INTRODUCTION – Microsoft Azure Serverless Technology & IoT
They come up with introductions to the serverless computing technologies of Azure and some Azure IoT services. They will take you through in-depths learning about the features and applications of the two technologies and how they will enhance business operations. You will also learn how to analyze and differentiate successful use cases based on which technology works best in which scenario. This skill enables you to make informed choices with high returns for the organization.
Objective of Learning:
- Pick the right Azure IoT service for a particular business scenario.
- Choose the correct serverless computing technology that meets your business needs.
KNOWLEDGE CHECK 1
1. True or False
The term “serverless computing” means that there is no underlying Server component.
- True
- False (CORRECT)
Correct: Instead, you have a running example where a server or set of servers is basically running your code or desired feature-the crux is that you don’t do any server building or maintenance. You don’t care if it scales or goes down; you let the cloud vendor deal with all that fuss.
2. True or False?
Serverless computing is primarily used to process messages sent from end-users to the back-end system.
- True
- False (CORRECT)
Correct: The serverless computing architecture is more associated with back-end functions, such as sending messages from one system to another or triggering an action based on messages received from other systems. It is not typically found in systems where end users directly interact with them.
3. Azure Cloud services provides two serverless computing services Azure Functions and Azure Logic Apps. Which service allows a program to run in response to an event, like an HTTP request, a new message on a queue?
- Azure Logic Apps
- Azure Functions (CORRECT)
Correct: It provides a way to host a single method or function in the cloud from a known programming language. The function runs in response to a condition such as an HTTP request, new message in a queue, or timer scheduled for invocation.
4. Which serverless computing service can make use of a web-based designer and can execute logic triggered by Azure services without writing any code?
Select all options that apply.
- Azure Functions (CORRECT)
- Azure Logic Apps (CORRECT)
Correct: The business hosts a single method or function in the cloud using a popular programming language: Azure Functions run on events such as HTTP requests, new messages in a queue, or scheduled timers.
Correct: Logic Apps is a low-code-no-code developmental framework hosted as a cloud service to automate and orchestrate tasks, business processes, and workflows. Using a web-based designer, Microsoft Azure Logic Apps are capable of executing logic that’s triggered by Azure services without the requirement for any writing code.
5. Currently, your company randomly sends out requests to purchasers asking them to participate in a customer satisfaction survey. The customer service department would like to be more proactive in responding to poor satisfaction ratings. The company has recently moved to Azure cloud services and believes it should be possible to dynamically respond to specific customer satisfaction responses.
Which of the following services could assist in such an automated process?
- Azure Logic Apps (CORRECT)
- Azure Functions
Correct: Azure Logic Apps is a cloud-based development platform that lets you create automated and orchestrated tasks and business processes, as well as workflows. This application helps integrate applications, data, systems, and services across different enterprises or organizations.
KNOWLEDGE CHECK 2
1. True or False
Azure IoT Hub is a cloud hosted service that acts as a central message hub for bi-directional communication between IoT application and the devices it manages.
- True (CORRECT)
- False
Correct: Azure IoT Hub is an excellent managed cloud service, which will work as a central message hub for bi-directional communications between your IoT application and the devices it maintains. This allows you to build IoT solutions with reliable and secure connections between millions of IoT devices in user’s homes and a cloud-hosted backend. Virtually any device can connect to your IoT Hub.
2. True or False
Azure IoT Central creates an end-to-end highly secure IoT solution for customers that encompasses everything from the hardware and operating system on the device, to the secure method of sending messages from the device to the message hub.
- True
- False (CORRECT)
Correct: Azure Sphere offers a highly end-to-end, fully end-to-end hybrid IoT security solution for customers roaming about the hardware and operating systems of devices, even through securely messaging the device to the message hub for secure messages.
3. Which of the following provides a dashboard that allows you to connect, monitor, and manage your IoT devices and send alerts when a specific device needs maintenance?
- Azure Sphere
- Azure IoT Hub
- Azure IoT Central (CORRECT)
Correct: Azure IoT Central actually is built on the top of IoT Hub, and it provides a dashboard, which is quite useful for connecting various IoT devices and managing and monitoring them. The visual UI enables quick connection of new devices and the monitoring of their telemetry or errors when they begin to send data.
