Introduction / Issue:
In hybrid cloud environments, monitoring resources across both Azure and on-premises infrastructure can be challenging. Azure Monitor provides a unified platform for telemetry, but without custom dashboards, teams often struggle to visualize key metrics effectively. This can lead to delayed responses, missed alerts, and inefficient operations.
Why we need to do / Cause of the issue:
Hybrid environments include diverse resources—Azure VMs, Arc-enabled servers, Kubernetes clusters, and more. While Azure Monitor collects data from all these sources, the default views may not align with specific operational needs. Custom dashboards allow teams to tailor visualizations, correlate metrics, and gain actionable insights across hybrid workloads.
How do we solve:
Follow these steps to create a custom dashboard in Azure Monitor for hybrid environments:
Access Azure Monitor:
Go to Azure Portal → Search for Azure Monitor → Open the service.
Create a New Dashboard:
Navigate to Dashboard → Click + New Dashboard
Name your dashboard (e.g., HybridOps-Monitor)
Add Metrics and Logs:
Use Metrics to add charts for CPU, memory, disk I/O, etc.
Use Logs (KQL) to query data from Log Analytics workspace
Example KQL query to monitor CPU usage:
Perf
| where ObjectName == “Processor” and CounterName == “% Processor Time”
| summarize avg(CounterValue) by bin(TimeGenerated, 5m), Computer
| render timechart
Pin Visuals to Dashboard:
After configuring charts or queries, click Pin to Dashboard
Select your custom dashboard to add the tile
Include Azure Arc Resources:
Ensure Arc-enabled servers are sending telemetry to Log Analytics
Use tags or resource groups to filter hybrid resources
Customize Layout and Filters:
Rearrange tiles for clarity
Add filters for environment (Prod/Dev), location, or resource type
Test and Share:
Validate data accuracy and refresh intervals
Share dashboard with team members or stakeholders
Conclusion:
By creating custom dashboards in Azure Monitor, we achieved centralized visibility across our hybrid infrastructure. This enabled faster troubleshooting, better performance tracking, and improved collaboration. Custom dashboards are a key enabler for proactive operations in a hybrid cloud strategy.
