John Matson discusses different methods for capturing and monitoring Azure metrics, focusing on using the Azure web portal and accessing raw metric data via Azure storage. Users can graph and set alerts on performance metrics directly in the Azure web portal, with the option to enable the Diagnostics extension for more detailed data collection. The web portal allows users to select various metrics and set alert rules for specific thresholds. Additionally, the article explains how to access raw metric data stored in Azure storage tables using tools like Visual Studio's Cloud Explorer and AzCopy, emphasizing the capability to export data for external analysis. The post is part of a series, with a subsequent entry detailing integration with Datadog for enhanced monitoring of Azure virtual machines.