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Microsoft Azure
Cloud Computing

Make sure your infrastructure can keep up with your business by moving your servers to the cloud

What Is Microsoft Azure?

Azure is a cloud-based service that gives you a secure, contained environment using Microsoft’s hardware. This means that you’ve got access to secure servers, storage and networking without the added cost of buying (or maintaining) your own expensive hardware.

Should You Get Microsoft Azure?

Azure might sound complicated and intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be. If you fit the criteria below, then Azure might be for you?

Remote Working & Collaboration

With Azure, you can securely access company services and data from anywhere with an internet connection

Your Business Is
Growing Rapidly

Quickly add more resources or servers to meet your business's growing demands.

Reduce The Costs Of Your Infrastructure

Save money by making use of Microsoft's hardware, rather than buying your own.

Simple & Intuitive Management

Manage all of your Azure cloud services from one easy-to-use and secure portal, without needing to be in the office.

Improved Data Redundancy

Automatically synchronise your data to multiple Microsoft data centres - no more manual backups!

Worry-Free
Servers

Azure has 99% guaranteed uptime, meaning you don't need to worry about hardware failures

What Can Azure Be Used For?

Azure Virtual Desktop

Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) is a secure environment hosted by Microsoft. Think of it like a car rental. You can go anywhere in the world and hire a car from one of the reputable providers. For a fee, they will provide you with a car that is safe, secure and reliable. You use it for the duration and then hand it back. This is the same with Azure Virtual Desktop. Microsoft will provide you a server in their secure, reliable and scalable environment. All you do is connect to it from anywhere and pay a monthly fee for the time you use the platform.

 

Key Benefits

  • Work from Anywhere: Employees can sign in from any personal device and get their own Windows workspace.
  • Cost Savings: You don’t need to buy high-end hardware for everyone. Any device acts as a gateway to a powerful computer running in the cloud.
  • Speedy Onboarding: New staff or contractors can be set up with a secure work environment in minutes, not days.
  • Data Protection: Company data stays in the cloud, not on the physical device. If a laptop is lost or stolen, your business information remains safe and inaccessible.
  • Centralised Control: Security updates and patches are applied to everyone at once, ensuring no one is left vulnerable.

Modernising Your Old Servers

Picture this: a growing business relies on an aging physical server located in the office to run their accounting software and central database. The hardware is five years old, noisy, and prone to overheating. Sound familiar? With Azure, you don’t need your own physical servers at all.

 

Key Benefits

  • Zero Hardware Hassle: You no longer need to buy, repair, or upgrade physical server boxes. If you need more CPU, memory or storage, you simply increase these in the Azure portal to upgrade instantly.
  • Built-in Reliability: Physical servers can fail if a power cut occurs or a hard drive fails. Azure servers run on redundant systems with a 99.9% uptime guarantee, ensuring your staff aren’t sitting idle.
  • “Pay-as-you-Go” Savings: You can schedule your Azure servers to turn off automatically at 8:00 PM and back on at 7:00 AM. Since Azure charges by the minute, you aren’t paying for a server to sit idle overnight.
  • Work from anywhere: With a server in the office, you may be limited to working from the office.  With an Azure server, you are able to work from anywhere in the world.

Azure Cloud Hosting Vs. On-Premise Servers

Cost
On-Premise Server
Azure Cloud Hosting
Upfront Cost
High: Buying the server hardware, a rack to secure the server and networking equipment
Zero: No hardware to buy. You start with a monthly subscription.
Electricity
Variable & Rising: Costs for 24/7 power and cooling fans.
Included: Power and cooling are part of your monthly fee.
Maintenance
High: Paying IT staff or contractors for hardware repairs/updates.
Low: Microsoft manages the hardware, power, and physical security.
Scaling Up
Time consuming & Expensive: Buying and installing a new physical server. Increasing resources will require downtime
Instant: Increase resources in real time or clone servers for increased capacity in minutes.
Physical Space
Required: A dedicated, cool, and secure room or cabinet.
None: Your "server room" is Microsoft's secure data centre.
Lifespan
Fixed: Hardware typically becomes "obsolete" every 3–5 years.
Evergreen: You are always running on modern, updated infrastructure.

Azure Frequently Asked Questions

Instead of buying your own expensive servers and keeping them in a dusty cupboard in your office, you “rent” space and power from Microsoft’s datacentres.

Yes. Microsoft spends billions every year on security. Their data centres are guarded 24/7 by physical security and protected by digital firewalls far stronger than what most small businesses can afford. In many cases, your data is safer in Azure than it is on a server in your office.

Since your “computer” is in the cloud, it’s always running. If your office internet fails, your staff can simply move to a coffee shop, work from home, or use a mobile hotspot. You aren’t “locked out” of your business just because your office building has a connection issue.

Azure follows a “Pay-as-you-go” model.
  • On-Premise: You buy a big server and pay for it even when no one is using it.
  • Azure: You can set your servers to “turn off” at night and back on in the morning. You only pay for the minutes it’s actually running, which can significantly lower your monthly bills.

Not necessarily. Because the heavy processing happens in the Azure cloud, your staff can use older laptops or even tablets to access a high-powered “Virtual Desktop.” This can extend the life of your existing hardware by several years.

Microsoft has hundreds of data centres globally. If one has a hiccup, Azure can automatically “failover” your data to a different location. They offer a 99.9% uptime guarantee, which is much higher than most local IT setups can manage.

While Microsoft manages the “building and the machines,” you (or your IT partner) still manage your own files and apps. Think of it like a managed apartment: Microsoft handles the roof and the plumbing, but you decide who has a key and how the furniture is arranged.

Get In Touch

“Our staff are really seeing the benefits, the ease of use, the security. We threw a lot of different things into the mix with an unexpected office move, but after Evorio’s help, our staff are happy, working and are more adaptable to things that can arise.”

Clare Harrison

Head Of Strategy, UKExpertMedical