Microsoft Azure

Azure – Microsoft’s Operating System for Cloud Computing.

Azure has been around since 2010 when Microsoft spent an eye watering $1bn on gigantic data centres for the Azure platform.

Thousands of developers have flocked to it already, but businesses are now taking a closer look too. Entrepreneurial businesses have even started moving to Azure (with a bit of help from partners like Online).

In this section we’ll give you the information you need to understand if Azure could be a valuable addition to your business IT.

What is it?

In business terms, Azure is Microsoft’s answer to the threat posed by Google and Amazon. These huge Internet businesses have leapt ahead of Microsoft in the race to provide IT services from the Cloud.

In technical terms, Azure is Microsoft’s operating system for the Cloud Computing. In fact it was originally called ‘Windows Cloud’ when it was first announced in 2008.

The Azure platform (run from Microsoft’s data centres) allows developers to build new applications and make them available without having to invest in software and hardware.

Did you know? All the free apps that ship with Windows 8 are built on Azure!

Who is it for?

Who is it for? “Developers, Developers, Developers,” to quote Steve Balmer (ex CEO at Microsoft). Steve’s philosophy was that if the developers build the apps on Azure then the users of the apps will follow.

Azure is not solely for the developers though. Companies at the forefront of Cloud, like Online, are using Azure to enhance IT in all type of businesses.

Read our eguide for non-techies: “I’m not a developer so what can Azure do for me”.

Benefits

Azure has been designed to be immensely scalable. It’s ideal for those IT services like websites, resource hungry applications, data storage and backups that are the first to break under heavy load.

As with most Cloud computing platforms, Azure also helps cash flow, budgeting and simplifies IT management.