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Is Azure Hosting the Key to Your Business Success?

In today’s fast-paced digital landscape, UK SMEs need robust, scalable, and cost-effective IT solutions to stay competitive. Azure cloud computing services offer a comprehensive suite of tools and services that can transform your business operations. This blog will explore why Azure hosting is an excellent choice for your cloud systems, the flexibility it offers with various hosting models, the benefits of scaling up and down, cost-effective storage solutions, the advantages of reserving instances, built-in security features, and how to track costs effectively. By the end of this piece, you’ll understand why Azure hosting is the ideal solution for your IT needs and how Doherty Associates can help you leverage these benefits.

Why Azure is a great place to host your cloud systems

Azure is a leading cloud platform that provides a reliable and secure environment for hosting your cloud systems. With Azure hosting, you can benefit from Microsoft’s extensive global network of data centres, ensuring high availability and performance. The platform’s robust infrastructure is designed to handle the demands of modern businesses, offering unparalleled scalability and flexibility. Additionally, Azure cloud computing services are backed by Microsoft’s commitment to security and compliance, giving you peace of mind that your data is protected.

Azure gives you all the options

One of the standout features of Azure is its versatility. Whether you need Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), or Serverless options, Azure has you covered. Here are some of the services available in each approach:

• Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
  • Azure Virtual Machines: Create and manage virtual machines with complete control over your infrastructure.
  • Azure VMware Solution: Run your VMware workloads natively on Azure.
  • Azure Dedicated Host: Deploy your Azure virtual machines on a physical server dedicated to your organisation.
  • Azure Backup: Protect your data with scalable and secure backup solutions.
  • Azure Site Recovery: Ensure business continuity with disaster recovery services.
  • Azure Storage: Scalable and secure storage solutions for your data.
• Platform as a Service (PaaS)
  • Azure App Service: Build and host web apps, mobile backends, and RESTful APIs.
  • Azure SQL Database: Managed relational database service with built-in intelligence.
  • Azure Cosmos DB: Globally distributed, multi-model database service.
  • Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS): Managed Kubernetes container orchestration service.
  • Azure Functions: Event-driven serverless compute service.
  • Azure Logic Apps: Automate workflows and integrate apps, data, and services.
• Serverless
  • Azure Functions: Run event-driven code without managing infrastructure.
  • Azure Logic Apps: Automate and orchestrate tasks, business processes, and workflows.
  • Azure Event Grid: Event routing service for building event-based applications.
  • Azure Container Instances: Run containers without managing servers.
  • Azure SQL Database (Serverless tier): Automatically scales compute based on workload demand.
  • Azure App Service (Serverless): Build and deploy web apps without managing infrastructure.

With these options, Azure cloud computing services comprehensively meet the diverse needs of modern businesses. Whether you need full control over your infrastructure, a platform to develop and deploy applications, or a serverless environment to run code, Azure has the right solution for you.

Scaling up and down

One of the key advantages of Azure hosting is its ability to scale resources up or down based on your needs. This flexibility ensures that you only pay for what you use, making it a cost-effective solution for businesses of all sizes. If your systems are not in use all the time, you can scale them down during off-peak hours to save on costs. Conversely, during periods of high demand, you can quickly scale up your resources to ensure optimal performance. This dynamic scalability is particularly beneficial for businesses with fluctuating workloads.

Cheap storage

Data storage is a critical aspect of any IT infrastructure, and Azure offers a range of cost-effective storage solutions. With Azure storage offered through Azure hosting, you can maintain your data cheaply for archiving purposes, ensuring that you have access to historical data when needed. The platform provides various storage options, including Blob Storage, File Storage, and Disk Storage, each designed to meet different needs. By leveraging Azure’s storage solutions, you can reduce your overall storage costs while ensuring that your data is secure and easily accessible.

