Azure Icons Reference - All 284 Icons Searchable
Complete searchable reference of all Azure service icons with descriptions. Stop hunting through Microsoft's icon sets - everything in one interactive table.
I Scraped the Azure Periodic Table to Build a Service Dictionary (And You Can Use It)
The Azure Periodic Table is beautiful but not programmatically useful. So I scraped 200+ services into a PowerShell dictionary. Now my inventory tool shows service descriptions, naming conventions, and cost tiers.
Azure Service Inventory Tool: Which of the 397 Services Do You Actually Use?
The Azure Periodic Table is beautiful but useless for operations. Here's a tool that tells you which services you're actually using, how many, and what they cost.
4 Logic Apps Every Azure Admin Should Build
Stop clicking buttons. These 4 Logic Apps automate the boring operational tasks that break when ignored: unused resources, certificate expiration, tag compliance, and backup verification.
The AI Collaboration Gap: What Azure Admins Need to Know About Claude vs Copilot
Everyone writes about building AI solutions. Nobody writes about using AI as a daily tool. Here's the technical breakdown of two different approaches to AI-assisted Azure operations.
Stop Losing Your KQL Queries: The Git-Based Query Library Nobody Told You About
You've written the perfect KQL query. Three months later, you can't find it. Here's the simple Git workflow that saves me 10+ hours a month searching for queries I already wrote.
I Migrated My Own Azure Virtual Desktop to Windows 11 with 512GB Disk Space
How I migrated from a cramped 127GB Windows 10 AVD to a spacious 512GB Windows 11 environment - including the gotchas nobody tells you about disk partitions, authentication, and user assignments.
Commenting for Continuity: Why My Code Comments Don't Look Like Yours (On Purpose)
Most guides say 'comment the why, not the what.' Azure admins need more: comments that double as runbooks, audit trails, and change-board briefs.
The Missing SOC 2 Guide: Azure Activity Log Setup (Grill Assembly Manual Edition)
Every guide says 'configure diagnostic settings.' Nobody shows you which button to click. Here's the step-by-step tutorial that actually works, written for someone who's never done this before.
SOC 2 Audit Prep Part 2: Azure AD Audit Log Retention Setup (Step-by-Step)
The grill assembly manual for capturing Azure AD audit logs - app registrations, consent grants, sign-ins, and role assignments. Every click, every command, every verification. Part 2 of fixing the 90-day audit gap.
Security Found .NET 6 on 47 VMs. Now I'm Supposed to Remove It. Here's Why That's Impossible.
Tenable finds a vulnerability. Security creates a ticket. Change management wants approval. App teams say not my problem. Infrastructure doesn't own the apps. Welcome to the operational reality nobody talks about.
The Azure Audit Gap Nobody Talks About: Why Your 90-Day Logs Won't Survive a 7-Year Audit
Most Azure environments are silently non-compliant with regulatory audit requirements. Here's the three-part problem everyone faces, how app registrations create blind spots, and the architecture to fix it before your next audit.
I'm Not Renewing My Azure Certifications. Here's Why I'm Getting AI-102 Instead.
I earned AZ-103, AZ-303, and AZ-304 in 2020. Microsoft wants me to renew them. I'm not renewing. I'm investing those 100 hours in AI-102 instead. Here's the data behind that decision.
What Happens When You Open an Azure Support Ticket: Inside the Enterprise Support Model
Understanding Microsoft's global support organization helps you navigate it effectively. Here's what actually happens when you click 'Submit Ticket' - from TAM metrics to contractor handoffs to backend access.
The KQL Problem Nobody Warns You About: You're Learning One Language Across Five Different Systems
Everyone learns KQL in Log Analytics. Nobody warns you about Resource Graph, Sentinel, App Insights, or Defender. Here's the decision framework you need before you build the wrong thing in the wrong place.
I Spent 30 Days Testing Azure AI in a Regulated Environment. Here's What Actually Works.
