I often get asked by customers how they can get started with their projects on Microsoft Azure. They often need help and support for datacenter migrations, new cloud deployments, architectures, and much more. Now there are obviously two things to consider, first is the internal skilling, which is important to understand how Azure works and get a basic understanding, for that I recommend my blog post on how to get started learning Microsoft Azure and Cloud Computing. The second one is finding partners and people which can do consulting for you, and help you to get on the right track. One of the programs Microsoft is offering is FastTrack for Azure, which is provided free of charge. FastTrack for Azure is a technical enablement program that helps with rapid and effective design and deployment of cloud solutions. It includes tailored guidance from Azure engineers to provide proven practices and architectural guidance.
Azure FastTrack
What is FastTrack for Azure?
Save time and implement your cloud solutions correctly and confidently with FastTrack for Azure, regardless of your level of cloud experience.
FastTrack for Azure is a technical enablement program for organizations with cloud projects that enables the rapid, effective design, and deployment of Azure solutions in the cloud. It includes tailored guidance from Azure engineers that leverages proven practices and architectural guides.
Why choose FastTrack for Azure?
Let’s have a look at why you should choose FastTrack for Azure. I already mentioned a couple of the benefits of working with the Azure FastTrack program, but there is more. The Azure FastTrack team can help when you want to move to the cloud quickly, supported by expert guidance from Azure engineers. Another great reason, which I see very often is that customers want to gain confidence that their cloud architecture and deployment will be resilient, secure, and well-governed. And last but not least, FastTrack is a great choice when you want to accelerate the deployment of Azure solutions.
What FastTrack for Azure will do for you:
- Assess your technical architecture, gather deployment requirements, and provide you with personalized guidance.
- Build your confidence and reduce risk with best practice design guides, reference architectures, and blueprints.
- Collaborate with Azure engineers and partners to deploy your Azure solutions to production quickly and efficiently.
If you want to learn more about the FastTrack for Azure program, check out the official Microsoft page.
FastTrack for Azure supported solutions
The FastTrack for Azure team can currently help you with the following solutions:
- Data center migration
- Windows Server on Azure
- SAP on Azure
- Business continuity and disaster recovery
- High-performance computing
- Cloud-native apps
- DevOps
- App modernization
- Linux on Azure
- Cloud-scale analytics
- Intelligent apps
- Intelligent agents
- Windows Virtual Desktop
- Data modernization to Azure
- Security and management
- Globally distributed data
- Azure Marketplace
- Fundamentals and governance
Working with Partners
Often customers have already partners they are working with. This is not a problem at all. If you’re working with a third-party partner, Microsoft Enterprise Services, or Microsoft Premier Support, the FastTrack for Azure team will work with you and the other party to ensure that you both have the resources you need to successfully deploy Azure solutions. If you aren’t working with a partner but would like to, the FastTrack team will connect you with one.
If you are a partner, you can nominate a customer for the Microsoft FastTrack for Azure program here.
How to qualify for FastTrack for Azure
FastTrack for Azure is a free program that we offer to our customers and partners. To qualify for the program you will need to meet the following criteria:
- Be in a region where FastTrack for Azure is available.
- Have an identified project supported by FastTrack for Azure—a defined workload with the intent to deploy—that’s expected to reach at least $5,000 of service usage per month within 12 months of deployment.
- Have an active paid Azure subscription.
There is also a great FAQ available which should answer your questions.
How to get started with Azure FastTrack
To get started with the program, you can check your eligibility here, and if you are working with a partner, you can ask him to nominate you here.
Conclusion and more resources
As you can see the FastTrack program for Azure can help you with many different solutions and you get experts to help you with your Azure journey. If you are looking at a migration project, I also recommend that you have a look at the Azure Migration Program. The Azure Migration program can provide you with guidance and expert help you need at every stage of the cloud migration journey. These two programs work great together.
I also want to share some additional resources and blog you should check out:
- How to create Azure Hybrid Cloud Architectures
- How to get started learning Microsoft Azure and Cloud Computing
- Azure Architecture Center – The Azure Architecture Center contains guidance for building end-to-end solutions on Microsoft Azure. You will find reference architectures, best practices, design patterns, scenario guides, and reference implementations.
- Cloud Adoption Framework – The Cloud Adoption Framework is the One Microsoft approach to cloud adoption in Azure, consolidating, and sharing best practices from Microsoft employees, partners, and customers. The framework gives customers a set of tools, guidance, and narratives that help shape technology, business, and people strategies for driving desired business outcomes during their adoption effort. This guidance aligns to the following phases of the cloud adoption lifecycle, like Strategy, Plan, Ready, Migrate, Innovate, Govern, and Manage.
- Azure Migration Center – Get all the tools and resources you need to migrate your apps, data, and infrastructure at your own pace, with confidence.
I hope this provides you with an overview of the Microsoft FastTrack for Azure program and shows you some additional resources. If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment.
Tags: Architecture, Azure, Cloud, Fast Track, FastTrack, FastTrack for Azure, Guidance, Journey, Microsoft, Microsoft Azure, Migration, Partner, program, Project Last modified: December 10, 2020
