Review of the New Cloud-Based Windows Azure Admin Portal
Published on 06 June 13
James2795
1
Microsoft has recently unveiled a new administration entry point and access level to the Windows Azure cloud-based portal. With the new Silverlight support for the Windows Azure platform, the portal should be easier to use and more intuitive. The old portal was available for a few weeks, but the new administration portal is now fully up and running. So how does it perform? Read on to get my overview of what this means and how the Windows Azure cloud platform now looks. 
General Overview
Ok so first thing you might notice is how the loading time is a bit slower than the old version, but nothing bad enough to stop you from wanting to use it. From the outset, you will see an improved user interface that resembles a true Administration Console - in other words, it is clear and functional unlike the previous software release version.
Across the top navigation bar, you can access your hosted services, a new storage service, a new database and also Azure Connect. In the left hand side column you will find links to getting started, your common Windows Azure tasks, help and support and finally Beta Programs. Then a little further down you will see the Home button, different accounts (for example hosted services, storage, accounts and CDN). There are also several new features which include database, reporting, service bus, access control, caching and messaging and Virtual Network.
Beta Programs
So how about the new features in more depth? One worth mentioning is the "Beta Programs" button. This new feature allows access to new features and parts of Windows Azure that are still in beta and mode. During my tests I had access to Extra Small VM, Windows Azure Connect and VM Roles. Extra Small VM is specifically tailored for application testing at a very low price point. Windows Azure Connect lets you create an "IP network" as a secure channel between the Azure and servers, like Windows 7 Direct Access. This function is related to the Virtual Network. Finally VM Role lets you access the full range of Windows Azure application roles. You can use VM Role to deploy a Windows Server 2008 virtual machine on Azure. By default, these programs are not enabled. Simply select and click on Join if you wish to activate. Again, this new feature, like the main admin screen is clear and east to use.
Common Tasks
This tab shows the daily actions that you are required to do when running Windows Azure administration tasks, application deployment, working on storage, updates, updating the Guest OS, Azure VM management and so on. Whilst this is a good idea, it needs to have more supporting documentation and support pages as some of the functions are not immediately clear on how they work or what the implications are to enabling them.
Getting Started
This is a fantastic option as it shows you how to how to do some of the more popular Windows Azure tasks and how to install Azure tools. I tried to create an Azure application using the Getting Started option and everything was easy to do with sequential steps leading me through the process.
Hosted Services, Storage Accounts & CDN
These are the real mechanics behind Windows Azure. You can access all your active accounts, storage, as well as active and deployed applications. The information is very comprehensive and the presentation tree is a good idea. With a few clicks you can access all the necessary information. The toolbar at the top allows quick access to all available options in an instance. The right column lists the properties. Unfortunately it does take a little time to get used to understanding the new menu presentation but should become more intuitive and familiar after a few times of use.
Conclusion
Overall, this is a great improvement to the cloud-based Windows Azure platform and should lead to increased adoption in the services. If you would like to try the application out for yourself then talk to the the team at IT Support London HQ who will be happy to talk to you about installing this software.
Microsoft has recently unveiled a new administration entry point and access level to the Windows Azure cloud-based portal. With the new Silverlight support for the Windows Azure platform, the portal should be easier to use and more intuitive. The old portal was available for a few weeks, but the new administration portal is now fully up and running. So how does it perform? Read on to get my overview of what this means and how the Windows Azure cloud platform now looks.
General Overview
Ok so first thing you might notice is how the loading time is a bit slower than the old version, but nothing bad enough to stop you from wanting to use it. From the outset, you will see an improved user interface that resembles a true Administration Console - in other words, it is clear and functional unlike the previous software release version.
Across the top navigation bar, you can access your hosted services, a new storage service, a new database and also Azure Connect. In the left hand side column you will find links to getting started, your common Windows Azure tasks, help and support and finally Beta Programs. Then a little further down you will see the Home button, different accounts (for example hosted services, storage, accounts and CDN). There are also several new features which include database, reporting, service bus, access control, caching and messaging and Virtual Network.
Overall I would give this new admin page a rating of eight out of ten. It’s simple to use and quickly understandable, even if you find that duplicates exist in the button naming and sometimes a lack of clarity. At the point of writing this review, there was only English language available - however, this should be updated over the coming months.