Archive Storage is particularly cost-effective for data that is rarely accessed. It offers the lowest storage cost compared to other tiers, such as Hot Storage. However, it comes with higher data retrieval costs and longer latency. For example, the cost of storing data in the Hot tier is higher because it is designed for data that is accessed frequently. In contrast, the Archive tier is much cheaper but is intended for data that is accessed infrequently and must be stored for at least 180 days to avoid early deletion fees¹. This makes Archive Storage ideal for long-term data retention and compliance purposes.

Reserving instances

For businesses that require 24/7 availability, Azure offers the option to reserve instances. By prepaying for capacity, you can significantly reduce your costs compared to pay-as-you-go pricing. Azure hosting provides various reservation durations, with corresponding discounts:

• One-Year Reservation: You can save up to 37% compared to pay-as-you-go pricing.
• Three-Year Reservation: You can save up to 57% compared to pay-as-you-go pricing.

This option is ideal for businesses with predictable workloads that need to ensure continuous availability. By reserving instances, you can achieve substantial cost savings while maintaining the performance and reliability of your systems.

Azure Savings Plan

In addition to reserved instances, Azure offers a Savings Plan for Compute, which provides a flexible way to save on compute services. With the savings plan, you commit to a fixed hourly amount for one or three years, and in return, you receive significant discounts on your computer usage. The savings plan allows you to save up to 65% on pay-as-you-go prices for select services. This plan is particularly beneficial for businesses with dynamic or evolving workloads, as it provides cost savings across various compute services, regardless of region, instance series, or operating system. By leveraging the Azure Savings Plan, you can optimise your cloud spending and achieve greater cost efficiency.

Azure security is built in

Security is a top priority for any business, and Azure excels in this area. The platform includes built-in security features that protect your data and applications from threats. Azure employs a multi-layered approach to security, including physical data centre security, network security, and application security. Additionally, Azure complies with various industry standards and regulations, ensuring that your data is handled in accordance with best practices. With Azure, you can be confident that your IT infrastructure is secure and resilient against cyber threats.

Microsoft’s security features include:

• Microsoft Defender for Cloud: Provides continuous assessment and security recommendations to protect your Azure resources.
• Azure Security Center: Offers unified security management and advanced threat protection across hybrid cloud workloads.
• Azure Sentinel: A cloud-native security information and event management (SIEM) solution that provides intelligent security analytics and threat intelligence.
• Azure Active Directory (Azure AD): Manages user identities and access to protect against unauthorised access.
• Azure Key Vault: Safeguards cryptographic keys and secrets used by cloud applications and services.

Azure Security Monitoring

Azure can be seamlessly integrated with IT Service Management (ITSM) platforms to enhance your IT operations. The IT Service Management Connector (ITSMC) for Azure provides bi-directional integration between Azure monitoring tools and ITSM tools. This integration allows you to:

• Create or update work items (events, alerts, incidents) in ITSM tools based on Azure alerts.
• Pull incident and change request data from ITSM tools into Azure Log Analytics for trend analysis and correlation with operational data.
• Improve troubleshooting and reduce the time it takes to resolve issues by having all relevant information in one place.

By integrating Azure’s security features with your ticketing platform, you can streamline your IT operations, enhance security monitoring, and ensure a more efficient incident response process.

Track costs through Azure cost management

Managing costs is crucial for any business, and Azure hosting provides robust tools to help you track and optimise your spending. Azure Cost Management allows you to monitor your usage and expenses in real-time, giving you insights into where your money is going. You can set budgets, create alerts, and generate reports to ensure that you stay within your financial limits. By leveraging Azure Cost Management, you can make informed decisions about your IT investments and identify opportunities for cost savings.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Azure offers a comprehensive suite of cloud hosting solutions that can transform your business operations. From flexible hosting models and dynamic scalability to cost-effective storage and built-in security, Azure provides everything you need to succeed in today’s digital landscape. At Doherty Associates, we specialise in helping UK SMEs leverage the full potential of Azure. Contact us today to discuss how we can tailor these solutions to meet your unique needs and drive your business forward.

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