Azure Resource Groups are containers that hold related resources for an Azure solution. The resources might include virtual machines (VMs), storage accounts, and virtual networks. They are pivotal for maintaining organized, easily manageable cloud resources.
For instance, if a business deploys an Azure Virtual Desktop environment, it might create a resource group named “AVDResourceGroup,” which includes all the associated VMs, storage accounts, and network interfaces used by the Azure Virtual Desktop.
Why Use Azure Subscriptions?
Azure subscriptions are an essential component of Azure pricing and resource management. Each subscription is associated with Azure account and includes factors like payment methods and billing details. They provide a way to organize and manage azure resources and services with different billing and user access control levels.
For instance, a company might have separate subscriptions for its development and production environments. This separation allows precise cost tracking for each category and avoids unwanted cross-access between production and development resources.
Exploring Azure Management Groups
Azure management groups are effective ways to manage multiple subscriptions. These groups provide a hierarchical structure that houses multiple subscriptions and apply governance conditions to the entire hierarchy.
For example, if an organization has multiple Azure subscriptions for their different departments like sales, marketing, HR, these can be grouped under an Azure management group for easier administration and application of governance policies uniformly across all subscriptions.
When planning for the AZ-140 certification, it’s essential to have good command of these elements. Let’s consider an example structure combining all these entities:
| Azure Management Group | Azure Subscriptions | Azure Resource Groups |
|---|---|---|
| Corporate Group | Marketing Department | Marketing-ResGroup |
| Sales Department | Sales-ResGroup | |
| HR Department | HR-ResGroup |
In this structure, you have a broad Azure Management Group (“Corporate Group”). Inside this group, there are three separate Azure Subscriptions (“Marketing Department”, “Sales Department”, and “HR Department”). Each of these subscriptions has its resource group (“Marketing-ResGroup”, “Sales-ResGroup”, and “HR-ResGroup”).
Resource groups provide logical resource segregation within a subscription, while management groups deliver broad governance across multiple subscriptions. Understanding and utilising these will not only aid in AC-140 exam success, but lead to efficient Azure resource management. Please refer to the official Azure documentation for extensive knowledge of these topics as it provides reliable, up-to-date information.
Practice Test
True or False: You can organize your Azure resources using resource groups.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: Resource groups can be used to consolidate Azure resources linked with a single project or service, to manage and track them more efficiently.
True or False: Subscriptions in Azure are always tied to one specific management group.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: Subscriptions could be part of one management group, but they can be moved from one management group to another based on your organization’s needs.
Which of the following Azure services would you use to delegate access to manage resources?
- a) Azure Subscriptions
- b) Azure Resource Groups
- c) Management Groups
- d) Azure Advisor
Answer: c) Management Groups
Explanation: Management Groups in Azure allow you to delegate permissions and provide a way to aggregate policy and initiative assignments at a higher level than subscriptions.
The recommended approach to managing resources in Azure is to:
- a) Put all resources in a single resource group and subscription
- b) Use multiple subscriptions but a single resource group
- c) Use multiple resource groups and multiple subscriptions to segregate resources
Answer: c) Use multiple resource groups and multiple subscriptions to segregate resources
Explanation: It’s recommended to use multiple resource groups within different subscriptions, to better manage, segregate, and secure your resources.
True or False: A management group can’t have multiple subscriptions.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: A single management group can have multiple subscriptions associated with it.
Which of the following is not a benefit of using resource groups?
- a) Providing a way to monitor resources collectively
- b) Giving visual cues on the Azure portal about resource types
- c) Managing resources that share the same lifecycle
- d) Simplifying user and access management
Answer: b) Giving visual cues on the Azure portal about resource types
Explanation: Resource groups in Azure are mainly used to manage and monitor resources that share the same lifecycle, and to simplify user and access management. They do not provide visual cues about resource types.
True or False: You can’t move resources from one resource group to another.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: You can move a resource from one resource group to another. This function can be beneficial as your organization changes and grows.
Which Azure service provides hierarchical management that allows you to organize subscriptions?
- a) Resource groups
- b) Management groups
- c) Azure Advisor
- d) Azure Security Center
Answer: b) Management Groups
Explanation: Management groups provide a level of scope above subscriptions, that give you a hierarchical organization of your Azure resources.
