Azure is a cloud computing platform provided by Microsoft. It offers a wide range of cloud services and has become a popular choice for businesses. In this outline, we will explore the pros and cons of using Azure to addressing business needs.
Azure is Microsoft's answer to cloud computing. It's popularity has skyrocketed over the last few years as more and more businesses embrace the benefits that such technologies offer. In the table below, you will find the clear benefits of using Azure as well as the aspects you need to be mindful of to avoid an unpleasant experience!
| Category | Pros | Cons |
| Vast service offering | Azure delivers a huge range of services including cloud compute, AI, analytics, DevOps and security all under one roof reducing the need for multiple vendors and contracts | On the other hand, the vast service catalogue can be overwhelming for organisations without technical expertise or a clear cloud strategy. |
| Scalability & Resource Management | Infrastructure can be easily scaled up or down based on live demand which greatly helps to optimise performance and control (even reduce) operational costs. | However, without proper configuration, autoscaling and resource usage can in fact attract more costs if unsuitable options are chosen. |
| Global coverage | With data centres in 60+ regions, Azure offers wide geographic coverage, low latency and high availability - regardless of where your staff are. | That being said, not all services are available in every region and performance does vary depending on actual location. |
| Solid integration capabilities | Tight integration with Microsoft products including Active Directory, SQL Server and SharePoint is an obvious choice for businesses already immersed in the Microsoft ecosystem. | Businesses who are heavily invested in NON Microsoft technologies will likely find integration less straightforward. |
| Supports hybrid environments | Azure allows for consistent hybrid cloud environments meaning workloads be both on prem and cloud based with unified management. | Hybrid setups can and do add complexity o infrastructure management. This require a lor of planning and on going coordination to ensure the environments are in sync. |
| Flexible for devs | Supports popular languages and frameworks including .NET, Java, Node.js and Python which makes it a great choice ideal for cross functional development needs. | Whilst versatile, some advanced services and SDKs still very much favour Microsoft first development workflows. |
| Flexible pricing options | Azure offers pay as you go pricing, reserved instances and additional models to suit the needs and budgets of organisations of all shapes and sizes. | However, Azure pricing can also be difficult to forecast with many cost variables including data egress, storage tiers and indeed - usage patterns. |
| AI & machine learning tools | Azure offers powerful AI capabilities through services including Azure Cognitive Services, pre trained models and integrated ML pipelines. | Advanced features usually require specialist knowledge and additional configuration to fully utilise. Many businesses will never use this feature. |
| Advanced security | Built in security such as multi factor authentication, encryption and compliance with global standards allow businesses peace of mind and mean they don't have to engage with multiple security vendors (if they don't want to) | Whilst Azure is secure by design, effective security still very much depends on correct user configuration and stringent ongoing management. |
| Learning | For those who are already embedded into the Microsoft ecosystem, Azure will likely feel familiar and enable users to get up to speed relatively quickly | For those not familiar with Microsoft products, Azure’s broad feature set and configuration options can be difficult to grasp, particularly the more advanced features. |
| Service Continuity | Azure offers strong uptime guarantees and global redundancy to support high availability. Issues are generally infrequent and when they do arise, they are usually resolved quickly. | As with all cloud platforms, occasional service interruptions or outages can still occur and this can of course lead to issues for businesses. |
| Vendor dependency | Businesses can choose to use as much or as little of Azure as they like. They can integrate other software with Azure, keep some of the environment on prem etc - whatever works for them. | Exclusively using Azure specific tools and services can make organisations dependent and can cause difficulty if in future they decide to choose a different technology. |
Microsoft Azure is a powerful and flexible cloud computing platform that can provide significant benefits to businesses of all industries and sizes. It offers a wide range of cloud services and global capabilities, making it a solid choice for enterprises and SMEs alike, looking to capitalise on the benefits of cloud computing. However, it’s complexity, limited support for platforms other than Windows and the time and effort involved in being able to utilise all of it’s many features effectively, means any decision to use Azure should be assessed against your current environment and it’s capabilities as well as the outcomes you want to achieve.
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