The Cloud has changed the world in so many different ways, to the point where doing certain things without it seem almost inconceivable, because of how much it has accelerated and improved them. One of the most trusted Clouds in the tech world is the Microsoft Cloud. For more than a decade now, Microsoft have been fully embracing the technology, and working hard to make it accessible to all. Part of that journey has been building a strong network of partners around the world.
One such partner, TechQuarters, has been supporting businesses with the Microsoft Cloud for almost as long as time as it has been around for. The managed IT services London businesses get from TechQuarters leverages the Microsoft Cloud in a number of ways – not only in the types of service they offer as Microsoft Partners, but how they deliver the services they developed and built themselves – such as their IT support services.
So, how exactly does the Microsoft Cloud support businesses? These days, all Microsoft Products are designed, built and deployed using the Microsoft Cloud. Below are their top products and services for businesses:
Microsoft 365
When most people think of Microsoft, they usually think of Microsoft Office, and the Windows operating system. These are the two products that businesses use most often – on a daily basis, even. Most IT support companies, if you asked them, would tell you that Windows and Office are the best PC OS and productivity software available on the market. Microsoft 365 is a productivity stack for businesses to be able to fulfil their daily operations and tasks. It is a license that includes Windows 10 & 11, Office 365, and Enterprise Mobility + Security.
Most people are familiar with Windows 10. It was confirmed to be the most popular version of Windows worldwide, and is currently installed on at least 75% of all Windows PCs worldwide; although this number was a decline from more than 80% in January – the introduction of the next generation saw more users upgrading, and Windows 11 is now the second most popular edition of Windows worldwide.
Office 365 includes Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote; OneDrive and SharePoint for Business; Outlook and Exchange email services; and Microsoft Teams. Together, these apps give a business everything they need to work on a daily basis. Enterprise Mobility+Security is Microsoft’s flagship security suite that enables businesses to manage all their data, compliance, and security needs. It includes features such as Identity & Access Management, Unified Endpoint Management, Information Protection, and Identity-driven Security.
Azure
While most of the items on this list are products or services that leverage the Cloud, Microsoft Azure is specifically a Cloud platform that gives customers access to Cloud tools and functions.
Microsoft Azure offers a number of as-a-service (XaaS) solutions that leverage the Microsoft Cloud. These include Software as a Service (SaaS), which is a solution for licensing and delivering software on-demand over the internet; an SaaS applications are deployed from Azure, and end-users can access the app via a web browser, or using the Microsoft Remote Desktop client.
The other services Azure offers includes Platform as a Service, which refers to on-demand access to a platform that is used for managing, maintaining, developing and running applications in the Cloud. Then there is Infrastructure as a Service, which provides back-end, cloud-hosted servers, storage and networks.
Microsoft Azure is a perfect platform for modernizing one’s business, as it provides all the tools necessary for migrating a business’ workloads to the Cloud, manage workloads across multiple infrastructure and environments, and build and scale apps and services in the Cloud. One of TechQuarters’ most popular IT services in London among their customers and their target audience is Cloud migration – they have helped many businesses build fully Cloud-native infrastructures to replace their on-premise infrastructure; and Microsoft Azure is how they do this.
Dynamics 365
This product offers a unified solution for customer relationship management and enterprise resource planning. Both of these practices in business rely on a high level of interconnectivity and communication between departments, and centralized access to data, and so Dynamics 365 enables this with a centralized platform where a business can manage resources and data across their entire organization.
Dynamics 365 offers over 30 different applications and products aimed at different aspects of a business’ operations – these apps and products empower everyone in the business, whatever their department or role is, to deliver the best quality of work possible. These apps also enable businesses to implement solutions much more quickly; and they also enable businesses to rapidly adapt to changes in one’s business, in the market, in one’s target audience, etc.
Dynamics 365 also incorporates Microsoft AI which, coupled with the platforms ability to unify all of your data in one place, means you can generate continuous, highly detailed insights. You can connect to your data, and view these insights from anywhere thanks to the Microsoft Cloud.
Power Platform
In 2018, Microsoft launched the Power Platform, which is a line of products designed for business intelligence, app development, and app connectivity & automation.
First, let’s look at business intelligence. Modern businesses – especially those with Cloud-based workflows and infrastructures – create a lot of data.
The term Big Data was created specifically to describe just how much gets generated. The datasets that businesses are now working with are often so vast that they’re nigh impossible for a human to process and analyze it all manually.
This is where Power BI comes in – with this app, businesses can connect all of their data sources, and use Microsoft AI to process and analyze all the data.
The app then provides a range of rich reporting capabilities, so that users can built in-depth reports and gain detailed insights from the company’s data.
Next, the Power Platform gives users access to Power Apps. This is a platform for low-code development. Essentially, it has a diverse library of pre-written codes and connectors that allow businesses to quickly build and launch custom applications for their businesses.
The third main product, Power Automate, can be used in-tandem with Power Apps, or with Microsoft 365 to automate workflows across the organization.
A recent addition to the Power Platform is Power Virtual Agents – which is a software that enables businesses to create their own chatbots.