4. Your company is looking at utilizing IoT devices, however management want assurances that the best level of security will be implemented on these devices and on all communications. Which Azure service do you think provides the most secure implementation?
- Azure IoT Hub
- Azure IoT Central
- Azure Sphere (CORRECT)
Correct: In a nutshell, Azure Sphere is the one and only end-to-end IoT security solution for clients from hardware and OS of the device to secure messages sent from device to message hub.
5. Your company has partnered with a leading appliance manufacturer. These IoT enabled appliances will send telemetry information to a centralized location in your company where it can be analyzed, and maintenance can be scheduled. Your company will integrate this information into its own existing maintenance request system. In your opinion which of the following services would be most suitable for this scenario?
- Azure IoT Hub (CORRECT)
- Azure Sphere
- Azure IoT Central
Correct: This is a clear-cut situation where Azure IoT Hub fits the bill perfectly. This is a cloud-managed service that acts as a central message hub for the bi-directional communications between your IoT application and the devices it manages. You can connect with virtually any kind of device to your IoT Hub.
6. You have recently joined a large haulage company as a junior cloud engineer. The company have recently moved to Azure Cloud services and management is planning to use IoT devices to collect information from their trucks as they transport goods around the world. This will include computer engine information as well as third party sensor collection information such as temperatures etc.
Based on this scenario which of the following solutions would you recommend?
- Azure Sphere
- Azure IoT Central (CORRECT)
- Azure IoT Hub
Correct: In point of fact, Azure IoT Central is the most feasible option for this type of scenario. The prebuilt designs, like the Connected Logistics starter template, are accessible, and it has a dashboard that meets most requirements out of the box. Although some features may need to be configured again after being deployed, the truck gateway functionality is well aligned with this particular scenario.
TEST PREP
1. Azure Cloud Services provides two serverless computing services; Azure Functions and Azure Logic Apps. Which service is responsible for automation and orchestration tasks, business processes, and workflows?
- Azure Functions
- Azure Logic Apps (CORRECT)
Correct: Microsoft Azure Logic Applications will assist anyone who needs to automate and orchestrate tasks, processes of business activities, and workflows of an organization in order to integrate diverse applications, data, systems, and services across various enterprises or organizations.
2. True or False
Existing logic written in C#, can be copied from an existing Windows Service and ported to an Azure Function?
- True (CORRECT)
- False
Correct: Porting the existing C# logic directly from Windows Service into Azure Function makes sense. While the same logic could potentially be achieved in Azure Logic Apps, the practical option for use in the Azure Function still remains the existing C# service.
3. Your company has recently moved to Azure cloud services and believe it should be possible to integrate apps, data, systems, and services across enterprises or organizations dynamically using automation and orchestration. Which of the following services could assist in such an automated process?
- Azure Functions
- Azure Logic Apps (CORRECT)
Correct: Azure Logic Apps is a cloud-based development platform that assists in working effectively with automating and orchestrating tasks, business processes, and workflows. It is especially useful when integrating applications , data, systems, and services raised across an enterprise or between different organizations.
4. Which of the following provides a managed service hosted in the cloud that acts as a central message point for bi-directional communication between your IoT application and the devices it manages?
- Azure IoT Hub (CORRECT)
- Azure Sphere
- Azure IoT Central
Correct: Using the Azure IoT Hub, you can create IoT applications that communicate reliably and securely among millions of IoT devices and a backend solution hosted in the cloud.
5. Your company is developing a new IoT appliance that will be used to capture and transmit personal data back to a cloud service. Which of the following services can the company implement to ensure the highest level of security?
- Azure Sphere (CORRECT)
- IoT Hub
- IoT Central
Correct: An all-end IoT solution that is well secured by Microsoft is Azure Sphere. It consists of hardware and operating system-based devices to facilitate the secure transfer of so-called messages between them and a message hub.
6. You have noted that most of the data your system processes arrives during business hours. Your goal is to implement a product that can scale automatically to accommodate busier times so that you only pay for what you use.
