What is Azure Virtual Network Manager

If you think about it, in the big picture of cloud computing, network management is a critical functionality for proper operation and communication signaling across disparate nodes. Of course, Microsoft Azure offers you quite a bit more than just this and that is what we are going to explore shortly but again, the topic of Azure Virtual Network Manager would always be one of the basic tool for managing virtual networks. In this post, I will go through everything you should know about Azure Virtual Network Manager. Including what it is, the features and benefits, typical use cases and best practices to ensure that you use this tool in a manner that befits your workloads.

Azure Virtual Networks (VNets) are the heart of Azure’s networking backbone. Virtualized networks allow Azure resources like virtual machines (VMs) to securely communicate with each other, the internet, or the on-premises network. VNet is the isolated network segment within the Azure cloud that underpins organizations to implement their own private IPs and subnets, allowing them to deploy resources in that setup.

Key definitions of Azure VNets

• Azure Virtual Network: Azure Virtual Network is a logical network in the cloud, on which you can launch Azure resources. enables Azure resources to securely communicate with each other, the internet, and on-premises networks.
• Subnets: They are the divisions in a VNet which provide organization and segregation to network resources. Better manage IP address space and network traffic.
• Network security groups: Network Security Groups act as a virtual firewall to control traffic between and across Azure resources. They let you define rules around what source/destination IP can connect to which port with which protocol
• Azure Virtual Network Manager: Microsoft Azure provides a tool for managing virtual networks and their associated resources within the cloud called an Azure virtual network manager.

A centralized management tool to manage all of your Azure VNets and resources that they’re using, Virtual Network Manager makes creating, configuring, and monitoring virtual networks much easier with an intuitive interface packed with great features.

Features of Azure Virtual Network Manager

• Creation and Management of VNets: Create, configure virtual networks and subnets easily.
• Network peering: the ability to create more private, low-latency connections between VNets.
• Virtual Network Gateways: Provide secure connections between Azure VNets and on-premises networks or other cloud environments.
• VPN Connections: Creating a secure connection between an client, on-premises network and an Azure Virtual Network takes many forms but the three major categories can be broken down into VPN type pillars of site-to-site, point-to-site (sometimes referred to as client) and express route.

Benefits of Using Azure Virtual Network Manager

• Enhanced network security: Appropriately place workloads through features such as Network Security Groups to tightly control traffic flow, thus reducing the risk of unauthorized access and data exfiltration.
• Scalable and flexible: As the organization grows, you will require more infrastructure to run more apps. Azure Virtual Network Manager helps in scaling network infrastructure as needed to meet the growing needs of your applications.
• Better Performance: Better-performing routing and traffic management systems in Azure VNet generates increased network throughput, less latency Cost Optimization. Using Azure Virtual Network Manager to make optimal use of resources and networks, organizations can keep the cost related to network infrastructure at a minimum.

Centralized within Microsoft Azure is a common tool that aids in the management and configuration of virtual networks (VNets), called Azure Virtual Network Manager (AVNM). It simplifies several network management operations, such as VNet creation, peering networks together, VPN connections and managing network security and monitoring.

Key Functionalities

VNet Creation and Management

• Creating VNets: Simply named specifying the account details (Name, ADdress space and Subnet), which is used to create the VNet in Azure Portal. Users are able to specify subnets in a VNet, with their individual address ranges. It means resource-based logical separation.

Network Peering

• Peering Configuration: A VNET peering enables you to securely connect two vnets within the same region through low-latency Authorized connectivity between of the vnets. This is done in the Azure Portal by choosing the VN to peer with and enabling the options needed for it.
• Peering Setting Configuration: Users can set up settings like permitted forwarded traffic or gateway transit to better customize the peering connection.

VPN Connections

• VPN Gateway: Allows users to have secure connections between Azure VNets and on-premises networks using VPN gateways.
• Configure VPN settings: Gateway type, SKU, IP addresses (local and remote), and routing settings to setup the connection.
• Creating VPN Connections: This can be site-to-site, point-to-site or VNet to VNet based on the need.

Network Security

• Network Security Groups (NSGs): NSGs are used to define rules that allow or deny inbound and out bound traffic to resources within VNets. Defining Security rules and allowing Users to specify Source for IP addresses Port and Protocol allows further increased security

Monitoring & Troubleshooting

• Network manager Performance Monitoring: Delivers real-time monitoring of network performance, traces for traffic analysis, and security logs. All above mentioned services can be used in Azure Portal for proactive troubleshooting the issue and to have better network performance/security.

• Enterprise Applications: Azure Virtual Network Manager helps deploy the mission-critical enterprise applications which need secure, predictable and scalable network connectivity.
• Multi-tier Web Applications: Azure VNets & Virtual Network Manager allow organizations to design multi-tier web applications with separate network segments for better security and performance.
• Hybrid Cloud Deployments: Azure Virtual Network Manager provides the chance for seamless integration between on-premises infrastructure and resources in Azure, allowing hybrid cloud deployments to be carried with secure connectivity
• Internet of Things (IoT): For IoT, Azure Virtual Network Manager connects and manages the IoT devices for secure communication between those devices including data exchange. Begin with launching the Azure Virtual Network Manager,

Best Practices and Tips

• Network Segmentation: Partition Azure VNets in several subnets to ensure logical separation among resources and apply network security policies.
• Use Network Security Groups: Another easy concept that many enterprises fail to use, a network security group can be used to define granular firewall rules and allow or restrict traffic as needed.
• Monitor Network Performance: Regularly monitor network traffic, performance metrics and security logs to identify and proactively mitigate potential issues.
• Automate Network Management: Use Azure Automation and/or Azure Resource Manager templates to automate repeatable network management tasks, saving time while reducing human error.

