Microsoft Azure Reviews and Pricing

Consultant at a tech vendor with 51-200 employees

Dec 5, 2013

Java and Azure

The Announcement

Microsoft recently announced a partnership with Oracle which brings a number of Oracle technologies to the Windows Azure cloud.

In short, they announced:

Hyper-V (i.e. the virtualisation technology underpinning Azure) is now certified to run Oracle software.
Virtual Machine images will be available with the Oracle Database, and Weblogic preconfigured.
Properly licensed and supported Java on Azure.

Items 1 & 2 I’m not that excited about, but it’s item 3 which is interesting.

The current state of Java on Azure

Microsoft have supported Java on Windows Azure since the start. There’s an SDK and tooling built into Eclipse.

However, Microsoft haven’t been able to install Java, you’ve had to do that yourself. This has meant that the package you deploy to Azure has had to contain the Java installer, any frameworks and web servers you need, as well as your application code. This makes the package too large to work with, in some cases too large to even upload. It certainly slows down application updates.

Utilities such as AzureRunMe have helped bridge this gap, by splitting your package into separate zip files in blob storage which are only downloaded when required. However, ultimately you have to do more work to get Java running, and it takes longer to spin machines up.

Having said that, Java applications work surprisingly well in Azure. Applications are coded against the JVM, rather than the operating system and make relatively few assumptions about the environment. They also tend to use ORMs (like Hibernate) giving you a simple database schema which is easy to port to Windows Azure SQL Database.

I often find that Java applications are quicker to get running in Azure than similar .NET apps.

The JVM

When we talk about Java here, we’re really talking about the Java Virtual Machine (JVM), the runtime which hosts Java applications.

Java is just one of the languages supported by the JVM, there has recently been a small explosion in language options on the JVM, including:

Clojure
Scala
Groovy
Jython
JRuby
Kotlin

…to name just a few.

What does this mean for the future?

I haven’t got any special knowledge here, but there are few things Microsoft could do now:

Provide a ‘Java’ role in Cloud Services. This would have Java and (optionally) Tomcat pre-installed, making deployment of Java applications faster and easier.
Enable the JVM as a hosting option on Windows Azure Websites (alongside Python, .NET, PHP and Node.js).
JVM support gives you Ruby (using JRuby). There’s already a Ruby SDK for Azure, and JRuby seems to be the fastest Ruby runtime (AFAIK). This is potentially true for this long list of languages too.
This is probably good news for Hadoop on Azure.
Enterprise Java developers should certainly take note. The capabilities of the Azure Service Bus, coupled with competent PaaS and IaaS offerings and the low-cost SQL Database, make Azure an attractive option.

Hold On, Load balancing…

Java web applications (in my experience) often hold large object graphs in memory, as state stored against each user session. This means that sticky sessions are required, and the Azure load balancer in Cloud Services is round-robin (sort of). Sticky sessions aren’t very cloud friendly, but it’s difficult to make legacy application stateless.

Whilst there are ways to work around this, they all rely on ‘un-balancing’ the load balancer, and will frequently add network hops and overhead to the processing of each request. We need to be able to select a load balancing strategy on endpoints configured in Azure (i.e. round robin/sticky/performance based decision).

As a side note, the load balancing strategy for Windows Azure Websites is sticky.

Conclusion

Better support for Java on the Microsoft cloud goes well beyond one language, and unlocks a number of possibilities, such as better support for Ruby and Hadoop for example.

Load balancing is one pain point, but something we know they can fix in the platform.

Azure remains an exciting place for everyone from the smallest startup, to the largest enterprise.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.

it_user8505

Consultant at a computer software company with 51-200 employees

Aug 9, 2013

Understanding the Basics of Windows Azure Service Bus

As we become more distributed in our everyday lives, we must change our approach and view of how we build software. Distributed environments call for distributed software solutions. According to Wikipedia, a distributed system is a software system in which components located on networked computers communicate and coordinate their actions by passing messages. The most important part of a distributed system is the ability to pass a unified set of messages. Windows Azure Service Bus allows developers to take advantage of a highly responsive and scalable message communication infrastructure through the use of their Relayed Messaging or Brokered Messaging solutions.

