What is Microsoft Azure and How does Microsoft Azure Work?

In this tutorial, we will discuss what is Microsoft Azure? How does Microsoft Azure work? What is it used for, and why Microsoft Azure?

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What is Microsoft Azure

Microsoft Azure is a set of cloud services to help your organization meet your business requirements. Users can build, manage, and deploy applications using Azure using various tools and frameworks.

It is the public cloud computing platform from Microsoft.

Also, learn the Azure tutorials below:

The good thing is that Microsoft does continuous innovations in Azure.

You can build solutions with more than 100 services to build, deploy, and manage applications in the cloud.

According to a report, 95% of Fortune 500 companies use Azure for their business.

Microsoft Offers various services like AI + Machine learning, Analytics, Compute, Blockchain, Containers, Databases, the Internet of Things (IoT), Media, Networking, Security, Storage, Web, etc.

Microsoft created Azure, previously known as Windows Azure, in 2010.

It works in Platform as a Service (PaaS) and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS).

This is a small introduction to what is Azure.

How does Microsoft Azure Works

How does Microsoft Azure Work

Let’s discuss here how Azure works.

Azure is a subscription-based service. Once the user subscribes for a subscription, they can have access to all the services from the Azure portal.

Azure subscription is also known as Azure Offer. There are various Azure subscription models are available:

Each subscription has various services and benefits. Whatever the subscription, there will be no service downtime for any users.

Azure Cloud Services List

Well, let’s discuss here the list of Microsoft Azure services.

Microsoft Azure provides several services. Below are various categories of Microsoft Cloud services list

  • AI + Machine Learning: Azure provides a machine learning service that empowers developers to build, train, and deploy machine learning models. Also, it provides web app bot, computer vision, Face, Text Analytics, Data science virtual machine – Ubuntu, Data science virtual machine – Windows server 2019, etc.
  • Compute: You can create and deploy Virtual machines (VM), batch jobs, Web apps for containers, function Apps, etc.
  • Analytics: Azure provides analytics services, Azure HDInsight, Azure Data Explorer, Azure Synapse Analytics, etc.
  • Databases: Azure provides various database services like SQL database, Azure Database for MariaDB, Azure Database for MySQL, Azure Cosmos DB, Azure Database Migration Services, etc. You can store structured and unstructured data in Azure.
  • DevOps: Azure provides DevOps projects, Application insights, etc.
  • Internet of Things (IoT): Azure provides IoT services, IoT Central Application, IoT Hub, Time series insights, and IoT Hub device provisioning service.
  • Media: Azure provides media service.
  • Networking: Azure provides a virtual network, load balancer, application gateway, firewall, virtual WAN, Network security group, connections, etc.
  • Storage: Azure Storage is one of the popular services provided by Azure. It provides services like Storage accounts – blob, file, table, queue, Azure data box, backup and site recovery, etc. Read: Azure Storage Tutorial
  • Web: Azure provides services to create a web app, logic app, app service plan, app service environment, API management, CDN, media services, azure cognitive search, etc.

What is Microsoft Azure used for

You might be thinking, What is the use of Microsoft Azure? As Azure provides many services, Organizations use many popular services of Azure.

  • Many Organizations use Azure Virtual Machine (VM) for development, testing, and production environments. Microsoft Azure supports Windows and Linux virtual machines (VMs), which we can create in just a few minutes.
  • A lot of organizations also use Azure to host databases in the cloud. Azure provides SQL relational databases and Azure Database for MySQL, SQL Server 2017, enterprise Windows Server 2016, etc.
  • Active Directory is one of the backbones of any organization. Many companies use Azure active directory domain services to keep users’ information, manage group policy, authentication, etc.
  • You can also create, test, and deploy web applications in Microsoft Azure. Organizations can also use the storage services of Azure.

Why Microsoft Azure cloud

There are several reasons Why Microsoft Azure.

Security: Data in the Azure cloud is secure. It provides a secure foundation across physical, infrastructure, and operational security. Microsoft invests lots of money (over a billion dollars) a year in security to protect your data and business assets.

According to Microsoft, Data on the Microsoft Azure platform is usually encrypted in transit, apart from data that moves within customer-controlled networks (such as Azure Virtual Networks and ExpressRoute). It is the responsibility of the customers to encrypt data within a network that he or she controls.

In the Azure cloud, Microsoft does not inspect, approve, or monitor applications that customers deploy to Azure. Even Microsoft does not know what kind of data customers store in Azure.

