SAP

Microsoft Azure for SAP Solutions – August 2018 Update

Posted on by Arnaud

žAs many of our customers are adopting Microsoft Azure to running their most critical workloads, SAP and SAP HANA are naturally at the center of many conversations.

In this session, Cameron Gardiner, principal program manager in the SAP on Azure team, and myself cover the latest status update about technologies available in Azure to run your SAP environments.

žThis session assumes that you have a prior knowledge of SAP on Azure and cover the following topics: ž

  • Latest compute offerings available in APAC region
  • Latest announcements and innovation release
  • žCertification status for HANA
  • Running HEC on Azure
  • Building SAP disaster recovery with Azure
  • Support and certifications for SAP on Azure Stack and Hyper-V

The link to register to the online session: https://info.microsoft.com/AP-AzureINFRA-WBNR-FY19-07Jul-31-SAPHANAonAzure-MCW0008140_01Registration-ForminBody.html

The video of the session:

The slides of the session:

Some additional links to document our session:

Feel free to reach us for any question!

Arnaud 

Getting started with – Azure Backup

Posted on by Arnaud

gstarted-backup

We continue our series of “Getting Started” articles, with most up-to-date information I use with Microsoft Partners and customers when enabling them with Azure infrastructure services. I follows the same structure which is: getting started, training videos if available, then reference architectures, capacity planning and pricing information.

Backup is generally not creating a lot of excitement in IT teams, that’s the very least we can say. The fundamentally difficult parts of it are:

  1. defining data retention and archival policies.
  2. defining the appropriate sizing for the solution.
  3. executing the offsite data copy policy.

I’m not even talking about testing the restore of the backup, because people usually don’t do it Winking smile

Here’s really why Azure can help:

  1. You only have to size for the local backup storage system, archival is done is the cloud.
  2. With all hidden costs of tape systems included like offsite processing, storage on cloud is very likely to be always cheaper than any on-premises storage.
  3. You can easily test restoring data in a separate and isolated environment.
  4. You can easily backup files on servers and client with a small backup agent
  5. You can easily backup your applications running on Hyper-V on Vmware with Azure Backup Server.

Here’s what you need to get started building solutions on Azure:

Overview video

https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/resources/videos/what-is-azure-backup/

Overview article

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/backup/backup-introduction-to-azure-backup

Training Videos:

https://mva.microsoft.com/en-us/training-courses/hybrid-cloud-workloads-storage-and-backup-8335?l=QeQ9Uyay_6204984382

Pricing reference:

http://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/details/backup/

Technical References:

Azure Virtual Machine Backup: https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/documentation/articles/backup-azure-vms/

Microsoft Azure Backup: https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/documentation/articles/backup-azure-backup-windows-server/

Microsoft Azure Backup Server: https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/documentation/articles/backup-azure-dpm-introduction/

Architecture references:

Azure Backup Limitations – http://social.technet.microsoft.com/wiki/contents/articles/28395.azure-backup-limits.aspx

Security features for protecting hybrid backups using Azure Backup – https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/backup/backup-azure-security-feature

Third parties’ backup solutions supporting Azure

Commvault – https://www.commvault.com/solutions/by-technology/virtual-machine-and-cloud/microsoft-azure

Veaam – https://www.veeam.com/cloud-connect.html

Veritas – https://www.veritas.com/solution/azure

Service updates information

https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/updates/?product=backup

When you have deployed the solution and want to go further with Automation, there’s a pretty nice course on Microsoft OpenEDX: https://openedx.microsoft.com/courses/course-v1:Microsoft+AZURE210x+2016_T4/about 

If you want to get started on Azure the good way, you can register to IT Pro Cloud Essentials, it includes online trainings, MCP vouchers and  monthly free credits to use Azure: https://www.microsoft.com/itprocloudessentials/en-US 

Feel free to connect with me and provide feedbacks!

Arnaud

Getting started with – Azure Site Recovery

Posted on by Arnaud

<updated 14th march 2017>

gettingstarted-asr

In this series of “Getting Started” articles, I will post the most up-to-date information I use with Microsoft Partners and customers when enabling them with Azure infrastructure services. I follows the same structure which is: getting started, training videos if available, then reference architectures, capacity planning and pricing information.

Disaster Recovery Plans aka DRP is one the most ungrateful work in IT. Because basically you are going to prepare for some situations that will be painful and difficult. However, this is a good exercise to protect against one of the most prevalent laws in IT: “Anything (Everything) will fail at some point, and very likely at the worst time”.

It puts you in a state of mind that most of people don’t like.and you will ask your boss money for something that you hope will never be used.

That’s where the cloud can help, for both virtualized and non virtualized workloads. Here’s how in 4 easy steps:

  1. First step consists of replicating your production workloads as they are running.
  2. Second step is to automating the disaster recovery plan execution.
  3. Run the workloads in Azure.
  4. Replicate your virtual machines back to your datacenter.

Overview video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOOwMQPBKfM

Overview article

https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/documentation/articles/site-recovery-overview/

Training Videos

https://channel9.msdn.com/Series/Azure-Site-Recovery

Technical References

Azure Site Recovery support matrix – https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/site-recovery/site-recovery-support-matrix

Prepare for Azure Site Recovery deployment – https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/site-recovery/site-recovery-best-practices

Migrate AWS workloads to Azure – https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/site-recovery/site-recovery-migrate-aws-to-azure

Architecture references

VMware and Physical Servers to Azure – https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/site-recovery/site-recovery-vmware-to-azure

Hyper-V to Azure – https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/site-recovery/site-recovery-hyper-v-site-to-azure

VMM to Azure – https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/site-recovery/site-recovery-vmm-to-azure

Network planning for disaster recovery: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/site-recovery/site-recovery-network-design

Workload guidance

What workloads can you protect with Azure Site Recovery? – https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/site-recovery/site-recovery-workload

Active directory and DNS

SQL Server

Sharepoint

Dynamics AX

Exchange

SAP

Running automation in ASR – https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/site-recovery/site-recovery-runbook-automation 

Sizing & capacity planning

Capacity planning: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/site-recovery/site-recovery-capacity-planner

Azure Site Recovery Deployment Planner: https://aka.ms/asr-deployment-planner-doc 

Pricing reference

https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/details/site-recovery/

Service updates information

https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/updates/?product=site-recovery

When you have put the infrastructure in place and are in the process of fully automating the disaster recovery plan, you need skills on Azure Automation. There’s a pretty nice course on Microsoft OpenEDX: https://openedx.microsoft.com/courses/course-v1:Microsoft+AZURE210x+2016_T4/about 

Feel free to connect with me and provide feedbacks!

Arnaud