Most businesses think of Microsoft Azure as a respectable cloud storage platform, helping to keep data and applications safe and accessible. They’re not wrong, but in reality, Azure is so much more than that, and can be used to solve to a lot of common business problems.
From its enhanced security to its infrastructure management capabilities, Azure has everything a business and its IT team could need to deliver a seamless cloud experience to all employees across multiple locations.
What is Microsoft Azure?
Microsoft Azure is a comprehensive cloud computing service developed by Microsoft to support its customers in building, testing, deploying, and managing their applications in the cloud. Built with ease-of-use in mind, Azure aims to provide an accessible framework for teams to do more.
In addition to supporting a business’ bespoke infrastructure, Azure hosts a range of enterprise-grade solutions that enable businesses of all shapes and sizes – including those without established internal teams – to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to productivity and infrastructure security.
Solving business problems with Microsoft Azure
With rising resource costs, developing bespoke solutions that provide the flexibility, power and security requirements is out of reach for most businesses. But with Azure’s robust solution set, businesses can access purpose-built technologies that can be customised to their specific needs.
From overcoming security worries, complying with external regulatory and auditing requirements to tackling challenges around the consistency of user experiences and reducing hardware upgrade costs, to name a few, Azure has the potential to change how businesses approach their IT strategies.
By taking time to understand the capability of the Azure solution range, businesses can drive efficiency and reduce frictions in pursuit of growth.
Here we discuss a number of the ways in which Azure can support businesses.
Improving user productivity
Remote and hybrid working show little signs of going away, so ensuring that teams are productive and empowered to delivery exceptional work is a primary concern for most businesses. At its basic use case, Azure supports the modernisation of applications and processes that are required to accelerate project delivery. For example, moving an existing application from an on-premises server to the cloud could increase speed and allow greater, more stable access.
User experience
There are few things worse than having to deal with complains from employees that they’re unable to access specific apps, locations, or files. The hybrid working world we now live in has compounded this, with location now an additional factor for IT teams to contend with, with offsite workers struggling to access on-prem data. With market-leading virtualisation solutions such as Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD), businesses can guarantee all users receive the same experience, irrespective of hardware model or location.
Ageing infrastructure
Keeping on top of the maintenance and replacement of hardware is a key challenge for any growing business. Transitioning from an ageing on-premises IT server and storage hardware infrastructure to Microsoft Azure presents numerous benefits. Azure offers a scalable, flexible, and cost-effective solution that alleviates the challenges associated with maintaining outdated hardware. With Azure, businesses can leverage a comprehensive suite of cloud services that enable seamless migration and integration, reducing the need for capital expenditure on new physical infrastructure. This means instead of investing heavily in physical servers and storage, companies pay for Azure services on a subscription basis, which can be more predictable and easier to manage financially.
Security woes
Threat management and mitigation is a significant concern for businesses of every size, particularly those operating in the cloud. With Azure, business leaders can sleep easy at night with its always-on security benefits, including automatic updates to protect against new and emerging threats. Not to mention that the cost for doing so is included in overall price you already pay. The alternative? Expensive and timely software upgrades every few months.
Unmanageable costs
There is nothing any IT team fears more than asking for additional investment to carry out the basics of their roles. For example, with the traditional on-premises approach to storage, when you reach capacity, you reach capacity. There is no flex or elasticity. You simply have to purchase more storage, which comes at considerable cost and has wider implications – for example, where will it be stored? Physical storage is expensive and takes up physicals space. Azure cloud, on the other hand, reduces TCO (total cost of ownership) and offers a pay-as-you-use pricing model.
The increasing risk of cyber attacks
Not only can businesses benefit from Azure’s built-in advanced security capabilities, preventing the likelihood of an attack, but the platform also includes Azure Backup and Site Recovery apps, making it easier for IT teams to access and restore their data and files in the event of an attack.
Ready to get started?
If you’re struggling to overcome business challenges relating to technology, processes or productivity, there is likely an Azure solution that could help. Get in touch with our team, who have a range of Microsoft-funded assessments available to help you move forward.