Azure Networking Portfolio Consolidation: Simplifying Service Discovery and Management

Sudha_Mahajan breaks down the Azure Networking portfolio consolidation, highlighting how the new scenario-based organization makes Microsoft cloud network tools easier to navigate and more efficient for technical users.

Azure Networking Portfolio Consolidation: Simplifying Service Discovery and Management

Overview

Azure Networking has evolved rapidly over the past decade, with more than 40 products introduced to help users build, connect, and secure cloud infrastructure. However, this wide array of services often resulted in complexity and confusion for users trying to determine the right solutions. In response to community feedback, Microsoft has restructured the Azure Networking portfolio, focusing the user experience on four major scenarios and twelve essential services.

Four Core Networking Scenarios

1. Network Foundations:
   • Core connectivity for resources, leveraging Azure Virtual Network, Private Link, and DNS.
   • Network foundations overview
2. Hybrid Connectivity:
   • Connects on-premises, private, and public cloud environments securely and seamlessly for hybrid cloud scenarios.
   • Hybrid connectivity portal link
3. Load Balancing and Content Delivery:
   • Guidance and options for balancing application traffic and content delivery to optimize speed and reliability.
   • Load balancing and content delivery portal link
4. Network Security:
   • Centralized management for security tools such as Azure Firewall, DDoS Protection, and Web Application Firewall, with unified controls.
   • Network security portal link

Key Changes and Benefits

• Clearer Starting Points: Services are organized by common scenarios, reducing confusion and enabling users to quickly identify relevant solutions.
• Simplified Choices: Overlapping and redundant offerings have been merged or retired (e.g., white-label and China CDN services), reducing unnecessary choices.
• Updated Documentation and UI:
  • The Azure.com solutions page now offers dynamic, scenario-based navigation for networking and security, improving discoverability.
  • Portal updates present users with streamlined scenario hubs and left-hand navigation for quicker service access.
• Scenario Hub Pages & Overviews: New documentation assets introduce each scenario, outline key services, provide implementation guidance, and link to relevant architecture and best practice resources.

Official Documentation and Resources

• [Azure networking documentation

  Microsoft Learn](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/networking/)

• Network foundations documentation
• Hybrid connectivity documentation
• Load balancing and content delivery documentation
• Network security documentation
• What is load balancing and content delivery?
• Azure Network Foundation Services Overview
• What is hybrid connectivity?
• What is Azure network security?

Impact for Azure Users

• Improved User Productivity: Faster decision-making and guidance for networking implementations.
• Streamlined Product Portfolio: Easier evaluation and adoption through consolidated, up-to-date service offerings.
• Consistent Experience: Unified documentation, navigation, and support tools across Azure.com, the Azure portal, and documentation sets.

Summary

This update simplifies the networking experience in Azure, helping users focus on building secure and efficient networks without navigating a sprawling set of overlapping products. The scenario-driven approach aligns with real-world infrastructure needs and reflects industry best practices.

For ongoing updates, keep an eye on forthcoming posts from Sudha_Mahajan and the Azure Networking community.

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