Cloud computing gives businesses the opportunity to quickly provide computing resources without the expensive and difficult task of building data centers, and without the expense of running underutilized servers due to varying workloads. Besides traditional cloud services such as virtual machines, storage, Azure also extends services that utilize proprietary Microsoft Technology Solutions.

What is Microsoft Azure?

Azure is a private and public cloud computing platform that can be used for services such as virtual computing, storage, networking and many more. It uses a technology called virtualization. Virtualization in cloud computing mean the creation of a virtual image of a real computer and its CPU. Multiple images can be created and run simultaneously on any compatible operating system-windows or Linux. Azure takes virtualization to the next level by repeating it on a massive scale in data centers around the world. It makes it effortless for developers to be agile while building, deploying and managing their application and services.

Benefits of Azure

1. Enhanced Backup and Disaster Recovery

Azure is flexible, and embedded with advanced site recovery and built in integration. As a cloud technology, Azure can create data backups in any language, on any OS, from any location. Moreover, the frequency and extend of backup schedule can be done by the user (i.e daily, weekly, monthly etc.)

Azure backup saves three copies of the data at three different locations in the data center, and then a copy in a remote Azure data center. So there need not be any worry about losing data.

2. Host and Develop Web and Mobile Apps

Azure makes both web and mobile app autonomous and flexible with patch management, Auto Scale and integration for on-premise apps. With the automatic  patch management for your virtual machines, focus can be shifted to improving the apps from managing the infrastructure.

Azure also provides a continuous technical support, which facilitates the streamlining of ongoing code updates.

3. Distribute and Supplement Active Directory

Azure can merge with the current Active Directory to supplement identity and access capabilities which enables your DNS a global hold out, centralized management and improved security. With Azure, an active directory which is directly connected can be globally distributed. Another benefit of using Azure is that it enables you to use multi-factor authentication. This will add another layer of security to data and applications without causing any difficulty to the user. There is also the provision of single sign-in for Windows, Mac, Android and iOS cloud apps  

4. Innovation with new IoT Solutions

Microsoft Azure is the perfect solution for companies inching toward IoT solutions especially with its scalability, flexibility and security features. Also devices can be connected to the cloud with the existing infrastructure.

The improved security aspect of Azure is a huge boon for IoT solutions, which generally have security gaps that hackers can prey on. Other perks include remote monitoring and predictive maintenance and analytics.