The infrastructure layer is the base of the platform and must be correctly sized and easy to deploy, operate, support, and maintain to rapidly respond to dynamic application and database requirements. The hardware components of Azure Stack HCI consist of flexible, validated AX nodes from Dell Technologies and Dell EMC PowerSwitch network switches. The purpose-built Azure Stack HCI operating system delivered as an Azure service comes factory pre-installed on the AX nodes for simplified deployments. IT administrators already familiar with Hyper-V, Storage Spaces Direct, and virtual networking can use existing skill sets and familiar tools for deployment, life cycle management, automation, and performance tuning at this layer.