Azure is a cloud computing platform with an ever-expanding set of services to help you build solutions to meet your business goals. Azure services range from simple web services for hosting your business presence in the cloud to running fully virtualized computers for you to run your custom software solutions. Azure provides a wealth of cloud-based services like remote storage, database hosting, and centralized account management. Azure also offers new capabilities like AI and Internet of Things (IoT).


Why is cloud computing typically cheaper to use?

Cloud computing is the delivery of computing services over the internet by using a pay-as-you-go pricing model. You typically pay only for the cloud services you use, which helps you:

Lower your operating costs.

Run your infrastructure more efficiently.

Scale as your business needs change.

To put it another way, cloud computing is a way to rent compute power and storage from someone else's datacenter. You can treat cloud resources like you would your resources in your own datacenter. When you're done using them, you give them back. You're billed only for what you use.

Instead of maintaining CPUs and storage in your datacenter, you rent them for the time that you need them. The cloud provider takes care of maintaining the underlying infrastructure for you. The cloud enables you to quickly solve your toughest business challenges and bring cutting-edge solutions to your users.

Why should I move to the cloud?

The cloud helps you move faster and innovate in ways that were once nearly impossible.

In our ever-changing digital world, two trends emerge:

Teams deliver new features to their users at record speeds.

Users expect an increasingly rich and immersive experience with their devices and with software.

Software releases were once scheduled in terms of months or even years. Today, teams release features in smaller batches that are often scheduled in days or weeks. Some teams even deliver software updates continuously--sometimes with multiple releases within the same day.

Think of all the ways you interact with devices that you couldn't do a few years ago. Many devices can recognize your face and respond to voice commands. Augmented reality changes the way you interact with the physical world. Household appliances are even beginning to act intelligently. These technologies are only a few examples, and many of them are powered by the cloud.

Is Azure secure?

Yes, security and privacy are foundational for Azure. Microsoft is committed to the highest levels of trust, transparency, standards conformance, and regulatory compliance—with the most comprehensive set of compliance offerings of any cloud service provider.

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How can Azure help if I outsource my IT?

IT partners use Azure to deploy, manage, and support customers’ existing solutions, and to offer ready-made or custom solutions. Assemblysoft is a Microsoft partner and can help you take advantage of Azure to meet your business goals.

Talk to us at Assemblysoft to learn more

https://assemblysoft.com/skills/microsoft-cloud

Is it only for Windows apps and services?

No. Azure supports open source technologies, so you can use the tools and technologies you prefer. Run virtually any application using your data source, with your operating system, on your device. With Azure, you have choices.

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Will Azure really save me money?

With no upfront cost, you only pay for what you use. Azure provides flexible purchasing and pricing options for all your cloud scenarios, such as the Azure Hybrid Benefit, and offers extensive tools to help manage your cloud spend.

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Will Azure work for my industry?

Azure provides solutions for all industries, through proven combinations of cloud products and services. Address your industry-specific business challenges today, and prepare for the future by innovating with Azure solutions.

How does Azure compare to other clouds?

Azure is the only consistent hybrid cloud, delivers unparalleled developer productivity, provides comprehensive, multi-layered security, including the largest compliance coverage of any cloud provider, and you’ll pay less for Azure as AWS is five times more expensive than Azure for Windows Server and SQL Server.

Compare Azure vs. AWS

What are some cloud computing advantages?

There are several benefits that a cloud environment has over a physical environment. For example, cloud-based applications employ a myriad of related strategies:

  • High availability: Depending on the service-level agreement that you choose, your cloud-based applications can provide a continuous user experience with no apparent downtime even when things go wrong.

Scalability: Applications in the cloud can be scaled in two ways:

  • Vertically: Computing capacity can be increased by adding RAM or CPUs to a virtual machine.
  • Horizontally: Computing capacity can be increased by adding instances of a resource, such as adding more virtual machines to your configuration.
  • Elasticity: Cloud-based applications can be configured to take advantage of autoscaling, so your applications will always have the resources they need.
  • Agility: Cloud-based resources can be deployed and configured quickly as your application requirements change.
  • Geo-distribution: Applications and data can be deployed to regional datacenters around the globe, so your customers always have the best performance in their region.
  • Disaster recovery: By taking advantage of cloud-based backup services, data replication, and geo-distribution, you can deploy your applications with the confidence that comes from knowing that your data is safe in the event that disaster should occur.


In Summary

We have only scratched the surface by exploring some of the capabilities and benefits of using Azure to enhance your IT.

In our opinion, Azure is the best cloud platform available and has you covered on all bases for reach, flexibility, security and developer productivity.

Contact us at Assemblysoft to help you realise the benefits for your particular business. We can help you discover the most appropriate services and strategy for your unique circumstances from years of real world experience managing clients cloud environments.

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