Also, Microsoft has over 3,500 cybersecurity experts who work on your behalf 24x7x365.

what is microsoft azure

Privacy: In Microsoft Azure, your organization owns and controls your data. It provides flexibility and choice regarding storing, processing and protecting your data with Azure. Microsoft never uses your data for marketing or advertising—no access to customer data by default.

Azure also complies with many external privacy standards, laws, and regulations, including GDPR, ISO 27001, ISO 27018, European Union Model Clauses, HIPAA, HITRUST, FERPA, Japan My Number Act, Canada PIPEDA, Spain LOPD, and Argentina PDPA.

High Availability: With the highest number of data centers (54 as of today) presented worldwide, Azure provides high availability.

Cost: Save your organization’s cost by using the pay-as-you-go pricing model. According to the report, AWS is 5 times more expensive than Azure for Windows and SQL Server. Azure also provides discounted rates for ongoing development testing and no software charges in Azure VMs.

Pay only for the resources you are using and cancel anytime.

Microsoft Azure Free

Microsoft allows you to create a free account that you can access for 12 months.

Microsoft Azure Features

Let us discuss a few key features of Azure.

Flexible: You are flexible enough to choose storage options, Virtual machine size, and flexible pricing models with Azure. Choose the one based on your needs.

Disaster Recovery: The good thing is Azure stores your data in different locations across the globe. Even though one location undergoes a Natural Disaster, it will not affect the other locations. So, ultimately, your data is safe.

Security: Don’t worry. Your data is highly secure with Azure.

Global: Data Centers are present in many locations throughout the globe.

Cost-effective model: Good choice for small to large companies with the pay-as-you-go pricing model.

Microsoft Azure regions

According to Microsoft, as of today, its data centers are spread across 58 regions worldwide.

A few Azure data center locations are:

South IndiaWest Europe
Central IndiaUK South
West IndiaNorth Europe
Southeast AsiaUK West
UAE NorthFrance Central
Qatar CentralFrance South
Australia SoutheastCanada East
Australia CentralCanada Central
Australia Central 2North Central US
Australia EastUS DoD East
East AsiaEast US
China East 2East US 2
China EastUS Giv Virginia
Japan WestUS DoD Central
Japan EastUS Gov Lowa
Korea SouthCentral US
Korea CentralWest US 2
China North 2West Central US
China NorthWest US
Brazil SouthUS Giv Arizona
South Africa NorthSouth Central US
South Africa WestUS Gov Texas etc.
Switzerland West
Switzerland North
Germany Central
Germany Northeast
Germany North(Public)
Germany West Central (Public)
Norway East
Norway West
Azure Data Centers

Below are the regions where Microsoft announced Azure data centers very soon.

  • UAE Central
  • Spain Central
  • Israel Central
  • Mexico Central

What companies use Microsoft Azure

There are Fortune 500 companies that are using Microsoft Azure:

  • Coca Cola
  • Adobe
  • Heineken
  • Boring
  • Xerox
  • GE
  • FedEx
  • Metlife
  • 3M
  • Lufthansa
  • Rolls-Royce
  • BMW
  • Walmart
  • Marc Jacobs, etc.

Microsoft Azure Competitors

There are lots of popular cloud service providers who are providing cloud services all over the world.

A few competitors of Microsoft Azure are:

  • Google cloud platform
  • Amazon Web Services (AWZ)
  • IBM Cloud Services
  • Rackspace
  • VMware
  • Oracle Cloud Services
  • Salesforce

FAQs

Is Microsoft Azure good?

Answer: Azure provides you with a set of excellent features compared to other cloud providers and is a better choice.

How secure is Microsoft Azure

Answer: Microsoft Azure is completely secure. All the data inside the Azure environment are automatically encrypted.

What Microsoft Azure does

Answer: Azure is a cloud service set that helps you build, deploy, and manage your applications. Provides you with a wide range of services with respect to Compute, Storage, Databases, Networking, Analytics, etc.

What is Microsoft Azure in simple terms

Answer: In simple, It is a public cloud platform from Microsoft.

You may like the following Azure tutorials:

Conclusion

Azure is the most popular cloud computing platform from Microsoft and is widely used by various small to larger or even 500 fortune companies.

You can use 200 Azure services to build various applications as an organization.

As an organization, you can save costs by using the pay-as-you-go pricing model based on your usage.

This Azure tutorial explains the following points:

  • What is Microsoft Azure
  • Azure Cloud Services List
  • Microsoft Azure Features
  • Which companies are using Azure?