What Can Microsoft Azure Managed Services Help With?
Microsoft Azure helps businesses by providing a variety of products to supplement their information technology architecture. According to Microsoft, Azure offers over 200 cloud services and products. That can be complex and overwhelming – which is where working with an expert Azure managed services provider can help.
In this blog post, we’re going to cover how Microsoft Azure managed services can benefit you. Azure managed services can mean several things; for this blog post we’ll define it as outsourcing IT-related tasks that are performed within Azure. In this blog, we’re going to focus on:
- Automated monitoring and alerting
- 24/7 support
- Cost optimization
- Security management
Each of these areas assists businesses to reduce downtime, streamline operations, and improve overall performance.
With so much to cover, we’re going to jump right in. Let’s learn how automated monitoring and alerting can benefit you first.
Azure: Automated Monitoring and Alerting
In a perfect world, there are no security or connectivity issues; however, we know that’s not the case. This is the real world and businesses need to plan accordingly. Microsoft Azure is packed with powerful monitoring and alerting features.
With a managed service provider, your business can have monitoring and alerting set up to be automated. First, think about what Azure can monitor, like metrics and logs. Next, there are a variety of alerts that can be automated based on the parameters chosen, like:
- Activity log alerts
- Log alerts
- Metric alerts
- Smart detection alerts
A managed service provider will be able to automate monitoring and alerts across the entire spectrum of your Azure setup. This includes applications, application security, business analytics, and more.
24/7 Support in Azure Managed Service
When it comes to IT, something will go wrong at some point. Plan on it. But, here’s the good news: With the right Azure managed support, you can rest assured knowing you’ll have backup 24/7.
Issues seem to happen the most during normal business hours. Or, perhaps we can say these issues are realized during those times because that’s when the majority of people are working. Your in-house IT staff can fix issues during these times because that’s primarily when they work.
The great thing about having a good managed services provider, however, is that support is always on call. So, if you have a problem around lunchtime, or in the middle of the night, you’ll be able to access the Azure managed support you need.
Let’s discuss cost optimization next.
Cost Optimization and Microsoft Azure
Earlier, we mentioned that Azure comes with over 200 products and services, and for the vast majority of businesses, you don’t need all of them. Purchasing more than you need will result in expenses going up, sometimes quickly.
Cost optimization in Azure can be tricky and involves removing unnecessary expenses. A managed service provider will be able to determine which Azure services you need, and which services you could do without.
Azure offers a Cost Analysis tool that can be extremely helpful for you or your Azure managed services provider in optimizing your Azure spend. This tool breaks down cost by:
- Bandwidth
- Storage
- SQL database
- Cloud services
- Event hubs
- …and more
In addition to the Cost Analysis tool, Azure comes with Azure Advisor. This service provides recommendations for cost optimization and savings. Between Cost Analysis and Advisor, your managed service provider will be able to ensure you’re getting the best Azure service for your budget.
Microsoft Azure and Security Management
Security is at the heart of Azure. Microsoft has always been a leading provider in the world of tech, from DOS and Windows to the Office suite. And it’s the same when it comes to cloud security.
According to World Economic Forum, “Nearly half of businesses are being hit by economic crime, with cybercrime the gravest threat.” That means companies that do business online are susceptible to cybercrime (hacking, etc.). Since we live in the Information Age, just about all businesses have an online presence.
Countless companies and businesses use Microsoft Azure. Since Azure contains the critical information of these businesses, Microsoft not only implements strict security for their platform, they give you tools to use as well.
When it comes to security management within Azure, an Azure managed services provider can use highly effective tools like Azure Defender for Cloud.
Azure Defender for Cloud is a one-stop shop for determining your security posture and adjusting it as needed. A managed services provider will be able to go into your Azure Defender for Cloud and toggle what’s necessary for your businesses based on your needs.
How Red River Can Help with Azure Managed Services
Red River has provided a variety of IT-related managed services for over 25 years. When it comes to Microsoft Azure, we’re designated a Microsoft Solutions Partner you can trust.
We offer each of the services listed above, and more. To get a better idea of our specific Azure offerings, head over to our Azure capabilities page to learn more.
Or, if you’d like to get in touch with us to ask specific questions, head over to our contact page.
We look forward to getting to know you and seeing what we can accomplish together.
