“Not only are there 3 million current Windows 2008 licenses that need to be migrated, but Azure partners see a gross margin of 49% practice-wide after three years.” This quote from Forrester’s Total Economic Impact Study commissioned by Microsoft, says it all. The cloud is completely redefining the market for SMBs, or small to medium–sized businesses. As a Microsoft partner, YOU can help your customers increase their profit, which is a win-win in your books. The following will outline the five reasons why SMBs should use Microsoft Azure when migrating to the cloud.
1. Decrease cost
As we all know, hardware is expensive. You can show your customers the amount of money they will save by avoiding unnecessary hardware purchases. Microsoft Azure is a cloud computing service that will let your clients access servers, storage, networking, and software over the internet. Instead of storing personal documents on personal computers, everything can be stored online. By using this subscription service, your customers will only have to pay for the cloud services used, rather than risk their hard-earned money on physical equipment. As a result, you could potentially face downtime, theft, or damage. Your customers need to worry about one thing – and that’s running their business.
2. No downtime
If you’ve ever experienced a technical issue at work, you know it’s a pain. Your customers always need access to their data at any given time. Even minor outages can put stress on your clients. Microsoft Azure can solve this problem. Apps will always work no matter what, and your customers will not need to purchase secondary infrastructure as a backup.
3. Pay as you go
One of the many benefits of Azure is its competitive pricing. AWS, one of Azure’s biggest competitors, is five times more expensive. Microsoft even gives the option to try the platform for free. Azure allows your customers to pay only for what they use each month with no upfront commitments, and they can cancel at any time. Sometimes your clients will require more capacity and sometimes they will need less, which is why this is great for them to use.
4. Cloud options
This may be the most significant selling point for your customers. Moving to the cloud does not have to be all-or-nothing. You can move some of your customers’ Microsoft Business Applications, one by one. There is a place for everything in Azure, from Accounting to HR to CRM.
5. Extraordinary security
Whether your client is on-premises or in the cloud, they will be protected. Azure offers a proactive approach to security, compliance, and privacy. Microsoft is known to lead the industry in establishing and consistently meeting clear security and privacy requirements. You can reduce costs for your customers with a highly secure cloud foundation that takes advantage of multi-layered security. There are built-in controls, configuration management tools, implementation resources, and third-party audit reports to simplify your compliance needs. Your customers can also detect threats early. With Azure, they can identify potential dangers and act as fast as possible with services informed by real-time global cybersecurity intelligence.
Microsoft speaks truth by saying that Azure truly is the future. Everything your customer needs to make the successful move to the cloud is available through this powerful platform. As a Microsoft partner, you have the tools available to help your customers, and other partners, implement strategies for a successful cloud journey.
If you or your customer needs assistance in migrating to the cloud, let us know! We have a team of Solution Architects, Developers, and Consultants who can work with your clients under your own brand. Get in touch with us today if you have any further questions.
