Blog

Despite all the talk about moving to the cloud, many businesses still have legitimate concerns about taking the leap. Worries about network security, downtime, and availability can lead businesses to continue to rely on their existing, and sometimes outdated, technology – as opposed to utilizing a reliable cloud solution or offsite backup service.

As we talk to customers about migrating to the cloud, we’re able to ease their fears by explaining some of the uses and benefits of Microsoft Azure.

What is Microsoft Azure?
An industry leader in cloud-based technology, Azure provides full and hybrid based cloud solutions for businesses of all sizes. Azure’s focus is building, deploying, and managing services and applications, anywhere and at any time. You can add cloud capabilities to your existing network through Azure’s platform as a service (PaaS) model, or entrust your computing and network needs to Microsoft with their Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS). Either option provides secure and reliable access to your data, which is hosted in the cloud, and all your products and services are accessible through one convenient platform. Below are some of the benefits that make Azure a go-to choice for many clients.

Benefits of Microsoft Azure
Up and running quickly – Bring products and services to the market faster than your competitor, and spend less time managing your IT infrastructure.
Mobility – Once applications are hosted in the cloud, it’s easy to enable remote and mobile access for employees so the right people can get to the applications they need from anywhere.
Pay only for what you need – Physical services and infrastructure devices like routers can quickly add up, in addition to hiring an IT staff to run the equipment. Azure can eliminate a majority of these costs.
Flexibility – Add or remove services and scale your data storage capabilities at any time. If you were using a traditional data center you’d have to consider purchasing and setting up new hardware each time you wanted to expand.
Disaster recovery – Don’t buy into the idea that a disaster will never happen to you. Azure’s  high speed, global infrastructure creates endless options for disaster recovery plans. Critical applications and important data can run from redundant sites during those recovery periods. Downtime is equal to lost business and Azure’s offsite backup options are there to guarantee continuous service, even when a disaster strikes.

What about cloud security?
A common concern for many customers who aren’t familiar with the idea of cloud security is that moving sensitive data and applications off-site may compromise their data protection. However, Microsoft’s worldwide data centers are superior to the standard on-site firewall protection used by many small and midsize businesses. Microsoft Azure offers a fully managed and always-monitored infrastructure, with offsite backups in multiple time zones, along with a variety of security measures like patch management, security monitoring, and cryptographic protection of messages.

For further protection, Azure embeds security, privacy, and compliance into its development methodology, and has been recognized as the most trusted cloud for U.S. government institutions. In addition, Azure IP Advantage offers stellar intellectual property protection, so you can focus on innovation and know you’re protected.

Ultimate Flexibility
After working with a number of clients, we understand that the idea of an “all or nothing” service isn’t always applicable. You need the option to run some applications on-site, while moving others to the cloud. This is where Microsoft Azure is different from other cloud solutions. They offer one consistent platform that applies to servers that are running on-site, work loads that are virtualized, offsite backups, or information that is moved to the cloud. This is what’s called a hybrid approach. So whether you need an “all-in” option, or you’d like to test the cloud by storing just a few applications, Microsoft Azure offers a platform that will work for you.

If you’d like to learn more about the benefits Microsoft Azure can provide your business, we can talk about how you can get the most out of this cloud based solution. Contact us today so you can learn more about this new and efficient way of doing business.

IT Resource is a cloud services IT provider in Grand Rapids. We help our clients find beneficial solutions for cloud storage, offsite backup, cloud security, and network security.