Lower Your Costs in 2018 with Azure (and the Cloud)

Does the concept of the cloud still leave you a little uneasy? Are you struggling to pinpoint exactly what the cloud is and why it’s become such a buzz word when it comes to IT?

There are many cloud providers available, but one you don’t want to overlook is Microsoft Azure. As one of the main competitors to Amazon Web Services and Google, Azure is a powerful cloud computing service that is rapidly becoming adopted among businesses of all sizes.

Azure is a great solution for businesses outgrowing their current IT environment, organizations who need to remain HIPAA compliant and store sensitive data, or companies who are simply lacking office space and need to move to the cloud.

Hardware

Servers aren’t cheap and today, technology evolves at a rapid rate. Even top-of-the-line equipment has a shelf life, depending on how much data the server processes. In some cases, this could be as little as two years.

Businesses are shifting resources to the cloud to lower their costs. Rather than investing in additional hardware, since Azure is cloud based, you pay only for the services you need and scale up or down as needed.

Replacing bulky hardware by migrating to Azure can not only help you save space, but it can help you lower your overall maintenance costs as well. Hardware is not a set it and forget IT investment – security patches and updates are required to keep your business secure. In the cloud, updates and patches are taken care of immediately offering businesses one less thing to worry about.

Utility Costs

Did you know that server/computer rooms draw a lot of power to support the servers, network, storage, and to cool the room itself? Hardware runs 24/7 to support your IT infrastructure and utility costs are an often overlooked way of lowering your monthly costs.

Since Microsoft Azure is cloud based, you don’t have to pay for utility costs of running anything with Azure. This can result in substantial monthly savings, particularly if you have multiple computer rooms.

Backup Solution Costs

Azure gives you the flexibility to choose the data you want to protect and how long you want to protect it. This backup solution is designed to be cost effective for both short and long-term data retention.

In addition, you can specify that only authorized users can perform critical backup operations.  In the event of a ransomware attack, any unauthorized backup deletions will be kept for days to ensure you have adequate time to secure your environment and begin the recovery process. Virtual machines, individual files and folders can all be restored in Azure or on-premises for free.

A ransomware attack can be a critical blow for your business and Azure’s backup capabilities will notify you if suspicious activity is detected – before your data is compromised.

 IT Maintenance

Azure’s cloud computing service reduces the need and costs associated with firmware updates, patches and other hardware maintenance. Hardware can also present security risks if updates are not done in a timely manner. Azure is cloud based and because updates are always done as needed, Azure is much more secure than a company’s local environment.

Warranty Renewals

In addition to IT maintenance, warranty renewals are also an added expense with hardware. Since Azure is cloud based, this is just one more expense your business won’t have to worry about if you move to the cloud.

Ready to Lower Your IT Costs through Azure?

Contact Ontech Systems online or by phone at (262) 522-8560 and request a no-obligation, Free Network Discovery where one of our Network Consultants will evaluate your network along with any overlooked aspects of data recovery, security performance and infrastructure.

We’ll help you understand how your organization can best utilize cloud computing services like Microsoft Azure.

Cloud computing is more efficient, secure and one of the best ways to lower your costs. Technology is changing fast – is your business ready? Contact us to learn more about Microsoft Azure today.