Top 10+ Microsoft Azure Benefits

In today's rapidly growing digital landscape, businesses need more than just a competitive edge; they require scalable, flexible, and secure solutions. Microsoft Azure Benefits provides you with just that. Microsoft Azure is the Cloud Computing platform that has revolutionised the way organisations operate and offer incredible advantages. 

By 2023, the end-user spending on the public cloud market is expected to grow by about 488 billion GBP. It shows that data is the new gold and is well worth protecting. For a small organisation trying to grow its business, it will be difficult to purchase heavy-duty storage devices. Even if they purchase such hardware, managing and protecting such massive data will be even more difficult. Apart from this, maintenance costs are added, and these devices require optimal cooling to perform efficiently.   

Moving to the cloud can have many benefits, like reduced operating costs and efficient data management. In this blog, we will explore Microsoft Azure Benefits and reasons to choose the Azure cloud for your business. Continue reading to find out more!     

Table of Contents  

1) What is Microsoft Azure?  

2) Microsoft Azure services

3) What are the Benefits of Microsoft Azure?  

4) What is the benefit of using Azure in a hybrid environment?  

5) The future of Cloud Computing  

6) Conclusion  

What is Microsoft Azure?  

Microsoft Azure is a Cloud Computing platform that provides services such as Cloud Computing and analytics, networking, cloud Storage, and a wide range of others. It also gives users access to Microsoft’s proprietary services through its cloud platform. It comprises 200 products and services designed to help businesses solve their challenges.    

The best part about Azure is that it is relatively cheap and has an easy interface. It has the capability to provide services such as Platform as a Service (PAAS), Software as a Service (SAAS), and Infrastructure as a Service (IAAS). It can support Microsoft as well as third-party applications and systems.  
 


 

Microsoft Azure services 

Azure is a cloud platform that offers various services that can be amended to meet the needs of different customers. Some of the most popular service categories are:

Azure Analytics: This is a set of services that enable organisations to store, process, and analyse large amounts of data. They can use Azure to host their entire big data infrastructure and perform tasks such as data streaming, data integration, and workflow orchestration with Azure Pipelines facilitating efficient deployment and automation throughout the process. Azure also provides artificial intelligence and machine learning features that allow users to use pre-trained AI models that can be adapted to suit the specific data processing and workflow requirements of the organisation.

Azure active directory: This is a cloud-based directory that simplifies and centralises all identity management functions and protocols. Organisations that work in the cloud, especially large ones, have to manage hundreds or thousands of users who need login credentials for many different services. Azure AD uses single sign-on capabilities that make it easier for users to access resources with one set of credentials. Azure also has governance controls that let system administrators grant access to certain services only to those users who need it.

Azure SQL: This is a category of services that helps organisations to migrate, modernise, and develop their SQL server applications in Azure. Azure SQL includes Azure SQL Database Platform as a Service (PaaS) that supports cloud application development. Azure SQL is a fully managed service that automatically updates and patches organisations' SQL databases so they can spend more time on higher-value tasks that drive innovation and also create value for their customers.

Azure is secure, reliable, and cost-effective. There are over 200 cloud and product services available to help you develop innovative solutions. Azure supports multiple programming languages and frameworks and has a global network of data centres. Whether you want to build, run, or manage applications across multiple clouds, on-premises, or at the edge, Azure has the tools and services you need.

Curious to learn more about Azure, sign up for our course on Microsoft Azure Fundamentals AZ900.  

What are the Benefits of Microsoft Azure? 

Microsoft Azure helps you manage data efficiently with its powerful cloud architecture. It has plenty of Benefits, from low cost to ease of use. Let’s take a look at the 10 Benefits of Microsoft Azure:    

Backup and recovery 

Like Azure Virtual Machine, with just one click, simplifying data management and ensuring high availability. Azure provides data retention support for up to 99 years, which means customers can now store and recover their data for up to 99 years. You can recover your data 66% faster on Azure than its competitors. Azure has been certified by more than 50 world-class compliance certifications.   

Microsoft designed Azure with the intent of giving long-term solutions to customers. Having the option to recover data whenever and wherever you want for 90-plus years speaks volumes about Microsoft's intention.   

Scalability 

Microsoft Azure was designed with scalability in mind; it truly is a one-size-fits-all solution. You can scale up the capacity for your Cloud Computing needs when your business grows. Azure offers a pay-as-you-go service to suit all budgets. So, any business can use its services regardless of size and budget.   

Applications and databases can take up a lot of resources, and this complexity makes it challenging to find out the ideal storage or capacity you need on the cloud. When you don’t know this, it won't be easy to correctly calculate the budget and expenses. This sometimes can lead to paying more money than you should. That is where Azure comes in to save the day; with its pay-as-you-go service, you only need to pay based on the resources you use.   

For small businesses struggling with finances, this can be a lifesaver. When they grow, they can buy more capacity from Azure easily.   

Big Data

Big Data is complex large data sets that are difficult to process with a conventional data processing application. It requires applications specifically designed to process such vast volumes of data, which can take up many resources. Azure enables processing such massive data on its cloud platform with its Azure HDInsight. You can use Apache Hadoop using Azure HDInsight to process Big Data in Microsoft Azure.    

Security

Azure is one of the safest cloud platforms available in the market. With its multi-layered security infrastructure, Azure provides state-of-the-art security to its clients. It is also very user-friendly, as you can customise the hardware to tackle any threats.  

Moreover, its security controls are integrated into both the hardware as well as the software. So, it can protect you from dangerous Cyber Security Threats like Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDOS) attacks.   

Microsoft has more than 3500 cyber Security experts working round the clock to give protection and support to its clients. They do this by gathering intelligence on Cyber threats and providing actionable insights on tackling them.  

