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Cost / Benefits ofMicrosoft Azure:The Cloud Solution forYour Organization

ContentsToday’s Data Centers Require Scalable Solutions3The Costs of On-Premise Data Centers vs. Cloud Data Centers4The Benefits of Cloud Data Centers6Microsoft Azure is a Premiere Cloud Data Center Solution8Choosing the Most Cost-Effective and Reliable Data Center Solution for You9

Today’s Data Centers Require Scalable SolutionsThe digital transformation that has been taking place in the business world shows no signs of slowingdown. In fact, the rate of technological advancement accelerates with each passing year. You may havealready noticed that this means your data center needs can drastically change from one year to the next.The flexibility to address changing needs is one of the biggest reasons that organizations are rapidlytransitioning from on-premise solutions to the cloud.80%Gartner predicts that by 2025, 80% ofenterprises will shut down their traditional datacenters. According to surveys, 10% alreadyhave. – Gartner.com, “The Data Center is(Almost) Dead”30%Forrester estimates that global cloud servicesrevenues totaled 114 billion in 2016, up from 68 billion just two years ago — that’s annualgrowth of 30%.28%The recently published Forrester Data: CloudSecurity Solutions Forecast, 2016 To 2021(Global) shows that they expect spending onglobal cloud security solutions to reach 3.5billion by 2021 — an annual growth rate of28% over the next five years.20%3Forrester predicts that cloud computing willhelp companies around the world acceleratepandemic recovery in 2021. On-premisesdisaster recovery strategies will fade, withrecovery bound for the cloud. COVID-19shined a bright light on any inability torecover from a data center outage andrefocused enterprise IT teams on improvingresiliency. Before the pandemic, fewcompanies protected data and workloads inthe public cloud. In 2021, Forrester predictsthat an additional 20% of enterprises willshift disaster recovery operations to thepublic cloud.” – Predictions 2021: CloudComputing Powers Pandemic Recovery,Forrester BlogC o st / B e n e f i t s of M i c ro s of t A z u re : T h e C l o u d S o l u t i o n f o r Yo u r O rg a n i z a t i o n

The Costs of On-Premise Data Centersvs. Cloud Data CentersThe key to navigating these rapidly changing needs is scalability. But scalability with on-premise solutionsis usually costly, slow, and challenging to manage. Increasing capacity can mean buying expensiveequipment. It may take months for the equipment to arrive, and then the setup process requires yourteam to take more time away from other priorities.When an organization chooses to scale up on-premise solutions, they face the challenging decision ofhow much to expand. The goal is to meet current requirements while also fulfilling future needs that areoften difficult to forecast.If the organization over-builds the on-premise data center, resources go to waste that could be usedto grow the business. If they under-build, another expensive investment will soon be required for moreexpansion. The consequences of not having enough compute or storage often include performanceissues, especially user experience issues like error messages or getting locked out of applications— bothof which can cause your company to miss out on possible revenue.The equipment you invest in today for tomorrow’s needs may also be outdated by the time tomorrowarrives. A data center investment meant to cover the next ten years may include technology that becomesobsolete in five.There are other costly and time-consuming logisticsinvolved with on-premise data centers: Physical security Cooling and electricity Maintenance and upkeep Big Data capabilities

Physical SecurityCooling and ElectricitySome businesses may be more vulnerable to physicalthreats such as property damage. These organizationsneed the right teams and safety controls to managethe physical security of their data center. A report fromMarkets and Markets predicts that data center securityspending will reach 13.77B by 2021. More than 34%of CIO.com’s 2020 State of the CIO respondents agree,indicating security and risk management is already thenumber one driver of IT spending.This one is a no-brainer: if you expand yourdata center, you also expand the amount ofcooling, floor space, and electricity you need,increasing day-to-day operational costs. Theregular maintenance and updating of your coolingequipment is a common expense.Maintenance and UpkeepBig Data CapabilitiesKeeping a data center running with minimalinterruption requires near 24/7 availability fromsystem engineers and storage architects. If aproblem arises, these workers must be available toreact day or night.The Internet of Things now produces massiveamounts of data, but building a Big Data analyticsenvironment on-premise is very complicated andrequires highly trained expert resources. Theresulting infrastructure is often rigid and difficult touse. The cost to create and maintain a system likethis on-premise is extremely high.File services and SaaS applications also often needto be spread among multiple data centers, meaningan on-premise solution requires at least double theequipment (to mirror what’s in the primary datacenter) and double the maintenance resources.5C o st / B e n e f i t s of M i c ro s of t A z u re : T h e C l o u d S o l u t i o n f o r Yo u r O rg a n i z a t i o n

