Cloud Mechanix - Aidan Finn, IT Pro

The Evolution of My Company, Cloud Mechanix

Exciting News: Cloud Mechanix is Evolving!

I’m thrilled to announce the relaunch and transformation of Cloud Mechanix into a full-service Azure consulting company.

For the past 7 years, Cloud Mechanix has delivered custom-built Azure training—both online and onsite—for customers across Europe and North America. Our training was grounded in hands-on experience: designed by engineers, for engineers, based on real-world deployments and problem-solving. The feedback? Consistently excellent.

Now, we’re taking the next step.

Cloud Mechanix is expanding from training into consulting, bringing that same deep technical knowledge and practical insight to solution and service delivery.

Whether you’re:
* Defining your cloud strategy
* Navigating Azure migrations
* Strengthening security and resilience
* Designing or implementing complex Azure architectures
—we’re here to help.

🔧 Our build-with consulting approach integrates training into delivery. We work with your team to co-create the solution—so your staff gains real expertise, not just another handover document.

🤝 We also partner with other service providers. If you’re a consulting firm looking to boost your Azure capabilities, Cloud Mechanix can support your team, under your brand, to deliver high-quality outcomes.

👉 Visit https://cloudmechanix.com to see how we can help your business succeed in Azure.

Let’s build something great—together.

Azure Firewall Deep Dive Training

I’ll tell you about my new virtual training course on Azure Firewall and share some schedule information in this post.

Background

I’ve been talking about Azure Firewall for years. I’ve done lots of sessions at user groups and conferences. I’ve done countless handovers with customers and colleagues. One of my talking points is that I reckoned that I could teach someone with a little Azure/networking knowledge everything there is to know about Azure Firewall in 2 days. And that’s what I decided to do!

I was updating one of my sessions earlier in the year when I realised that it was pretty must the structure of a training couse. Instead of me just listing out features or barely dicusssing architecture to squeeze it into a 45-60 minute-long session, I could take the time to dive deep and share all that I know or could research.

The Course

I produced a 2-day course that could be taught in-person, but my primary vector is virtual/online – it’s hard to get a bunch of people from all over into one place and there is also a cost to me in hosting a physical event that would increse the cost of the course. I decided that virtual was best, with an option off doing it in person if a suitable opportunity arose.

The course content is delivered using a combination of presentation and demo. Presentation lets me explain the what’s, why’s and so on. Demonstration lets me show you how.

The demo lab is built from a Bicep deployment, based on Azure Verified Modules (AVM). A hub & spoke network architecture is created with an Application Gateway, a simple VM workload, and a simple App Services (Private Endpoint) workload. The demonstrations follow a “hands-on guide”; this guide is written as if this was a step-by-step hands-on course, instructing the reader exactly which button to click and what/where to type. Each exercise builds on the last, eventually resulting in a secure network architecture with all of the security, monitoring, and management bells and whistles.

Why did I opt for demo instead of hands-on? Hands-on works for in-person classes. But you cannot assist in the same way when people struggle. In addition, waiting for attendees to complete labs would add another day (and cost) to the class.

Before and class, I share all of the content that I use:

System requirements and setup instructions.
The Bicep files for the demo lab.
The hands-on lab instructions
The PowerPoint
And a few more useful bits

I always update content – for example, my first run of this class was during Microsoft Ignite 2024 and I added a few bits from the news. Therefore I share the updated content with attendees after the course.

The First Run

I ran the class for the first time earlier this week, Novemer 20-21 2024. Attendees from all around Europe joined me for 2 days. At first they were quiet. Online is tough for speakers like me because I look for visual feedback on how I’m doing. But then the questions started coming – people were interested in what I was saying. Interaction also makes the class more interesting for me – sometimes you get comments that coer things you didn’t originally include and everyone benefits – I updated the course with one such item at the end of day 1!

I shared a 4-question anonymouse survey to learn what people thought. The feedback was awesome.

Feedback

This course was previously run in November 2024 for a European audience. The survey feedback was as follows:

How would you rate this course?

Excellent: 83%
Good: 17%

Was This Course Worth Your Time?

