Introducing Agent and Gateway Extensions in Azure Monitor SCOM MI

[Guest AakashMSFT]

We are thrilled to announce the General Availability (GA) of Agent and Gateway Server Extensions in Azure Monitor SCOM MI, a new capability that allows you to initiate monitoring on Azure and Arc enabled Windows machines at-scale and programmatically. More about this capability at Monitor Azure and Off-Azure Virtual machines.

 

 

 

[HEADING=1]Key benefits and capabilities[/HEADING]

 

Extensions for Agents and Gateways offer the following benefits:

 

• Monitor workloads everywhere: SCOM MI can monitor VMs and guest applications that are hosted on Azure or off-Azure using Arc channel. With Managed Gateways, you can monitor air-gapped & isolated VMs.
  
• At-scale deployment: Users can enable monitoring of VMs at-scale through Azure portal or scripts (PS), enhancing operational efficiency.
  
• Transition at your pace: With multi-homing support, you have the flexibility to transition your monitoring from SCOM on-prem to Azure Monitor SCOM MI at your own pace.
  
• Secure and latest by default: SCOM MI agents use Managed identities and Certificate authentication which is a significant upgrade from legacy Kerberos auth. Agents are always up to date automatically, eliminating the need for you to handle frequent updates.
  

 

With the above capabilities, we are moving towards making Azure Monitor SCOM MI easier to operate. In Public Preview, 20+ customers deployed 1200+ agents and their feedback has helped simplify experiences further.

 

 

 

[HEADING=1]How does it look like[/HEADING]

 

Here are few screenshots of onboarding and managing monitored VMs using the extensions:

 

 

 

Add SCOM MI Agent

 

Edit & Configure SCOM MI agent

 

 

 

[HEADING=1]What’s next[/HEADING]

 

As we expect more SCOM customers transitioning their monitoring to SCOM MI, we aim to make that process seamless through the following capabilities:

 

• More at-scale onboarding experiences: Onboard monitoring agents at-scale via ARM template, Azure policies and Azure Automation catering to varied entry points.
  
• Scheduled updates: Provide flexibility to schedule agent updates as per Org’s change management process.
  

[HEADING=1]What are you waiting for?[/HEADING]

 

We are excited to see how you will use the extensions to monitor your Azure and Arc enabled machines. Here are some resources to help you get started: Monitor Azure and Off-Azure Virtual machines with Azure Monitor SCOM MI extensions

 

For any questions, comments, feedback, please reach out to: systemcenterfeedback@microsoft.com.

 

 

 

Thank you for your continued support and feedback.

 

Azure Monitor SCOM MI Team

 

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