Azure Virtual Network
Author: Ronald Fung
Creation Date: 2 June 2023
Next Modified Date: 2 June 2024
A. Introduction
Azure Virtual Network is the fundamental building block for your private network in Azure. A virtual network enables many types of Azure resources, such as Azure Virtual Machines (VM), to securely communicate with each other, the internet, and on-premises networks. A virtual network is similar to a traditional network that you’d operate in your own data center. An Azure Virtual Network brings with it extra benefits of Azure’s infrastructure such as scale, availability, and isolation.
Why use an Azure Virtual network?
Azure virtual network enables Azure resources to securely communicate with each other, the internet, and on-premises networks.
Key scenarios that you can accomplish with a virtual network include:
Communication of Azure resources with the internet
Communication between Azure resources
Communication with on-premises resources
Filtering network traffic
Routing network traffic
Integration with Azure services.
B. How is it used at Seagen
As a biopharma research company using Microsoft Azure, you can use Azure Virtual Network to securely connect and manage your virtual machines and other cloud resources. Here are some ways you can use Azure Virtual Network:
Secure connectivity: Azure Virtual Network provides secure connectivity between your virtual machines and other cloud resources, allowing you to manage your network traffic and security policies.
Isolation: Azure Virtual Network allows you to isolate your virtual machines and other cloud resources from other networks, providing additional security and compliance features.
Subnets: Azure Virtual Network allows you to create subnets within your virtual network, allowing you to segment your network resources and apply different security policies and routing rules.
VPN gateway: Azure Virtual Network provides a VPN gateway that allows you to connect your on-premises network to your virtual network, enabling you to securely connect your resources across different locations and networks.
Load balancer: Azure Virtual Network provides a load balancer that allows you to distribute network traffic across your virtual machines and other cloud resources, ensuring optimal performance and availability.
Monitoring: Azure Virtual Network provides monitoring and logging features that allow you to track network activity and diagnose issues in real-time, enabling you to quickly identify and resolve network issues.
Overall, Azure Virtual Network offers a powerful and secure way to connect and manage your virtual machines and other cloud resources in Microsoft Azure. By leveraging Azure Virtual Network, you can effectively manage your network traffic and security policies, isolate your resources from other networks, and connect your on-premises network to your cloud resources. This can help you to effectively manage and secure your biopharma research efforts while taking advantage of the scalability, flexibility, and cost-efficiency of the Azure platform.
C. Features
Azure Virtual Network is a networking solution provided by Microsoft Azure that enables customers to securely connect and manage their virtual machines and other cloud resources. Here are the key features of Azure Virtual Network:
Security: Azure Virtual Network provides secure connectivity between your virtual machines and other cloud resources, allowing you to manage your network traffic and security policies.
Isolation: Azure Virtual Network allows you to isolate your virtual machines and other cloud resources from other networks, providing additional security and compliance features.
Subnets: Azure Virtual Network allows you to create subnets within your virtual network, allowing you to segment your network resources and apply different security policies and routing rules.
VPN gateway: Azure Virtual Network provides a VPN gateway that allows you to connect your on-premises network to your virtual network, enabling you to securely connect your resources across different locations and networks.
Load balancer: Azure Virtual Network provides a load balancer that allows you to distribute network traffic across your virtual machines and other cloud resources, ensuring optimal performance and availability.
Monitoring: Azure Virtual Network provides monitoring and logging features that allow you to track network activity and diagnose issues in real-time, enabling you to quickly identify and resolve network issues.
Routing: Azure Virtual Network allows you to configure routing tables, routing policies, and routing protocols to manage your network traffic and optimize performance.
Integration: Azure Virtual Network integrates with other Azure services, such as Azure Active Directory, Azure DNS, and Azure Traffic Manager, to provide a comprehensive networking solution for your cloud-based applications and services.
Overall, Azure Virtual Network offers a powerful and secure way to connect and manage your virtual machines and other cloud resources in Microsoft Azure. By leveraging Azure Virtual Network, you can effectively manage your network traffic and security policies, isolate your resources from other networks, and connect your on-premises network to your cloud resources. This can help you to effectively manage and secure your biopharma research efforts while taking advantage of the scalability, flexibility, and cost-efficiency of the Azure platform.
D. Where Implemented
E. How it is tested
Testing Azure Virtual Network involves verifying that your network resources are properly configured and that your virtual machines and other cloud resources are effectively connected and secured. Here are some steps you can take to test Azure Virtual Network:
Verify configuration: Verify that Azure Virtual Network is properly configured and integrated with your Azure account and virtual machines.
Test security: Test Azure Virtual Network by verifying that your network traffic and security policies are properly configured and that your virtual machines and other cloud resources are effectively secured.
Test isolation: Test Azure Virtual Network by verifying that your virtual machines and other cloud resources are effectively isolated from other networks, providing additional security and compliance features.
Test subnets: Test Azure Virtual Network by verifying that your subnets are properly configured and that you can effectively segment your network resources and apply different security policies and routing rules.
Test VPN gateway: Test Azure Virtual Network by verifying that you can connect your on-premises network to your virtual network using the VPN gateway, enabling you to securely connect your resources across different locations and networks.
Test load balancer: Test Azure Virtual Network by verifying that you can effectively distribute network traffic across your virtual machines and other cloud resources using the load balancer, ensuring optimal performance and availability.
Test monitoring: Test Azure Virtual Network by verifying that you can effectively monitor and log network activity and diagnose issues in real-time, enabling you to quickly identify and resolve network issues.
Overall, testing Azure Virtual Network involves verifying that your network resources are properly configured and that your virtual machines and other cloud resources are effectively connected and secured. By taking these steps, you can ensure that you are effectively using Azure Virtual Network to manage and secure your cloud-based applications and services and make data-driven decisions that support your biopharma research efforts.
F. 2023 Roadmap
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G. 2024 Roadmap
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H. Known Issues
As with any software or service, there may be known issues or limitations with Azure Virtual Network that users should be aware of. Here are some of the known issues with Azure Virtual Network:
Limited availability: Azure Virtual Network may not be available in all regions or for all virtual machine sizes, which may impact its ability to effectively serve all customers.
Complexity: Configuring and managing Azure Virtual Network can be complex, requiring careful attention to network topology, routing tables, security policies, and other network settings.
Limited flexibility: While Azure Virtual Network provides flexibility and scalability for changing business needs, customers may still experience some limitations in terms of modifying their virtual network settings or network topology.
Limited customization: Azure Virtual Network may not support all custom configurations or images, which may impact its ability to support certain workloads or applications.
Cost optimization: Optimizing costs in Azure Virtual Network can be complex, requiring careful management of network traffic, routing tables, and security policies.
Security and compliance: Azure Virtual Network provides advanced security and compliance features, but users must ensure that their virtual machines and other cloud resources are properly secured and compliant with relevant regulations and policies.
Overall, while Azure Virtual Network offers a powerful and secure way to connect and manage your virtual machines and other cloud resources in Microsoft Azure, users must be aware of these known issues and take steps to mitigate their impact. This may include carefully monitoring availability, complexity, flexibility, customization, cost optimization, security and compliance, and other factors that impact the performance, availability, and scalability of their cloud-based applications and services. By taking these steps, users can ensure that they are effectively using Azure Virtual Network to manage and secure their cloud-based applications and services and make data-driven decisions that support their biopharma research efforts.
[x] Reviewed by Enterprise Architecture
[x] Reviewed by Application Development
[x] Reviewed by Data Architecture