps each workload sound.

   2 lessons · 5 quiz questions · assignment