Azure Compute Service Decision Tree

When designing a compute solution, you first evaluate the available offerings against your workload’s performance, scalability, and cost needs. Azure Virtual Machines (VMs) give you the most control over the operating system and fit applications that require specific configurations or continuous runtime. VM families include general purpose (balanced CPU-to-memory ratio, like the Dv2-Dsv2 series), compute optimized (high CPU-to-memory ratio for intensive applications, like the FSv2 series), and GPU VMs (for enhanced graphic processing, including NC, NCv2, NCv3 series). For workloads that need rapid scaling without managing individual VMs, VM Scale Sets automatically add or remove instances based on a signal such as average CPU, moving each VM through a predictable lifecycle from provisioning to running to terminating.