While everyone’s chasing containers, AI, and serverless, the humble virtual machine continues to power critical workloads across industries. It’s not flashy — but it’s foundational. And if you manage Azure estates, you know VMs are where the real operational complexity lives.

This demo-heavy session puts Azure Virtual Machines front and center, equipping you with practical skills and insider tricks to deploy, manage, and troubleshoot VMs like a pro.

We’ll cover:

* Decoding the alphabet soup of VM SKUs (and how to choose wisely)
* Cost optimisation
* Streamlining deployment with templates and automation
* Using Azure Image Builder for consistent, secure VM provisioning
* Managing disks, snapshots, and performance
* Monitoring and troubleshooting with native tools
* Implementing backup and disaster recovery strategies
* Navigating the latest VM-native features for security and scale

This is a less-PowerPoint, more keyboard session — packed with real-world demos, operational insights, and time-saving techniques you can apply immediately.