-- Relay Messaging --

Relay Messaging provides the most basic messaging requirements for a distributed software solution. This includes the following:

- Traditional one-way Messaging
- Request/Response Messaging
- Peer to Peer Messaging
- Event Distribution Messaging

These capabilities allow developers to easily expose a secured service that resides on a private network to external clients without the need of making changes to your Firewall or corporate network infrastructure.

Relay Messaging does not come without limitations. One of the greatest disadvantages of relay messaging is that it requires both the Producer (sender) and Consumer (receiver) to be online. If the receiver is down and unable to respond to a message, the sender will receive an exception and the message will not be able to process. Relay messaging not only creates a dependency on the receiver due to its remoting nature, this behavior also makes all responses subject to network latency. Relay Messaging is not suitable for HTTP-style communication therefore not recommended for occasionally connected clients.

-- Brokered Messaging --

Unlike Relay Messaging, Brokered Messaging allows asynchronous decoupled communication between the Producer and Consumer. The main components of the brokered messaging infrastructure that allows for asynchronous messaging are Queues, Topics, and Subscriptions.

Queues

Service bus queues provides the standard queuing theory of FIFO (First In First Out). Queues bring a durable and scalable messaging solution that creates a system that is resilient to failures. When messages are added to the queue, they remain there until some single agent has processed the message. Queues allow overloaded Consumers to be scaled out and continue to process at their own pace.

Topics and Subscriptions

In contrast to queues, Topics and Subscriptions permit one-to-many communication which enables support for the publish/subscribe pattern. This mechanism of messaging also allows Consumers to choose to receive discrete messages that they are interested in.

-- Common Use Cases --

When should you consider using Windows Azure Service Bus? What problems could Service Bus solve? There are countless scenarios where you may find benefits in your application having the ability to communicate with other application or processes. A few example may include an inventory transfer system or a factory monitoring system.

Inventory Transfer

In an effort to offer exceptional customer service, most retailers will allow their customers to have merchandise transferred to a store that is more conveniently located to their customers. Therefore, the store that has the merchandise must communicate to the store that will be receiving the product of this transaction. This includes information such as logistical information, customer information, and inventory information. To solve this problem using Windows Azure Service Bus, the retailer would setup relay messaging service for all retail locations that could receive a message describing the inventory transfer transaction. When the receiving store gets this notification they will use this information to allow the store to track the item and update their inventory.

Factory Monitoring

Windows Azure Service Bus could also be used to enable factory monitoring. Typically machines within a factory are constantly monitored to insure system health and safety. Accurate monitoring of these systems is a cost saver in the manufacturing industry because it allows factory workers to take a more proactive response to potential problems. By taking advantage of Brokered Messaging, the factory robots and machines can broadcast various KPI (Key Performance Indicator) data to the server to allow subscribed agents such as a monitoring software to respond to the broadcasted messages.

-- Summary --

In summary, Windows Azure Service Bus offers a highly responsive and scalable solution for distributed systems. For basic request/response or one-way messaging such as transferring inventory within a group of retail stores, Relay Messaging will meet most system requirements. If your requirements call for a more flexible system that will support asynchrony and multiple message consumers, it is better to take advantage of the Queues and Topics that are made available in Brokered Messaging.

Disclosure: The company I work for is a Microsoft Partner - http://magenic.com/AboutMagenic

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.

it_user3876Database Manager at a tech company with 51-200 employees

Report as inappropriate

Dec 21, 2013

Hi Travis Brown.

Can you please tell that what is the maximum size of message that can be added to the queue for transmission?

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it_user8103

Consultant at a tech services company with 51-200 employees

Jul 25, 2013

5 Great Features in Windows Azure Backup

Windows Azure Backup was recently released as a preview feature in Windows Azure’s already comprehensive suite. This is a great feature, even in its current preview state. However, due to its recent release, it can be difficult to find helpful descriptions of features already available. In this blog, we will highlight five great features of the Windows Azure Backup Preview and a short description of each one.

1. Scheduled Backup

In the world of backup and recovery, scheduled backups are not necessarily a new feature. New or old, it is definitely a convenient and required backup feature, especially for those who value data integrity.

