Azure Blueprints

  • Author: Ronald Fung

  • Creation Date: May 11, 2023

  • Next Modified Date: May 11, 2024

A. Introduction

Azure Blueprints helps you deploy and update cloud environments in a repeatable manner using composable artifacts such as policies, role-based access control, and azure resource manager templates.

Just as a blueprint allows an engineer or an architect to sketch a project’s design parameters, Azure Blueprints enables cloud architects and central information technology groups to define a repeatable set of Azure resources that implements and adheres to an organization’s standards, patterns, and requirements. Azure Blueprints makes it possible for development teams to rapidly build and start up new environments with trust they’re building within organizational compliance with a set of built-in components, such as networking, to speed up development and delivery.

Blueprints are a declarative way to orchestrate the deployment of various resource templates and other artifacts such as:

  • Role Assignments

  • Policy Assignments

  • Azure Resource Manager templates (ARM templates)

  • Resource Groups

The Azure Blueprints service is backed by the globally distributed Azure Cosmos DB. Blueprint objects are replicated to multiple Azure regions. This replication provides low latency, high availability, and consistent access to your blueprint objects, regardless of which region Azure Blueprints deploys your resources to.

B. How is it used at Seagen

As a biopharma research company using Microsoft Azure, you can use Azure Blueprints to automate the deployment and management of cloud resources and ensure compliance with organizational policies. Here are some ways you can use Azure Blueprints:

  1. Standardized environment deployment: Azure Blueprints can help you to define a standardized environment for your cloud resources, including policies, roles, and resource groups. This can help you to ensure consistency and reduce the risk of configuration errors.

  2. Compliance and governance: Azure Blueprints can help you to ensure compliance with organizational policies, regulatory requirements, and security standards. This can help you to reduce the risk of non-compliance and improve your overall governance.

  3. Automated deployment: Azure Blueprints can help you to automate the deployment of your cloud resources, including virtual machines, storage accounts, and networks. This can help you to reduce deployment time and improve your overall efficiency.

  4. Role-based access control: Azure Blueprints can help you to define role-based access control (RBAC) for your cloud resources, ensuring that only authorized users have access to critical resources.

  5. Environment updates: Azure Blueprints can help you to update your cloud environment in a controlled and consistent manner. This can help you to reduce the risk of errors and ensure that your cloud resources are up-to-date with the latest policies and standards.

Overall, Azure Blueprints can help your biopharma research company to automate the deployment and management of your cloud resources, ensure compliance with policies and standards, and improve your overall governance and efficiency. With standardized environment deployment, compliance and governance, automated deployment, role-based access control, and environment updates, Azure Blueprints can help you to reduce risk, improve compliance, and streamline your workflows.

C. Features

Azure Blueprints provides functions making a blueprint definition more dynamic. These functions are for use with blueprint definitions and blueprint artifacts. An Azure Resource Manager Template (ARM template) artifact supports the full use of Resource Manager functions in addition to getting a dynamic value through a blueprint parameter.

The following functions are supported:

D. Where implemented

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E. How it is tested

Testing Azure Blueprints involves ensuring that the solution is functioning correctly, securely, and meeting the needs of all stakeholders involved in the project. Here are some steps to follow to test Azure Blueprints:

  1. Define the scope and requirements: Define the scope of the project and the requirements of all stakeholders involved in the project. This will help ensure that Azure Blueprints is designed to meet the needs of all stakeholders.

  2. Develop test cases: Develop test cases that cover all aspects of Azure Blueprints functionality, including deployment, management, and security. The test cases should be designed to meet the needs of the organization, including scalability and resilience.

  3. Conduct unit testing: Test the individual components of Azure Blueprints to ensure that they are functioning correctly. This may involve using tools like PowerShell or Azure CLI for automated testing.

  4. Conduct integration testing: Test Azure Blueprints in an integrated environment to ensure that it works correctly with other systems and applications. This may involve testing Azure Blueprints with different operating systems, browsers, and devices.

  5. Conduct user acceptance testing: Test Azure Blueprints with end-users to ensure that it meets their needs and is easy to use. This may involve conducting surveys, interviews, or focus groups to gather feedback from users.

  6. Automate testing: Automate testing of Azure Blueprints to ensure that it is functioning correctly and meeting the needs of all stakeholders. This may involve using tools like Azure DevOps to set up automated testing pipelines.

  7. Monitor performance: Monitor the performance of Azure Blueprints in production to ensure that it is meeting the needs of all stakeholders. This may involve setting up monitoring tools, such as Azure Monitor, to track usage and identify performance issues.

  8. Address issues: Address any issues that are identified during testing and make necessary changes to ensure that Azure Blueprints is functioning correctly and meeting the needs of all stakeholders.

By following these steps, you can ensure that Azure Blueprints is tested thoroughly and meets the needs of all stakeholders involved in the project. This can help improve the quality of Azure Blueprints and ensure that it functions correctly in a production environment.

F. 2023 Roadmap

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G. 2024 Roadmap

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H. Known Issues

There are several known issues that can impact Azure Blueprints. Here are some of the most common issues to be aware of:

  1. Deployment issues: Azure Blueprints can sometimes encounter issues during deployment, which can cause delays or failures. It is important to ensure that all configurations are set up correctly to avoid issues with deployment.

  2. Configuration issues: Configuration issues can arise when setting up Azure Blueprints. It is important to ensure that all configurations are set up correctly to avoid issues with deployment, management, and security of the solution.

  3. Performance issues: If the system is not properly sized, it can impact performance and availability, causing issues with the speed and reliability of Azure Blueprints.

  4. Integration issues: Integration issues can arise when integrating Azure Blueprints with other systems and applications. It is important to ensure that Azure Blueprints is designed to work seamlessly with other systems and applications to avoid integration issues.

  5. Security issues: Security is a critical concern when it comes to Azure Blueprints. It is important to ensure that Azure Blueprints is secured and that access to the solution is restricted to authorized personnel.

  6. Accuracy issues: In some cases, Azure Blueprints may not be accurate or may not apply to a specific use case. It is important to review Azure Blueprints carefully and validate it before taking action.

  7. Compatibility issues: Azure Blueprints may not be compatible with all Azure services or platforms. It is important to ensure that Azure Blueprints is compatible with the organization’s existing infrastructure before implementation.

Overall, Azure Blueprints requires careful planning and management to ensure that it is functioning correctly and meeting the needs of all stakeholders involved in the project. By being aware of these known issues and taking steps to address them, you can improve the quality of Azure Blueprints and ensure the success of your project.

[x] Reviewed by Enterprise Architecture

[x] Reviewed by Application Development

[x] Reviewed by Data Architecture