We recently deployed a five-node CRM 2011 topology using Windows Azure IaaS with the following objectives:
- We wanted to understand how a multiple node CRM setup could be provisioned using Windows Azure IaaS, specifically, how the networking capabilities offered by the Windows Azure platform (i.e. stateless load balancing) map to the CRM requirements.
- Our goal was to develop an automated way to provision and de-provision a CRM setup. This is not only useful for development and test scenarios, but also for production scenarios where it is notoriously difficult to conduct capacity planning before acquiring the necessary hardware. For example, it is hard to know upfront what CRM functional building blocks (aka CRM roles) the business stakeholders will want to focus on, such as async processes, sandbox, reports, etc. By dynamically scaling out the “needed” features on demand, we can enhance the business agility of the CRM.
- We wanted to offer our customers an educated choice between CRM Online (no setup costs but less control) and CRM On-Premises (extensive setup costs but complete control).
- Our final objective was to take advantage of hybrid apps that combine CRM capabilities with Windows Azure services, such as Windows Azure Active Directory, mobile services, etc.
Detailed description of the topology and scripts can be found here:
http://blog.appliedis.com/2013/04/08/multi-node-crm-topology-in-windows-azure-iaas/