What is Microsoft Azure?

Microsoft Azure, is a cloud computing platform that runs your applications at scale on the internet. Azure lets you store your data securely and gives you the business intelligence tools to explore it. It helps you build applications, test them in a safe environment and launch them, knowing that performance won’t be an issue even if they are being accessed from the other side of the world. It will also help you build on your existing IT infrastructure, creating hybrid solutions that simplify your IT and reduce costs. 

Microsoft Azure is essentially a growing collection of integrated services – analytics, computing, database, mobile, networking, storage and web – that are flexible enough for you to use as and how your business needs them. With Microsoft Azure, you’ll move faster, achieve more and save money. 

A place to build, test and deploy applications 

Any developer or IT professional can be productive with Azure. Azure’s integrated tools, pre-built templates and managed services make it easier to build and manage enterprise, mobile, web and Internet of Things (IoT) apps faster. 

An open platform 

Microsoft Azure is a flexible and open platform that supports a broad range of operating systems, programming languages, frameworks, tools, databases and devices. You can run Linux and Docker containers; build apps with JavaScript, Python, .NET, PHP, Java and Node.js; build back-ends for iOS, Android and Windows devices. Azure supports the same technologies that millions of developers and IT professionals already rely on and trust. 

An extension of your existing IT 

Azure easily integrates with your existing IT environment through the largest network of secure private connections, hybrid database and storage solutions, and data residency and encryption features – so your assets stay right where you need them. You can even run Azure in your own data centre with Azure Stack. Azure’s hybrid cloud solutions give you the best of both worlds: more IT options, less complexity and cost. 

A safe place for your data 

Microsoft has made an industry-leading commitment to the protection and privacy of your data. It is the first cloud provider recognised by the European Union’s data protection authorities for its commitment to rigorous EU privacy laws. Microsoft was also the first major cloud provider to adopt the new international cloud privacy standard, ISO 27018. 

A global network 

Azure runs on a worldwide network of Microsoft-managed data centres across 19 regions. This fast-growing global footprint gives you more options for running applications and ensuring great customer performance. 

An economical and scalable solution 

Azure’s ‘pay as you go’ services can quickly scale up or down to match demand, so you only pay for what you use in one simple monthly bill. Per-minute billing and a commitment to match competitor prices for popular infrastructure services such as compute, storage and bandwidth means you’re always getting an unbeatable price for performance. 

A source of insight 

Azure’s predictive analytics services such as Machine Learning, Power BI and Stream Analytics are redefining business intelligence. Make smarter decisions, improve customer service and uncover new business possibilities from your structured, unstructured and streaming Internet of Things data.