Table of Contents

Hybrid Cloud Integration

Overview

This document outlines the architecture and implementation patterns for integrating on-premises infrastructure with cloud services, creating a seamless hybrid environment.

Architecture Components

On-Premises Infrastructure

graph TB
    subgraph "On-Premises Data Center"
        OnPremAD[Active Directory]
        OnPremDNS[DNS Servers]
        OnPremDHCP[DHCP Servers]
        OnPremFile[File Servers]
        OnPremSQL[SQL Servers]
        OnPremExchange[Exchange Server]
        OnPremVCenter[VMware vCenter]
    end
    
    subgraph "Network Infrastructure"
        CoreSwitches[Core Switches]
        Firewalls[Firewalls]
        VPNGateways[VPN Gateways]
        LoadBalancers[Load Balancers]
    end
    
    OnPremAD --> CoreSwitches
    OnPremDNS --> CoreSwitches
    OnPremFile --> CoreSwitches
    OnPremSQL --> CoreSwitches
    CoreSwitches --> Firewalls
    Firewalls --> VPNGateways

Cloud Integration Points

graph TB
    subgraph "Azure Cloud"
        AzureAD[Azure Active Directory]
        AzureVNet[Virtual Networks]
        AzureVMs[Virtual Machines]
        AzureSQL[Azure SQL Database]
        AzureStorage[Azure Storage]
        AzureBackup[Azure Backup]
        AzureMonitor[Azure Monitor]
    end
    
    subgraph "Connectivity"
        ExpressRoute[ExpressRoute]
        VPNGateway[VPN Gateway]
        PrivateEndpoints[Private Endpoints]
    end
    
    subgraph "Hybrid Services"
        AADConnect[Azure AD Connect]
        AzureArc[Azure Arc]
        HybridWorker[Hybrid Runbook Worker]
    end
    
    ExpressRoute --> AzureVNet
    VPNGateway --> AzureVNet
    AzureVNet --> PrivateEndpoints
    AADConnect --> AzureAD
    AzureArc --> AzureVMs

Implementation Strategy

Phase 1: Assessment and Planning

  1. Current State Analysis

    • Infrastructure inventory
    • Application dependencies
    • Security requirements
    • Compliance needs

  2. Cloud Readiness Assessment

    • Workload compatibility
    • Network bandwidth requirements
    • Security gap analysis
    • Cost modeling

Phase 2: Foundation Setup

  1. Network Connectivity

    • ExpressRoute or VPN setup
    • Routing configuration
    • Firewall rules
    • DNS integration

  2. Identity Integration

    • Azure AD Connect deployment
    • Single sign-on configuration
    • Multi-factor authentication
    • Conditional access policies

Phase 3: Workload Migration

  1. Pilot Migration

    • Non-critical workloads first
    • Testing and validation
    • Performance monitoring
    • User acceptance testing

  2. Production Migration

    • Phased approach
    • Rollback procedures
    • Monitoring and alerting
    • Documentation updates

Best Practices

Security Considerations

  • Implement zero trust architecture
  • Use private endpoints for Azure services
  • Enable Azure Security Center
  • Configure Azure Sentinel for SIEM

Monitoring and Management

  • Centralized logging with Azure Monitor
  • Hybrid monitoring with System Center
  • Performance baseline establishment
  • Automated alerting configuration

Cost Optimization

  • Right-sizing cloud resources
  • Reserved instance planning
  • Azure Cost Management implementation
  • Regular cost reviews
Edit this page