While Operations Management Suite runs in Azure, it also allows your team to access analytics from a local on-premises environment. By combining data from both cloud and on-premises environments, you get greater insight into how your resources are being used. You can also control elements such as Azure Backup and Site Recovery to support local services. From here, you can tailor other Azure functionality to suit your needs – whether you want to add Custom Development, or use Azure Virtual Machines (VMS).
The core functions of Operations Management Suite run in Azure and allow you to handle most day to day management scenarios through their services. These core OMS portal functions include:
- Site Recovery
- Log Analytics
- Back Up
- Automation
Azure Site Recovery
Azure Site Recovery is the resource group used for controlling business continuity. The service allows the replication of either (or both) a physical or virtual machine into Azure.
Operations Management Suite contributes to your disaster recovery and business continuity strategy through failover, replication, and recovery of machines. You can choose a datacentre or Azure and integrate the suite into other recovery mechanisms – including SQL Service AlwaysOn.
Full Log Analytics
The Log Analytics component of OMS provides monitoring services across all resources, through a central repository for data.
All of your business data can be provided through the Operations Management Suite API and then used for alerts or analysis. It can also be exported into other applications for easy integration. You can combine data from different environments and view it in custom reports tailored to match your own KPIs.
Azure Back Up
Azure Backup is the integrated component of Operations Management Suite that underpins data backup and restore services for your environment.
Under Azure Backup, your application data is completely protected. There are minimal operating costs for running backup, and it can handle data from both physical and virtual machines. It can also manage data from applications including SQL and SharePoint.
Azure Backup can be used by the Data Protection Manager in System Center (Operations Manager) to replicate protected data for redundancy. Your recovery data is stored in a vault and can be replicated across regions for added resiliency and easy access when you need it.
Azure Automation
Azure Automation provides configuration management and process automation to the Operations Management Suite. It reduces workload for your IT team on day to day management tasks by automating many manual processes. This is managed through changes to the configuration of physical and virtual machines.
Manual processes are automated using Runbooks based on PowerShell scripts and workflows. These Runbooks offer process automation for various services in the suite. The flexibility of the Azure Automation platform gives you the ability to create Runbooks to meet your needs including creating backups and exporting data for further analysis.
For more help with getting the best out of Azure processes, our team can help with Azure optimisation and cost saving.
