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Announcing the Publication of 'Azure Knowledge Map': A Microsoft Azure Primer — Background and Content Overview
Introduction
I am pleased to announce that I will be publishing an introductory book on Microsoft Azure titled "Azure Knowledge Map" (Azureの知識地図) as part of Gijutsu-Hyoron-sha's "Knowledge Map" series! It is scheduled to be released on May 13, 2025!
Azure Knowledge Map: From Cloud Basics to Implementation and Operations Management (Gijutsu-Hyoron-sha site)
This book provides an easy-to-understand explanation of fundamental Azure concepts and services for those learning Azure for the first time or those just starting to use it.
In this article, I will introduce the background behind the publication of this book and its contents.
Background
Let me talk a little bit about the history behind the publication of this book.
It is still fresh in our memories that in early 2023, the Azure OpenAI Service—which allows the use of OpenAI models on Azure—became generally available through the partnership between OpenAI and Microsoft.
This service attracted significant attention, especially from corporate users, due to its ability to use OpenAI models securely. Interest in Azure grew even among user groups who had never used Azure before, and I found myself having more opportunities at work to talk about Azure starting from the basics of "What is Azure?"
Around the same time, I participated in the technical fanzine event "Tech Book Fest" with several colleagues and wrote a doujinshi (fanzine) titled "Azure MixBook" focused on Azure. (Tech Book Fest site)
As the name "MixBook" suggests, the authors leveraged their respective areas of expertise to introduce various Azure topics. Simply put, it's like an Azure anthology, and we have published four volumes from 2023 to the present.
I actually had the opportunity to work as a vendor at the venue and talk to customers, and I met several people who gave up on purchasing it, saying, "The topic titles look interesting, but I don't have basic knowledge about Azure..."
Based on these two main experiences, I started thinking around the autumn of 2023 that I wanted to write an introductory book for Azure.
At that time, however, I didn't have any connections with publishers. So, I decided to first release an Azure introductory book at the next Tech Book Fest, named it "Takeoff into Azure," and began writing.
At this point, six volunteers from the Azure MixBook author team joined me, and we divided the work based on each person's specialty. (I want to tell my past self, "200 pages won't be enough!")
And then, at the first Tech Book Fest of 2024, we were able to publish "Takeoff into Azure."
Around that same time, by a stroke of luck, an editor from Gijutsu-Hyoron-sha reached out to me, asking if I would like to write an introductory Azure book for the "Knowledge Map" series.
Since this was exactly what I had hoped for, I immediately consulted with the author team and decided to write "Azure Knowledge Map," which is a polished version of "Takeoff into Azure."
When we sold "Takeoff into Azure" at the subsequent Tech Book Fest, all prepared copies sold out completely, despite being relatively expensive.
The catchphrase for Takeoff into Azure was "The book and you both become independent."
If we continued selling "Takeoff into Azure," it would result in self-competition with the upcoming commercial book. Therefore, after consulting with the publisher, we decided to end the sales of "Takeoff into Azure" once the first print run was sold out.
However, since we were at a stage where we weren't even sure if "Azure Knowledge Map" could truly be published, I couldn't explain the reason. It was painful to see several posts from people saying they "couldn't buy it."
And now, I have successfully finished the manuscript for "Azure Knowledge Map," and it will be released nationwide on May 13, 2025 🎉
About a year has passed since "Takeoff into Azure" went out of print, but during that time, we have polished the content, included the latest information, and leveled it up to commercial publication quality.
Content
Now, let me introduce the content of "Azure Knowledge Map."
The book starts with basic content such as "What is the cloud?" and is structured so that readers can understand Azure services, which will continue to change in the future.
Chapter 1: Basics of Cloud Services and Azure
In this chapter, we explain the basics of cloud services in general (not just Azure), provide an overview of Azure, and discuss topics like "Why choose Azure?" from a business perspective rather than just a technical one.
Chapters 2 to 4
Chapters 2 to 4 introduce the overall picture of Azure services from three perspectives: IaaS, PaaS, and Operations.
In particular, these chapters are organized with a table of contents based on "what you want to do," allowing them to be used like an index.
I put a lot of thought into which chapter to place each service in, as some services can be used for multiple purposes.
