I'm looking for ways to automate the installation of VM Applications in Azure. While automating VM extensions, like the IaaSAntimalware extension for Windows servers, is pretty straightforward with Azure policies, I'm finding that VM Applications are a bit trickier. If anyone has successfully automated the installation and onboarding of these applications using Azure Policy or other methods, I'd love to hear about it. I was thinking an Azure Function or Automation Account could be triggered when a VM is created, but using Azure Policy would be more ideal for tracking compliance. Any suggestions?
4 Answers
You can definitely achieve this with Azure Policy! We set this up for one of our clients, and the ‘Deploy If Not Exists’ option lets you deploy applications from a gallery effectively. Once you configure it, it’ll automate the deployment nicely.
If you're using Terraform, you can add VM Applications directly to a VM Scale Set. This way, all VMs that you create will inherit those configurations, streamlining your setup.
If you're deploying VMs through automation tools like Bicep or ARM, you should include the VM Applications in your automation process. If you're not using those, an Automation Account with PowerShell can manage it too. Just make sure that it's part of your VM deployment script.
I usually handle VM Applications through Terraform. It's worked well for our RMM tools that we enforce on all Server and AVD modules. Just add the applications directly in your configuration and it does the rest for you.
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