Author: Edmond Guo

Recently I helped a customer with app service implementations. The web app service was deployed under isolated App Service Environment (ASE) and connected with enterprise VNets between on-prem servers and Azure subscriptions. When the Application tried to connect to the on-prem SQL DBs, it threw out an exception – the SQL DB name can’t be resolved. I checked the ASE vnet’s DNS settings and it looks all good to me and DNS settings points to the correct internal DNS servers.… [Keep reading] “Use AppKey to change WebApp's default DNS settings since ASE App Services don't inherit vnet's DNS settings”

Recently I helped a customer with app service implementations. The web app service was deployed under isolated App Service Environment (ASE) and connected with enterprise VNets between on-prem servers and Azure subscriptions. When the Application tried to connect to the on-prem SQL DBs, it threw out an exception – the SQL DB name can’t be resolved. I checked the ASE vnet’s DNS settings and it looks all good to me and DNS settings points to the correct internal DNS servers.… [Keep reading] “Use AppKey to change WebApp’s default DNS settings since ASE App Services don’t inherit vnet’s DNS settings”

I always like to create some automation tasks to replace the tedious manual click job. This can be very helpful for customers with large environment. In this blog, I want to share the Azure Runbook which I made to run at the Azure background and automatically back up the VMs with tag@{backup = ‘true’}. This can standardize the VM backup with certain backup policy and automatically audit the environment and make sure to back up the required computing VM resources.… [Keep reading] “Scheduled Runbook Tasks at background to automatically back up VMs with tag@{backup = 'true'}”

Recently I am setting up some Azure API management services and thinking about how to automate the process of backing up and restoring API management configurations in case of disaster recovery scenarios.
I understand there are many ways to do that. I will start with a C# app first and show you how I achieved to back up the Azure API management service’s configurations to a blob storage via API calls.
Creating Azure AD Application for Token Authentications

1. Login Azure AD and navigate to the App registrations
2. Create a new application registration
3. Fill in the application name and select Native for the application type
4. Enter a URL for the URL redirection field
5. Complete the app registration
6. Go to settings -> Add “Windows Azure Service Management API” as required permissions

Once finish the steps above, you will have Azure App Id & redirect URL, we will use these values to retrieve the authtoken to access azure environment.… [Keep reading] “Back up API Management Service to blob storages by calling Azure API from .Net App”

I have been working on a SFB Enterprise Voice Implementation project recently. The client is very keen to use native response group to create a corporate IVR for their receptions. The requirement in particular ended up needing 4 workflows, 19 Queues, 2 Groups and going beyond 2-Level, 4-Options IVR simple cases. The whole implementation won’t be completed under GUI, instead, Lync Powershell is the only way to meet the requirement.
I drew the reception IVR workflow below:

The root level menu is 7 options with the option 9 to loop back and the sub menu is also up to 8 options to help receptions to reduce the workload.… [Keep reading] “How far to take response group”

I’ve been using Azure AD Identity for quite a while now. I thought it would be good to share the summary of Azure AD Identity features and gather some feedbacks.
Azure AD Identity

Azure Active Directory: A comprehensive identity and access management cloud solution for your employees, partners, and customers. It combines directory services, advanced identity governance, application access management, and a rich standards-based platform for developers.
Identity and access management License option: Azure Active Directory Premium P2 (E5), P1 (E3)
“Identity as the Foundation of Enterprise Mobility”
Identity and access management

Protect at the front door: innovative and advanced risk-based conditional accesses, protect your data against user mistakes, detect attacks before they cause damage

Identity and access management in the cloud:

• 1000s of apps, 1 identity: Provide one persona to the workforce for SSO to 1000s of cloud and on-premises apps.

Recently, one of the customers reported they can’t access to all UAT apps from their Melbourne office, but it worked fine for other offices. When they tried to access the UAT app domains, they were getting below errors: “The request service is temporarily unavailable. It is either overloaded or under maintenance. Please try later.”

Due to the UAT environment IP restrictions on the WAF, it is normal behaviour for me to get the error messages due to the fact our Kloud office’s public IPs are not in the WAFs’ whitelist.… [Keep reading] “Resolving unable to access App published with Barracuda WAF over Azure Express Route”

I have been IT professional for over 7 years now. During this time, I have seen and experienced many critical changes in the IT Infrastructure field. Personally, I started as a network engineer at a software company and then moved to a MSP as infrastructure engineer and looked after servers, firewalls, network, application deploy, etc. for medium and large finance institutions before I join Kloud Solutions and started to evolve by learning the Microsoft Azure. Obviously, Cloud technology is the most significant shift that the IT industry is experiencing today.… [Keep reading] “How I prepared for the 70-533 Azure Exam”

I’ve been working with one SFB customer recently. I met some unique issues and I would like to share the experience of what I did to solve the problem.

Issue Description:

Customers were experiencing Polycom handsets unable to transfer external calls to a particular internal 4 – digit number range xxxx. All the agent phones are VVX 310 and agents sign in via extension & pin. When the call transfer failed, what the callers heard is the placid recorded female voice: “we’re sorry, your call cannot be completed as dialled.… [Keep reading] “Polycom VVX 310 – Unable to do blind transfer internally”