Windows Azure

Windows Azure: Microsoft's crown jewel 

The year 2013 has been a funny old year for Microsoft. If media reports are to be believed, the firm has had a battle on its hands to gain more leverage in the mobile market – but perhaps that's not where its priorities lie. 

                                                

Whilst it can't be denied that Microsoft Azure may not have quite the foothold it once did on a consumer level, one thing remains certain – things could hardly be better in the cloud. Amazon Web Services might still hold the lion's share. However, if rumours regarding the slew of new features Microsoft intend to add to Microsoft Azure are to be believed, things may change during 2014. 

Overview of What is Windows Azure 

Microsoft Azure is a platform for building and managing Infrastructure, Web app Services using Microsoft datacentres worldwide. It enables customers to engage in agile cloud computing. 

You can utilise various tools on the platform to significantly improve your IT performance. Due to its flexibility, even official recommendations for Azure might need to be clarified and easier to comprehend. Simply put, Azure (formerly Windows Azure) is Microsoft's cloud computing operating system. 

On February 1st, 2010, Microsoft officially launched the operating system for purchase. It has undoubtedly had an impact on the market and was created to minimise any ongoing costs and streamline any IT administration operations. 

Windows Azure Features 

Microsoft claims there are several advantages; 

With Azure, you can create and run highly available apps without worrying about the infrastructure and receive a monthly SLA of 99.95% uptime. 

Additionally, Windows Azure is adaptable and enables you to use various tools, frameworks, and languages to build the bespoke applications you require. It functions as a platform allowing infinite server and storage scalability for applications. 

Microsoft has the capital, capacity and developer prowess to revolutionise the cloud as a company with a rich, innovative history. A reluctance to involve third-party developers may have hindered the firm's initial efforts. Still, with a fresh outlook and some attractive new plans, 2014 could be the year Microsoft gains the monopoly on cloud services – and Scott Guthrie, the vice-president of Windows Azure, might be the person to steer things in the right direction. 

Original thinking 

In terms of development, Microsoft offers a unique means of developer testing, allowing enterprise access control and seamless visual studio integration inside the integrated development environment. When coupled with VSO browser editing support for Azure applications and Team Foundation Server analytics, it's easy to see why Windows Azure is beginning to attract developers who know the platform as more open-ended than previous Microsoft endeavours – an open-ended, open-minded approach to development which harks back to Microsoft's Geekfest days. 

With the core philosophy of innovation as the driving force of Azure's continuing evolution, 2014 will undoubtedly be an exciting year for Microsoft and the businesses that use Azure daily. 

What is Microsoft Azure used for? 

Microsoft Azure is a cloud computing platform that is used for a wide range of purposes, including: 

 

·         Hosting and managing websites and web applications 

·         Running virtual machines and containers 

·         Storing and analysing data 

·         Building and deploying machine learning models 

·         Developing and testing software applications 

·         Managing and monitoring cloud resources 

·         Integrating with other Microsoft services and products 

·         Running high-performance computing workloads 

·         Building and deploying internet of things (IoT) applications 

·         Implementing disaster recovery and backup solutions. 

What are Windows Azure services? 

Windows Azure was the former name of Microsoft's cloud computing platform, which was later rebranded as Microsoft Azure. As for the services provided by Microsoft Azure, they are numerous and varied, but some of the most popular ones include the following: 

 

·         Compute Services: Virtual Machines, Kubernetes, and Functions 

·         Storage Services: Blob Storage, File Storage, and Queue Storage 

·         Networking Services: Virtual Network, Load Balancer, and Azure CDN 

·         Database Services: SQL Database, Cosmos DB, and Azure Cache for Redis 

·         Web and Mobile Services: App Service, Notification Hubs, and API Management 

·         Internet of Things (IoT) Services: IoT Hub, Event Hubs, and Stream Analytics 

·         Analytics and AI Services: Machine Learning, Cognitive Services, and HDInsight 

·         Security and Identity Services: Azure Active Directory, Key Vault, and Security Center 

·         DevOps Services: Azure DevOps, Azure Artifacts, and Azure Repos 

·         Management and Governance Services: Azure Portal, Azure Policy, and Azure Monitor. 

 

These services can be used by businesses and organisations to build, deploy, and manage a wide range of applications and services in the cloud. 

Is Windows Azure an operating system? 

No, Windows Azure is not an operating system. It is a cloud computing platform that provides a wide range of services and tools to enable businesses and organisations to develop, deploy, and manage applications and services in the cloud. While Windows Azure does provide virtual machines and containers, they run on various operating systems, including Windows, Linux, and others. Therefore, Windows Azure is not an operating system but a cloud-based platform for hosting and managing multiple applications and services. 

Call Server Consultancy at 0203 727 2000 anytime soon for detailed information about our Azure Advisory Services and Microsoft Cloud solutions.