Microsoft Azure
Microsoft Azure is a cloud platform which includes a collection of over 200 cloud-based products and services comprised of computing, storage, networking, security, databases, artificial intelligence and internet of things.
What is Microsoft Azure?
Azure is designed to help organisations move to the cloud, manage their data, and increase security. Microsoft Azure is a great choice for organisations considering moving some or all their infrastructure and services to the cloud. Organisations that migrate can manage and control their infrastructure from the cloud, increasing their flexibility, scalability, resilience, and accessibility.
With today’s ever-evolving technology, heightened security, and flexible working, Azure’s ever-expanding set of cloud services provides a platform where all organisations have the freedom to build, manage and deploy applications to their needs and provide access to their services efficiently and securely.
What are the benefits of Microsoft Azure?
With the increased threat posed by bad actors, cyber security is of paramount importance, particularly for organisations with no internal IT staff to take care of their security needs. Engaging with cloud solutions means that data isn’t stored locally, and benefits from the countless measures cloud hosting companies like Microsoft, put in place as standard.
Microsoft Azure offers the highest level of security from Microsoft’s UK and European data centres which meet strict EU privacy regulations. There are many services such as Entra ID, Key Vault, Security Centre and range of Defender technology that further help organisations secure and monitor their environment.
Microsoft Azure guarantees high availability and performance of its services, with service level agreements (SLAs) ranging from 99.9% to 99.99%. There are currently 60 Azure regions housing 160 data centres, so disaster recovery capability is accessible to any organisation.
With the vast array of services available, Azure can provide the platform and infrastructure for all your requirements. Whether this is an application server for a small business, all the way up to enterprise level web and database hosting.
IT hardware is a vital component of every commercial operation, but it often comes with a hefty price tag and requires significant investment in time spent on upkeep with maintenance.
With cloud technology, you pay for what you use, and there’s no need for upfront capital investment, saving you money in both the short and long term. With our Azure Cloud Services, you’ll have no upfront costs, no server warranties, and reduced electricity costs. You deploy the resources you require; with the specifications you need.
As your organisation grows, so too can the Azure cloud services you receive, with you only paying for what you need. In addition to that, Azure continually monitors your resources and provides recommendations to improve its performance.
Microsoft Azure also has backup and disaster recovery options to ensure data protection and business continuity. Your data is retained for up to 99 years. No more server or hard drive copies, everything you need is there at the click of a button.
Not all businesses are set up for remote or flexible working, which can hinder project progression, recruitment, and team collaboration. Cloud technologies are accessed via the internet, meaning employees can work together no matter their location or the devices they use.
Many organisations struggle to innovate or update their infrastructure because their IT staff are required to spend their time on hardware installation, maintenance, or fixing issues reactively. If you choose to use a cloud provider, that responsibility would lie with our team, leaving your IT team to focus on core activity and transformation.
Why should you transition to the cloud?
Traditional server infrastructure has high upfront and ongoing costs. IT hardware like servers have historically been a vital component in every commercial operation. However, with the introduction of cloud technology, you pay only for what you use, negating the need for upfront capital investment.
Organisations have typically struggled to update their infrastructure because their IT staff are required to spend time on hardware installation, maintenance, or fixing issues reactively. If you choose to use a cloud hosting provider and solution like Microsoft Azure, the responsibility to maintain and fix lies with the provider. Leaving your IT team to focus on core activity, proactivity, strategy, and transformation.
A significant proportion of organisations in the UK still aren’t set up to facilitate remote or hybrid working, which can often hinder project progression and team collaboration. Cloud technologies are accessed via the internet, meaning employees can work together no matter their location which helps foster improved collaboration within the organisation. Cloud also provides a substantially more modern platform, giving all organisations access to services that have historically been out of reach.
Ageing hardware and servers also stifle communication and slow an organisation down. By working with a cloud provider, the underlying hardware and wider infrastructure is no concern and is seamlessly maintained behind the scenes.
There are also increasingly sophisticated threats posed by cyber criminals and IT Cyber Security is paramount. For organisations with no internal IT staff, it’s important they engage with cloud solutions, so that their data isn’t stored locally, and they can benefit from the security measures cloud hosting providers like Microsoft put in place as standard. For example, Microsoft Azure uses encryption, firewalls, and sophisticated access controls.
Why should you migrate to Microsoft Azure?
Improved Security
The Azure platform has multi-layered security and is built to maintain privacy and data compliance. Microsoft has state-of-the-art security in their data centres globally which are protected by sophisticated authentication methods, utilising multi-factor authentication and biometric scanning. Designed with security at its core, Microsoft Azure provides you with built in tools and controls to meet your security requirements. All services are designed and operated to facilitate multiple layers of defence, across:
• Data
• Apps
• VM/Compute
• Networking
• Perimeter
• Policies and access
• Physical Security
Azure also has a built-in security centre, providing complete overview and control, adaptive threat protection and intelligent threat detection. This centre provides real-time updates on the status and security of your data. Files and data stored in Azure are also protected by advanced encryption protocol. Should the worst happen, Azure Disaster Recovery backs up your data, helping with data integrity while maintaining the availability of sensitive information.
Compatibility & Scalability
An important factor in any technology investment is that it can scale and grow as you do. Microsoft Azure is no different. The scalability capability allows you to quickly increase or decrease the power of the solution and ensure that you’re only using the resources when the organisation requires them.
