What is Microsoft Azure Used For?

If you are even moderately interested in technology, there is a very good chance that you have encountered the name “Microsoft Azure” in various contexts, but what do you know about it? Do you know what is Microsoft Azure? Continue reading to find out and learn more about what is Microsoft Azure used for.

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What is Microsoft Azure?

Microsoft Azure is a cloud computing service offering SaaS (software as a service), PaaS (platform as a service) and IaaS (infrastructure as a service) functionality delivered by Microsoft managed data centre infrastructure. To break it down, here is a simple overview of these key terms:

• Cloud Computing – Cloud computing is the delivery of various services through the internet. It is a service that allows its users to take advantage of the power of high performance computers without the need to own and maintain them.
• Software as a Service – SaaS is a delivery model where programs and applications are delivered over the internet like a service, where instead of downloading and installing a program on your own computer, you access it via the web.
• Platform as a Service – In the PaaS model the service provided is a platform for businesses and organisation to develop, run and manage business applications without having to own and maintain the infrastructure to run them on. In a nutshell, it can be thought of as “app hosting” – similar to web hosting where you build a website, but a hosting server stores it and shows it to visitors or users.
• Infrastructure as a Service – IaaS is when enterprises lease or rent server computers for their computational power and storage.
• Managed Data Centres – Data centres are specialised facilities that house high end computer systems and associated infrastructure. They are staffed by professional experts who maintain this equipment, meaning that businesses using cloud technologies, can reduce their costs by not having to purchase and house equipment as well as hiring expert staff to maintain them.

What is Microsoft Azure Cloud?

So then, what is Microsoft Azure Cloud? Microsoft Azure combines all of the elements we have discussed above in one platform, providing a comprehensive array of cloud computing functions to businesses and enterprises who need a high performance computing infrastructure but without the need to purchase and maintain such expensive equipment. Over 600 services are delivered by Azure using Microsoft data centres around the globe.

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Understanding Microsoft Azure – What Can Microsoft Azure Do for a Small or Medium Sized Business?

While the features we discuss above may seem like something only enterprise scale organisations with large projects could be interested in, Microsoft Azure has clear benefits for SMEs as well. The key to understanding Microsoft Azure benefits in a small to medium sized business setting is to keep in mind how it scales as your business grows. Azure can provide scalable storage that gives your business more space and better performance as you need it – increasing space as your file storage requirements increase and increasing its performance as your teams who need to access this data grow. Azure integrates with other Microsoft SaaS products, for example SharePoint, to help you create task management or document management and processing workflows that meet your specific needs. If you are already using Microsoft products like Windows or Office, Azure can provide you with highly available, secure IT infrastructure at a reduced cost compared to owning, housing and operating your own servers. Azure also provides an e-mail hosting solution maintained, updated and kept secure by Microsoft. Azure backup can take snapshots of your systems to provide your business with an additional layer of resilience, security and better disaster recovery options.

In the simplest of terms, with Microsoft Azure, you outsource having to own expensive hardware, spending time on updating your software and spending money on hiring specialist staff to maintain those things for you, significantly reducing your IT costs as your business grows and its IT needs along with it.

Are you interested in digital transformation and cloud migration for your business? Call soma technology group on 1300 131 559 now to speak to one of our consultants on how we can improve the technology in your business or organisation to ensure you are taking the best advantage of all the tools available to you. Get in touch online if you have any more questions related to understanding Microsoft Azure.