Microsoft Under the Microscope: Microsoft Azure

Published on 6 October 2021

Introduced in October 2008 and implemented in February 2010 Microsoft Azure is now used by 95% of the Fortune 500’s companies. Azure is a flexible and affordable cloud computing service made for any business.

Microsoft Azure offers three main services, IaaS, PaaS and SaaS all pay-as-you-go:

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)

Azure gives you access to storage and networking resources. This reduces the maintenance of on-premises data centres, allowing you to save money on hardware and time management. Each component is offered separately so you can pick what is best for your business.

Platform as a Service (PaaS)

Have access to a cloud-based environment. This means you can build and implement applications whilst Azure takes care of everything else. Avoid the expense of purchasing software licenses, middleware and development tools by choosing to build your applications with Azure.

Software as a Service (SaaS)

Delivering you software and applications through the internet. You and your employees can connect to cloud-based applications over the internet, like email or a company calendar.

The Cloud

There are many advantages from choosing Azure services such as IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS:

Security & Disaster Recovery

Microsoft invests $1 billion a year protecting their customer’s data. By paying as you go, it allows Azure to continually update their security systems to better combat the growing threat of cybercriminals. By allowing your data to be stored on the cloud you prevent mass data losses from hardware failure, power outages or cyber breaches. Microsoft Azure does not only store your data once but three times all in separate data/ Cloud centres around the world, minimalising any error or data loss that could happen.

Accessibility and Collaboration

The cloud, and therefore your data and software is accessed over the internet, meaning any device with an internet connection can access your data. This gives your employees the ability to access their files anywhere at any time, so in the event of an emergency, it can be resolved much faster. Having access to Azure makes collaboration on documents easier; watch in real-time as four employees work together on one document remotely, eliminating multiple copies and increasing productivity.

Scalability

Because Azure is pay-as-you-go, this allows for quick changes and growth for your business without the maintenance and management of installing additional software or hardware.

Collaboration

When talking about any cloud service, it is important to discuss capital expenditure (CapEx) and operational expenditure (OpEx). In traditional spending a business’s data and hardware would fall under CapEx; paying a large initial investment with the understanding that it will continue to be beneficial to the business in the future. This means purchasing what you predict you will need in the future, which can result in over or under specifying requirements, neither of which is good. Choosing to run the cloud as an OpEx or pay-as-you-go eliminates this and give you the flexibility to increase or decrease your use with your business. OpEx allows you to stay ahead in ever-changing markets and keep a competitive edge as well as saving you expenditure overall.

Microsoft Azure is one of the best Cloud Computing providers for businesses large and small. It has over 200 products and cloud services available so you can create the best infrastructure for your business. This can become overwhelming, especially if you are new to The Cloud, that’s where IT Solutions companies like Bluebell IT come in. At Bluebell we specialise in creating bespoke IT services for businesses, including finding and creating the right Cloud package for you. Call us today on 01908 044202 for a free consultation and to discuss the best cloud solution for you.

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