Considering Microsoft Azure Development for Business? Here are 5 Key Benefits

Cloud computing adoption across industries has been increasing at a cracking pace. A study says that 81% of organizations around the globe are already using cloud technology somewhere in their business operations. Even the pandemic induced by COVID-19 is making most organizations seek agile services like cloud to become resilient during uncertainty.

The cloud is already a big deal for enterprises. So, how do you choose which cloud service provider is reliable and cost-effective? There are a few cloud behemoths in the industry including AWS, Google’s Cloud, but Microsoft Azure is the brand that nearly two-third of Fortune 500 companies are using for Azure development, deployment, and other cloud & hybrid solutions.

Whether it is about gathering data from edge computing devices or to process voluminous data through Machine Learning models, MS Azure has got you covered for all your cloud computing needs. In this blog post, we will deep dive into why this cloud platform is useful for businesses and its promising benefits.

What is Microsoft Azure?

Formerly known as Windows Azure, MS Azure is the industry-leading cloud computing platform that offers full and hybrid cloud solutions for different sizes of businesses. This cloud computing platform enables enterprises to build, deploy, and manage services through Microsoft -managed data center network. Being a public cloud platform, it helps businesses to scale up their infrastructure compute capacity to align with their specific needs and create hybrid networks whenever required.

What is Microsoft Azure used for?

Microsoft Azure, the cloud computing platform is disrupting businesses in the context of how they use technology and IT services. It comprises a pool of applications and technical capabilities that are designed to serve unique business needs. With Microsoft Azure development service, businesses need not to perform huge computation on their own computers or servers and manage IT infrastructure, they can simply offload this to Azure Cloud and enjoy the benefits aligned to their future goals.

Here are the ways that MS Azure cloud helps enterprises

• Platform as a service (PaaS), which includes application development and testing
• Software as a service (SaaS), which includes accessing enterprise applications, such as Salesforce CRM, SAP ERP through web
• Infrastructure as a service (IaaS), where data and analytics operations are being processed on a virtual machine

Five Core Benefits of MS Azure for Businesses

Azure is the fastest growing cloud service. It helps businesses to modernize their outmoded architecture and innovate according to the dynamic needs of the market. Not all cloud solutions are created equally. Here are five reasons why businesses are choosing Microsoft Azure over other cloud computing service providers.

Speed

In Microsoft Azure Development, speed means something different. Given the fact that Azure provides high availability and redundancy because of its vast global presence, speed means much more than ping rates or lags. Speed in this context states:

• The ability to create, test, and deploy new applications in a fast manner.
• The ability to scale existing capacity by upgrading service plans when it comes to adding new features in a fast manner.
• The ability to quickly recover data from off-premise data centers and storage backups.
• The ability to quickly utilize modern AI and ML based systems to do analytics on massive amounts of data and harness intelligent insights.

Azure provides various pre-built tools, for example, templates and best practices guides to build up quickly without starting it from scratch. The result, therefore, is faster time-to-market for whatever business application users are working on.

Enhanced Flexibility

One of the key benefits of MS Azure is that it allows users to scale up or down to meet the uncertain needs of an enterprise. Users can tap into more resources with a simple click or upgrade to service levels. Similarly, companies can scale down compute capacity when they no longer require extra computing resources. Here are the following ways in which Azure offers immense flexibility.

Flexibility in terms of service levels means companies only pay for what they use. There’s complete freedom to move between tiers so that users can maximize budgets and ramp up resources whenever required. For example, ASTM, one of world’s largest Standards Development Organizations, was needed a flexible system where they can add new tools and platforms to connect all ASTM properties together with an initiative known as Real-Time Data-Exchange (RTDX). The company has ramped up its RTDX network on-demand using the flexibility offered by Azure Cloud.

Flexibility in terms of storage locations means allowing users to back up data in more than one place. This diversifies risk plus provides users with flexibility for speed, customer service, and compliance where geography matters. Flexibility in terms of coding languages means allowing users to choose different programming languages and open-source frameworks to build high-performing apps, products, and solutions.

Enterprise Level Development Tools

With MS Azure, companies can tap the advantage of using various familiar tools such as Python, Kubernetes, .NET, Java, etc. and languages such as Visual Basic, C#, C++, and others to build, manage, and deploy their custom solutions. Moreover, azure consulting team can leverage management resources, from container orchestration service to automated updates to make next-gen applications for mobile and web platforms. MS Azure’s development suite comes with dedicated test environments that support companies to optimize their internal websites and client-side applications. Even, companies ready to make transformation, can hire Azure certified consultants to build apps that support their business operations at scale.

For example, CSCS, a skills certification scheme for the UK Construction Industry, was facing challenges dealing with fraudulent applications due to the submission of fake certificates with no intelligent mechanism in place. The company built a web-based application using Azure micro-services architecture to speed up the skills certificate process. The system connects seamlessly with different awarding bodies via APIs to check cards' authenticity.

Security

Microsoft offers best-in-class security services for businesses to utilize remote physical datacenters without being compromised to any malicious activity or threats. It has built a system with multi-layered security controls integrated in both hardware and firmware to reinforce its client business. MS Azure customers get expert assistance from cybersecurity experts who have deep-domain knowledge of cloud-specific threats, e.g., Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS). The company offers compliance certificates including FERPA, IRS, HIPAA, and GDPR to ensure security at its best. Users can reinforce their Azure environment with tools like Advanced Threat Analytics, Azure Information Protection, and Multi-Factor Authorization.

In addition, Azure sends out regular notifications when new upgrades are required. Azure’s Security Center can analyze security in real-time and give you a Secure Score on the basis of which you can follow best practices to keep your data safe.

Disaster Recovery

Microsoft’s Disaster Recovery tools help enterprises secure data backups and keep downtime to a very minimum level. Azure with its industry-leading encryption features helps you stay compliant and improve your continuity plan in case anything goes wrong.

When you keep your business applications or systems on Azure cloud, you’re in the safe hand because the backup remains within recovery targets. You can keep the cloud backups in addition to your on-site data storage plans. There is no need to own your servers to keep data safe. Because cloud data backups can take comparatively less time than traditional on-premise servers.

In Azure, there is a method known as virtual systems testing which continuously monitors your cloud environment to see any “worst-case scenario”. You don’t need to wait for anything wrong happen in your application and its implications on your customers and business alike. The virtual system testing mode keeps you updated with the information and suggests when you need to revise your plans.

Conclusion

Microsoft Azure has established a strong position in the cloud computing realm. With its impressive benefits such as flexibility, speed, high-availability, disaster recovery, and enterprise-tools resiliency, Microsoft Azure is the most-preferred choice for businesses to have better control over their IT budgets and achieve growth continuously.

If you’re ready to take the Azure Cloud advantage and looking forward to expanding on-demand services, our Azure consulting services can assist you in implementation and ensure your IT systems align with your long-term business goals.