In the post-pandemic world of business remote access as well as mixed work solutions have become the standard. Businesses that have been stuck with outdated Windows servers must be considering migrating all their information to cloud. Azure will provide significant cost savingsand makes it easier to implement remote work, and there are many other benefits to transferring the data you have to Azure.
Microsoft Azure is by far the most popular cloud platform that is growing rapidly. Azure includes more than 200 services to enable your company to operate efficiently and become capable of implementing features.
Why should your business move its data into the cloud? What are the advantages from using the Azure cloud-based service? To answer these urgent questions, we’ll look at the top benefits of switching to Azure and, ultimately, why your company shouldn’t be able to do in a world without Microsoft Azure.
Benefits of moving to Azure
Benefit 1: An Azure migration will save you money.
Maintaining Windows server hardware can take a bite out of your budget for IT. Moving to cloud-based services is that you pay only to use the equipment you are using and pay-as you-go.
The biggest savings in cost comes from not having to maintain or update server components. Additionally, there is less overhead hiring IT staff to maintain local servers. A study conducted by Acronis discovered that companies could save as much as 82% of their server expenses by switching to Azure.
Azure is also cheaper in comparison to other providers of cloud services. Microsoft states it is Azure can be five times more affordable than AWS because of the use of Azure Hybrid Benefit that lets you mix with your Windows Server and SQL Server applications.
Benefit 2: Azure Improves Security
Utilizing local servers and other cloud providers could be risky when it comes to protecting your apps and data from cyber-attacks. Azure is aiming to unite security management and provide an enhanced level of protection against cyber threats with Azure Security Centre. Azure Security Centre.
The suite lets businesses secure their cloud-based workloads through Azure Defender and evaluate their security status using Azure Secure Score. It also allows you to use AI as well as automation in order to rapidly detect security risks that are of particular importance.
Azure comes with built-in DDOS protection, in addition to Azure Information Protection to control and monitor external data transfer. With Azure’s security tools that are easy to use you and your IT department will be able to respond quickly to any threat and apply comprehensive security strategies.
Benefit 3. Dynamic Scalability
Since cloud services aren’t restricted by your hardware’s physical limitations It’s much easier to increase the amount of resources you have to meet the current demand.
If you’ve experienced an unexpected influx of clients, you’re no longer restricted by your current infrastructure. The Azure cloud services can be scaled dynamically to accommodate your current requirements. When the times are quieter you can decrease your resources to lower operating expenses.
Microsoft provides Azure Autoscale for this very reason. Autoscale lets you modify your applications and services using a self-define measurement and anticipate load in various time frames.
This isn’t only a way to keep your site, service or application from going down as business demand increases and increases, but it will also help them scale down when demand is lower.
Benefit 4: Azure Disaster Recovery
Using cloud services like Azure brings data redundancy. If you have a local server, an event that occurred at your location could cause complete loss of data. When your data is handled in the cloud, it is location-independent. So, in the event that there is a fire or earthquake, your business won’t be affected or your files will not be affected.
Azure provides full end-to end back-up and recovery services for companies that wish to ensure the security of their data. Microsoft states that Azure’s disaster restoration time of 66% faster than servers that are on-premises.
5. Benefit: Remote Work Capabilities
Utilizing a cloud-based solution for your data and services guarantees that every step and job can be performed online. Microsoft’s VPN Gateway service facilitates secure connections for personnel to gain access to your organisation’s resources from anywhere.
With Azure’s potential for scaling switching to Azure will make it much simpler to recruit new employees. This is due to:
a. Employees don’t need to be enrolled into an office space, and could work at their homes.
b. Beginning users wouldn’t require new computer systems since the VPN gateway will allow remote access and this would be easy.
C. The greater resources required to support your starter’s needs can be scaled with Azure AutoScale.
Azure’s Point-to Site (P2S) VPN gateways are ideal for remote work, and Azure Active Directory offers an SSO that is secure for home-based employees.
Benefit 6: Reduces IT Staff Workload
In the course of the pandemic, we’ve seen a huge stress on IT personnel and departments. Switching to an organized cloud platform such as Azure can significantly reduce the workload for the IT staff who are in a bind.
Azure offers the essential tools to manage and scale network resources more effectively. IT departments can access customized support teams through Microsoft by utilizing Microsoft Enterprise Support.
For businesses with critical workloads Microsoft provides priority assistance through the Professional Direct (ProDirect) plan. This plan comes with the initial response time that can be up to an hour and an escalation to higher-level teams to address complex issues.
On-premise servers require regular maintenance and updates. Problem solving can consume many hours, or even days of the time an IT employee spends. The result is that your company will be down for longer, making IT departments even more stretched.
Benefit 7: Compatibility with older software
Many businesses are worried that cloud-based services will have compatibility issues with older software. But, as we approach the end in support of SQL Server 2008/R2 in 2019, Azure virtual machines may be the only solution to ensure security when using older applications.
Microsoft extended 3 years of support to SQL Server 2008 with Azure which gives developers time to migrate or update their old applications. As the deadline approaches to extend support for Windows Server 2012, Azure VM could once again be the preferred method to perform security updates beyond 2023.
Benefit 8: Save data on-site as well as in the Cloud simultaneously
For companies that aren’t sure about taking the move to fully cloud-based service, Azure offers the tools to offer a hybrid solution.
Utilizing Azure’s Backup, Migrate, and Site Recovery utilities, businesses are able to easily transfer their data with the cloud. This allows you to keep the hardware on your premises while gaining Azure’s remote access capabilities and redundancy of location advantages of Azure.