Accessing Azure Portal

• Log in with your account credentials to Azure Portal.

Creating a Virtual Network

• From the Azure Portal, navigate to Networking.
• Then, click on “Create resource”, and look for Networking, where you’ll find Virtual network.
• Fill in the required details, like your name, address, and subscription.

Configuring subnets and IP addressing

• Once you are in the Virtual Network settings, scroll down and click on Subnets.
• Now the final step is click on “Add subnet” to create one or multiple subnets inside VNet
• Input the subnet name, address range and any network security groups, if applicable.
  

Method of Securing Network Security Groups

• Go to the network Security group blades in azure portal.
• For the NSG, you can either create a new one or use an existing one.
• Define the inbound and outbound security rules as per your requirement:

Enhanced Network Security

• Dynamic: NSG provides fine-grained control to allow or deny inbound [(ingress)] and outbound [(egress)] traffic via network interfaces. This granular control minimizes the risk of data breaches and unauthorized access.
• Azure Virtual Network Manager better supports the default security profiles: Including Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) and Azure Firewall which adds an extra barrier to entry for bad actors trying to penetrate your network infrastructure.

Simplified Network Management

• Single Sign On: Azure Virtual Network Manager is the single interface to all VNets, subnets and network related resources that provides centralized management of VNets, subnets and associated networking resources, which helps in centrally managing large-scale networks.
• Automated Management Tasks: The tool enables automation of mundane tasks using Azure Automation and Azure Resource Manager templates, reducing the need for huge resources to manage the network.

Scalability and Flexibility

• Cloud agnostic: The Azure Virtual Network Manager is easily scalable to support a growing number of workloads and apps.
• Flexible Network Configurations: This allows users to Create and Manage VNets, Subnets and Peering Relationships with ease resulting in very Flexible Network Topologies to accommodate different business requirements.

Improved Performance

• Better Traffic Routing: It improves the routing of traffic with and among VNets, providing higher network performance with lesser latencies.
• High-Speed Connectivity: The use of VNet peering and ExpressRoute provide high-speed, low-latency connections which in turn improve the performance of cloud applications.

The key to effectively managing your budget and optimizing costs is being familiar with top Azure Virtual Network Manager pricing. The basic pricing for Azure Virtual Network Manager is determined by the number of managed networks and regions supported, the charges also apply to features and services.

Key Factors Influencing Pricing

• Number of Managed Networks: There is a cost to you when using the Azure Virtual Network Manager, based on the Number of Virtual Networks (VNets) managed. The bigger organization with many such VNets is what causes extra cost in this case than for smaller one having only few VNets.
• Number of Regions: This is more about the total price you will pay, and not so much in this context, because it also cost how many Azure regions where you manage VNets. Each region beyond the first adds to your costs if your network spans multiple regions.
• Feature Usage: Service and Feature Charges — Using specific features and services within Azure Virtual Network Manager can affect pricing as well. Possible Additional Cost Features
• VNet Peering Charges: The VNet peering charges are according to volume of data which is transferred between the networks that was peered. Compute cost includes both in (ingress) and out (egress) data transfers.
• VPN Gateways: How VPN gateway is used determines the monthly cost for that use based on below table, as well as how it affects data transfer and a connection duration charge. DDoS Protection and Azure Firewall are both additional security features that have individual pricing structures.
• Data Transfer Costs: Transfer Fees can be a large part of final price Transfers within the same VNet are often free, transfers between VNets or cross-region can incur charges; and transferring out to on-premises networks also costs money.

How to Estimate Costs

For a precise analysis of the costs associated with using Azure Virtual Network Manager visit azure Pricing Calculator every time. You just describe your network (number of VNets, regions, and features that you want) and it gives back an estimate tailored for you.

Through the Azure Pricing Calculator:

• Get to the Calculator: Go to Azure Pricing Calculator.
• Networking Services: Networking Add networking components like Virtual Network Manager, VNet peering and VPN Gateway Choose “Networking” from the available services.
• Input Details: Detail the number of VNets, regions and estimated data transfer volumes.
• See Estimate: you will enter your input parameters and the calculator will give an estimated montlhy price

Example Pricing Scenarios

Scenario 1: Single Region, Few VNets

• Managed VNets: 3
• Regions: 1
• Components: Simple Network Security Groups, minimum data transfer
• Pricing: Low end of the scale, since it is a small survey and not universal in scope.

Scenario 2: More regions, lots of network

• Managed VNets: 10
• Regions: 3
• Used Features: VNet peering, VPN gateways, Advanced Security Protection
• Estimated Cost: At the upper edge due to very feature-intensive and multi-regional nature.

Azure Virtual Network Manager is an essential building block for organizations to create secure, scalable, and resilient network architectures in the cloud. Organizations, with the knowledge of these features and advantages as well as network-building best practices on the Azure cloud space will be able to efficiently use Azure Virtual Network Manager for future-proofing their network infrastructure while pursuing digital transformation projects across all verticals.

Azure Virtual Network Manager – FAQs

Do you know the difference between Azure Virtual Network or Azure Virtual Network Manager?

Azure Virtual Network is the network infrastructure in Azure, compare to this; azure virtual network manager provides managing tool for all your virtual networks and all resources which are associated with them within Azure.

Azure Virtual Network can be connected to an on-premises network?

Azure Virtual Network Manager permits to Create secure links between Azure VNets and your on-premises IT infrastructure using the Gateway services of SAzure.

How does the Azure Virtual Network Manager provide additional network security?

Secure your network using capabilities from Azure Virtual Network Manager, including the power of network security groups to envoicefirewall rules on traffic flowing in and out of you Azure resources.