In this video we will have a look at Azure Local, why it exists, and where it fits in with your hybrid cloud architecture. I cover primary use cases such as hybrid infrastructure, edge computing, digital sovereignty, and disconnected scenarios, and I walk through the benefits of running diverse workloads locally while retaining cloud management. ☁️

⚡Keep in mind, that since this video was recorded, new features and services have been added.

You’ll see real examples of supported workloads including:

- Virtual Machines (Windows and Linux)
- Containers on Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)
- Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD)
- AI and inference workloads
- Databases
- Other platform services available in Azure Local

I demonstrate how to manage Azure Local directly from the Azure portal, show the control plane experience, and highlight key management services, security, monitoring, and lifecycle operations.
This walkthrough is aimed at architects, IT pros, and cloud engineers who want a practical introduction to deploying and managing cloud-connected infrastructure with Azure.

If this helped you, like the video, subscribe to the Thomas Maurer channel, and leave a comment with which workload or demo you want next. Feel free to share this with teammates planning edge or sovereign-cloud projects.

# 📺 Chapters and timestamps

0:00 Intro and what Azure Local is
1:00 Core use cases: edge computing and digital sovereignty
2:27 Azure Local cloud-connected Infrastructure solution
4:12 Azure Local Architecture overview and components
8:30 Demo: Azure portal management experience
13:44 Demo: Workloads on Azure Local and management capabilities
14:50 Demo: Azure Local Security features with Defender for Cloud
17:06 Demo: Azure Monitor for Azure Local
18:48 Demo: Manage and deploy virtual machines on Azure Local
26:30 Demo: Manage Updates for Azure Local with Azure Update Manager
28:02 High availability and Disaster Recovery on Azure Local
31:34 Azure Local Security
33:25 Demo: Azure Site Manager
35:34 Azure Local Disconnected Operations
37:19 AI services on Azure Local and KAITO
38:37 Azure Local Hardware solutions and sizing
46:47 Pricing and Azure Hybrid Benefits
49:20 Summary and next steps

# 📖 Resources and Links

- Azure Local Documentation: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-local/
- Azure Local Hybrid Benefit: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-local/concepts/azure-hybrid-benefit
- Azure Local Catalog: https://aka.ms/azurelocalcatalog
- Edge RAG on Azure Local: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-arc/edge-rag/deploy-overview
- KAITO on Azure Local: https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/azurearcblog/public-preview-deploy-oss-large-language-models-with-kaito-on-aks-on-azure-local/4415453
- Azure Local Disconnected Operations: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-local/manage/disconnected-operations-overview?view=azloc-2510
- Azure Local Gartner Magic Quadrant 2024: https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/microsoft-recognized-once-again-as-a-leader-for-its-ability-to-execute-and-completeness-of-vision-in-2024-gartner-magic-quadrant-for-distributed-hybrid-infrastructure/

# ⭐ About
Thomas works as a Principal Program Manager for Azure Hybrid at Microsoft. As part of the part of the Azure engineering team (Cloud + AI), he engages with the community and customers around the world to share my knowledge and collect feedback to improve the Azure hybrid cloud and edge platform. Prior to joining the Azure Adaptive Cloud Experience team (Azure Edge + Platform), Thomas was a Lead Cloud Architect and Microsoft MVP, to help architect, implement and promote Microsoft cloud technology.
If you want to know more about Thomas, check out:

🌍  Website / blog - https://www.thomasmaurer.ch
🐦 X.com - https://www.twitter.com/thomasmaurer
💼 LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomasmaurer2/

#Microsoft #AzureLocal #HybridCloud

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Azure Local is Microsoft's cloud-connected infrastructure solution that brings Azure services to on-premises and edge environments. It enables running VMs, containers, storage, networking, and AI workloads locally while maintaining centralized management through Azure Arc. The platform addresses scenarios requiring low latency, data sovereignty, or disconnected operations, with features including hyperconverged infrastructure, built-in security, disaster recovery options, and GPU support. Pricing is $10 per physical core monthly, with Azure Hybrid Benefit available for existing Windows Server license holders.

Azure Local Overview ☁️