Microsoft says AI will revolutionize Azure operations by 2028. I tested it in October 2025 in a regulated enterprise with PCI/HIPAA requirements. 60-70% is deployable RIGHT NOW. Real ROI: Saved 15 hours/month, found $4,327 in waste, passed compliance audits easier. Here's what works, what's broken, and the 30-day roadmap.
Six Azure Tags That Make Chargeback and Showback Actually Work
One tag can’t tell the whole story. Here’s how I built a practical Azure tagging model that connects operations, finance, and security — and finally made chargeback for shared services accurate and defensible.
Azure Is Your Cell Phone (And Finance Already Understands It)
Nobody asks for ROI on paying Verizon instead of building cell towers. But Finance wants ROI on Azure vs on-premises servers. The apps are the business. Azure is just the platform that runs them.
Why Azure Migrate's 'Agentless' Discovery Fails in Enterprise Hybrid Environments
Microsoft's official migration tool assumes single domains and flat networks. Here's why it's architecturally incompatible with multi-domain hybrid environments.
If You're Going to Azure, Better Have a Yard Sale and a Roll-Off Ready
Finance celebrates retiring 100 apps instead of migrating them. Six months later: Why are we still paying for the old data center? Because 'Retire' isn't a decision, it's a $300K decommissioning project nobody budgeted for.
Finance Accepts Monthly OpEx for Phones. Why Not Cloud?
Nobody questions paying Verizon instead of building cell towers. Apps on your phone = value. The network = enabler. Finance gets it. So why do they question the same model for Azure?
Why Your Azure Migration ROI Calculation Is Wrong Before You Start
Finance compares Azure VM costs to server costs and declares cloud expensive. They're missing the entire point: no VAR meetings, no hardware refresh, provision in minutes instead of months. The value isn't in the spreadsheet.
If You Can't Code Your Architecture, You're Not an Architect
Deploy one VM to learn the variables. Deploy three VMs to learn you're wasting time. Code your fourth deployment or admit you're just clicking buttons for a living.
How I Reverse-Engineered a Power BI Dashboard (PBIX Modernizer Tool)
Chris Bowman's CCO Dashboard is 200+ pages of Power BI. I needed to understand it to build CCO 2.0. Built a tool that extracts all queries, measures, and relationships in seconds. .pbix files are just ZIP archives.
Extract KQL Queries from Azure Workbooks (Workbook → App Tool)
Azure Workbooks hide 110+ items and complex KQL queries in nested JSON. Built a Streamlit tool that extracts everything in seconds. Parsed Billy York's workbook: 41 queries, full structure, exportable. No more clicking through Azure Portal.
Your CMDB Is Wrong (And Cloud Migration Fixes It)
I spent 3 months bridging the gap between ServiceNow records with no context, RVtools exports mixing servers with virtual desktops, and ManageEngine tracking 21 AD domains. Then Azure Resource Graph gave me 31,000 accurate, tagged resources in 30 seconds.
Understanding Azure Costs: Start with Apps, Not Subscriptions
Microsoft says subscriptions are billing boundaries. Two years later you're maintaining manual spreadsheets. Here's what nobody tells you: count your applications first, then design subscriptions around teams.
The Azure Console Button Is a Lie (And You Don't Need AMA)
VMware admins: That 'Connect' button isn't console access. Serial Console is hidden in Help > Boot Diagnostics, works without networking, and doesn't require Azure Monitor Agent. Here's what Microsoft didn't tell you.
SCCM, WSUS, Azure Update Manager, Intune: Which One Do I Actually Use?
Three Microsoft reps gave me three different answers about patching Azure VMs. Here's what each tool actually does, which workloads need which tool, and why you need multiple tools during enterprise migration. The decision matrix Microsoft won't publish.
The New Azure Debugging Rule: When AI Says 'I Don't Know'
AI has changed when you should stop debugging and open a Microsoft support ticket. If Claude can't solve your Azure problem after reading every doc, GitHub issue, and Stack Overflow post, you've hit the boundary of public knowledge. Time to use the support you're paying for.
