Microsoft Azure is Microsoft’s cloud-based compute platform.  The platform provides a vast range of services, including automated workflows, artificial intelligence services, and virtual servers.  Whilst many of the technologies are relevant to schools, it is the virtual servers that are currently gaining the most interest in the education sector.

In practice, adopting Microsoft Azure means replacing your traditional on-premises physical server with a cloud hosted server.  The user experience remains exactly the same, however taking this approach provides a number of benefits to schools, namely:

• Servers are held in highly secure, and highly resilient, UK-based Microsoft data centres.  This removes the need to provide a secure environment for an on-premises server and removes the cost associated with providing the server’s power.
• Usage of Azure servers is billed on a monthly basis, and reflects the actual amount of server resource used each month, avoiding the cost of purchasing a physical server every four or five years.
• Updates to the server’s operating system, security patches, and new feature releases are taken care of automatically by Microsoft.  This ensure that your virtual server is always on the latest version, and is optimally secure.

Western’s team of technicians include highly accredited and certified Microsoft Azure and M365 specialists, making us one of only a few such ICT providers in the UK. And, we’ve been working with schools for over 40 years! So we’re highly experienced in finding the right solutions to suit your school’s needs. You’ll get a dedicated team that are always on hand to provide your school with the support it needs now and into the future.