Yes: 100%

Would you recommend this course to others?

Yes: 100%

Some of the comments:

“I think it is a very good introduction to Azure Firewall, but it goes beyond foundational concepts so medium- experienced admins will also get value from this. I like the sections on architecture and explanations of routing and DNS. I think this course will enable people to do a good job more than for example az 700 because of the more practical approach. You are good at explaining the material”.

“Just what I wanted from a Deep dive course.”

“Perfectly delivered. Crystal clear content and very well explained”.

Future Classes

I have this class scheduled for two more runs, each timed for different parts of the world:

The classes are ultra-affordable. A few hundred Euros/dollars gets you custom content based on real-world usage. I did fint a virtual 2-day course on Palo Alto firewalls that cost $1700! You’ll also find that I run early-bird registration costs and discounts for more than 1 booking. If you have a large group (5+) then we might be able to figure out a lower rate 🙂

More To Come

More classes are coming! I have an old one to reinvent based on lots of experience over the years and at least 1 new one to write from scratch. Watch out for more!

July 30th – Online Training: Securing Azure Services & Data Through Azure Networking

My company, Cloud Mechanix, will be delivering a one-day online training course on July 30th called Securing Azure Services & Data Through Azure Networking.

I set up Cloud Mechanix a few years ago to deliver custom-written training in Azure. Year 1, 2018, was good; I ran two classes in London, and classes in Amsterdam and Frankfurt. I started a new job in 2019 and didn’t feel like I could put the time into Cloud Mechanix that paying customers deserve. With 2020, I felt like I could put together a new course on Azure networking/security based on my experience. I was approached by a company in Belgium to run a course with them; they would use their customer database to promote the class and I would teach. Unfortunately, their promotion failed and the course only sold a few seats. Timing-wise, the class was meant to happen at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe so cancellation wasn’t a completely bad thing. Then a few months ago, the European Cloud Conference asked if I would do a master class on Azure. I had most of the content I wanted for a class and this seemed like a good place to kick the class off before I run it again with Cloud Mechanix. That class was advertised by the European Cloud Conference as a free class for up to 15 attendees – over 400 applied! I was convinced – bring the class to the public.

So that’s what I am doing. Later today, I’m presenting a teeny-tiny snippet of the PowerPoint deck at E2EVC “Madrid” Online. On June 19th, I will be doing the Azure Masterclass that is sponsored by the European Cloud Conference. And as of now, my class for July 30th is on sale.

Security is always number 1 or 2 in any survey on the fears of cloud computing. Networking in The Cloud is very different from traditional physical networking … but in some ways, it is quite similar. The goal of this workshop is to teach you how to secure your services and data in Microsoft Azure using techniques and designs that are advocated by Microsoft Azure. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that networking means just virtual machines; Azure networking plays a big (and getting bigger) role in offering security and compliance with platform and data services in The Cloud.

This online class takes you all the way back to the basics of Azure networking so you really understand the “wiring” of a secure network in the cloud. Only with that understanding do you understand that small is big. The topics covered in this class will secure small/mid businesses, platform deployments that require regulatory compliance, and large enterprises:

The Microsoft global network
Availability & SLA
Virtual network basics
Virtual network adapters
Peering
Service endpoints
Public IP Addresses
VNet gateways: VPN & ExpressRoute
Network Security Groups
Application Firewall
Route Tables
Platform services & data
Private Link & Private Endpoint
Third-Party Firewalls
Azure Firewall
Monitoring
Troubleshooting
Security management
Micro-Segmentation
Architectures

The class is online only – so no matter where you are you will be able to participate. There are no travel restrictions, no travel or accommodation costs, and all you will need is the ability to get online. I will be presenting using Microsoft Teams – you won’t need a license because of the licensing that I will be using. The ticket cost is low – €229 per person, or €209 for 2+ tickets.

I hope to see some of you there on July 30th, starting at 09:00 UK/Irish time (+5 from EST and -1 from CET)!

Free Online Training – Azure Network Security

On June 19th, I will be teaching a FREE online class called Securing Azure Services & Data Through Azure Networking.

