Hybrid capabilities

  • 3 minutes

Features and scalability

Azure Local builds on the core principles of hyperconverged infrastructure by combining compute, storage, and networking into a unified, software-defined platform that is deeply integrated with Azure cloud services.

Hybrid cloud integration

As an HCI solution, Azure Local extends the capabilities of traditional datacenters by integrating with Azure services to provide:

  • Unified management and monitoring across on-premises and cloud environments using Azure Arc and Azure Monitor.

  • Access to hybrid cloud services like Azure Security Center, Azure Backup, and Azure Site Recovery, which enhance security, data protection, and disaster recovery for local workloads.

These integrations extend cloud service benefits to on-premises infrastructure.

Centralized management and updates

Azure Local allows for centralized virtual machine and cluster management through the Azure portal, simplifying administration of hybrid environments.

  • Regular updates are delivered to ensure that the HCI platform remains secure, stable, and optimized.

  • Billing is unified with Azure, providing simplified cost management across hybrid deployments.

  • Existing Azure support plans apply to Azure Local, streamlining operational support.

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Scalability and performance in HCI

Azure Local uses hyperconverged infrastructure technologies to deliver high performance and flexibility:

  • Storage Spaces Direct pools local storage from multiple servers into a high-performance, scalable storage layer capable of handling millions of input/output operations per second (IOPS).

  • The platform is optimized for SQL Server virtual workloads, improving database performance and reducing latency and bottlenecks.

  • Pricing is subscription-based and scales monthly according to the number of physical CPU cores, allowing organizations to flexibly adjust resources based on demand.

Licensing flexibility for VMs

Azure Local supports unlimited Linux virtual machines without extra licensing costs, accommodating diverse application environments.

Windows licensing

For Windows virtual machines, multiple licensing models are supported, including:

  • Per-core licensing
  • Per-user licensing
  • Subscription-based licensing

You can select the most cost-effective approach based on workload and user requirements. If VMs are running on servers with a low number of CPU cores, a per-core licensing model might be most cost-effective. If there are many users accessing VMs, a per-user licensing model might be more suitable.