What is Microsoft Azure?

Azure, or MS Azure, is Microsoft’s cloud computing platform. Azure is an on demand data centre in the cloud that has the ability to scale up or down with your business as and when you need it (only pay for what you use at the time you use it) and it’s available whenever you need it.

This can be achieved in the cloud or as a hybrid solution. Your Azure environment can be customised to functions as all, or a combination of, your servers, backup, disaster recovery, website platforms, dev test sites and storage among other things.

Azure provides a greater level of flexibility by easily integrating with on-premise servers and data centres or as a standalone solution. It is utilised by 66% of Fortune 500 companies as it is fast becoming one of the largest cloud platforms in the world, as well as being utilised to help organisations meet business challenges, move faster and achieve more while saving money.

One of the best things about Azure is the ability to utilise it in a number of ways, including on-premise, hybrid or full cloud.

Learn more about how you can benefit from using Microsoft Azure.

How does Microsoft Azure work?

Azure uses a technology known as virtualisation. This separates the coupling between a computer’s CPU and it’s operating system using an abstraction layer called a Hypervisor. A Hypervisor (virtual machine monitor) emulates all the functions of a computer and its CPU in a virtual machine with the ability to run multiple virtual machines at the same time. Each virtual machine, or VM, can run any compatible operating system (OS).

Azure takes this virtualisation technology and repeats it on a large scale in Microsoft data centres throughout the world. Each data centre has multiple racks filled with servers which all include Hypervisors to run multiple VMs. A network switch then provides connectivity to the servers.

One server in each rack runs a special piece of software called a Fabric Control. Each Fabric Controller is connected to another piece of software called the Orchestrator. This is responsible for managing everything that happens in Azure, including responding to user requests. Users make requests using Orchestrator’s web API, which can be called by many tools such as the user interface of the Azure Portal. When a user makes a request to create a VM, the Orchestrator packages everything that’s needed, picks the best server rack and then sends the package and request to the Fabric Controller. Once the Fabric Controller has created the VM, the user can connect to it.

Microsoft Azure makes it easy for developers and IT professionals to build, deploy and manage applications and services quickly and easily.

eStorm Australia is an IT managed service provider headquartered in Brisbane. We partner with your business and provide IT solutions and services that suit your specific requirements. Our solutions include a variety of services that are critical to overall business success and competitive advantage.

If you need any information, or to find out exactly how we can help your business – contact us anytime on (07) 3120 0640 or email us at [email protected].

A few years ago now Microsoft were faced with the decision of either buying Slack or developing a new product of their own that would beat out the competition. However the idea that Slack could dethrone Office 365 is quickly dwindling as Microsoft have found their place in the corporate world.

Early this month, March 2018, Teams celebrated its first birthday and that more than 200,000 organisations are now utilising the software. This comes as no surprise as Microsoft are positioning Teams as your workplace hub for content, communication and even email.

What is Microsoft Teams?

Microsoft Teams is a digital platform that combines conversations, workplace chat, meetings, notes, apps and attachments in one place. The service integrates with Microsoft’s Office 365 productivity suite, including Microsoft Office and Skype, as well as featuring extensions that can integrate with non-Microsoft products, to create collaborative communities.

Teams provides a number of benefits for its users including security, cloud-scale, and a strong set of applications.

The unique aspect of teams, and where it shines through the competition, is the combination of email, messaging, document sharing, collaboration and organisation in a single app.

For example, one of the major reasons for utilising Teams over email for communication when onboarding a new user, is that they gain instant access to the entire history of the communication channel. You no longer need to forward a million emails and hope that the new employee can fit the pieces back together and make sense of the puzzle. By adding them to a team they have access to the entire thread in chronological order, which makes it significantly easier to bring a new employee up to speed.

Having access to the entire feed is a huge leap forward in the organisation of how and why decisions are made, while also providing an easily discoverable area to work backward through when issues arise.

Teams is rapidly becoming the hub of Microsoft’s productivity centre and represents a new way of working within the Office 365 ecosystem.

Get the most out of Microsoft Teams by integrating with the powerful Office 365 and Skype. Learn more about the benefits of Microsoft Office 365

At eStorm we work closely with you to determine how your business can benefit from Microsoft Office 365 solutions, as well as help you to choose the right plan that makes sense for you and your needs. If you are not currently an Office 365 user, you’re considering making the switch to Office 365, or you simply don’t know where to start – please feel free to call us on (07) 3120 0640 or email us at [email protected].

Great news for Surface users – Microsoft have patented some interesting new features for the Surface Pen.

Microsoft’s new patent, awarded Thursday February 15 2018, describes a new and improved Surface Pen with touch-sensitive retention clip designed to replicate the mouses scroll wheel. The touch-sensitive clip would allow users to simply roll their finger along the clip in order to zoom and scroll, enabling users to forgo using a mouse device altogether.

Surface Pen patent

The patent also includes a low-power mode, which would prevent the Surface Pen from running at full capacity until a touch is detected. This would see improvements to battery life, which is always welcomed when computing on the go.

Surface Pen patent

Microsoft have also patented a hapitc feedback system for the new Surface Pen, which is designed to make drawing on a screen a more tactile experience. The new design allows the pen’s tip to retract when pressed against the screen, which compresses a coil that functions as an electromagnet, and results in movement within the housing of the pen.

Surface Pen Haptic Feedback

While Microsoft are clearly attempting to create new ways for users to interact with their devices, patents are filed every day for new and exciting pieces of tech that unfortunately never see the light of day – fingers crossed this isn’t one of them!