The platform is used by a huge number of organizations and individuals. Some of the most common uses include using software as a service (SaaS) such as office 365 for hosted email or CRM online to manage customer relationships. This allows them to quickly scale infrastructure up and down depending on project requirements and budget, while paying only for what they use.

Many businesses also use azure for its data analytics capabilities, helping them to automate processes that drive sales, customer engagement and keep supply chains agile. And some of the world’s largest governments – including the US and UK – use it to protect citizens’ personal data and support remote collaboration between staff.

Microsoft’s 42 azure data centers are spread around the globe. This is more than any other cloud platform and it helps to keep applications and data closer to users, easing security concerns about data transfer and meeting compliance requirements in certain markets where data residency is key.

Azure offers a suite of cloud services for development, testing, integration and hosting that can be scaled up and down to meet the requirements of a project or business need. There are also services to connect on premise infrastructure to the cloud.

It also offers a wide range of IoT solutions, including tools for connecting and managing devices, monitoring and analysing data. And it provides a range of secure, scalable and cost-effective storage options for both data and compute.