Windows Azure does a great job of providing users with a simple interface that can be configured on the Windows Azure Backup Agent snap in for Windows Server 2012. The snap in (see Figure 1) allows users to easily customize a specific backup schedule, frequency, and granularity for that specific server. After it is configured, the specified data for backup is locally compressed, encrypted, and sent to Azure for storage.

Windows Azure

Figure 1: Windows Azure Scheduling Backup Wizard

2. Granular Recovery

While scheduled and convenient backups are helpful, they don’t mean anything unless an equally granular and robust recovery solution is in place. Windows Azure Backup has provided users with just that. The Windows Azure Backup Storage can be recovered from your local server or from the Azure Management Console. The user can decide what folder or file they would like to recover and specify exactly which backup version they wish to recover.

In the event of a server failure, it is even possible to stand up a new instance of that server and recover your data from Windows Azure Recovery Services. Whether you’re missing a file, folder, or entire server, Windows Azure Recovery Services can meet all your needs.

3. Compressed and Encrypted Traffic

If you are already familiar with Windows Azure, you are likely aware that any traffic sent to the Azure Cloud is compressed and encrypted on your local machine before being uploaded. This is not any different for Windows Azure Recovery Services. The reason it has been included as a great feature relates to how it affects your monthly bill. Windows Azure will only bill on your compressed backups. Since Azure charges by GB/month, this can save you a significant amount of money.

4. Competitive Pricing

Windows Azure Backup is a Cloud service; therefore, it is a monthly subscription service just like the rest of Azure’s features. It is priced by the average GB/month. For example, if your compressed storage is 20 GB for the first half of the month and 40 GB for the second half of the month, you will pay the average or 30 GB. The current price is $0.50 per GB/month, but while the service is in preview, Microsoft is offering a 50% discount across the board. This proves to be an attractive and cost-effective option for customers who are considering moving their backup solution to the Cloud. Considering the initial capital saved by choosing a Cloud backup service, this can be extremely beneficial in many scenarios.

Windows Azure 2

Figure 2: Windows Azure Backup Pricing

5. Backups Live in Cloud

In my opinion, the final and most important feature is a simple one. All the backed up content lives in Microsoft’s Cloud. That means two things: (1) no paying for on-premise storage solutions and (2) no data loss during power outages or server failures. It is a simple feature, but if you consider the implications of loosing backed up data, it’s a very important one.

In conclusion, Windows Azure Backup is a highly convenient and robust solution for anyone considering Cloud backup and recovery solutions. The five features described above are only a few of the features included in this fine-tuned machine that is called Windows Azure Backup.

If you are interested in learning more about Windows Azure Backup, please feel free to contact Credera or visit our blog.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.

Carlos Mardinotto Junior

BI Expert at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees

May 8, 2023

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Reliable, high performance, and stable

Pros and Cons

"I have not had a problem with the stability. It is reliable."

"I have found Microsoft Azure has many components to use and it's very difficult to understand every component."

What is our primary use case?

I only use Microsoft Azure for queries, creating databases, and applying rules. The data lakes are very simple to connect.

What is most valuable?

Microsoft Azure is a very fast and high-performance solution. It is the best product today.

What needs improvement?

I have found Microsoft Azure has many components to use and it's very difficult to understand every component.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have used Microsoft Azure within the past 12 months.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I have not had a problem with the stability. It is reliable.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I have used Amazon AWS, Oracle SQL, and NoSQL databases.

How was the initial setup?

The configuration of Microsoft Azure can be difficult because of the mapping.

What other advice do I have?

I rate Microsoft Azure an eight out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.

MandarChitre

Senior Services Architect at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees

Feb 15, 2022

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Highly scalable, reliable, Missing the competitive edge

Pros and Cons

"The design of Microsoft Azure is for it to be scalable and it is scalable."

"When we work with Microsoft Azure we deploy it in a hybrid system. We do many operations with the open stack and I used it for APIs connected to Microsoft Azure. The reduction is because those APIs and our tools that are required to connect are not for the Microsft Azure solution. It has a bit of complexity, nothing to do with Microsoft Azure as a CSP."

What is our primary use case?

Most of our Customers do not want to have a single Cloud Service Provider (CSP) and have been adopting a Multi Cloud or a Hybrid Cloud scenario. We have addressed client requirements and have adopted CSP depending on the use case. We have worked with Azure and have provided niche solution such as Government Commercial Cloud, Healthcare Cloud etc.

