A Guide to Microsoft Azure and your CRM | Pizza as a Service Example

Several organizations of all sizes are moving away from their on-premise data centers to the flexibility and scalability of the cloud. While there are thousands of cloud computing services available, one of the most popular is Microsoft Azure, a cloud computing platform designed by Microsoft. But what is Microsoft Azure and why is it so popular? How are organizations using this platform? In this guide, we’ll provide an in-depth look at Microsoft Azure and how JourneyTEAM can help you migrate to the cloud with ease.

Cloud Computing Definition

To get a better understanding of Microsoft Azure, it’s important you know what cloud computing is. The simple definition of cloud computing refers to delivering various services through the internet rather than through a hard drive or on-premise data center. These services include anything from data storage and processing to software and analytics. Because the cloud is powered by the internet, the services and tools stored are accessible from anywhere with a stable internet connection. Some examples of popular cloud computing platforms include Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive.

A Look Into Microsoft Azure

Microsoft Azure is a public cloud platform developed by Microsoft that allows users to use tools, services, and resources for analytics, storage, virtual computing, deployment, and development. Azure is designed to replace or segment an organization’s on-premise data center.

Within Azure, there are three different types of cloud computing:

• Platform as a Service (PaaS): In this model, users essentially rent everything they need to build an application from the cloud vendor. Using PaaS, users can build an application using the tools and resources available from the vendor.

• Software as a Service (SaaS): This method allows users to access data from any device directly from an internet browser. SaaS is hosted and maintained by a software vendor.

• Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): This form of cloud computing provides computing, networking, and storage resources directly to users through the internet.

Pizza as a Service and Cloud Computing

The Pizza as a Service analogy was developed by Albert Barron in 2014 to help explain the differences between IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS.

• Homemade: The process of making a homemade pizza falls entirely on you. You have to gather the ingredients, build the pizza, and bake it. On-premise computing is similar to making a pizza at home. The task of maintaining and operating the entire technology stack is your team’s responsibility.

• Take and bake: At Papa Murphy’s, you’re able to choose what you’d like on your pizza. Based on your recommendations, they’ll assemble the pizza after which you’ll pick it up and bake it. With the IaaS model, your team is tasked with managing the operating system and the cloud vendor manages the networking and virtualization part of your system.

• Pizza delivery: Ordering a pizza for delivery takes much of the responsibility off of you. All you have to do is provide a location in which the pizza can be eaten. The PaaS model is like this in which the cloud vendor has various services you can use and your team is responsible for managing the data and applications.

• Eating out. When you dine out and order a pizza, a fully assembled and baked pizza is delivered to you and the restaurant provides a place for you to eat it. The entire process is taken care of for you. SaaS is similar to this method as everything you need to build, deploy, and scale applications is provided for you by the cloud vendor.

Putting Azure to Work in Your Business

The flexibility and agility of Azure allows businesses to put it to use in a number of ways. One of the most popular uses of Azure is using it to run virtual machines in the cloud, but there are dozens of ways to use the services and features of Azure. Some these include:

• Deploy and manage virtual machines
• Build and develop mobile applications
• Development and deployment of online applications
• Analytics
• Storage
• Networking
• Security
• Data backup and disaster recovery

These are just some of the ways you can make Microsoft Azure work for you. Additionally, Microsoft is continuously adding new features and tools to help you manage and deliver services.

Why Use Microsoft Azure

Microsoft Azure is one of the fastest growing cloud platforms on the market. One of the biggest reasons for its popularity is that it allows users to do so much more than build and host applications in the cloud. Additional benefits of using Microsoft Azure as your cloud platform include:

• Tight security: When you move your data to the cloud, you want to ensure it’s protected as anyone can access it from anywhere. Microsoft Azure features a number of security certificates and was the first cloud vendor to be fully compliant with IOS 27018.

• Machine learning and data analytics: Included with Azure is the Azure Machine Learning Studio that features a library of algorithms that can be used to predict customer behavior and provide valuable insight.

• Scalability: Microsoft goes a step further with scalability by allowing users to pay as they go. Whether you’re looking to launch new applications, use machine learning, or utilize data processing features, you pay only for what you use.

• Software development kits: Whatever your platform of choice is–JAVA, .NET, Ruby, or Python–Azure has an SDK for it.

• Budget-friendly: When you migrate to the cloud, you no longer have to pay for software installations or upgrades or pay for extra storage or disk space. Additionally, Azure allows you to pay for only the services you need, keeping more money in your IT budget.

Migrate to Azure with the Support of a Microsoft Gold Partner

The reasons to move to Microsoft Azure are endless–the flexibility, reliability, and security of the platform being just a few. If you’re ready to make the move to Azure, let JourneyTEAM help you migrate. JourneyTEAM can help you learn these services and make them work in your organization. Whether you’re interested in machine learning, AI, analytics, or internet of things, our team is here to support you. Contact us today to get started.

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About JourneyTEAM

JourneyTEAM has more than 20 years of experience in delivering IT solutions to businesses. As a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, we’ve worked closely with Microsoft to carefully provide organizations with Microsoft products, including SharePoint, Azure, Office 365, Dynamics 364, SL, AX, GP, NAV, and CRM, and make them work for you. Whether you’re in need of a collaboration, marketing, sales, or productivity solution, JourneyTEAM can help you find the right technology for your business. To learn more about our team, visit our website at www.journeyteam.com.