Microsoft Azure Monitoring

Microsoft Azure is a cloud computing platform and service that provides a wide range of solutions, such as virtual machines, databases, AI and machine learning tools, and IoT services. Azure allows organizations to build, deploy, and manage applications through Microsoft-managed data centers, offering flexibility, scalability, and security for various IT and development needs.

Monitoring Azure resources helps maintain the optimal performance and reliability of cloud-based applications and services. IT-Conductor provides an out-of-the-box solution to monitor the availability and performance of Azure resources.

Prerequisites

Before configuring an Azure resource for monitoring in IT-Conductor, register IT-Conductor in Azure subscription by following the steps below.

Register IT-Conductor as an App in Azure Subscription

1. Visit Azure Portal and enter your login credentials.

2. On the left panel, navigate to Microsoft Entra ID → Tenant Properties.

3. Copy and note the Tenant ID: xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx.

Figure 1: Tenant Properties in Azure Portal

1. Search App Registrations on the search bar and click on New Registration.

Figure 2: App Registrations in Azure Portal

1. Fill out all the necessary information as shown in Figures 3a and 3b. Once completed, click Register to add the system.

Figure 3a: Register an Application in Azure Portal

• Name - refers to the name of the application that will be added (i.e., IT-Conductor)

• Supported Account Types - determines who will have access to the application. Select one of the options that best suits your organization's needs.

Figure 3b: Register an Application in Azure Portal

• Redirect URL (Optional) - add a URL value to authenticate upon accessing the application.

1. On the newly created app, copy and note the IT-Conductor Application (client) ID.

Figure 4: Application Properties in Azure Portal

1. Navigate to Certificates & Secrets and select the Client Secrets tab. Then click New Client Secret.

Figure 5: Client Secrets in Azure Portal

1. Fill out all the necessary information in the Add a Client Secret screen. Once completed, click Add to add the system.

Figure 6: Add a Client Secret in Azure Portal

• Description - refers to any relevant information about the secret password.

• Expires - refers to the expiration date for the secret password.

1. Copy and note the Value and Secret ID for the newly created secret.

Figure 7: Value and Secret ID of Newly Created Secret in Azure Portal

Important: Copy the value immediately; otherwise, it will show as encrypted when accessed later.

1. Navigate to All Services -> Subscriptions. Click on any of the existing subscriptions. Copy and note the Subscription ID: xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx.

Figure 8: All Services in Azure Portal

Note: If you don't have any subscriptions, you must create one.

1. On the selected subscription's side menu, navigate to Access Control (IAM) -> Role Assignments -> Add -> Role Assignments.

Figure 9: Role Assignments in Azure Portal

1. Navigate to the Role tab and add the required roles for Azure Monitoring in IT-Conductor.

• Virtual Machine Contributor - gives rights to read, start/stop, etc. for VMs.

• Monitoring Reader - gives access to monitoring data.

1. Navigate to the Members tab and select Azure AD User/User, Group, or Service Principal in the Assign Access To field. Then click Select Members and select the previously created IT-Conductor app in the Members field.

Figure 10: Add Role Assignment in Azure Portal

Note:

• IT-Conductor won't appear in the list of users initially. You have to type in the Select field before it does.

• Additional roles may be required as we progress the development of features for IT-Conductor.

Configure Azure Monitoring in IT-Conductor

To configure Azure monitoring in IT-Conductor, follow the instructions below.

Add a New Azure Connection in IT-Conductor

1. Visit service.itconductor.com and enter your login credentials.
2. Navigate to Dashboards → Administrator to access the Administrator's Dashboard.

3. Locate the Azure Tenants actions panel and click the title to access the complete list.

Figure 11: Administrator's Dashboard in IT-Conductor

1. Click the New Azure Tenant button to create a new connection.

Figure 12: Azure Tenant Actions Panel Page

1. Fill in the following fields and click to complete the configuration.

   

   Figure 13a: New Azure Tenant Wizard (New Azure Tenant Screen)

   • Name - refers to a descriptive name for the new Azure connection.

   • Description - refers to any relevant information about the system being added.

   • Organization - refers to an administrative structure that defines objects with a common goal or purpose. If you previously created an organization, please select it.

   • Role - refers to the environment where the system will be used.

   • Site - refers to a logical object that describes a particular area or location, depending on the context in which it is used.

   • Gateway - allows communication between the customer's site network and the IT-Conductor cloud platform. See Gateway Setup for more details.
   • Tenant ID - refers to the alphanumeric code copied from the Tenant ID in Azure Portal. See Pre-requisites for more details.
   • Subscription ID - refers to the alphanumeric code copied from the Subscription ID in Azure Portal. See Pre-requisites for more details.
2. Provide the account information in the New Account screen and click to complete the configuration.

Figure 13b: New Azure Tenant Wizard (New Account Screen)

• Description - refers to any relevant information about the user account being added.

• Application - refers to the name given to the Azure connection added.

• Person - refers to the name of the user who is adding the connection.

• Client ID - refers to the alphanumeric code copied from the Client Secret's Secret ID in Azure Portal. See Pre-requisites for more details.
• Client Key - refers to the alphanumeric code copied from the Client Secret's Value in Azure Portal. See Pre-requisites for more details.

1. Verify if the Azure connection was added to the Azure Tenants actions panel and check its status.

Figure 14: Newly Added Azure Connection in Azure Tenant Actions Panel Page

Note: The status will remain on Ready for a few minutes. Refresh the panel if needed. If there are configuration issues, such as incorrect connection parameters or an invalid account, the status will remain Ready. Click to display the logs and troubleshoot. If everything is configured correctly, the status will change to In Progress.

1. Navigate to the service grid and verify if the system was added under the Azure Tenants node.

Note: The system will appear in the service grid within 5-15 minutes.

Monitor Azure Resources in IT-Conductor

To view the availability and performance metrics of an Azure resource, locate the Azure Tenant node in the service grid.

Figure 15: Azure Resources in Service Grid

Azure Tenant Key Metrics

• Availability - refers to the operational state and accessibility of the Azure Tenant.

• Connection Failures - refer to the events where attempts to establish a connection are unsuccessful.

• Heartbeat - refers to the periodic signal sent to the system, enabling real-time detection of system downtime.

• Missing Account - refers to the absence of a required user account or resource within the Azure Tenant.

• Retriever Failures - refer to the errors or issues encountered during the retrieval process of essential data or information within the Azure Tenant.

To view more information about the Azure resource, click .

Figure 16: Azure Resource Information View in Service Grid

To view the available automation actions, click .

Figure 17: Azure Resource Group Actions Menu in Service Grid

To view the status of each action executed, click Commands and you will be redirected to the Resource Batch Commands page.

Figure 18: Resource Batch Commands Actions Panel Page

Note: The Start/Stop/Deallocate actions can be automated in several ways: On-demand, Scheduled, Process Integration, or Recovery Actions.