Azure is microsofts cloud service. It is like AWS, but only more microsofty. I have worked extensievley with Azure and find it to be a bit cumbersome, with rough edges. Understanding the CLI was key for my development, made things so much easier. I think this experience is something that is shared across cloud providers.
Cloud has basically abstracted away the hardware parts. It is therefore become a major part of releasing software to actually understand cloud and being a good cloud user.
This book is a no-nonsense book about practical MLOps and how you should approach it to solve business problems. The book takes an even more hardline approach to automation and focuses on the concept of Kaizen ML, where continuous improvement and striving to make the feedback loop even shorter and the process more and more seamless.