- Chapter 2: Understanding Azure IaaS
- I want to create a network environment on Azure
- I want to set up a virtual machine on Azure
- I want to connect Azure to an on-premises network
- Chapter 3: Understanding Azure PaaS
- I want to create an application on the web
- I want to save data
- I want to integrate services
- I want to perform analysis
- I want to use IoT
- I want to use AI
- Chapter 4: Building and Operating Systems on Azure
- I want to strengthen security and governance
- I want to improve the efficiency of operations and management
Chapter 5: Knowing How to Deepen Your Azure Knowledge
As mentioned in the book's overview and elsewhere, I don't believe that "you can master Azure just by reading this book!", and I haven't structured it that way either.
There are two reasons for this: first, Azure has so many services that if you were to aim for a "mastery" level, even a single service alone could fill an entire book. Second, "Azure continues to change."
This isn't unique to Azure, but cloud services evolve every day, and new services are released one after another, so you always need to catch up with the latest information.
Therefore, I have introduced methods for gathering information to deepen your Azure knowledge and sources for keeping up with the latest Azure updates. I've added a guide at the end to help readers become independent learners and improve their skills after getting a firm grasp of the Azure basics through this book.
Appendix
My personal favorite content is the fold-out "map" appendix at the beginning and end of the book.
This is a form of expression that can only be realized in a commercial publication, serving as a "map for reading the Azure Knowledge Map."
We have also received positive feedback about the fold-out appendix from those who were provided with review copies before the release.
Recommended Audience
While this book is positioned as an introductory guide, I believe it will be useful to readers in various positions by fulfilling the role of a "map" for grasping the overall picture of Azure.
- Those who have chosen Azure as their first cloud platform
- New employees or those who have started using Azure due to department transfers, etc.
- Those who use other cloud services like AWS or GCP and now need to use Azure
- Those who already use a portion of Azure and want to learn it comprehensively
Key Points Considered During the Production of This Book
Here, I'll introduce some points that I particularly considered from an author's perspective while creating this book.
I hope this serves as a reference if you ever find yourself writing a book.
Structure with Storytelling in Mind
What is required of this book is the nature of providing an overview of the whole. However, when trying to cover everything, it tends to become just a glossary or a service catalog.
While covering everything, I structured the book with a story in mind: the reader "learns Azure and grows to the point where they can learn independently."
I aimed for it to serve as a "mountaineering map" with a goal of "reaching the summit," rather than just a regular map.
The most obvious part is where, after mastering individual services in Chapters 2 and 3, Chapter 4 introduces architectures showing how to combine them to provide solutions (value to end users).
I particularly focused on the structure where individual services, which existed as points, connect to form a plane and create something valuable.
Reflecting Real-world Experience
Each chapter of this book was written by authors with specialized knowledge and extensive experience in their respective fields.
It is packed with content that only authors who have experienced many sites and scenarios could provide.
In particular, it reflects real-world experiences such as points where people repeatedly get stuck, points where the same questions were asked multiple times, and expressions that were well-received when actually explained.
Although the level of content is introductory and the writing is simple and easy to understand, it has a weight backed by the experience of each author.
Comparison of Similar Services
For example, Azure has services with similar names or functions, such as "Private Endpoint and Service Endpoint" or "Event Grid and Event Hub."
For a beginner who doesn't know left from right, this situation can be even more confusing. However, they exist as separate services precisely because they have different characteristics.
In this book, I also focused on clarifying the differences and similarities between these services and explaining in what situations they should be used.
Once you understand the inner workings, you should think, "So that's why it's named that. I completely understand how to use them differently."
Finally
Many people cooperated in the publication of this book.
- Co-authors
- Reviewers
- Editors at Gijutsu-Hyoron-sha
- Everyone who wrote book reviews
- Friends, dogs, and cats who kept me company for a refresh when I was stuck
- And all of you who picked up the "Azure Knowledge Map"
Thank you very much!!!
I look forward to seeing you at bookstores across the country on May 13th 👋
Book Reviews Received
I have compiled them in the following scrap. If you are considering purchasing, please take a look.
Aside
I usually work remotely from a regional area.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, I didn't particularly mind it because events were basically held online. However, I remember feeling a gap in learning opportunities from time to time as movement restrictions began to be lifted.
While the IT event scene has a well-developed online environment thanks to the efforts of organizers compared to other industries, I still feel there is a difference in the learning environment between regional areas and urban centers.
Having experienced this firsthand, I am very happy to have been able to write this book, which is a stock-type commercial publication that can be obtained anywhere in the country.
As an aside to the aside, I also co-organize a community that holds Azure-related study groups while traveling across Japan to eliminate regional learning gaps. If you're interested, please check it out.
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