I’ve run a number of Cloud Mechanix training classes and I’ve had several requests asking if I would ever consider doing something online because I wasn’t doing the classes outside of Europe. Well … here’s your opportunity. Thanks to the kind folks at European Cloud Conference, I will be doing a 1-day training course online and for free for 20 lucky attendees.

The class, relevant to PaaS and IaaS, takes the best practices from Microsoft for securing services and data in Microsoft Azure, and teaches them based on real-world experience. I’ve been designing and implementing this stuff for enterprises and have learned a lot. The class contains stuff that people who live only in labs will not know … and sadly, based on my googling/reading, a lot of bloggers & copy/pasters fall into that bucket. I’ve learned that the basics of Azure virtual networking must be thoroughly understood before you can even attempt security. So I teach that stuff – don’t assume that you know this stuff already because I know that few really do. Then I move into the fun stuff, like firewalls, WAFs, Private Link/Private Endpoint, and more. The delivery platform will allow an interactive class – this will not be a webinar – I’ve been talking to different people to get advice on choosing the best platform for delivering this class. I’ve some testing to do, but I think I’m set.

Here’s the class description:

Security is always number 1 or 2 in any survey on the fears of cloud computing. Networking in The Cloud is very different from traditional physical networking … but in some ways, it is quite similar. The goal of this workshop is to teach you how to secure your services and data in Microsoft Azure using techniques and designs that are advocated by Microsoft Azure. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that networking means just virtual machines; Azure networking plays a big (and getting bigger) role in offering security and compliance with platform and data services in The Cloud.

This online class takes you all the way back to the basics of Azure networking so you really understand the “wiring” of a secure network in the cloud. Only with that understanding do you understand that small is big. The topics covered in this class will secure small/mid businesses, platform deployments that require regulatory compliance, and large enterprises:

The Microsoft global network

Availability & SLA

Virtual network basics

Virtual network adapters

Peering

Service endpoints

Public IP Addresses

VNet gateways: VPN & ExpressRoute

Network Security Groups

Application Firewall

Route Tables

Platform services & data

Private Link & Private Endpoint

Third-Party Firewalls

Azure Firewall

Monitoring

Troubleshooting

Security management

Micro-Segmentation

Architectures

Level: 400

Topic: Security

Category: IT Professionals

Those of you who have seen the 1-hour (and I rarely stuck to that time limit) conference version of this class will know what to expect. An older version of the session scored 99% at NIC 2020 in Oslo in February with a room packed to capacity. Now imagine that class where I had enough time to barely mention things and give me a full day to share my experience … that’s what we’re talking about here!

This class is one of 4 classes being promoted by the European Cloud Conference:

If you’re serious about participating, register your interest and a lucky few will be selected to join the classes.

Cloud Mechanix – “Starting Azure Infrastructure” Training Coming To Frankfurt, Germany

I have great news. Today I got confirmation that our venue for the next Cloud Mechanix class has been confirmed. So on December 3-4, I will be teaching my Cloud Mechanix “Starting Azure Infrastructure” class in Frankfurt, Germany. Registration Link.

Buy Ticket

About The Event

This HANDS-ON theory + practical course is intended for IT professionals and developers that wish to start working with or improve their knowledge of Azure virtual machines. The course starts at the very beginning, explaining what Azure is (and isn’t), administrative concepts, and then works through the fundamentals of virtual machines before looking at more advanced topics such as security, high availability, storage engineering, backup, disaster recovery, management/alerting, and automation.

Aidan has been teaching and assisting Microsoft partners in Ireland about Microsoft Azure since 2014. Over this time he has learned what customers are doing in Azure, and how they best get results. Combined with his own learning, and membership of the Microsoft Valuable Professional (MVP) program for Microsoft Azure, Aidan has a great deal of knowledge to share.

We deliberately keep the class small (maximum of 20) to allow for a more intimate environment where attendees can feel free to interact and ask questions.

Agenda

This course spans two days, running on December 3-4, 2018. The agenda is below.

