5 Azure Features That Will Benefit Your Business

It’s no secret that more businesses are shifting towards the Cloud. In today’s technological landscape, the effortlessness of foregoing an in-house infrastructure and the affordability of pay-as-you-go services is too good to pass up. Storing data on-premise is yesterday’s news and many businesses are maintaining a hybrid approach or planning to migrate to the Cloud entirely. Research indicates that the main driver for this migration is security and data protection, while the second is data modernization.

What is Azure?

Microsoft Azure is a cloud platform that provides Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solutions. Over 200 products are sold under the Azure umbrella. Companies can use Azure to build, deploy and manage their applications and benefit from serverless computing, top security and compliance, and hybrid integration possibilities. It’s fast, flexible, and cost-effective.

Services like analytics, storage, and networking make Azure a favorite among businesses worldwide. A whopping 95% of Fortune 500 Companies can vouch for Microsoft’s popular cloud computing platform. Let’s delve into some specifics on what Azure can do for your business.

5 Azure Features That Benefit Your Business

1. Scalable Pricing Models

The scalability and “pay as you go” nature of Azure makes it a perfect fit for all kinds of businesses, from local retailers to multi-national corporations. Regardless of the size of your business, your IT demands will be exactly met — not more, not less. Aside from not requiring any grand initial investment, launching and storing your applications on the Cloud will save you the trouble of in-house IT costs for hardware and maintenance.

2. Great Backup and Disaster Recovery

Azure’s advanced backup and disaster recovery tool can back up your data on all operating systems, regardless of the location. Define the frequency and extent of your backup schedule, and restore entire file shares without needing additional infrastructure. Deleted something by mistake? Recover the file, even after an extended period, following a multifactor authentication process.

3. Dependable Security and Compliance

The safety of your data is Microsoft’s top priority; Microsoft invests $1 billion yearly in cyber security research and development. Azure’s multitude of compliance certifications and built-in security services provide relief for countless IT leaders. Advanced security management is ensured for both on-premises and cloud workloads.

4. Advanced Analytics

Azure cloud-scale analytics enables you to transform data into insight that will help your business make real-time, transformative decisions. Companies that leverage analytics and big data services report tremendous cost savings and customer satisfaction rates. Grow your business through informed, preemptive decisions on every aspect of your organization, from human resources to sales forecasts and supply chain movements.

5. Simple and Fast Deployment

Azure’s lack of any maintenance requirements leaves room for your IT department to focus on the fun stuff: developing enterprise applications that add value. The platform also provides an integrated development environment and direct access to Azure engineers, which reduces your IT team’s learning curve and accelerates deployments.

Simplify Connecting to Azure

Although we picked our five favorite features of Azure, its benefits are countless. Migrating to the Cloud has its challenges, and so does maintaining a hybrid system together with SAP. Integrating Azure with existing SAP ERP systems requires a complex set of procedures. Luckily, this doesn’t have to be the case!

Our SAP PO Azure adapter reduces the complexity of connecting existing SAP ERP systems to the Azure platform. Users need two things: an Azure Storage Account and the MDP adapter. After that, uploading or downloading data to/from Azure can be completed in only a handful of steps (detail on that can be found in this blog post). Following the initial integration, users can activate the connection between the Azure platform and SAP system.

If any of this sounds appealing, feel free to contact us for more information!

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between Azure IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS?

Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) provides virtualized computing resources over the internet — you manage the OS, runtime and applications, while Azure manages the physical infrastructure. Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) goes a step further by also managing the OS and runtime, letting you focus purely on application development. Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) delivers complete applications over the internet on a subscription basis, such as Microsoft 365. Most businesses use a combination of all three depending on their workload requirements.

How does Azure compare to AWS for SAP integrations?

Both Azure and AWS support SAP workloads, but Azure has a distinct advantage due to its native Microsoft ecosystem integration — Active Directory, Office 365, Teams and Dynamics all connect seamlessly. SAP has also certified Azure as a preferred cloud partner for SAP S/4HANA deployments. For organizations already using Microsoft technologies, Azure typically offers a shorter integration path and lower total cost for SAP cloud migrations.

Is the MDP Azure adapter compatible with SAP Integration Suite?

Yes. In addition to SAP PO, MDP Group provides Azure connectivity solutions compatible with SAP Integration Suite (SAP CPI). As businesses migrate from SAP PO to SAP Integration Suite, the Azure integration capability can be preserved and enhanced. Contact us for specific compatibility details and migration assistance.

References

Microsoft Azure — Official Product Catalog
SAP PO Azure Adapter — MDP Group
MDP Azure Adapter for SAP PI/PO — MDP Group

Onur Ergür

Digital Marketing Manager