I work as a travel consultant, helping people move smoothly across the world — from flights and hotels to visas and tours as long as it is travels.
When I started learning DevOps and cloud computing, I noticed something surprising:cloud infrastructure works a lot like the travel industry. We reserve spaces, choose locations, and manage access — only this time in the digital world.
One of the first practical skills I learned in Microsoft Azure was deploying a Virtual Machine (VM).
So A VM is essentially a virtual computer running in the cloud — just like booking a fully equipped digital hotel room that you can access from anywhere in the world.
In this beginner-friendly guide, we will create an Azure Virtual Machine step by step with clear explanations designed to make the process easy to understand
- Step 1A: Create a Resource Group
Before deploying resources in Microsoft Azure, you must first create a Resource Group. Look at it as a centralized folder that keeps all related cloud resources organized, similar to how a travel consultant manages flights, hotels, and transfers within one client itinerary.
Sign in to the Azure portal, search for Resource Groups, then click on it.
step 1B click on +create
Step 1C Configure the Resource Group
Select your subscription, enter a unique Resource Group name, and choose your preferred region.
Just as a travel consultant selects a destination and creates a unique booking reference for a client’s trip, Azure requires a region and Resource Group name to properly organize and identify your cloud environment.
Once completed, click Review + Create.
step 1D click on create
step 2 Creating the Virtual Machine
Now that our Resource Group is ready, it’s time to create the Virtual Machine (VM).
A simple way to understand this is, when you want to travel, your itinerary is just the plan. The real journey begins when the flight, hotel, and transfers are booked and active.
Similarly, in Azure, the Resource Group is the plan. The Virtual Machine is the actual working computer in the cloud — where you can run applications, store data, and work remotely without relying on physical hardware.
A VM is simply a virtual computer hosted in Microsoft’s cloud.
- step 2a:In the Azure Portal, search for Virtual Machines
- step 2b:click + Create.
- step 2c: Select the Resource Group you just create, give your vm a name and choose your region.
- step 3C: availability options select no infrastructure redundancy required select windows2025 Datacenter for security type
Step 3D: check the run with azure spot for available discount, navigate through to check for sizes and select a suitable size for your pc, create an administrator username, and a password and confirm it.
Step 4D: Configure Inbound Port Rules,Under Inbound port rules, select RDP (3389). Next, click on the dropdown box and select HTTP (80). Once the required ports have been selected, click on Review + Create.
Step 4: Create the Virtual Machine
:The validation has been completed succcessfully. click on **Create **to deploy the virtual machine.
Step 5:the deployment is now successfully completed,
Go to resource to open the virtual machine resource page.
step 6: from the overview, click on the IP address
Step 7:Configure the Idle Timeout:Navigate to the Idle timeout (minutes) setting **and **increase the value to 30 minutes. Once updated, click on Apply to save the changes.
Why Did We Increase the Idle Timeout?
We increased it so our connection to the VM doesn’t disconnect quickly when you’re idle.
Just like when I arrange an airport pickup as a travel consultant, I don’t want the driver to leave after 5 minutes if the client is running late.
Increasing the idle timeout gives you more comfortable time before Azure ends the connection.
next we are going to how to associate and disassociate public IP addresses
step 8:type **ip public address** on the search bar, select and click
step 9: Click on the vm ip address this already shows us the ip address
step 10: from the overview page you can choose to dissociate the ip by just clicking on disassociate and confirm.
Step 11: **Associate** the Resource
To associate the resource, click **on the **Associate icon and do the following.
select Network interface,under Interface, select the virtual machine network interface that was previously created.click OK to apply the configuration.
Step 12: Connect to the Virtual Machine
Return to the Virtual Machine dashboard and click on the Connect icon.
Just as travelers need a boarding pass or airport access to begin their journey, the Connect option provides secure access to your Virtual Machine in the cloud.
Step 13: Confirm Access and Download the** RDP File**
To confirm access, click on the **Check access **button.cOnce access has been verified successfully, proceed to download the RDP file.
Step 14:Download file and connect
step 15: type in your *password *
Step 16:click connect
A new interface appears (as shown below your Virtual Machine is now successfully deployed and ready to use!
Just like a client safely arriving at their dream destination, your VM is live in the cloud and waiting for you.
We have successfully deployed a Virtual Machine on Microsoft Azure. From creating the Resource Group to configuring the VM and connecting securely, every step came together perfectly.
Just like organizing a complete travel itinerary — where flights, hotels, transfers, and experiences all align for a smooth journey — you now have a fully functional and accessible cloud environment ready to use.
Top comments (2)
great work
Thank you