Day 1 (09:30 – 17:00):

Introducing Azure
Tenants & subscriptions
Azure administration
Admin tools
Intro to IaaS
Storage
Networking basics

Day 2 (09:30 – 17:00):

Virtual machines
Advanced networking
Backup
Disaster recovery
JSON
Diagnostics
Monitoring & alerting
Security Center

The Venue

The location is the Novotel Frankfurt City. This hotel:

Has very fast Wi-Fi – an essential requirement for hands-on cloud training!
Reasonably priced accommodation.
Has car parking – which we are paying for.
Is near the Messe (conference centre) and is beside the Kuhwaldstraße tram station and the Frankfurt Main West train station and S-Bahn.
Is just a 25 minute walk or 5 minutes taxi from the Hauptbahnhof (central train station).
It was only 15-20 minutes by taxi to/from Frankfurt Airport when we visited the hotel to scout the location.

Costs

The regular cost for this course is €999 per person. If you are registering more than one person, then the regular price will be €849 per person. A limited number of early bird ticks are on sale for €659 each.

You can pay for for the course by credit card (handled securely by Stripe) or PayPal on the official event site. You can also pay by invoice/bank transfer by emailing contact@cloudmechanix.com. Payment must be received within 21 days of registration – please allow 14 days for an international (to Ireland) bank transfer. We require the following information for invoice & bank transfer payment:

The name and contact details (email and phone) for the person attending the course.
Name & address of the company paying the course fee.
A purchase Order (PO) number, if your company require this for services & purchases.

The cost includes tea/coffee and lunch. Please inform us in advance if you have any dietary requirements.

Note: Cloud Mechanix is a registered education-only company in the Republic of Ireland and does not charge for or pay for VAT/sales tax.

See the event page for Terms and Conditions.

Buy Ticket

London July 5-6: My Next Azure VM Training Course

My company, Cloud Mechanix, recently announced our latest dates for my custom-written hands-on training course, Starting Azure Infrastructure. We’ll be coming back to London on July 5-6 in Lancaster Gate – a location with easy public transport access and just a few minutes walk from the express train from Heathrow Airport.

We wrapped up Amsterdam last Friday. It was great fun with an interactive class overlooking the comings and goings at Schiphol Airport. Sadly, the weather was beautiful outside and we were cooped up talking cloud inside. I enjoyed the class and the feedback was awesome – here’s a sample:

Aidan runs a relaxed class that is both accessible and technically uplifting. Even a more experienced person will come away with new knowledge of Azure. The training is so updated that new functions are added daily.

Really enjoyed the course over the last couple of days. I would highly recommend Aidan for your Azure Training needs.

The “Starting Azure Infrastructure” Cloud Mechanix class in Amsterdam

Like I said earlier, we’re coming back to London on July 5-6 at the Lancaster Gate Hotel. The venue is not too expensive to stay at (by London prices) and the broadband was good. Two Underground lines pass very nearby, there bus stop around the corner, and Paddington Station is 10 minutes walk away. If you want to see some of London then the hop-on/off tours are also around the corner and it’s not that far from the various palaces and Kensington.

As usual with these classes, I update the content and distribute it two weeks ahead of the class – and then hand-out further updates when we start if Microsoft adds anything – I added content on two new features that were added the night before we started in Amsterdam so our attendees had the very latest content. What’s the point in teaching something that some editor approved 9 months ago and is already out of date!?!? The content is suitable for anyone working with or planning to work with Azure VMs, IT pros or devs. Yes, newbies with some Windows Server/Linux and very basic networking knowledge will learn lots. But over the years, I’ve found that people who thought they knew Azure well have learned a lot too, particularly around best practices, design, security, and performance.

If you’re interested then please check out the course information.

First Cloud Mechanix Azure Course Completed

Last week, I delivered my first ever Cloud Mechanix Azure training course, to a full room in the Lancaster Gate area of London, UK.

It was a jam-packed full 2 days of Azure storage, networking, virtual machines, backup, DR, security, and management, with lots of hands-on labs. Half the attendees were from the UK, the rest from countries such as Denmark, Netherlands, Belgium, and even Canada! I had a lot of fun teaching the class – there were lots of questions and laughs. And as often happens in these classes, the interactions lead me to picking up a couple of ideas from the attendees.