Beta Programs
So how about the new features in more depth? One worth mentioning is the "Beta Programs" button. This new feature allows access to new features and parts of Windows Azure that are still in beta and mode. During my tests I had access to Extra Small VM, Windows Azure Connect and VM Roles. Extra Small VM is specifically tailored for application testing at a very low price point. Windows Azure Connect lets you create an "IP network" as a secure channel between the Azure and servers, like Windows 7 Direct Access. This function is related to the Virtual Network. Finally VM Role lets you access the full range of Windows Azure application roles. You can use VM Role to deploy a Windows Server 2008 virtual machine on Azure. By default, these programs are not enabled. Simply select and click on Join if you wish to activate. Again, this new feature, like the main admin screen is clear and east to use.
Common Tasks
This tab shows the daily actions that you are required to do when running Windows Azure administration tasks, application deployment, working on storage, updates, updating the Guest OS, Azure VM management and so on. Whilst this is a good idea, it needs to have more supporting documentation and support pages as some of the functions are not immediately clear on how they work or what the implications are to enabling them.
Getting Started
This is a fantastic option as it shows you how to how to do some of the more popular Windows Azure tasks and how to install Azure tools. I tried to create an Azure application using the Getting Started option and everything was easy to do with sequential steps leading me through the process.
Hosted Services, Storage Accounts & CDN
These are the real mechanics behind Windows Azure. You can access all your active accounts, storage, as well as active and deployed applications. The information is very comprehensive and the presentation tree is a good idea. With a few clicks you can access all the necessary information. The toolbar at the top allows quick access to all available options in an instance. The right column lists the properties. Unfortunately it does take a little time to get used to understanding the new menu presentation but should become more intuitive and familiar after a few times of use.
Conclusion
Overall, this is a great improvement to the cloud-based Windows Azure platform and should lead to increased adoption in the services. If you would like to try the application out for yourself then talk to the the team at IT Support London HQ who will be happy to talk to you about installing this software.
General Overview
Ok so first thing you might notice is how the loading time is a bit slower than the old version, but nothing bad enough to stop you from wanting to use it. From the outset, you will see an improved user interface that resembles a true Administration Console - in other words, it is clear and functional unlike the previous software release version.
Across the top navigation bar, you can access your hosted services, a new storage service, a new database and also Azure Connect. In the left hand side column you will find links to getting started, your common Windows Azure tasks, help and support and finally Beta Programs. Then a little further down you will see the Home button, different accounts (for example hosted services, storage, accounts and CDN). There are also several new features which include database, reporting, service bus, access control, caching and messaging and Virtual Network.
Overall I would give this new admin page a rating of eight out of ten. It’s simple to use and quickly understandable, even if you find that duplicates exist in the button naming and sometimes a lack of clarity. At the point of writing this review, there was only English language available - however, this should be updated over the coming months.
Beta Programs
So how about the new features in more depth? One worth mentioning is the "Beta Programs" button. This new feature allows access to new features and parts of Windows Azure that are still in beta and mode. During my tests I had access to Extra Small VM, Windows Azure Connect and VM Roles. Extra Small VM is specifically tailored for application testing at a very low price point. Windows Azure Connect lets you create an "IP network" as a secure channel between the Azure and servers, like Windows 7 Direct Access. This function is related to the Virtual Network. Finally VM Role lets you access the full range of Windows Azure application roles. You can use VM Role to deploy a Windows Server 2008 virtual machine on Azure. By default, these programs are not enabled. Simply select and click on Join if you wish to activate. Again, this new feature, like the main admin screen is clear and east to use.
Common Tasks
This tab shows the daily actions that you are required to do when running Windows Azure administration tasks, application deployment, working on storage, updates, updating the Guest OS, Azure VM management and so on. Whilst this is a good idea, it needs to have more supporting documentation and support pages as some of the functions are not immediately clear on how they work or what the implications are to enabling them.
Getting Started
This is a fantastic option as it shows you how to how to do some of the more popular Windows Azure tasks and how to install Azure tools. I tried to create an Azure application using the Getting Started option and everything was easy to do with sequential steps leading me through the process.
Hosted Services, Storage Accounts & CDN
These are the real mechanics behind Windows Azure. You can access all your active accounts, storage, as well as active and deployed applications. The information is very comprehensive and the presentation tree is a good idea. With a few clicks you can access all the necessary information. The toolbar at the top allows quick access to all available options in an instance. The right column lists the properties. Unfortunately it does take a little time to get used to understanding the new menu presentation but should become more intuitive and familiar after a few times of use.
Conclusion
Overall, this is a great improvement to the cloud-based Windows Azure platform and should lead to increased adoption in the services. If you would like to try the application out for yourself then talk to the the team at IT Support London HQ who will be happy to talk to you about installing this software.
This review is listed under
Cloud Computing
and Data Centre Management
Community
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