Surviving the Azure Tech World as a Working Mom

Being a working mom in tech is like juggling flaming swords while riding a unicycle—on a tightrope. Add the ever-evolving world of Azure cloud infrastructure, and you’ve got yourself a full-blown circus act. But here’s the truth: it’s not only survivable—it’s conquerable.

The Balancing Act

Between daycare drop-offs, client meetings, and late-night bedtime songs, the life of a working mom in tech is a masterclass in multitasking. Azure doesn’t wait for nap time, and toddlers don’t care about your VM quotas. But with a little planning, a lot of coffee ☕, and a supportive team, you can thrive.

Here are a few survival tips:

• Automate everything: From backups to deployments, automation is your best friend.

• Set boundaries: Just because Azure is 24/7 doesn’t mean you have to be.

• Lean on your village: Whether it’s your team, your family, or your community—ask for help.

Quick Guide: Spinning Up a 1 TB VM in Azure (East US)

Need to get a virtual machine up and running with 1 TB of data? Here’s a simple step-by-step guide:

Step 1: Log in to Azure Portal

Go to https://portal.azure.com and sign in with your credentials.

Step 2: Create a Resource Group

• Navigate to Resource groups > + Create.

• Name it something like EastUS-VM-RG.

• Choose East US as the region.

Step 3: Create the Virtual Machine

• Go to Virtual Machines > + Create > Azure virtual machine.

• Choose your resource group.

• Name your VM (e.g., DataVM-EastUS).

• Select East US as the region.

• Choose an appropriate size (e.g., Standard_D8s_v3 or higher for performance).

• Set up authentication (password or SSH key).

Step 4: Configure Storage

• Under the Disks tab, choose Premium SSD or Standard HDD based on your performance needs.

• Add a data disk with at least 1024 GB capacity.

• You can also attach multiple smaller disks and stripe them using Storage Spaces in Windows or LVM in Linux.

Step 5: Review + Create

• Review your settings and click Create.

• Wait for deployment to complete.

Step 6: Upload Your Data

• Use Azure Storage Explorer, AzCopy, or SFTP to transfer your 1 TB of data to the VM.

• Ensure your VM has sufficient bandwidth and disk throughput for large transfers.

Being a working mom in Azure tech isn’t easy—but neither is raising a tiny human. And you’re doing both. So go ahead, spin up that VM, squash those bugs, and then read that bedtime story like the superhero you are. 🦸‍♀️