In traditional on-premises based infrastructure, scaling would typically require new hardware such as memory and storage to process increasing or decreasing amounts of data. This requires capital investment and is inefficient if a busy period only lasts for a few months.
However, with the latest in cloud computing technology, users benefit from Microsoft Azure’s simple licensing structure, ensuring that whether your organisation experiences growth or decline, you’ll be able to add or remove users and functionality when required.
Compliance & Reporting
Microsoft Azure offers strong and adaptive built-in compliance controls as standard.
With Azure Blueprints you can easily create, update, and apply regulatory compliance to your environments to keep ahead of local and international laws and regulations such as ISO27001 and GDPR.
The Azure Security Centre enables advanced threat protection across the cloud, helping you manage your security posture. With complete visibility of your posture, you can spot and action potential risks. The security centre will support you in preventing and detecting attacks, so you can respond rapidly.
Azure Policy also supports you with auditing at scale. You can reduce the time needed to audit environments by having all your compliance data in one singular place. Policies you create enforce standards on your resources so that you can always ensure compliance with your organisation standards. You’ll have control and visibility over enforcement, policy management, and compliance across all your resources.
Cost & Budgeting
Microsoft Azure costs are simple, you pay for what you use and need. With Azure, your data and workspace are hosted in the cloud removing upfront hardware costs and the need for servers, maintenance, and energy expenses. Its simple consumption-based licensing and pricing structure makes it suitable for large and small organisations alike.
Azure also features several tools to help you optimise and get the most out of your investment. Organisations can monitor their Azure costs and usage to ensure they are paying for what they need and use. You can take control of your monthly costs with Azure Advisor, finding and reallocating underutilised resources. In addition to enabling autoscaling and auto shutdown, a great way to improve consumption efficiency. Finally, you can also use Azure cost management and billing to set up budgets and alerts to proactively manage costs.
Flexibility & Productivity
An important factor in any technology investment is that it can scale and grow as you do. Microsoft Azure is no different. The scalability capability allows you to quickly increase or decrease the power of the solution and ensure that you’re only using the resources when the organisation requires them.
In traditional on-premises based infrastructure, scaling would typically require new hardware such as memory and storage to process increasing or decreasing amounts of data. This requires capital investment and is inefficient if a busy period only lasts for a few months.
However, with the latest in cloud computing technology, users benefit from Microsoft Azure’s simple licensing structure, ensuring that whether your organisation experiences growth or decline, you’ll be able to add or remove users and functionality when required.
Microsoft Azure Frequently Asked Questions
Azure is suitable for any type of organisation no matter what industry you are in. Even if you have never ventured into cloud before and are still working solely on-premises, Azure can work for and with you. Be it big or small, every organisation can benefit from cloud solutions. Azure’s scalability means you pay for what you use and need, giving you the flexibility to adjust the services based on the needs and size of your organisation.
The thought of moving on-premises infrastructure to the cloud can be overwhelming for many internal IT teams and organisations operating without dedicated IT resource. For organisations ready to take advantage of cloud it’s key to have a migration plan in place to support a smooth transition. When planning your migration, it’s important to work with and select an established IT Partner such as Sharp who can support you.
We’ll assess your current infrastructure and how dependant it currently is on on-premises. In addition to identifying legacy applications which may require further update before a transition to the cloud. All information collected during the initial assessment will then feed into a full migration plan.
Microsoft Azure has a competitive pay-as-you-go approach to pricing, but also the ability to make significant savings for resources where you commit to 1- or 3-year periods. You can leverage the Azure Pricing Calculator to explore what costs might look like in your local currency. However, we recommend that you reach out to our team of technical experts who can explain in detail how Azure pricing works and can support you in understanding what you do and don’t need. To ensure you only pay for what you will use.
From AI + machine learning to DevOps with Microsoft Azure clients have access to a wide array of products and services. For example, Azure AI Search, allows enterprise-scale search for app development. In addition to Azure Media Player which acts as a single player for all your playbook needs. Media Servies lets you encode, store, and stream video and audio at scale. Azure Database Migration Service also allows you to migrate your data to Azure.
For a full breakdown A-Z of all the products included in Azure click here
Speaking to one of our technical experts who can support you in assessing your needs and helping you to take the next step to migrate onto Microsoft Azure. Taking transformational steps such as this can seem daunting, but working with an accredited Microsoft Partner like Sharp means you can rest assured you have the knowledge and expertise to support you
Why partner with Sharp for your transition to the cloud?
Sharp is in the top 1% of Microsoft partners globally and our place in the Microsoft partner network means we have exclusive access to some of the best pricing on both hardware and software applications, which we then directly pass on to our clients. We have 3 Microsoft Designations in Data & AI, Infrastructure, and Modern Workplace. In addition we are also on our way to achieving our 4th Designation in Microsoft Business Apps.
Our technical experts support you in planning your transition to the cloud and will help and support you in getting the most out of Microsoft Azure and your cloud solutions. We are with you throughout, from initial migration to continual optimisation, with our team acting as an extension of your organisation to maximise uptime, efficiency, and collaboration in the cloud.
Accreditations
Microsoft Solutions Partner Accreditation - Modern Work
Microsoft Solutions Partner Accreditation - Infrastructure Azure
Microsoft Solutions Partner Accreditation - Data and AI Azure