Azure gives multi-layered security to its customers and can detect threats early using the intelligence gathered by these experts. With this army of experts, software, hardware and machine learning, it has an effective security mechanism.   

Integration

Microsoft is a giant in the software industry, and many businesses use its products and services every day. Be it Microsoft Office 365, Teams, Skype or its Windows-based Operating System; it is everywhere and well established. One of the most significant advantages of Azure is its ability to integrate with these applications and tools easily.   

It can integrate with non-Microsoft applications, too, and Microsoft is constantly working with other Software Developers and vendors to provide integration with more tools in the future. With this level of flexibility, you can improve your business to a greater extent.   

Instant deployment 

With Azure, you can deploy applications on the cloud rapidly. As a software developer, you don’t have to worry about the infrastructure part, as Azure will take care of it. It will help you shift your focus on developing your application with a relaxed mind. You can build web applications and APIs on Azure and streamline them using Azure DevOps, Atlassian Bitbucket, GitHub, etc. Your developers can work and make changes remotely using websites and tools like GitHub and Bitbucket.   

Plus, Azure has its own firewall to protect your applications called Azure Web Application Firewall. To give access to your application’s users, you can use Azure’s Active Directory or any other identity provider. You can also build and deploy Enterprise-grade applications and scale them up whenever possible. In addition, you can automate tiresome operations like maintenance and patching security upgrades.    

Access management 

Identity and Access Management (IAM) prevents unauthorised access and enables access to the right users. Azure has its own IAM called Active Directory. Microsoft Azure’s Active Directory protects your data and application from malicious or unauthorised login attempts and protects the credentials using authentication techniques like Dual and Multi-factor Authentication.   

Using such authentication techniques ensures data and credentials are protected without disrupting the productivity of the Business. Preventing unauthorised login attempts at the front door helps minimise the risk of hacking and other malicious activities.   

Automation 

The biggest Unique Selling Point (USP) of Azure is its ability to integrate automation. You can automate updates, processes, and configurations. Apart from this, Azure provides automation of some useful shared capabilities.   

Update automation: You can automate updates in Azure using its Update Management service. It enables you to update security compliances anywhere, like on-premise, Azure, and other Cloud platforms. With its scheduling feature, you can automatically install updates.   

Process automation: Some tasks can be time-consuming and often result in errors; this takes your valuable time and focuses away from work. Azure will help you automate tedious tasks helping you stay focused on your work and saving valuable time and energy. Above all, it can help you save costs by improving workflow efficiency.   

Configuration automation: You can automate configurations in Microsoft Azure using two features. They are:   

1) Change tracking and inventory: Helps you track changes in servers and virtual machines. It will constantly monitor your resources to help revert any unwanted changes.   

2) Azure Automation State Configuration: Helps you automate and apply configurations and settings to physical and virtual machines. It is a cloud-oriented feature and provides services for enterprise environments.    

Sensitive data  

Some sectors like the government and healthcare often handle sensitive data that requires compliance to protect its data. Their apps and websites handle such sensitive data on a large scale and protecting it is challenging. Azure has over 50 world-class compliance certifications and many security features and tools. So, it is perfectly capable of protecting such sensitive data.   

With features like Active Directory and its IAM capabilities, Microsoft Azure gives access to the right authorised users and will prevent any malicious attempts to access sensitive data.     

Better insights 

With Microsoft Azure, you can get insights on key data through the platform's built-in support and SQL and NoSQL data services. You can also integrate MS Excel and make informed decisions using data visualisation tools like Power Bi.   

In the future, you can expect more integration of such tools as the demand for Azure is constantly rising. These unique features make Azure unique, as not every cloud platform gives you access to these many features and tools.   

Register for our course on Microsoft Azure Security Technologies AZ500 and learn how to implement Data encryption on Azure! 

What is the benefit of using Azure in a hybrid environment?
 

Moving your operations to a cloud infrastructure has many Benefits. You can save money and resources, and there is no need for you to rent a private office space. At the same time, it is not all rainbows and sunshine; it also has some downsides. What if there's a way to enjoy the Benefits of the cloud while avoiding its downsides?   

Introducing the Hybrid Environment, you can put some of your resources on the cloud while also having an on-premise infrastructure to offset any problems on the cloud. This ensures business continuity by improving the availability of resources, and there will be minimal disruption to the workflow. From a business point of view, moving your business operations into a hybrid environment makes perfect sense.   

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The Future of Cloud Computing  

The future of Cloud Computing has been a game changer for many businesses. In particular, it had a significant impact on small businesses as it enabled them to compete against the giants in the tech sector. Every day, new startups are created in the tech sector, and they rely on technologies like cloud computing for their business growth.    

More hybrid cloud environment  

The future of cloud computing looks promising as more businesses are starting to move to the cloud. With the arrival of a Hybrid environment, businesses can improve their productivity as their downtime will be far less. Azure has been helping many businesses move into a new hybrid cloud environment. So, in this area, Azure is one step ahead of the competition.    

Expect prices to come down  

With any new technology, the implementation cost will decrease gradually as time goes by. Cloud Computing has become the battleground for many giants like Microsoft and Amazon. In an attempt to grab a piece of the pie, they will bring down their prices to bring in more customers. So, expect prices to come down in the future.   

AI will change the game 

Machine learning is already widely used in the cloud for many tasks like data analytics on a large scale. But it still needs manual supervision, so there are certain limitations to what we can achieve with it. On the other hand, AI can work independently without supervision and will be a game changer as it can harness the power of the cloud entirely. 

Conclusion

We hope you enjoyed reading about the Microsoft Azure Benefits and how it can help you manage data efficiently. Azure is one of the best platforms for your Cloud Computing needs. With this flexible subscription model and user-friendly interface, anyone can afford and use it.   

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