What do we get asked about Microsoft Azure the most? (Azure FAQ)

Azure is a secure public cloud platform. It can be configured to suit your specific needs. Solutions possible within Azure include Platform as a Service (PaaS), Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), and Software as a Service (SaaS). Azure tools can be used for a variety of purposes including analytics, virtual computing, storage, networking and application hosting.

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Microsoft does offer a free trial of Azure, but the trial may not be powerful enough to host complex applications or store information in the same way as a properly deployed environment. We can provide you with a detailed quote for Azure pricing that is specific to your needs.

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A public cloud is one which is hosted in a third-party datacentre. Microsoft Azure is a public cloud service, but that doesn’t mean your data is not secure. 

Properly configured, a public cloud environment in Azure is subject to very stringent access controls, and many large organisations including banks use public cloud technology for their hosting as it can be certified for compliance with ISO requirements.

IG CloudOps can help with security and risk audits as part of our cloud management platform (CloudOps).

Azure VMs (Virtual Machines) are representations of a computer that run within a server. In Azure, you can configure many different types of VM which offer varying levels of power or storage. Different Virtual Machines in Azure are designed for different purposes. Specialist VMs can be provisioned for database, compute, front end management, or application hosting in Azure depending on your needs. Choosing the right specification for purpose is an important way of managing your Azure costs.

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When migrating to the cloud, it’s important to determine which provider has the best match with your business’ needs. The range of options that Azure offers in terms of Virtual Machine configurations and its flexibility, coupled with the backing of a global business like Microsoft means that it can be a good solution for most users.

During the initial phase of planning a migration to Azure or any other cloud platform, our Azure consultants would work with you to find out exactly what your requirements are to ensure that Azure is the right solution for you – rather than simply pushing you onto a platform that might not offer you the right levels of performance and cost efficiency.

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Not all organisations have access to the right skillsets to properly configure, manage, and support a cloud deployment. An Azure Gold partner that is fully certified to provide Azure managed services means that they have the expertise required to get the most out of the platform.

At IG CloudOps, we offer a fully managed solution for our clients that includes our CloudOps software which monitors your environment for any issues and also scales the amount of resource you have available to meet your needs – this helps to reduce your costs.

The cost of your Azure subscription is based on a variety of factors including the types of machines you have specified to run your application and the amount of data you store and transfer.

It can be tempting to simply use cheaper machines to cut costs – which some people do – however this will always have a performance impact and affect users.

A better approach is to ensure that the specification of your environment is properly tailored to your application needs and then manage it based on usage. By optimising your software to run in a cloud environment, you can reduce the amount of compute you use.

Similarly, if you find that usage patterns vary across the day, it can be possible to manage the amount of resource you have available using our cloud management platform CloudOps so that you scale resources based on demand and ultimately reduce your costs.

Also if you want to plan out changes to your Azure infrastructure and see what the impact would be on cost then the Azure calculator is a very useful tool. However, be aware that to get accurate estimates there are a few things that need to be taken into account, read more about this here.