Azure Local
Microsoft's on-premises platform for Azure services in your own datacentre — 1 to 16 nodes, centrally managed through Azure Arc.
Azure Local in practice
Azure Local is the new name for Azure Stack HCI — Microsoft renamed the product with the 2411 release in November 2024, while the technology stayed the same. It brings the Azure operating model into your own datacentre: virtual machines, AKS clusters and Azure Virtual Desktop run on validated hardware on site, managed from the Azure portal through Azure Arc.
A hyperconverged instance spans 1 to 16 nodes and uses Storage Spaces Direct as its storage layer; disaggregated variants with external SAN storage scale to as many as 64 nodes. Billing is per physical processor core, and every system must connect to Azure at least once every 30 days. For strictly regulated environments there are disconnected operations with a local control plane; in production Microsoft requires a dedicated three-node management cluster for it.
Alendris deliberately designs hyperconverged clusters on Storage Spaces Direct and NVMe storage to be Azure Local compatible: connecting them to Azure later becomes a step, not a rebuild.
How Alendris helps
From our projects
- Zero Trust Infrastructure from the Data Center to the Remote WorkplaceComplete modernization of server infrastructure, identity, and remote access into a consistent Zero Trust architecture — from hyperconverged storage to hardened server and client baselines to secure remote work without a single publicly reachable device.
- Replacement of Citrix environment with Azure Virtual DesktopFull migration of 8,000 Citrix users to a highly automated AVD target architecture.
- Development of an AI Platform based on Microsoft AzureSecure and scalable AI usage in the company is created through a central Enterprise Search that bundles information from systems such as SharePoint, ServiceNow, and SAP.
- Security Modernization with a Focus on Microsoft 365 & SOC ReadinessSustainable improvement of the security posture in the Microsoft ecosystem with a focus on identity protection, tenant hardening, and SOC readiness.
- Evolution of an Enterprise Monitoring Solution on AzureRedesign of the Azure Monitoring architecture with a Dedicated Azure Monitor Cluster, standardized DCR Rules, and complete Infrastructure as Code automation.
- Successful IT Carve-out of a Complete InfrastructureFull IT carve-out with structured decoupling, migration of central IT services, and a secure transition phase without unnecessary downtime.
- NIS2 Compliance Implementation for Critical InfrastructureHolistic implementation of NIS2 requirements: From gap analysis and technical implementation to audit readiness.
- AI-powered Automation with Azure AI Foundry & n8nComplete automation of document-based business processes through AI-supported workflows – from data extraction to decision support.