If you’re looking for a way to take your small- or medium-sized business (SMB) to the next level, consider investing in Microsoft Azure. Azure is a cloud computing platform that enables businesses of all sizes to build, deploy, and manage applications and services. It also offers a variety of features and services that can be tailored to achieve specific business goals. Used strategically, it can help your organization grow in ways you never thought possible.
Here are some of the most essential benefits of Azure and how to maximize them for your business.
What services does Azure offer?
Azure offers a variety of computing, storage, networking, and database solutions. It also provides a set of tools and services that can be used to monitor and manage applications. Essentially, Azure is a versatile solution that encompasses the following services:
- Azure as Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) – Azure’s IaaS offering includes features such as virtual machines, storage and networking solutions, and more, so your business can turn to Azure to provide and manage your IT infrastructure. The IaaS model can also help your organization save time and money by reducing the need for on-premises hardware and IT staff.
- Azure as Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) – Azure’s PaaS offering is a comprehensive solution for building, testing, deploying, and managing applications. With PaaS, your business can focus on application codes and let Azure handle the platforms.
- Azure as Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) – Azure SaaS lets your business use applications that are hosted on Azure, giving you the ability to scale quickly and easily. Azure also offers a 99.9% uptime service level agreement for all SaaS applications, which means you’ll have less than four days of downtime per year.
What are the benefits of Azure?
Contrary to what many business owners may think, Azure is not just for big enterprises. Azure's many services can be customized to fit any organization and any business requirements.
Here are some benefits your SMB can reap when you invest in Azure.
1. Reduced costs
With Azure, your businesses can save money on things like hardware, software, energy costs, and human resources. You can also run applications and services in the cloud without having to worry about maintaining on-premises infrastructure. For instance, you can take advantage of Azure’s storage services to store and manage data in the cloud. You can also use Azure’s networking services to connect your applications to the internet or to create virtual private networks (VPNs), load balancers, and more.
Best of all, Azure offers pay-as-you-go pricing, which means you only have to pay for the resources you use. If you run a small business, this is a great option for you, as there is no upfront cost and you can cancel your subscription anytime.
2. Improved scalability
Azure’s cloud computing platform is designed to provide high scalability. This means that your organization can easily scale its applications up or down as needed, without having to worry about downtime. This can help your business save money on resources while still being able to handle increased traffic or demand.
3. Security
Azure provides a variety of services that can help your organizations secure its data and applications. Azure Security Center, for instance, can help your SMB detect and respond to threats quickly and effectively by providing a centralized view of security across all Azure resources.
Azure Active Directory, on the other hand, provides identity and access management capabilities for Azure resources, thus helping your SMB control who has access to what. It can also track activity for compliance purposes.
What’s more, Azure Information Protection protects sensitive information from unauthorized access. It also provides data loss prevention capabilities, as well as the ability to encrypt data at rest and in transit.
4. Integrability and efficiency
Azure-hosted apps and tools can be easily integrated with Microsoft 365 apps, so you get the most out of your Microsoft subscription. For example, you can use Azure Active Directory to authenticate users and provide access to Azure resources. You can also take advantage of its single sign-on feature for Microsoft 365 apps for a seamless experience.
Azure Bot Service is another service your SMB can benefit from. This service allows you to build and deploy chatbots that integrate with Microsoft 365 apps. With a customized bot, you can respond faster to customer queries, send targeted marketing campaigns, and do so much more.
Make the most out of Azure with XBASE Technologies
Get the most out of Microsoft Azure by partnering with XBASE. Not only can we help your Ontario-based business migrate your existing apps to Azure, but we can also assist you in developing new apps and integrating Azure-hosted apps and tools with Microsoft 365 apps.
Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you get started with Azure and enjoy the benefits of cloud computing!