In today’s post, I will explore two features of Azure Policy – Policy Overrides and Policy Exemptions. Understanding these tools can significantly boost your Azure management strategy as they play a vital role in managing Azure resources efficiently.
Delving into Azure Policy Overrides
Azure Policy Overrides provide the flexibility to change a policy’s effect at the assignment stage without altering the core policy definition. This feature becomes extremely useful when you wish to evaluate a policy’s impact without fully enforcing it or when you need a milder effect for a specific scope.
Imagine this scenario: A large corporation forbids creating any virtual machines larger than the D2s_v3 size through a policy to control costs. However, for a new project, the IT team wants to evaluate the performance impact of larger VM sizes. The Azure administrator uses a policy override, applies the policy to the development environment, and changes the effect from “Deny” to “Audit”. This action allows developers to create larger VMs for testing, while auditing and recording their actions for review. After confirming that the larger VMs improve performance without significantly raising costs, the administrator removes the override to restore the original “Deny” effect. Once they identify the optimal virtual machine size, they can modify the assignment to include this SKU.
Understanding Azure Policy Exemptions
On the other hand, Azure Policy Exemptions let you exclude specific resources or resource groups from a policy assignment. This feature is useful when resources must deviate from a policy’s rules due to unique needs or exceptions.
In a similar scenario, one alternate solution could involve granting resource creation by setting an exemption for the resource group where the developers plan to deploy the virtual machines. This action would allow the IT team to deploy any virtual machine they find suitable. After identifying the ideal virtual machine size, they can update the assignment to include this SKU.
Comparing Overrides and Exemptions
Though both features provide flexibility in policy enforcement, they serve different purposes. An override changes a policy’s effect during assignment, offering a way to evaluate or lessen a policy’s impact. Conversely, an exemption entirely removes certain resources from a policy, allowing necessary deviations from established norms.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Azure Policy Overrides and Exemptions are essential tools in your Azure management toolbox. They provide the flexibility needed to manage your resources effectively while adhering to your organization’s standards. As demonstrated in the Contoso Corporation case, you can use these features to maintain overall policy compliance while allowing specific flexibility. They illustrate the effective use of Azure Policy Overrides and Exemptions in managing Azure resources in real-world situations.
Stay tuned for more practical examples and insights on Azure management!
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