Azure Cloud Development Services

Why companies choose the Azure cloud

Microsoft Azure is a natural home for organisations already invested in Microsoft: identity through Entra ID (formerly Azure Active Directory), productivity in Microsoft 365, and applications built on .NET or SQL Server. Licensing benefits, enterprise agreements and existing skills often make Azure the most cost-effective cloud for these companies.

Azure also offers strong hybrid options for businesses that must keep some systems on-premise, and a growing set of AI services including Azure OpenAI for enterprise-grade access to large language models.

Problems we solve

• Applications still running on ageing Windows servers on-premise
• Separate logins for every internal app instead of single sign-on
• Rising Azure bills without clear ownership
• Manual deployments through the Azure portal
• Uncertainty about security configuration and compliance

What’s included

Foundations done right

Every Azure engagement starts with a solid landing zone: management groups and subscriptions organised by environment, Entra ID with conditional access and privileged identity management, networking with private endpoints where needed, Azure Policy guardrails, Defender for Cloud, and central logging in Log Analytics. Infrastructure is defined in Bicep or Terraform and deployed through Azure DevOps or GitHub Actions.

Controlling Azure costs

• Tagging and budgets by team and application
• Right-sizing App Service plans, VMs and databases
• Reservations and Azure Hybrid Benefit for existing Windows and SQL Server licences
• Auto-scaling and shutting down non-production environments out of hours
• Monthly cost reviews with clear recommendations

Choosing the right Azure compute service

We default to the most managed option that meets your requirements, because every layer you operate yourself adds patching, monitoring and on-call work.

Integrating with Microsoft 365 and Entra ID

For organisations already on Microsoft 365, Azure makes it straightforward to give employees single sign-on with their existing accounts, apply conditional access policies and connect applications to Teams, SharePoint and Outlook through Microsoft Graph. We design app registrations, permission scopes and admin consent carefully so applications receive only the access they need.

• Single sign-on and role-based access through Entra ID
• Managed identities so apps reach databases and Key Vault without stored passwords
• Teams bots, tabs and notifications for internal tools
• SharePoint and OneDrive document integration

Governance from the start

Azure Policy, management groups and consistent tagging prevent the common drift where resources appear in random regions with unknown owners. We set guardrails for allowed regions, required tags, encryption and public network access, and deliver everything as infrastructure as code.

A practical Azure landing zone

Microsoft’s Cloud Adoption Framework recommends a landing zone that organises subscriptions under management groups, applies Azure Policy centrally and connects networking through a hub. We implement a right-sized version: enough structure to stay secure and governed as you grow, without the overhead a large enterprise needs.

Choosing data services on Azure

Modernising .NET applications on Azure

1. Inventory1–2 weeks

   List applications, .NET Framework versions, dependencies, databases and Windows-specific features.

2. Quick wins

   Move suitable apps to App Service and SQL databases to Azure SQL Managed Instance with minimal changes.

3. Upgrade

   Port high-value apps from .NET Framework to modern .NET using Microsoft’s upgrade tooling and tests.

4. Containerise

   Run upgraded services on Azure Container Apps or AKS where scale or independence justifies it.

5. Retire

   Decommission servers and licences that are no longer needed.

More on this in .NET development and legacy modernization.

Common Azure pitfalls

• Everything in one subscription with broad Owner access
• Public endpoints on databases and storage that should be private
• No tagging, so costs cannot be traced to products or teams
• Over-sized App Service plans and VMs left running in non-production
• Secrets in configuration files instead of Azure Key Vault
• Diagnostic logs not enabled until after an incident

Questions to settle before starting

• Which Microsoft licences and agreements do you already hold, and do any include Azure credits?
• Which regions must data stay in?
• Is Entra ID already your identity provider for staff and partners?
• Who approves new resources and spend?
• What uptime and recovery targets does each application need?

Compare platforms in AWS development and Google Cloud development, or pair Azure with Dynamics 365.

Monitoring and operations on Azure

We send logs and metrics from every resource to Log Analytics, add Application Insights to applications for request tracing and failures, and create alerts that route to Teams or your on-call tool. Workbooks give operations and leadership a view of availability, performance and spend in one place. Defender for Cloud recommendations are reviewed regularly and tracked to closure rather than left as a long list of warnings.

• Availability tests for critical user journeys
• Action groups that notify the right people at the right severity
• Backup policies for VMs, databases and file shares with restore tests
• Monthly operational review covering incidents, security and cost

Azure engagements we run

Typical durations; your scope sets the actual plan.

Security checks for existing Azure environments

• Global administrators limited and protected with phishing-resistant MFA
• Privileged roles assigned just-in-time through PIM
• Storage accounts and databases reviewed for public network access
• Managed identities used instead of stored credentials
• Defender for Cloud secure score reviewed with an agreed improvement plan

Each review ends with a written summary of strengths, prioritised risks and a practical plan, so your team can act on it whether or not we help with the fixes.

Related services

Moving from on-premise or another cloud? See cloud migration. Building on .NET? See .NET development. Compare with AWS and Google Cloud.

This page is part of Cloud & DevOps Services — see the full overview for related services, approach and pricing.