In this insight, we look at what Microsoft Azure is, plus what it offers businesses.
Microsoft Azure (formerly Windows Azure) is Microsoft’s public cloud computing platform. Public cloud refers to cloud computing services offered over the public Internet and available to anyone, i.e. the services are shared with multiple customers rather than just controlled and used by one (i.e. private cloud). It is used by over 55 per cent of all Fortune 500 companies.
Microsoft’s Azure is also a hybrid cloud – it uses its on-premises datacentre (a private cloud) alongside a public cloud and allows data and applications to be shared between them. Microsoft says its “seamless” hybrid arrangement is on-premises, across multiple clouds, and at the ‘edge.’ Edge computing refers to a computing architecture and distributed computing framework where computing and data storage is done near the source of the data.
Microsoft Azure offers users Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), Software as a Service (SaaS) and serverless cloud computing.
Within these options, Azure offers a range of services to users which they can choose from or run existing applications in the public cloud. Some of the services that Azure offers include:
Other Azure services include ‘Networking’ (virtual networking and gateways), ‘Media’ and content delivery network (CDN) such as on-demand streaming, ‘Integration’ for backup and site recovery, ‘Identity’ to help with encryption keys and other sensitive information, the IoT, and ‘DevOps’ software development processes. Also, Azure offers ‘Development’ for app developers, e.g. code sharing, ‘Security,’ AI, and ML services, ‘Containers’ (packages all dependencies of a software component and runs them in an isolated environment), ‘Databases,’ ‘Migration,’ ‘Management’ and governance, mixed reality, ‘Blockchain,’ and ‘Microsoft InTune.’ Third-party software is also available through Azure.
To use all the Azure services, customers sign up to a monthly, pay-as-you-go subscription for one of several different support plans ranging from basic to premier. There are also situations where there is different tiering pricing depending on requirements.
Effective use of the cloud is now important for a wide range of businesses and offers a range of benefits. Microsoft’s Azure offers users a hybrid environment with a wide range of services. It also offers the benefit of familiar technologies and the confidence of the Microsoft brand, plus that it's also trusted by most Fortune 500 companies. Usage of the cloud offers businesses greater scope, scalability, security, and flexibility and has become particularly valued with remote and hybrid working, so Azure can provide UK businesses with many of the tools they need to be more competitive.
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