My First Time Experience With Virtual Machines on Azure

INTRODUCTION

My recent journey into Dev-Ops lead me to Microsoft Azure Where I was introduced to the concepts of virtual machines. First and foremost,
A virtual machine is a software‑based computer that emulates a physical computer, running its own operating system and applications in an isolated environment on host hardware.

GETTING STARTED

I had to get acquainted with Azure first. carefully assessing subscription plans and how to get around generally. I was able to find help in a Microsoft exercise on how to create VMs.

VM exercise

With that I was able to get the steps necessary to create one

STEP 1

CREATING A RESOURCE GROUP

STEP 2

CREATING A GROUP

STEP 3

CREATING A VIRTUAL MACHINE

STEP 4

CHANGING NETWORKING RULES

Editing remote Desktop Protocol (rdp)

Adding inbound port rules

STEP 5

CONNECTION & DEPLOYMENT

where the rdp file is downloaded and used to open the dialog box

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

It opened my eyes to another side of computing I wasn't aware of, It was genuinely a lot at first and still is but I hope to get better

LESSONS LEARNED

- Resource Allocation Matters
I learned quickly that assigning too little RAM or CPU made the VM sluggish, while over‑allocating strained my host machine.

- Security Awareness
Running a VM made me realize how isolated environments can protect the host system.

- Cost and Cloud Considerations
On Azure, I discovered that forgetting to shut down a VM could rack up charges.

TAKE AWAY

Using virtual machines isn’t just about learning a new tool — it’s about developing habits around efficiency, safety, and resource management.