Microsoft Azure has been making headlines lately due to Microsoft’s recently lay off. Microsoft made the decision to lay off nearly 121,000 employees internationally to focus on cloud based projects. Microsoft’s major cloud offering, Azure, will be Microsoft’s primary focus. So what is Microsoft Azure?
According to Microsoft’s website, “Microsoft Azure is a growing collection of integrated cloud services that developers and IT professionals use to build, deploy, and manage applications through our global network of datacenters. With Azure, you get the freedom to build and deploy wherever you want, using the tools, applications, and frameworks of your choice.”
Microsoft has leveraged its network of data centers to create Azure, a cloud platform for building, deploying, and managing services and applications. Azure lets you add cloud capabilities to your existing network through its platform as a service (PaaS) model or utilize Microsoft with all of your computing and network needs with Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS). Either option provides secure, reliable access to your cloud hosted data. You gain access to an expanding array of products and services designed to meet all your needs through one platform. Typically Microsoft Azure is used when an organization partners with a third party IT solutions provider or has their own in-house IT department. It is rare that an individual with minimal IT experience can work within a system like Microsoft Azure.
So what are the benefits of using Microsoft Azure with your business?
- Endless Service Offerings
When you use Microsoft Azure you can access any and all of the following services:– Computing
– Mobile Services
– Storage Services
– Data Management
– Messaging
– Media Services
– Content Delivery
– Automation
– Developer
– Machine LearningAll of these services can be implemented within Microsoft Azure. This essentially creates limitless opportunities for testing, delivery, data, and everyday functions.
- Flexibility:
With Microsoft Azure you can spin up new services and scale your data storage on the fly. With an on-site data center you need time, resources, and power to adjust data capabilities. Microsoft Azure allows you to expand and reduce in minutes. - Cost:
Azure solutions are more affordable than on-premise solutions. Physical services and infrastructure devices like routers and servers can quickly add up to thousands of dollars. With Azure you pay for what you use, and nothing more. Often times it takes less time to manage these services as well, reducing IT payroll costs. - Applications:
With service offerings like Visual Studio Team Services, Visual Studio Application Insights, and Azure’s scalable, on-demand storage for data, Microsoft makes developing and testing apps easy. You can quickly switch an application from testing mode to active, from any device. - Disaster recovery:
Another advantage of Microsoft Azure is in its high-speed and geographically decentralized infrastructure, which creates limitless options for disaster recovery plans. Your critical data and applications are stored across numerous data centers across the world. So if something happens and you are compromised, we can easily get you up and running.
Microsoft Azure is one of the leading Infrastructure As A Service providers. Datasmith is eager to discuss IaaS providers and seeing which makes the most sense for your business. We understand this type of service can be difficult to understand, and we’re here to help. Contact us with your toughest, or simplest, questions. Our goal is to make sure you understand every IT solution available and how they can transform the way you do business.
