This article provides a list of resources that you can use to make informed decisions about the technologies that you choose for your Azure solutions. Explore comparison matrices, flowcharts, and decision trees to ensure that you find the best matches for your scenario.
Choose a compute service
The term compute refers to the hosting model for the computing resources that your application runs on. The following articles can help you choose the right technologies:
Understand when to use Azure Container Apps and how it compares to other container options, including Azure Container Instances, Azure App Service, Azure Functions, and Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS).
Find the best option, given a specific use case, for configuring Kubernetes clusters at the edge.
Choose a hybrid option
Many organizations need a hybrid approach to analytics, automation, and services because their data is hosted both on-premises and in the cloud. The following articles can help you choose the best technologies for your scenario:
Choose an authentication method for a Microsoft Entra hybrid identity solution in a medium-sized to large organization.
Choose a storage service
The Azure Storage platform is the Microsoft cloud storage solution for modern data storage scenarios. Review these articles to determine the best solution for your use case:
Learn about the disk types that are available for Azure virtual machines, including Ultra disks, Premium SSDs v2 (preview), Premium SSDs, Standard SSDs, and Standard HDDs.
Choose an Azure solution for data transfer, based on the amount of data and the available network bandwidth in your environment.
Choose a data store
The cloud is changing the way applications are designed, including how data is processed and stored. These articles can help you choose a data solution:
Learn about online analytical processing (OLAP) solutions for organizing large databases and supporting complex analysis without affecting transactional systems.
Learn about atomicity, consistency, and other features of online transaction processing (OLTP), which manages transactional data and supports querying.
Learn about Azure data transfer options like Azure Import/Export, Azure Data Box, Azure Data Factory, and command-line and graphical interface tools.
Choose an analytics solution
With the exponential growth in data, organizations rely on the limitless compute, storage, and analytical power of Azure. Review these articles to learn about the available analytics solutions:
Compare options for real-time message stream processing in Azure.
Choose an AI / machine learning service
AI is the capability of a computer to imitate intelligent human behavior. Through AI, machines can analyze images, comprehend speech, interact in natural ways, and make predictions based on data. Review these articles to learn about the AI and machine learning technology choices that are available in Azure:
Learn about how Azure Machine Learning uses MLflow to log metrics and artifacts from machine learning models and deploy your machine learning models to an endpoint.
Choose a networking service
These articles can help you explore the networking technologies that are available in Azure:
Learn about asynchronous messaging options in Azure, including the various types of messages and the entities that participate in a messaging infrastructure.
Choose an IoT option
IoT solutions use a combination of technologies to connect devices, events, and actions through cloud applications. Review these articles to learn more about the IoT technology choices that Azure provides:
To evaluate your IoT solution, use Azure IoT Central, a managed IoT application platform. To build a custom IoT solution from scratch, use Azure IoT platform services such as Azure IoT Hub and the Device Provisioning Service.
Review a comparison between Azure IoT Hub and Event Hubs that highlights functional differences and use cases. The comparison includes supported protocols, device management, monitoring, and file uploads.