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Vendor

Name: Microsoft Corporation Headquarters One Microsoft Way Redmond, WA 98052-7329 USA Tel: (425) 882-8080; Fax: (425) 706-7329 Web: http://www.microsoft.com/ Type of Vendor: Computer Software and Services Provider Founded: 1975 (As Microsoft Corporation) Service Areas: Worldwide Stock Symbol: Nasdaq “MSFT”

Table 1. Azure Service Categories

AI + Machine Learning	Hybrid + Multi-Cloud	Mixed Reality
Analytics	Identity	Mobile
Compute	Integration	Networking
Containers	Internet of Things	Security
Databases	Management and Governance	Storage
Developer Tools	Media	Virtual Desktop Infrastructure
DevOps	Migration	Web

Azure first became commercially available in 2010, and over the past
decade-plus has expanded to include cutting-edge technologies like
artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things (IoT), and mixed reality.

In the realm of artificial intelligence and machine learning, for
example, Azure offers an impressively diverse set of in-demand and
on-demand capabilities, including:

• Azure Applied AI Services – Services that enable organizations to
  accelerate the application of AI to solve common problems.
• Azure Cognitive Services – Services that add cognitive capabilities to
  applications through APIs and AI services.
• Azure Machine Learning – A service to build, train, and deploy ML
  models from the cloud to the edge.

Whether a customer chooses to host their applications entirely in Azure
or extend their on-premises applications with Azure services, Azure helps
create applications that are scalable, reliable, and maintainable.

Azure vs. AWS

Microsoft acknowledges that Azure and Amazon Web Services (AWS), Azure’s
principal competitor, “each offer a broad and deep set of capabilities
with global coverage.¹ Both AWS and Azure allow [customers] to
build highly available solutions based on Windows or Linux hosts.”²

Microsoft also acknowledges that “many organizations choose to use both
platforms together for greater choice and flexibility, as well as to
spread their risk and dependencies with a multi-cloud approach.”³

Prospective Azure/AWS customers should evaluate both solutions before
making a final product selection. They should also prepare to operate in a dual Azure/AWS environment,
especially in situations where software procurement is decentralized or
subject to multiple authorities. One branch office, for example, may favor
Azure, while another embraces AWS.

Applications

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As highlighted by Microsoft, Azure is designed to satisfy a variety of
use cases:

• Application development – Customers can build, deliver, and
  manage cloud apps using any platform or language.
• Artificial intelligence – Customers can analyze images,
  comprehend speech, and make predictions using accumulated data.
• Cloud migration and modernization – Customers can simplify and
  accelerate cloud migration and modernization projects through special
  guidance, tools, and resources.
• Data and analytics – Customers can gather, store, process,
  analyze, and visualize data of any variety, volume, or velocity.
• Hybrid cloud and infrastructure – Customers can bring cloud
  capabilities and innovations to their on-premises workloads.
• Internet of Things – Customers can connect, monitor, and
  control devices with secure, scalable, and open edge-to-cloud solutions.
• Security and governance – Customers can help protect data,
  apps, and infrastructure by employing trusted security services.

Environment

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Microsoft Azure supports the most prominent programming languages in use
today, including:

• Python
• JavaScript
• Java
• .NET
• Go

Boasting a comprehensive software development kit (SDK) library and
extensive connections with tools such as VS Code, Visual Studio, IntelliJ,
and Eclipse, Azure is designed to extend programmers’ existing software
development lifecycle (SDLC) resources.

Support

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Microsoft Azure offers four paid-support options as shown in Table 2.

Pricing

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Microsoft Azure pricing is “pay as you go,” with the exception of certain
select free services.

Azure product pricing is available on the Azure pricing page or through
individual product pages.

To help estimate costs, a “pricing calculator” is provided.

Competitors

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Microsoft Azure has several major competitors, including:

• Amazon Web Services (AWS)
• Google Cloud Platform
• IBM Cloud
• Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (Gen 2)

Of these alternatives, AWS is the most potent rival.

According to ProjectPro, “Both AWS and Azure are solid cloud providers
performing with equivalence in almost 99% of the use cases. The decision
between Azure and AWS seems more like a business decision that is based on
the organization’s needs. For instance, if a company requires a powerful
Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) provider or Windows integration, Azure would
be the best option. If an enterprise is looking for
Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) or a diverse set of tools, then AWS
might be the best solution.”⁴

Web Links

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• Amazon Web Services: http://aws.amazon.com/
• Google: http://www.google.com/
• Microsoft Azure: http://azure.microsoft.com/
• Oracle: http://www.oracle.com/

References

¹ “AWS to Azure Services Comparison.” Microsoft. March 10,
2022.

² “Azure for AWS Professionals.” Microsoft. March 10, 2022.

³ “AWS to Azure Services Comparison.” Microsoft. March 10,
2022.

⁴ “AWS vs. Azure – Who Is the Big Winner in the Cloud War?” Iconiq Inc. June 6, 2022.

About the Author

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Brady Hicks is an editor with Faulkner Information
Services. He writes about computer and networking hardware, software,
communications networks and equipment, and the Internet.

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