Microsoft Azure Review
Azure is Microsoft’s answer to Cloud Computing; a Cloud Computing Platform operated by Microsoft for application Management. It is a dynamic scalable solution to infrastructure as a service (IaaS) and provides much of the functionality your standard, on-prem servers would offer, except you wouldn’t have to maintain it yourself! In this Microsoft Azure review, we will be going through some of the services offered, such as:
- Microsoft Azure Remote Desktop
- Microsoft Azure IaaS
- Microsoft Azure Website Hosting
- Cloud Storage Microsoft Azure
- Microsoft Azure Data Architecture
- And more!
Services:
Microsoft Azure IaaS:
Microsoft Azure IaaS offers enterprise-grade infrastructure, renting IT infrastructural need such as servers, virtual machines, storage, networks, and operating systems from Microsoft, on a pay-as-you-go basis. The best part of this is that you only pay for what you use!
Unlike other vendors, Microsoft Azure IaaS boasts high availability and redundancy in data centres, at a global scale. Azure can, as a result, offer an SLA (Service Level Agreement) of 99.95% which equates to approximately 4.38 hours of downtime per year – next to nothing!
Microsoft Azure Remote Desktop:
The Microsoft Azure Remote Desktop is a free, built-in service to windows (Windows Remote Desktop), that runs on RDP. No third-party tools are needed, if your needs are limited to in-office remote support or accessing centralised file storage on-the-go.
Microsoft Azure Website Hosting:
Microsoft Azure Website Hosting is a solid choice for hosting, reliably, websites and applications, with pay-as-you-go pricing to ensure you’re never overcharged, and only pay what you need. The scalability on offer with Microsoft Azure Website Hosting means that you can grow comfortably within the service, as you pay for what you use.
Microsoft Azure Cloud Storage:
Microsoft Azure Cloud Storage offers advanced capabilities such as Business Continuity (BC) strategies, with options for backup and Disaster Recovery (DR), as well as the trademark scalability and flexibility of the pay-as-you-go services models. It can be deployed with speed and almost zero downtime, differentiating from competitors with advanced security and support for existing analytics and infrastructures.
Microsoft Azure Data Architecture:
Microsoft Azure Data Architecture is a set of services & tools that allows the gathering and processing of data utilising cloud computing capabilities, encompassing components for data storing and data processing, as well as analysis. With Microsoft Azure Data Architecture you can ingest, process, and analyse data utilising services such as Azure Analysis, AzureSQL, Azure Data Factory and Virtual Machines to process.
- PRO – AVAILABILITY
- As mentioned earlier, Azure offers high availability and redundancy in data centres at global scale, allowing them to offer an SLA of 99.95% uptime which most other vendors cannot provide.
- PRO – SCALABILITY
- Scalability is an essential, and a major component of cloud providers, and Azure offers flexibility in the form of a PAYG model, and the ability to scale compute power up and down at the click of a button. This structure means that heavy work on an occasional basis does not mean having to overpay the rest of the time.
- PRO – Cost Effective
- Your IT budget is a VITAL aspect of choosing a cloud provider, and this is why Azure is so attractive an option for so many organisations; Azure’s pay-as-you-o pricing allows for SMBs to better manage budgets, purchasing and paying ONLY for what is needed. The cloud environment allows the launch of all in the cloud, customer applications, internal systems & apps, saving on infrastructural costs whilst reducing the in-house burden for IT & Management.
- PRO – Data Security
- Following the standard security model (Detect, Assess, Diagnose, Stabilise, Close), Azure has a strong focus on security. Combining the model with strong cybersecurity controls, this allowed azure to acquire multiple compliance certifications, establishing them as a leader in IaaS Security. Azure protects both the platform AND the user, with multi-level protection that is essential as the threat landscape is ever changing and evolving, as threats multiply daily across the globe, putting your data at risk. Azure provides simple and user-friendly services for increased protection, such as multi-factor authentication and application password requirements.
- CON – Requires Management
- Unlike SaaS platforms where the user is consuming information, IaaS moves your business’ computing power from your on-prem infrastructure to the cloud, and as a result, your Azure does need to be expertly managed and maintained.
- CON – Platform Expertise
- Unlike on-prem infrastructure, Azure requires expertise to ensure all the moving parts work together efficiently and effectively, meaning you will either need an expert in Azure on your staff, or hire external, service partners of Azure who can provide consultants capable of delivering to your needs (like us at Secure IT Consult!).
SITC – Your Microsoft Azure partner
As more and more businesses move their data and infrastructure to the cloud, it can be difficult to effectively understand which provider is best for you. SITC is well-positioned to help you with that, as a Microsoft partner we can offer the licensing for Azure services, and additionally, we can provide professional services for your azure projects – start to finish, planning to implementation and beyond. For all things Microsoft, and Microsoft Azure, look no further than SITC.
Contact Us for more information on the Microsoft portfolio, to find out what this next-level portfolio can offer you.