Which Azure solution would best suit your business goal?
- Azure Functions (CORRECT)
- Azure Logic Apps
Correct: The serverless compute provided by Azure Functions delivers the ability to run event-triggered code entirely free of any need for manual provisioning and management of underlying infrastructure. This integrated service is paid for only as events are triggered; otherwise, it will automatically scale outside of those defined costs. Because of these qualities, Azure Functions fits very well into those scenarios that have fluctuating needs-it can effortlessly scale out to meet the times of peak usage.
7. Let’s say you need to execute custom algorithms or perform specialized data parsing and data lookups.
Which Azure solution would best suit your business goal?
- Azure Logic Apps
- Azure Functions (CORRECT)
Correct: This scenario works out splendidly with Azure Functions. Its event-driven architecture and automatic scaling features make it cost-efficient and suitable for handling any varying demand without the need for infrastructure management.
8. Your team has limited experience with writing custom code, but it sees tremendous value in automating several important business processes.
Which of the following solutions do you think you should use to achieve this?
- Azure Logic Apps (CORRECT)
- Azure Functions
Correct: Indeed, Azure Logic Apps is a very good option for this case. The low-code/no-code design, automation and orchestration of workflows, and integration with disparate systems and services make it suitable for streamlining processes within organizations.
9. Which of the following solutions do you think would work best in this scenario where the company wants to update a Windows service to include real-time inventory tracking?
- Azure Functions (CORRECT)
- Azure Logic Apps
Correct: A true exception in this instance is Azure Functions . Its serverless, event-driven architecture, scaling automatically, and cost-effectiveness make it perfect for all those situations where one requires flexible yet efficient handling of event-triggered tasks in the absence of infrastructure management.
10. Your team sees an opportunity to reach out proactively to customers who provide low scores and leave comments with a negative sentiment.
Which of the following options is your team’s best option?
- Azure Logic Apps (CORRECT)
- Azure Functions
Correct: In this case, Azure Logic Apps is a definite real solutions as automating workflows with these incredible applications and bringing various services into a flow to enable such complex business processes with minimal coding makes it a perfect alternative for interworking the activities from various systems and services.
11. Let’s say you want to send messages from an IoT device to the cloud and vice versa.
Which IoT technology can you use to send and receive messages?
- Azure IoT Central
- Azure IoT Hub (CORRECT)
- Azure Sphere
Correct: IoT Hubs serve as a medium for devices-initiated and receiving messages over the internet. To expand on this, Azure IoT Hub is a fully managed cloud service where sending and receiving messages act as a message hub for bi-directional communication of your IoT application to and from the devices it manages.
12. You want a pre-built customizable user interface that you can use to view and control your devices remotely.
Which IoT technology would you recommend?
- Azure IoT Central (CORRECT)
- Azure IoT Hub
- Azure Sphere
Correct: The IoT Central provides an accessible dashboard that makes it easier to connect, monitor, and manage IoT devices on top of IoT Hub.
13. In the Tailwind case study, the aim is for the appliances to send telemetry information to a centralized location for analysis and maintenance scheduling.
Which service would you recommend?
- Azure IoT Central
- Azure IoT Hub (CORRECT)
- Azure Sphere
Correct: An IoT hub communicates with IoT devices to send or receive messages. It act as a two-way message hub for your IoT application and the devices it manages.
14. Based on what you know about the requirements in this case, which product would you recommend for Tailwind Traders?
- Azure IoT Central (CORRECT)
- Azure IoT Hub
- Azure Sphere
Correct: At the same time, Azure IoT Central is the ideal option for this case. Connected Logistics starter template possesses a dashboard right out of the box that fits most of the needs since it is preconfigured to show critical operations and activity of logistics devices.
CONCLUSION – Microsoft Azure Serverless Technology & IoT
Indeed, what has been concluded is that this week’s jolly ride thrashing through Azure serverless computing and IoT services would have equipped you will the solidity to assess and select the alternative solutions of different business requirements aptly. Given their features and applications, one is already substantively prepared to draw whatever benefits might be extracted from these technologies to initiate innovations and increase operational efficiencies.