that more than $1.3 trillion in IT spending Gartner predicted will be affected by the shift to the cloud by 2022 and true that more and more organizations are leveraging the power of cloud. Moving your business to cloud has its own benefits especially like flexibility, security, and cost-effectiveness. However, with so many options available in the market, it can be hard to decide which one to go for. While searching through an affordable & effective cloud services provider you must have gone through many of them especially Azure.
Launched by Microsoft in 2010, Azure is a cloud computing platform for apps management via Microsoft-managed data centers. It works on a pay-as-you-go (PAYG) basis, meaning subscribers receive a bill each month that only charges them for the specific resources and services they have used
What is Microsoft Azure: Definition & Features
Are you also thinking about moving to the cloud and not sure if Azure is a good cloud services provider for your small business? Worry not, in this blog, we will help you choose one of the leading cloud services providers Microsoft Azure. And if you’re wondering if it’s the best cloud storage option for small businesses or not, then we will cover that part too.
So, what exactly is Azure, and how can Microsoft Azure be used for small businesses? Read on to know more!
Azure is Microsoft’s public cloud computing platform that offers IT solutions including Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Software as a Service (SaaS). Azure has been used for services such as analytics, virtual computing, storage, networking, and much more.
Microsoft Azure IaaS, PaaS and SaaS
Flexible
Move compute resources up and down as needed
Reliable 99.95% availability SLA and 24×7 tech support
Global Data housed in geo-synchronous data centers
Microsoft Azure is evolving into a set of cloud-based computing services that allows organizations to operate efficiently and securely via cloud. Azure has been played a vital role in helping businesses make the move from on-premises to the cloud, but this is actually the tip of the iceberg when it comes to its potential. With the flexibility and variety of services it offers, Azure can be tailored to any business’ needs such as enabling hybrid or multi-cloud environments
Azure’s Major Benefits
Microsoft Azure is open source and supports many open-source integrations and utilities.
Azure provides resources on a global scale.
There are currently 34 local regions under the banner of Microsoft Azure, providing reliable connectivity and low latency.
Microsoft Azure can provide resources to virtual machines, mobile apps, web apps, media services, machine learning, notification hubs, analytics services and even Amazon Web Services.
Azure is far less expensive than managing on-premise or IT staff recruiting. You pay for only the services you use and the resources that you consume.
Azure has superb security and reliability.
So, the question is Azure the best option for small businesses? The short answer is yes, for the longer one, let’s read more!
Listing here some of the top 5 benefits of Microsoft Azure for small businesses:
High Adaptability & Versatility
It is critical for evolving organizations to design their growth upon flexible and versatile establishments. One of the major benefits of Azure for SMBs is that there is adaptability around cost and utilization, so one can fit your cloud or IT expenses to develop your business. Azure allows you to scale up your cloud environments and framework as your business grows
Enhanced Effectiveness & IT operations
It improves your overall operational effectiveness. Organizations that choose Azure find that they can lower their general IT cost by a significant degree. This is due to how Azure makes it easier, simpler and quicker to IT processes and automated, which naturally decreases the requirement for employing new or more IT staff as your organization develops.
Boost Stability With Disaster Recovery
When you utilize Microsoft Azure is high-quality security control over your operations. Since disaster recovery is an important element to cyber or network security threats, many times it's not only crucial to be resilient before or during the attack but also after it. Businesses make or break depending on how quickly they restore their operations. With Azure, you can rest assured about business continuity as you get to access cloud backups quickly and securely, reducing downtime to a minimum.
Azure Cost Management
Businesses can significantly reduce their infrastructure and maintenance costs, perfect for small businesses. They can avoid the upfront costs associated with traditional IT infrastructure by using Azure and only paying for the services they actually use. Additionally, businesses can scale their cloud infrastructure up or down as needed using Azure’s pay-as-you-go pricing model, ensuring that they never pay for more than they need.
Microsoft Enabled Support
With Azure comes Microsoft's excellent and reliable technical support, ensuring that businesses can get the help they need when they need it. Azure also offers a range of online resources, including documentation, tutorials, community forums, and training courses to help small businesses get the most out of their cloud infrastructure.
Final Thoughts
Moving small business to Azure could potentially be a great fit for your organization. Consider the aspects we have discussed when considering your cloud strategy for the future. Not only is Microsoft Azure great for startups and small businesses but there’s an entire Microsoft for Startups program devoted to helping startups and SMBs
If you’re interested in learning more about Microsoft Azure for Small Business, you can always seek out IT consulting service providers, who can offer you professional & timely advice how to leverage Azure for your business.