The Benefits of Cloud Data CentersIt’s no surprise that more and more organizations are turning to cloud solutions. We’ve found thatMicrosoft Azure for the cloud adds the most reliability, flexibility, and ease to IT management.Microsoft Azure Is a Trusted PlatformMicrosoft Azure is an esteemed cloud platform trusted by scores of leading businesses, as well as theU.S. Department of Defense.The Azure approach is based on the foundational principles of security, privacy, compliance, resiliency,and intellectual property protection. The platform helps you keep your customer data secure and privatein several ways:Azure is built on leading security technologies to help you manage and control user identity andaccess, central elements in securing your environment.Azure delivers network and infrastructure security technologies and tools to help protect yourapplications and data.Azure uses encryption to protect communications and operational processes, including your data intransit and at rest.Azure offers advanced tools to detect and defend against threats.You 100% own and control the collection, use, and distribution of your data. Microsoft will usethis data only to provide the services agreed upon and will not mine your data for marketing oradvertising purposes.You have control over where your data is located, who can access it, and on what terms.You can access your own data at any time and for any reason.Microsoft imposes carefully defined requirements for government and law enforcement requestsfor customer data.If you discontinue the service, Microsoft follows strict standards for removing your data.Microsoft Azure Frees Up Physical And LogisticalResourcesBecause all of the equipment and resources needed toserve your data is owned and operated by Microsoft, overallcosts for a cloud data center are lower. The cloud helpsyou save on the cost of labor, too, with automation andorchestration capabilities freeing your system engineersand architects from spending extensive time developingcustomizations.Not only does a cloud data center solution like Azure helpyou save money on capital expenditures in the form ofequipment investments, but it can also save you money onthe operational expenses of an on-premise data center likecooling, electricity, and system maintenance or upgrades.6C o st / B e n e f i t s of M i c ro s of t A z u re : T h e C l o u d S o l u t i o n f o r Yo u r O rg a n i z a t i o n

Microsoft Azure Is ReliableMicrosoft offers Service Level Agreements (SLAs) for every aspect of their offering with clearly defined commitments foruptime and connectivity, which typically range from 99.95% to 99.99%.Microsoft Azure Introduces High Standards for ComplianceMicrosoft understands the importance of providing assurance when building a trusting relationship with customers. Azureoffers the most comprehensive set of compliance offerings of any cloud service provider to make it easier for you to meetall data privacy and security compliance requirements with confidence.These offerings .governmentregulationsOther regionor entsMicrosoft also employs independent third-party accredited auditors like BSI and Deloitte to conduct thorough audits thatinclude the annual review of Azure facilities and capabilities.Microsoft also offers several tools to help you meet compliance obligations amid evolving requirements:Microsoft Trust CenterA resource for customers to learn how Azure implements and supports security, privacy, compliance, and transparency inall cloud products and services.Service Trust CenterContains additional guidance and tools to help meet your security, compliance, and privacy needs.Free Azure BlueprintsHelps you build Azure applications that are secure and comply with many regulations both internally and externally.Azure Offers Discounts to Make Your Cloud Data Center Even More AffordableNot only do Azure users have access to Microsoft 365 and other enterprise licensing built in, but there are also benefitsfor new users who currently have certain licenses.Azure Hybrid BenefitAzure Hybrid Benefit helps you lower your cloud workload costs by letting you use your on-premise Software Assuranceenabled Windows Server and SQL Server licenses on Azure. Users can save up to 85% over the standard pay-as-you-gorate with this benefit. RedHat and SUSE Linux subscription users are also eligible.ReservationsYou can make reservations for cloud resources in advance to save on your pay-as-you-go pricing, improving yourbudgeting and forecasting.Extended Security UpdatesIf you move your Windows Server or SQL Server 2008 and 2008 R2 workloads to Azure, you get three additional years ofsecurity updates for free.Combine all three benefits for the lowest possible cost of ownership.7C o st / B e n e f i t s of M i c ro s of t A z u re : T h e C l o u d S o l u t i o n f o r Yo u r O rg a n i z a t i o n

Microsoft Azure is a Premiere Cloud Data Center SolutionCloud data centers offer many benefits over on-premise solutions, primarily:Lower logistical costs, includingcapital expenditure, dailyoperations, and laborGreater security andcompliance than may bepossible with an on-premisesolutionA trusted and reliable platformwith extensive supportresources8Greater compute and storagecapabilities than may bepossible with an on-premisesolutionSavings opportunities thatlower Azure costs evenfurtherC o st / B e n e f i t s of M i c ro s of t A z u re : T h e C l o u d S o l u t i o n f o r Yo u r O rg a n i z a t i o n