Security entails proactively preventing threats and effectively resolving attacks to apps and cloud data. Azure offers enterprise-level security software, which is also suitable for small businesses. 

Its security offerings are among its most popular services, and many businesses use its identity management service — Microsoft Entra ID — with hybrid cloud, private cloud and public cloud models.

Besides security, Azure’s architecture generally complies with various industry standards. Therefore, when you use Microsoft Azure for your small business, compliance will be one less thing to worry about.

Scalability is the ability to expand dynamically with increasing demands. As a small business, one of your main targets is growth. Therefore, as your business increases in size, your cloud resources must scale accordingly.

Azure has millions of servers to support multiple levels of scaling for its global customer base. As your business grows, you can readily scale up to meet business needs with Azure. You can get more Azure Virtual Machines, Disk Storage, Blob Storage, network and other cloud resources. Also, if you need to scale down during low-traffic moments, Azure lets you do that seamlessly.

Support includes all kinds of assistance for Azure customers to ensure the smooth usage of services and resolve any issues. Azure users can access various support channels, both paid and unpaid.

The paid support channels are available in three plans: Developer, Standard and Professional Direct. However, if paid support isn’t within your budget, you still get the free Basic support plan, plus access to community support and various Microsoft Azure learning materials.

Azure cloud’s easy integration highlights its ability to connect with your existing infrastructure seamlessly. If you have existing Microsoft products, such as Windows Server, you can rest assured that your Azure cloud resources will support effortless integrations.

For instance, if you’re using Azure SaaS (Software as a Service) like Microsoft 365, or Azure PaaS (Platform as a Service) like Azure AI Search before a full migration, you can readily integrate them with your Azure cloud resources.

That aside, Azure also gives you access to various productivity tools. Even if you have to replace an existing cloud solution for better compatibility, you shouldn’t have much to worry about.

Cost-effectiveness is the degree to which your spending yields results. Like many public cloud providers, Azure is more cost-effective than on-premises computing, especially since you pay only for what you use and don’t have to commit to huge upfront capital investments.

On Azure, you can readily provision and deprovision resources to manage costs. You’ll also gain access to various cost management tools to optimize your spending.

Global reach involves the global availability of Azure resources. Alongside AWS, Azure has one of the largest global reaches of any cloud service provider. It currently has more than 300 data centers, with over 60 in every continent except Antarctica.

One upside of Azure’s extensive reach is that your customers can access your services worldwide. As you grow and expand beyond your immediate environment, you can readily reach more people around the world.

Azure cloud can be pretty complex, particularly because it offers many services with multiple features. Like many cloud providers, it requires knowledge and experience for easy navigation. To achieve this, you could either employ an expert or organize an employee training program. In either case, you’ll have to spend money.

Azure is cost-effective by default, thanks to its pay-as-you-go pricing. However, the pricing is sometimes complex, and you risk getting charged for “hidden costs” that can greatly increase your Azure costs. The good news is that you get access to various cost management tools, which can help you avoid such costs.

Cost management includes steps and processes to monitor, understand and optimize your spending. Considering the flexibility and ease of provisioning resources in Azure cloud, the chances of wastage and excessive spending are high. To avoid this, you must design cost management policies and a cost management system. Of course, this requires extra effort on your part.

Vendor lock-in is a situation where you rely too much on a cloud provider, making it hard to switch to a different provider. It’s pretty easy to fall into a vendor lock-in with Microsoft Azure cloud, especially if you had existing Microsoft products before joining Azure.

As mentioned earlier, Azure integrates seamlessly with Microsoft products, and this ease of integration might encourage you to add more Azure or Microsoft tools to your collection. Ultimately, your infrastructure may end up being too reliant on Microsoft for you to switch readily.

Regional performance variations indicate differences in the quality of services offered across Azure regions. Most cloud service providers come with regional performance variations for many reasons, including proximity, local regulations, service availability and so on.

Regional performance variations exist in Azure cloud, too. When you choose Azure for your small business, you may want to do a test run in your desired region to ensure that it performs well enough for you.