A benefit of using different subscriptions in Azure can be:
- a) Advanced security
- b) Discounts
- c) Simplified Billing
- d) All of the above
Answer: c) Simplified Billing
Explanation: Using multiple subscriptions can simplify the billing process by designating costs to different departments, projects, or regions.
True or False: Management groups in Azure provide a way to aggregate policy assignments.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: One of the primary benefits of using management groups is the ability to aggregate policy and initiative assignments at levels higher than subscriptions.
Subscriptions allow you to:
- a) Manage resources
- b) Associate policies
- c) Administer access
- d) All of the above
Answer: d) All of the above
Explanation: Subscriptions in Azure are a logical unit of Azure services that link to an Azure account. You can manage resources, associate policies, and administer access through subscriptions.
Azure resource groups can be used to:
- a) Implement granular access control
- b) Manage resources used for a single project
- c) Simplify compliance reporting
- d) All of the above
Answer: d) All of the above
Explanation: As Azure resource groups are collections of resources that are used for a single project, they provide granular access control, simplify compliance reporting, and assist in managing resources effectively.
True or False: Management groups don’t offer a level of scope above subscriptions.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: Management groups do offer a level of scope above subscriptions, helping to create an organized structure that can reflect your organization.
You can organize resources based on their:
- a) Lifecycle and usage
- b) Costs
- c) Maintenance windows
- d) All of the above
Answer: d) All of the above
Explanation: Azure lets you organize resources based on their lifecycle, usage, cost, and maintenance windows for easy management.
True or False: Resource groups in Azure are permanent and resources cannot be moved once assigned to a group.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: Resources in Azure can be moved from one resource group to another as needed. This can be beneficial as your organization changes and grows over time.
Interview Questions
What is the main function of Azure Management Groups?
Azure Management Groups provide a way to manage access, policies, and compliance over multiple Azure subscriptions at a higher level.
What is an Azure Resource Group?
An Azure Resource Group is a container that holds related resources for an Azure solution, which can include applications or Virtual Desktops deployed on Azure.
What is an Azure Subscription?
An Azure Subscription is an agreement with Microsoft to use one or more Microsoft cloud platforms or services, for which charges accrue based on either use or a monthly commitment.
How do Resource Groups in Azure assist in resource management?
Resource Groups in Azure allow administrators to manage and organize resources based on business needs. It provides the advantage of applying consistent policies and managing access permissions on a larger scale.
What are Azure Policy and Azure Blueprints?
Azure Policy is a service in Azure that you use to create, assign and manage policies, while Azure Blueprints is a declarative way to orchestrate the deployment of various resource templates and other artifacts such as Role Assignments, Policy Assignments, etc.
Can you move Azure resources across the resource groups?
Yes, Azure resources can be moved from one resource group to another, or even from one subscription to another, but it’s necessary to verify that the resources support the moving operations and confirm there won’t be an impact on the resource access.
How many levels of Management Groups can be created in Azure?
You can nest Management Groups up to six levels deep, excluding the Root level and the subscription level.
Is it possible to have multiple subscriptions under a single Azure Management Group?
Yes, it is possible to have multiple subscriptions under a single Azure Management Group. It allows management and compliance enforcement across multiple subscriptions.
Can you apply Azure policy at the management group scope?
Yes, Azure policies can be applied at the management group level. In this case, the defined policy gets inherited by all the subscriptions present in that management group.
What happens when a resource is moved from one resource group to another?
When a resource is moved to a new resource group, the policies of the new resource group apply and replace the old policies.
What are the two types of Azure Subscriptions?
The two main types of Azure Subscriptions are ‘Pay-As-You-Go’ where you pay for actual usage and ‘Enterprise Agreement’ where larger businesses negotiate a contract with Microsoft based on expected usage.
Are there any costs associated with Azure management groups?
No, Azure management groups are a free feature provided by Azure for efficient management and organization of resources and subscriptions.
How do you grant access to management groups in Azure?
Access to management groups is granted via Azure Active Directory. You can assign specific roles to users, groups or service principals at a particular scope.
What is the main advantage of using Azure Blueprints over Azure Policies?
Azure Blueprints allows orchestration of several services like Resource Manager template deployments and policy assignments, whereas Azure Policies is mainly focused on governing the resources.
Can I delete a resource group in Azure if it has resources in it?
Yes, but deleting a resource group also deletes all the resources contained within it. Therefore, if you want to keep the resources, you need to move them to a different group before deleting the original group.
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