Azure IPAM Tool for Multi-Subscription Environments | Free Open Source IP Tracking
Track IPs across Azure subscriptions with this free IPAM tool. Search IPs, detect conflicts, reserve ranges, visualize network topology. Built for enterprise consolidation managing 44+ subscriptions. Full source code on GitHub.
Why Your Azure Scripts Break on Fresh Server 2025 (And Why Microsoft Won't Tell You)
Your admin workstation still has ISE installed. Server 2025 still ships with PowerShell 5.1. Modern Azure automation needs PowerShell 7. Here's the gap nobody explains.
OneNote: The Azure Admin Tool Nobody Tells You About
Azure certification courses teach you Portal, CLI, and PowerShell. Nobody mentions the tool that will save you more time than all of them combined: OneNote. Here's why Send to OneNote should be muscle memory for every Azure admin.
Fix Azure Private Endpoint DNS in Hybrid AD | DNS Resolution Without Azure Private Resolver
Azure Private Endpoint DNS not working in hybrid environments? Learn how to fix DNS resolution by duplicating zones in on-prem AD instead of using forwarders or Azure Private Resolver. Real-world solution managing 1,500+ private endpoints.
Azure Cloud Adoption Framework Explained: 3 Layers That Actually Matter
Microsoft's Cloud Adoption Framework is 1,500 pages. Here's what matters: Structure (Management Groups, Subscriptions), Governance (Policy, RBAC), Operations (Monitor, Backup). CAF simplified for real Azure teams without the consultant buzzwords.
Azure Dashboards Are Your Cloud NOC (And Nobody Told You)
New Azure admins are told to 'use workbooks' the same way students are told to 'solve for X' - without understanding what problem it solves.
The Truth About Chris Bowman's Azure Cost Dashboard
Everyone links to Chris Bowman's template. Nobody explains why it's 19GB and needs Premium. Here's what's actually happening.
Why Your Automation Fails on Fresh Azure VMs (And How I Fixed It)
Three hours debugging certificate errors on fresh marketplace VMs. The culprit? Microsoft's own infrastructure serving outdated dependencies.
Enhanced Azure Inventory Workbook: 200+ Services, Security Hygiene, Global Filters
Free Azure Monitor Workbook template with 200+ services, security monitoring, cost optimization, and global filtering. Enhanced version of Billy York's inventory workbook with full source code on GitHub.
Why Your Azure Cost Reports Don't Match Your Business Reality
Azure Cost Management works perfectly. Your finance team still can't figure out who should pay for what. Here's why cost center tagging doesn't solve enterprise chargeback.
Azure Update Manager Reality Check: Why 77% of Your VMs Are Unsupported
Opened Azure Update Manager and saw 1,791 VMs that need updates? Here's the uncomfortable truth about what that number really means and the KQL queries to find your real target.
Why Most Azure Migrations Fail: The Institutional Knowledge Problem
Azure Migrate works perfectly. The problem is no one remembers how their applications actually work. Here's why enterprise migrations fail before they start.
What I Wish I Knew About Azure Resource Tags
Order, capitalization, spelling, and the Type tag that will save your sanity. Hard-earned lessons from real Azure environments.
From Raw Data to Actionable Insights: Mastering Azure VM Inventory with KQL
Build a single KQL query that inventories every VM, cleans up OS details, and assigns the right patching workflow—Intune, Azure Update Manager, or Linux package managers.
KQL Cheat Sheet for Azure Resource Graph | Free PDF Download + Examples
Complete KQL cheat sheet for Azure admins. Query VMs, NICs, disks with Resource Graph. Copy-paste examples, join patterns, troubleshooting tips. Free PDF download via email.
Azure Cost Management is Confusing (But You Can Tame It)
Azure bills are messy, dashboards don't always add up, and tags are a nightmare. Here's how I'm making sense of it — and how you can too.
Azure Cost Reporting for the Boardroom: Turning Receipts Into Stories
Your Azure invoice isn’t a report — it’s a receipt. What your board needs is a story about cloud spend, risk, and ROI. Learn how to connect Azure costs to departments, apps, and business units with reporting and tags.