In the post-pandemic business landscape, remote access and mixed working solutions have suddenly become the norm. Businesses stuck on old Windows servers should now be looking to migrate their data to the cloud. Azure bring huge cost savings, make it far easier to embrace remote working, there are many more benefits of moving your data to Azure.

» LEARN MORE: See Why Azure Makes The Difference Both in Performance & Costs

Microsoft Azure is by far the fastest-growing cloud platform. Azure encompasses more than 200 products to help your organization operate seamlessly and be feature-ready.

A laptop with Azure logo in a white screen

Why should your business migrate your data to the cloud? What are the benefits of the Azure cloud service? To answer these pressing questions, we’ll discuss the most important benefits migrating to Azure and ultimately why your business can’t afford to live without Microsoft Azure.

Benefits of Moving to Azure

Benefit #1: Migrating to Azure Can Save You Money

The cost of maintaining Windows server hardware can quickly eat into your IT budget. Transitioning to a cloud service means you only pay for the infrastructure you use, pay-as-you-go.

The main cost savings come in not needing to maintain or refresh server components. This also includes decreased overheads employing IT staff to maintain local servers. Research by Acronis found that firms could save up to 82% on their server costs by switching to Azure.

Azure is also more affordable than other cloud service providers. Microsoft claims that Azure is five times cheaper than AWS through the use of Azure Hybrid Benefit to combine your Windows Server and SQL Server workloads.

Azure Hybrid Benefit homescreen

You can optimize your monthly bill through Azure Cost Management and Billing. Azure’s cost dashboard can suggest ways to shut down any unused resources and right-size the underused resources.

Benefit #2: Azure Improves Security

Using local servers or other cloud providers can be risky in terms of  safeguarding your data and apps from cyber threats. Azure aims to unify security management and offer superior threat protection through the Azure Security Centre.

The suite allows businesses to protect their cloud workload with Azure Defender and assess their security state with Azure Secure Score. You can even use AI and automation to quickly identify key security threats.

Azure offers in-built DDOS protection, alongside Azure Information Protection to monitor and control external data transfers. With Azure’s easy-to-use security tools, your IT department can quickly respond to any threat and implement in-depth security strategies.

Benefit #3: Dynamic Scalability

As your cloud services aren’t limited by your physical hardware, it’s far easier to scale your resources to meet your current demand.

If you have a sudden influx of business, you’re not held back by your existing infrastructure. Your Azure cloud services can scale dynamically to suit your current needs. Then, in quieter periods, you can scale down your resources to reduce operating costs.

Microsoft offers Azure Autoscale for this very purpose. Autoscale allows you to dynamically adjust your apps and services through a self-defined metric and anticipate load with varying schedules.

This doesn’t just keep your site, service, or application from crashing when business demand soars, but also scales them down when the demand drops.

Benefit #4: Azure Disaster Recovery

Using cloud services like Azure brings data redundancy. With a local server, a disaster at your physical location would lead to complete data loss. When your data is handled in the cloud, it is location-independent. Therefore, in case of a fire or an earthquake, your operations will not be affected and your data will remain intact.

Azure offers complete end-to-end backup and disaster recovery solutions for businesses that want to keep their data secure. Microsoft claims that Azure’s disaster recovery time is 66% shorter than on-premises servers.

Disaster Recovery written in the middle of the picture with a cloud on the left and servers at the back

Benefit #5: Remote Working Capabilities

Using a full cloud solution for your data and services ensures that every process and task can be completed remotely. Azure’s VPN Gateway service facilitates secure connections for your employees to access your organization’s resources remotely.

Given Azure’s scaling potential, a switch to Azure would make it far easier to take on new employees. This is because:

a.   Employees wouldn’t have to be inducted into a physical space and can work from home.

b.  Starters wouldn’t need new computer systems as the VPN gateway would allow for remote access and that too hassle-free.

c.   The increased resources needed to power your starter’s work can be scaled using Azure AutoScale.

Azure’s Point-to-Site (P2S) VPN gateways are perfect for remote-work, while Azure Active Directory provides a secure SSO for your home workers.

Benefit #6: Reduces IT Staff Workload

During the pandemic, we’ve seen an unprecedented strain on IT staff and departments. Moving to a well-oiled cloud platform like Azure can seriously relieve workloads for struggling IT staff. 

Azure offers the necessary tools for managing and scaling network resources more efficiently. IT departments have access to personalized support teams from Microsoft through Microsoft Enterprise Support.

For firms with critical workloads, Microsoft offers priority support through their Professional Direct (ProDirect) plan. This premium plan offers initial response times of up to an hour and escalation to advanced teams for complex issues.

Microsoft ProDirect plan homescreen

On-premises servers need maintenance and regular upgrades. Troubleshooting these can take up hours, if not days, of an IT staffer’s time. This leaves your organization offline for longer and IT departments even more strained.

Benefit #7: Legacy Software Compatibility

Many businesses worry that cloud services would have compatibility issues with legacy software. However, with the end of support for SQL Server 2008/R2 in 2019, Azure virtual machines may be the only way to stay secure while using legacy apps.

Microsoft offered an extra 3 years of support for SQL Server 2008 with Azure, allowing time for developers to transition or update their legacy apps. As the deadline looms for Windows Server 2012’s extended support, Azure VM may again become the method for security updates past 2023.

Benefit #8: Store Data On-Site & In the Cloud Simultaneously

For businesses apprehensive to make the leap to full cloud services, Azure offers the tools for a hybrid option.

Using Azure’s Backup, Migrate, and Site Recovery utilities, businesses can easily sync their operations to the cloud. This allows you to retain your on-premises hardware while unlocking the remote access and location redundancy benefits of Azure.

Need Some Help Migrating to Azure Cloud?

Logic V is a leading smart IT service provider aiming to empower small-to-medium businesses across the globe. We’re a Microsoft Gold Partner, perfectly equipped to manage your data migration to Azure

Get in touch with us today and find out how the Microsoft ecosystem can level up your business operations and improve productivity.We’re based out of Vancouver, BC but work with firms across the world. Give us a call on 1-888-956-4425 or get in touch at contact@logicv.com. Let’s get your business started on their cloud services revolution.

Get started with Azure and expand you business efforts at a lower cost 1
Why should I move to Azure?

Azure cloud services removes the need for physical servers and infrastructure, cutting down the cost of hardware and also allowing your servers and resources to scale more flexibly.

What is one of the advantages of moving your infrastructure to Azure?

Azure is far more scalable than on-premises infrastructure. It allows you to dial in or scale back your resources depending on current demand. Migrating to Azure allows businesses to access their data remotely from any location. Azure also eliminates the need for server maintenance driving down costs and reducing downtime.

What are the advantages of Azure?

Azure is a reliable and highly secure cloud service provider. The Azure platform can also handle identity and access management through Azure Active Directory. Azure integrates well with other Microsoft services, while tools like Azure Disaster Recovery and Azure Backup affords great hybrid capabilities.

What are the advantages of moving to the cloud?

Moving your data and resources to the cloud adds some location redundancy, keeping your data safe in case of an on-site disaster. Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) plans help make sure your business is only paying for the resources you need. This helps cut back on costs like server maintenance and hardware.