What needs improvement?

We have deployed multiple solutions into Microsoft Azure. In most of the cases we augment our Application monitoring "in-house" developed tool to monitor things like garbage collection, IIS queuing. If these attributes and parameters could be included as part of the Azure Monitor it would be great.

For how long have I used the solution?

Using Microsoft Azure for approximately three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Microsoft Azure is a stable solution.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The design of Microsoft Azure is for it to be scalable and it is scalable.

How are customer service and support?

I have not contacted the support from Microsoft Azure. We support the solution ourselves. We have Azure architect experts who are on our payroll. We have experience since we have been working on the stack for almost two and a half years.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Neutral

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We use all different types of CSP, such as Amazon AWS and Google Cloud.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup of Microsoft Azure is complex.

I rate the initial setup of Microsoft Azure a four out of five.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

Yes. We have a in-house Cloud CoE, that ensures the changes introduced by CSPs i.e. update on the new services that are provisioned as well as the periodic commercials impacts for the Services being consumed across all CSPs - Amazon AWS and Google Cloud

What other advice do I have?

All the cloud service providers(CSP) are more or less have the same services. The use case for the cloud would need the sustainment of tiering storage. We don't see a big discrepancy when it comes to Microsoft Azure, but there are pros and cons.

I rate Microsoft Azure a seven out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Microsoft Azure

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Implementer

Veerender Kumar

Product Owner at Software Technology

Nov 12, 2021

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Easy to use, stable, and scalable

Pros and Cons

"The solution is similar to a plug-and-play system, it is easy to use."

What is our primary use case?

We use Microsoft Azure for our internal systems during elections. We monitored the election party and we had a database of 20 million users.

What is most valuable?

The solution is similar to a plug-and-play system, it is easy to use.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Microsoft Azure for approximately two years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Microsoft Azure has been stable

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is scalable.

How are customer service and support?

The technical support of Microsoft is okay. However, there were times we had to speak to them in the US time zone which was not convenient. There are times we have to wait because of the time zone issue.

What about the implementation team?

The solution takes two to five people to implement and for maintenance; if the environment is larger it still only takes two to five people.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The subscription models can be confusing and it would be beneficial for them to simplify them. We are on an annual subscription.

What other advice do I have?

I rate Microsoft Azure an eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.

Abdul Khaliq

Information Technology Solutions Architect at Injazat

Sep 13, 2021

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Stable, plenty of features, and scalable

Pros and Cons

"I have found all the features to be good."

"The technical support is good, but the response time is poor."

What is our primary use case?

I am a system integrator and some of my customers are using Microsoft Azure for one server and others are using 10 servers. I have a few customers that are only using the Office 365 services within Microsoft Azure.

What is most valuable?

I have found all the features to be good.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Microsoft Azure for approximately one year.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Microsoft Azure is scalable.

How are customer service and technical support?

The technical support is good, but the response time is poor.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is easy.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The price of the solution is reasonable.

What other advice do I have?

I rate Microsoft Azure an eight out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: partner

John Arnold

sales at a tech services company with 51-200 employees

Oct 31, 2020

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Easy to set up, and offers flexibly that gives you good value for your money

Pros and Cons

"The most valuable features of this solution are the value for money and flexibility."

"In the next release, I would like to see better security."

What is our primary use case?

We are resellers of Intel-based processors and Microsoft software. We offer Windows 10, Windows 2019 server, and HCI for example.

We are a technology-based company and we set things up for people. We are dealing with educational establishments, and moving them from on-premises situations to the cloud.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable features of this solution are the value for money and flexibility.

What needs improvement?

In the next release, I would like to see better security.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been selling the latest version of Microsoft Azure for six months.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

On average, there are approximately 1000 users per site.

We plan to continue selling this solution.

How are customer service and technical support?

We have used technical support from Microsoft, although we do all of the technical support for our customers, ourselves.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

Before Microsoft Azure, we did not sell any other product.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is straightforward.

We do hundreds of deployments and each individual one is different.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The pricing model is subscription-based and it's not an expensive solution.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate Microsoft Azure a ten out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Hybrid Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Microsoft Azure

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Reseller