Azure Monitor
Author: Ronald Fung
Creation Date: 26 May 2023
Next Modified Date: 26 May 2024
A. Introduction
Azure Monitor is a comprehensive monitoring solution for collecting, analyzing, and responding to telemetry from your cloud and on-premises environments. You can use Azure Monitor to maximize the availability and performance of your applications and services.
Azure Monitor collects and aggregates the data from every layer and component of your system into a common data platform. It correlates data across multiple Azure subscriptions and tenants, in addition to hosting data for other services. Because this data is stored together, it can be correlated and analyzed using a common set of tools. The data can then be used for analysis and visualizations to help you understand how your applications are performing and respond automatically to system events.
Azure Monitor also includes Azure Monitor SCOM Managed Instance, which allows you to move your on-premises System Center Operation Manager (Operations Manager) installation to the cloud in Azure.
Use Azure Monitor to monitor these types of resources in Azure, other clouds, or on-premises:
Applications
Virtual machines
Guest operating systems
Containers including Prometheus metrics
Databases
Security events in combination with Azure Sentinel
Networking events and health in combination with Network Watcher
Custom sources that use the APIs to get data into Azure Monitor
You can also export monitoring data from Azure Monitor into other systems so you can:
Integrate with other third-party and open-source monitoring and visualization tools
Integrate with ticketing and other ITSM systems
B. How is it used at Seagen
As a biopharma research company, Seagen can use Azure Monitor to gain insights into the performance and health of its applications and infrastructure running on Microsoft Azure. Azure Monitor provides a range of services and tools that enable organizations to monitor their workloads and take proactive measures to maintain their health and performance.
Here are some ways Seagen could use Azure Monitor:
Metrics monitoring: Azure Monitor can be used to monitor performance metrics for different Azure services, including virtual machines, databases, and storage accounts. This enables Seagen to track the performance of its workloads and identify any issues that may arise.
Log analytics: Azure Monitor can be used to collect and analyze logs from different Azure services, including virtual machines, databases, and applications. This enables Seagen to identify and troubleshoot issues in real-time.
Alerts and notifications: Azure Monitor can be used to set up alerts and notifications based on performance metrics and log analytics. This enables Seagen to receive alerts when performance issues arise, so they can take proactive measures to address them.
Service health monitoring: Azure Monitor provides service health monitoring for Azure services, including virtual machines, databases, and storage accounts. This enables Seagen to monitor the health of its workloads and identify any issues that may impact their availability.
Application Insights: Azure Monitor includes Application Insights, which provides insights into the performance and usage of applications. This enables Seagen to monitor the health of its applications and identify any issues that may arise.
Overall, Azure Monitor provides a comprehensive set of services and tools for monitoring the performance and health of workloads running on Microsoft Azure. Its ability to monitor performance metrics, collect and analyze logs, set up alerts and notifications, monitor service health, and provide insights into application performance makes it a valuable tool for organizations looking to maintain the health and performance of their workloads on Azure.
C. Features
Azure Monitor is a cloud-based monitoring service that enables organizations to monitor the performance and health of their applications and infrastructure running on Microsoft Azure. Here are some of the key features of Azure Monitor:
Metrics monitoring: Azure Monitor provides a centralized location to monitor performance metrics for different Azure services, including virtual machines, databases, and storage accounts. This enables organizations to track the performance of their workloads and identify any issues that may arise.
Log analytics: Azure Monitor can be used to collect and analyze logs from different Azure services, including virtual machines, databases, and applications. This enables organizations to identify and troubleshoot issues in real-time.
Alerts and notifications: Azure Monitor can be used to set up alerts and notifications based on performance metrics and log analytics. This enables organizations to receive alerts when performance issues arise, so they can take proactive measures to address them.
Service health monitoring: Azure Monitor provides service health monitoring for Azure services, including virtual machines, databases, and storage accounts. This enables organizations to monitor the health of their workloads and identify any issues that may impact their availability.
Application Insights: Azure Monitor includes Application Insights, which provides insights into the performance and usage of applications. This enables organizations to monitor the health of their applications and identify any issues that may arise.
Dashboards: Azure Monitor provides customizable dashboards that enable organizations to create visualizations of their monitoring data. This enables organizations to gain insights into the health and performance of their workloads at a glance.
Integration with other Azure services: Azure Monitor can be integrated with other Azure services, including Azure Automation and Azure Logic Apps. This enables organizations to automate remediation actions and take proactive measures to maintain the health and performance of their workloads.
Overall, Azure Monitor provides a comprehensive set of services and tools for monitoring the performance and health of workloads running on Microsoft Azure. Its ability to monitor performance metrics, collect and analyze logs, set up alerts and notifications, monitor service health, provide insights into application performance, and integrate with other Azure services makes it a valuable tool for organizations looking to maintain the health and performance of their workloads on Azure.
D. Where Implemented
E. How it is tested
Testing Azure Monitor involves several steps that include:
Setting up a testing environment: The first step is to set up a testing environment that is separate from the production environment. This ensures that any issues or bugs discovered during testing do not affect the live system.
Creating test cases: The next step is to create test cases that cover all the functionalities of Azure Monitor. Test cases should include positive and negative scenarios, edge cases, and stress tests.
Running tests: Once the test cases are created, the next step is to run the tests. This involves executing the test cases and recording the results.
Debugging and fixing issues: If any issues or bugs are discovered during testing, they must be debugged and fixed before proceeding with further testing.
Repeat testing: After fixing the issues, the tests must be run again to ensure that the fixes have been successful and there are no further issues.
Integration testing: Once Azure Monitor has been tested, it must be integrated with other systems and applications to ensure that it works seamlessly with other components.
User acceptance testing: Finally, Azure Monitor must undergo user acceptance testing to ensure that it meets the requirements of the end-users.
Overall, testing Azure Monitor involves a comprehensive testing approach that covers all the functionalities of the solution and ensures that it meets the requirements of the end-users. Testing should include both functional and non-functional testing, such as performance testing, security testing, and scalability testing. It is also important to test the integration of Azure Monitor with other systems and applications to ensure that it works seamlessly with other components.
F. 2023 Roadmap
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G. 2024 Roadmap
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H. Known Issues
Like all software products, Azure Monitor may have some known issues. Here are some of the known issues for Azure Monitor:
Data ingestion delays: There may be delays in data ingestion for some Azure services, which can lead to delays in monitoring and alerting.
Alerting issues: There may be issues with alerting, such as false alarms or missed alerts, which can impact the ability of organizations to respond to issues in a timely manner.
Data storage limits: Azure Monitor has limits on the amount of data that can be stored, which can impact the ability of organizations to retain monitoring data for a long period of time.
Service availability: Azure Monitor may experience service availability issues, which can impact the ability of organizations to monitor their workloads in real-time.
Cost management issues: Organizations must carefully manage the costs associated with Azure Monitor, as costs can quickly add up when monitoring workloads at scale.
Overall, while Azure Monitor is a powerful solution for monitoring the performance and health of workloads running on Microsoft Azure, users must be aware of these known issues and take steps to mitigate their impact. This may include addressing data ingestion delays, setting up effective alerting strategies, carefully managing costs, and ensuring compliance with security and compliance requirements. It is also important to carefully plan and test the monitoring process to minimize the risk of issues during monitoring.
[x] Reviewed by Enterprise Architecture
[x] Reviewed by Application Development
[x] Reviewed by Data Architecture