In my class, everyone gets hands-on labs a few days before the event. That allows them to get their laptops ready. On the day, they get copies of the slides so they can follow/along or make notes on their laptops – the labs and slides are updated with the latest information that I have. The goal of the class isn’t to teach you where to click, but why to click. In the cloud, things move and get renamed so detailed instructions age very quickly. But what lasts is understanding the why. Not everyone got to finish the hands-on labs, but I am available to help the attendees complete the labs.

If this course sounds interesting to you, then we have another class running in Amsterdam in April. Some tweaks are being made the labs/slides (which the London class will be getting too) and, as always, the April class will be getting the latest that I can share on Azure.

Delivering My First “Cloud Mechanix” Azure Training Course Today

I’m in London right now, preparing to deliver my first Azure training course by my very own company (co-owned/run with my wife, Nicole), Cloud Mechanix. I actually wrote this post yesterday and scheduled it for release, because I predicted that I’d be busy.

The class is sold out, 20 people from around the world are attending, from the UK, continental Europe, and from as far away as Canada! I’m blown away that our first course sold like this. I have 2 days to teach as much Azure infrastructure as I can. The goal is to give people the foundations and best practices for building, securing, managing, and protecting stable and well performing systems in the cloud. There’s lots of tips in the class, and I’ve build a set of hands-on exercises so there’s a practical side to the theory – the attendees will build a sample reference architecture for VM-based solution.

I can’t teach everything in two days, but I can teach what you need to know, so learning more is easy. As I’ve found with a different Azure VM class that I developed & teach for my employer in Dublin, this class is a foundation for Azure. Once you know this material, you have the bits to move on to other hybrid or PaaS-based solutions in Microsoft’s cloud.

I’m so excited! A certain friend of mine who retired recently has been telling me to do this for the last 5 years. Last year, Nicole told me I needed to do this. I made the decision to start writing the course. If I was up early with our youngest daughter, I’d sit down in the office once she fell back asleep and I’d write. Or when I brought my eldest daughter to gymnastics class, I’d wait outside in the car, writing. Pretty much every free moment of the last month went into updating the content – and I’ll probably still do an update or two (on managed disks) early on Thursday morning. So here I am (or will be) in London, counting down the minutes until the attendees walk in the door, we make introductions, and we sit down to start a learning experience together.

London is sold out, but we have another class running in Amsterdam on April 19-20. The venue is a hotel near Schiphol airport, making it very easy to get to – it’s not too central in Amsterdam, and Schiphol is one of the best connected airports in Europe. Half of the seats are already gone so, if you are interested, you will need to move quick.

I Am Running My “Starting Azure Infrastructure” Course in London on Feb 22/23

I am delighted to announce the dates of the first delivery of my own bespoke Azure training in London, UK, on February 21st and 22nd. All the details can be found here.

In my day job, I have been teaching Irish Microsoft partners about Azure for the past three years, using training materials that I developed for my employer. I’m not usually one to brag, but we’ve been getting awesome reviews on that training and it has been critical to us developing a fast growing Azure market. I’ve tweeted about those training activities and many of my followers have asked about the possibility of bringing this training abroad.

So a new venture has started, with brand new training, called Cloud Mechanix. With this business, I am bringing brand-new Azure training to the UK and Europe. This isn’t Microsoft official training – this is my real world, how-to, get-it-done training, written and presented by me. We are keeping the classes small – I have learned that this makes for a better environment for the attendees. And best of all – the cost is low. This isn’t £2,000 training. This isn’t even £1,000 training.

The first course is booked and will be running in London (quite central) on Feb 22-23. It’s a 2-day “Starting Azure Infrastructure” course that will get noobies to Azure ready to deploy solutions using Azure VMs. And experience has shown that my training also teaches a lot to those that think they already know Azure VMs. You can learn all about this course, the venue, dates, costs, and more here.

I’m excited by this because this is my business (with my wife as partner). I’ve had friends, such as Mark Minasi, telling me to do this for years. And today, I’m thrilled to make this happen. Hopefully some of you will be too and register for this training