Four Reasons to Use Microsoft Azure

By Ryan Klund - Business Development Associate

The popularity of cloud computing for small and medium-sized businesses has exploded over the past several years. According to Gartner, cloud computing continues to evolve from a market disruptor to the expected approach for IT. However, some companies are still concerned about security and reliability and manage traditional server environments.

Microsoft Azure, an industry leader in cloud solutions is a great fit for companies who haven’t yet tested the waters – or seen the benefits - of cloud computing.

Here are four reasons that companies who haven’t yet tried cloud computing should jump on the bandwagon:

Azure is Cost Efficient

• Microsoft will let you try out Azure for free so you can decide if it’s the right option for your business. Also, it has a pay-as-you-go option.A major benefit of replacing on-site servers with Microsoft Azure is its Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) capabilities.
• Traditionally, businesses host servers in a server room and need to manually provision hardware to provide the infrastructure needed for growth. Azure’s cloud environment is elastic, meaning it adapts to the workload changes by simply provisioning and de-provisioning resources  with the click of a mouse from a web browser. Just like that you can quickly, easily and cost-effectively scale up or scale down as your business evolves.

It's the Best Hybrid Solution on The Market

• Microsoft was the only cloud provider that created a product with what Gartner refers to as bimodal hybrid solutions in mind – making it easier to partially convert to the cloud. Azure is a reliable platform between on-site and public cloud allowing companies to scale up to the cloud without giving third-party datacenters access to all their data.

• Microsoft considers Hybrid Cloud computing “The best of all possible worlds” platform. Delivering all the benefits of cloud computing with the lowest risk of data exposure.

Azure is Easy To Use

• Administrators have access to a command console called the Azure Portal, right from their web browser. In the Azure Portal they have the ability to create and administer servers, computing services and monitor existing cloud infrastructure.
• Azure is a Microsoft product so tools like Office 365, Outlook and SharePoint integrate seamlessly into Azure. Also, working in Azure is native to Administrators familiar with Microsoft.

Security and Compliance

• In a world where cyber threats have increased exponentially, Microsoft understands Azure needs to be on the cutting edge of cybersecurity. Azure is the most trusted cloud platform by U.S. Government institutions and is the preferred choice of healthcare industries for cloud services. Azure displayed its commitment to security by being the first to embrace the new international standard for cloud privacy, ISO 27018.
• Azure also provides additional services like Multi-factor Authentication to protect access to data and Azure Site Recovery (ASR)​ to restore data in hours in a catastrophic situation.

Azure allows your employees and IT staff to focus on business without worrying about security or pouring money into outdated equipment or new equipment.