Microsoft Azure is Microsoft's cloud computing platform, providing infrastructure, storage, databases and a wide range of services that businesses can use to build and run applications without owning physical servers. Many Microsoft products, including Business Central and Microsoft 365, run on Azure infrastructure behind the scenes, even where a business never interacts with Azure directly.
How Microsoft Azure works
Azure provides on-demand access to computing resources, such as virtual machines, storage and databases, billed based on actual usage rather than requiring upfront hardware investment. Businesses can run their own applications on Azure, store and process data at scale, or build custom solutions using Azure OpenAI and other AI services. For most SMEs using standard Microsoft products, Azure operates invisibly as the underlying infrastructure rather than something they manage directly.
How UK businesses use Microsoft Azure
- A business runs Business Central and Microsoft 365, both hosted on Azure infrastructure, without ever needing to log into the Azure portal directly.
- A software development team hosts a custom line-of-business application on Azure virtual machines, scaling resources up or down based on demand.
- A business builds a custom AI application using Azure OpenAI Service, taking advantage of Azure's enterprise security and compliance controls.
- A company migrates an ageing on-premises server to Azure, reducing the cost and risk of maintaining physical infrastructure in its own office.
How Advantage works with Microsoft Azure
Advantage designs and manages Azure infrastructure for clients with custom hosting or application requirements, alongside our wider Microsoft platform implementation work. Find out more about our infrastructure and Azure services.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Microsoft Azure the same as Microsoft 365?
No. Microsoft 365 is a suite of productivity applications such as Outlook, Teams and Word. Azure is Microsoft's underlying cloud computing platform, used to host applications, store data and run infrastructure. Microsoft 365 itself runs on Azure infrastructure behind the scenes, but they are licensed and used differently.
Does a small business need to manage Azure directly?
Not necessarily. Many SMEs use Azure indirectly, since products like Business Central and Microsoft 365 run on Azure infrastructure that Microsoft manages on the customer's behalf. Direct Azure management becomes relevant for businesses running custom applications, virtual machines or specific infrastructure workloads.
What is the difference between Azure and AWS or Google Cloud?
Azure, AWS and Google Cloud are competing cloud computing platforms offering broadly similar core services such as virtual machines, storage and databases. Azure has particularly deep integration with other Microsoft products, which is often the deciding factor for businesses already invested in the Microsoft ecosystem.
