This post will weigh up the pros and cons of Microsoft Azure. Azure is a cloud-storage business solution. Microsoft’s Azure is one of the largest players in cloud-storage.
Cloud-based business solutions have become more popular in recent years. They offer less expense, and less downtime, with a small hardware footprint.
Pro’s and Con’s of Microsoft Azure
Pro’s
Security:
Azure offers a security control system based on the DADSC approach. The DADSC approach is: Detect, Assess, Diagnose, Stabilise and Close. Azure offers strong protection against data loss.
Scalable:
One of the biggest benefits of Azure is scalability. There’s no need to buy extra data packets. Azure allows you to buy what you need and when.
Azure is Cost-Effective:
Azure is a global product. Meaning it is ideal for organisations that don’t have a large IT budget. But, like AWS, bill shock can be an issue for organisations. The right monitoring tools can prevent bill shock for users.
App-Friendly:
Azure works well with the rest of the Microsoft family. Apps such as Office 365, SalesForce, and Twitter operate with Azure. These allow integration of administrative tasks.
Cons
But, Azure has it’s cons. Azure requires expertise to ensure cooperation between parts. Organisations may over-provision their cloud services, and this can be a costly mistake. Cloud expertise requires effective data management skills.
Security Issues:
While Azure is a secure platform, it does have a different threat landscape than AWS. As a result Azure has had more issues over time. Attackers are aware of weaknesses native to Microsoft’s design. As a Microsoft product, this can leave Azure vulnerable.
Region-Specific:
Azure is a global platform with data centres located across several regions. But, much like AWS, not all advertised services are available in every country. Azure only stores your data in the regions you allow. So it’s important that you research the laws applied to your data.
Intellectual Property Concerns:
Azure allows customers to use Microsoft’s own patent portfolio. This is the Microsoft Azure IP Advantage Program. This dissuades NPE’s from litigation against cloud service users. But can create a murky atmosphere about what protection Microsoft offers. Organisations should never assume using this program creates indemnity, or legal defence.
Difficult Migration:
Migration from competitors to Azure can be complex. Whereas migration to Azure is easier than moving to another competitor. BYOK or HYOK can aid in the transition away from Azure in future should you need it. As a result of using BYOK or HYOK you will avoid vendor lock in.
Overuse:
Like with AWS there is always a risk of overuse with ease of access. A common problem with these services is resource consumption. Virtual infrastructure can cause an explosion in use. As a result, individuals might spin up services and not remove them once finished. Good change control prevents this.
Data Loss and Compensation:
Azure is a single solution – this means Azure hosts your data in one space. If you cannot access it for some reason this can leave you at a disadvantage.
For example, In 2018 Microsoft experienced a DNS outage. And this outage caused global problems within applications. Microsoft does offer the Azure backup, and the Azure site recovery services. These services attempt to form a comprehensive business continuity and disaster recovery plan. They come at an extra cost per user requirements.
Bill Shock:
Bill shock occurs with service providers when organisations use more resources than expected. Both AWS and Azure have caught clients out with bill shock in the past. Like AWS, Azure does have tools you can use to manage your bill and reduce bill shock.
These include:
Azure Advisor:
A cloud-based consultancy application that gives advice personalised to your usage. Azure Advisor gives insight into performance, security, and cost effectiveness.
Role-Based Access Control:
Role-Based Access Control ensures you and your staff use only recommended resources. This reduces costs in development.
Your Indirect CSP Provider:
Your indirect CSP provider can help you when it comes to cost management tools. And they can help in employing Azure governance tools.
Azure offers a multitude of pros and cons when it comes to scale-able data management. Cloud-based data solutions are right for some organisations and not for others. It’s important to ensure you have done your research when it comes to the right data solution for you.
Cogito Group is an award-winning cybersecurity company specialising in authentication, cloud security, identity management and data protection. Cogito Group protect the authentication methods used to access information through the use of Identity and other security technologies.
