Microsoft Azure: Popular Use Cases

Microsoft Azure, a cloud computing solution which includes offerings such as computation, storage, security, etc., has become quite the force to be reckoned with in the world of modern cloud computing. This is, of course, about more than just the fact that it is a Microsoft offering — Azure is a mighty tool that offers services in more than 60 regions and 140 countries across the globe. In order to understand what drives such popularity for Azure, here is a quick look at some of its key benefits:

1. Scalability: Any modern business worth its salt must always be prepared for scaling operations on the basis of demand and requirements at any given point. Azure helps companies with all that by ensuring proper distribution of data, apps, etc. in order to prevent any shortage of space on the server.
2. Big data: As the amount of data being generated continues to grow exponentially, Microsoft Azure helps ensure companies are able to seamlessly handle massive amounts of data via the Azure HDinsight tool. This solution enables not only proper management of data but also makes it easier to analyze said data.
3. Security: Microsoft Azure assures high levels of security for apps and such via the use of firewalls and encryption of data during data transfers. Not only that — the Azure platform also uses security tools such as access management, authentication, etc. to further fortify security of the data, apps, etc. hosted in its platform.

Now, a quick glimpse of some of the many, many general use cases of the Azure platform:

1. Testing new features: While pretty much every cloud service provider offers the ability to set up virtual machines for testing features, Azure differentiates its offering via the cost involved. Basically, what Azure does is charge companies for the precise duration for which the virtual machines are used. This helps cut down costs.
2. IoT services: IoT offerings need cloud services that are able to intelligently use and analyze sensor data and drive actions based on such data. In this regard, Azure offers a robust set of distinctive IoT-related services, including DocumentDB, Stream Analytics, HDInsight, and Event Hubs, that, together, enable companies to set up a robust IoT network.

Finally, let us also take a look at some real-world examples of how Azure Cloud is used:

1. Intercontinental Hotel Group: With more than 5,200 properties spread all over the world, IHG endeavors to deliver consistently high-quality customer experiences — such efforts involve the use of multiple Azure offerings, such as Azure Cloud, DevOps services on Microsoft Azure, and Azure StorSimple among others.
2. University of Toronto: Canada’s largest university, the University of Toronto moved a portion of its activities to the Microsoft Azure Cloud, thus circumventing the need to make continued investments in hardware renewal, maintenance,
   etc.

There you have it ladies and gentlemen, a close look at what the Azure platform is all about, how it can benefit businesses, and how it is being used by different businesses across the broad spectrum of industries worldwide. So, what are you waiting for? If you too want to realize all these benefits for your company as well, we highly recommend that you start looking for and engage the services of a trusted provider of Azure cloud migration services at the earliest possible.