Why Choose Microsoft Azure for your business?

As a Microsoft Azure specialist, Extech Cloud is often asked to support IT teams and other local IT companies needing specialist Azure implementation, skills and support. But what is Microsoft Azure and what can it bring to your business?

A simple way to think of Microsoft Azure, formerly known as Windows Azure, is as a cloud version of everything you once had in your on-premises server room – but way better, more secure, compliant and accessible.

This public cloud computing platform provides solutions for companies and organisations of all sizes. It has three types of services including Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Software as a Service (SaaS), and has many integrations within the wider Microsoft ecosystem, working perfectly with Microsoft 365.

Compared to SharePoint, which focuses on content management and collaboration, Azure can do so much more.

How could Microsoft Azure benefit your business? 

By moving to Microsoft Azure, businesses can boost performance, save money, scale easily and optimise uptime. A key benefit is that it enables IT teams to build, deploy and manage applications using the tools and IT Infrastructures that are best for the organisation.

However, Microsoft Azure must be set up correctly by trained and experienced professionals to avoid excess cost and poor performance, which is where Extech Cloud comes in as a specialist Microsoft Azure Consultancy.

For example, at Extech Cloud we can help businesses move the legacy applications they rely on into the cloud (on Azure), such as accounts or legal software that don’t have a cloud option. Few IT businesses have the skills or experience of doing this, but Extech Cloud can leverage the latest technologies offered by Azure to do it.

As a result, Azure has the power to liberate your business by removing the need to keep investing in bulky servers every 5 years (and the headaches!), comms rooms and the systems and staff that may be required to maintain them. It also keeps your power bills down too!

The latest technologies for your business

Microsoft Azure also ensures businesses are always using the very latest technologies and provides the flexibility to scale in real-time as an organisation grows. The cloud allows you to pay for what you are using now, and not what you’ll need in three years like the traditional server model.

However, Azure requires expertise to ensure all moving parts work together efficiently to avoid overspending, which is where inexperienced IT companies can go wrong.

Microsoft Azure Pricing – only pay for what you use

Compared to buying a server for your office (CAPEX), using Microsoft Azure for your business’s cloud infrastructure allows you to turn that investment into operational expenditure (OPEX). This means that you can start small, and scale appropriately as your business grows without having to make a large investment that you’re stuck with for the foreseeable future. In short, Azure setup by Extech Cloud is simply the most effective way to help SMBs use their money most effectively and appropriately for the needs of their business.

Azure enables Flexibility

With access to all three types of services, your business has flexibility and can easily use the service that meets your requirements without paying extra costs for things that you don’t need.

• Infrastructure as a Service: With IaaS, Microsoft provides the basic infrastructure and leaves the rest to you. This is the most basic service offered.
• Platform as a Service: In addition to everything offered with IaaS, PaaS offers important platform tools such as operating systems and other development, analytics, and management tools.
• Software as a Service: SaaS also provides all the above, as well as hosted applications for your business (for example, Microsoft 365).

At Extech Cloud, we are trained and experienced to develop the IT strategy for Microsoft Azure, implement it, manage the change / digital transformation and then support it as the business changes.

Enterprise Grade Cyber Security

Cyber Security is important for any business, and utilising Azure as your cloud infrastructure solution over an on-prem system is the best way to secure your information from any malintent.

By utilising Azure for your cloud infrastructure, all data is stored within Microsoft servers with backup options. This means that it’s safe and that it’s not going to be open to a breach from any attacker looking to destabilise, harm, or even cripple your business. You can rest easy knowing that your data is in good hands and that you’re not leaving your system vulnerable to attacks.

Scale with Your Business

Scaling a physical infrastructure is difficult, costly, and requires lots of planning and action to do properly. It can be a real pain. Azure allows you to freely scale your business. This means that you can easily increase the number of resources in your system, or decrease them, with a few clicks. There is no added expenditure other than the service cost, and you don’t have to worry about buying new hardware.

Enabling Digital Transformation

Digital transformation is making companies everywhere more innovative and agile.

The benefits of digital transformation — innovation, agility, efficiency, and so many more — mean that there’s never been a better time for moving your business to the digital space.

The possibilities available with the digital world and the cloud are enabled fully by Azure, from machine learning and AI to smart analytics and data strategy.

How Extech Cloud can help

The cloud-based future is here. Companies that utilise the cloud to their advantage are the ones that are staying ahead of the curve — innovating and allowing their business to stay flexible and efficient, while also saving costs all around.

A common mistake by many business administrators is to over-provision cloud services which is where Extech Cloud comes in. We are trained by Microsoft and have the experience to help optimise Azure to streamline processes and get the best performance for the lowest cost.

If you are looking to optimise your business in Burgess Hill, Crawley, East Grinstead, Brighton or anywhere across Sussex or Surrey, our expert team is here to help! We also support IT firms across the country who need specialist Microsoft Azure Consultancy support.

Extech Cloud has got you covered and can help you throughout the cloud migration process and beyond.

–Contact the Extech Cloud team today to find out more about transitioning to the cloud, enabling remote, flexible, secure, and more collaborative working.