MICROSOFT AZURE: THE STUDY OF CLOUD COMPUTING

AND IT’S SERVICES

Shubham Bhargava[1] Dnyaneshwari Dilip Parkhi[2]
Master of Computer Application Master of Computer Application
(FIRST YEAR), (FIRST YEAR),
SIMCA, Pune, India SIMCA, Pune, India
shubhambhargava89@gmail.com dnyaneshwariparkhi3@gmail.com

Dr. Ashwini Brahme[3]

Assistant Professor,
SIMCA, Pune, India
ashwinibrahme@sinhgad.edu

Abstract: - Cloud computing is the set of technologies
and infrastructure capabilities being offered in a
utility-based consumption model. Windows Azure is
Microsoft's Cloud Computing offering to help its
customers realize the benefits of cloud computing. This
paper is an introduction on Windows Azure and
provides insights into different aspects of Azure based
development especially for those who are interested in
adopting Windows Azure within their Enterprise IT
landscape. Windows® Azure™ platform App Fabric
provides common building blocks required by .NET
applications when extending their functionality to the
cloud, and specifically, the Windows Azure platform.
the end user. Those resources may include anything
from browser-based software applications (such as Tik
Tok or Netflix), third party data storage for photos and
other digital media (such as iCloud or Dropbox), or
third-party servers used to support the computing
infrastructure of a business, research, or personal
[2]
project . All we need to have a web browser like
chrome to use cloud computing. Following are the key
features of cloud computing:
I.I Resource Pooling and Elasticity
I.II Self-Service and On-Demand Services
I.III Pricing

I.IV Quality of Service

Keywords—Cloud Computing, SaaS, PaaS, IaaS,
Microsoft Azure
A. OVERVIEW OF CLOUD COMPUTING
Like real clouds which are the collection of
water molecules, the term ‘CLOUD’ in cloud
computing is the collection of networks. Cloud
Computing is the delivery of computing services such
as servers, storage, databases, networking, software,
[1]
analytics, intelligence, and more, over the Cloud
Cloud computing is the delivery of computing
resources as a service, meaning that the resources are
owned and managed by the cloud provider rather than
There are three services provided by cloud
computing that are Software as a Service (SaaS),
Platform as a Service (PaaS) and Infrastructure as a
Service (IaaS) [4]
. The basic examples of cloud
computing which are used by general people in daily
life are Facebook, YouTube, Dropbox, and Gmail etc.
It offers scalability, flexibility, agility, and simplicity
. that's why its use is rapidly increasing in the
enterprises [3]
. One prominent example of clod
computing is Office 365 which allows users to store,

1|Page
access, and edit their MS Office documents online
without installing the actual program on their device.
Fig 1 Network of Cloud
B. EVOLUTION OF CLOUD COMPUTING
The cloud has actually been in the making since the
50s. Here’s your one-stop timeline for the evolution of
Cloud Computing and the major milestones it’s
managed to reach. In 1950 main frame computing is
there which allow multiple users to access a central
computer through access points or terminals. In 1969
“The Advance Research Project Agency” developed
ARPANET, which is initially designed as
communication and compute resource sharing tool,
between the science departments of four institutions
[5]
. In 1999, the Salesforce Company started
distributing the applications to the customers through
[6]
a convenient website . Web 2.0 was started in 2003
and they were providing rich multimedia and user
generated contents. Amazon Web Services were
started by Amazon in 2006 and they were providing
the services of storage and computation [5]
. Cloud
become reality during 2009 and 2010 big companies
like Google, Microsoft, HP, Oracle had started to
provide cloud computing services. Nowadays each
and every person is using the services of cloud
computing in their daily life. For Examples Google
Photos, Google Drive, and iCloud etc. In future cloud
computing will become the basic need of IT Industries
[3]
.
Fig. 2 Evolution of Cloud Computing
C. COMPONENTS OF CLOUD COMPUTING
Cloud computing components correspond to platforms
such as front end, back end, and cloud dependent
delivery and the utilized network [7]
. So, a framework
a of cloud computing is broadly categorized as follows-
I. Client Computers: Client in Cloud Computing is
generally Local Area Networks (LAN’s). They
are just the desktops which have place. These
might be also in the form of Laptops, Mobile, and
[7]
Tablets . Clients have the responsibility which
pushes data on cloud servers.
II. Distributed Servers: The servers are distributed
among the different places but acts like they are
so close to each other.
2|Page
III. Data Centres: Data centres are the compilation of management capacity of the applications. For
servers. The process of managing dozens of example, LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL, and
virtual servers on multiple physical servers. PHP), J2EE, Ruby etc.

III. Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): Many

computing resources are provided by the IaaS in
the form of storage, network, operating system,
hardware, and storage devices on demand. IaaS
users can access the services using a wide area
[8]
network, such as the internet . For example, a
user can create virtual machines by login to the
IaaS platform.

Fig. 3 Components of Cloud Computing

D. SERVICES OF CLOUD COMPUTING

I. Software as a Service (SaaS): The way of
carrying application as a service on the internet is
known as software as a service. In place of
installing the software on his computer, the user
[8]
can simply access it via the internet . It makes
the user free from managing the complex Fig. 4 Cloud Computing Services
software and hardware. The SaaS users do not
E. TYPES OF CLOUD COMPUTING
need to buy software or hardware, maintain, and
update. The only thing user must have an internet 1. Public Cloud: The public cloud is a computing
connection and then access to the application is service supplied by the third-party providers atop
[9]
very easy. Example, Microsoft Office 365, the public internet . These services are available
Google Apps etc. for any user who wants to use them and they have
to pay only for the services they consumed.
II. Platform as a Service (PaaS): A development
environment or platform is given to the 2. Private Cloud: The computing services provided
consumers as a service in PaaS, upon which user over the internet or private network come under
can deploy their own software and coding. The the private cloud and these services are offered
customer has the liberty to construct his own only to the selected users in place of common
[9]
applications that can run on the provider's people . A higher security and privacy are
infrastructure [8]
. Product as a service provider delegated by private clouds through the firewall
offers a predefined composition of operating and internal hosting.
system and application server to obtain the

3|Page
3. Hybrid Cloud: Hybrid cloud is the combination G. MICROSOFT AZURE
of public cloud and private cloud. In the hybrid Azure was announced in October 2008 and released
cloud, each cloud can be managed independently on 1st of February 2010 as Windows Azure. In 2014
but data and applications can be shared among the being renamed to Microsoft Azure. Microsoft Azure is
[9]
clouds in the hybrid cloud . an open and flexible cloud platform that enables you
to quickly build, deploy, and manage the application
F. BENEFITS OF CLOUD COMPUTING
across the global network of Microsoft-Based Data
1. Cost Saving: In cloud computing users have to
centre’s. you can build application using language,
only pay for the services they consumed.
tools or framework and you can also integrate your
Maintenance cost is low as user do not need to
public cloud applications.
[2]
purchase the infrastructure .
Microsoft Azure is a cloud platform which means you
2. Flexibility: Cloud computing is scalable. The
can use it for running business applications, services,
rapid scale up and down in the operations of your [16]
and workload in the cloud . Some keywords of
business may require quick adjustment of
Microsoft Azure are:
hardware and resources so in order to manage this
1. Open
variations cloud computing provides flexibility.
2. Flexible
3. Enhanced Security: Cloud computing provide
high security by using the data encryption, strong 3. Compatible
access controls, key management, and security 4. Microsoft-manage
intelligence.

Fig. 5. Microsoft Azure Cloud Services

4|Page
 H. SERVICES OF MICROSOFT AZURE 2. Network Services

Microsoft Azure provide business in four basic 3. Data Services

categories of Cloud-Based services:
4. App Services
1. Compute Services
5. Developer Services

Fig. 6. Services of Microsoft Services

I. DATACENTRES OF MICROSOFT AZURE 5. US Gov Virginia

6. North Central US
When we talk about Cloud, we imagine a place 7. South Central US
with large number of machines in big rooms where we 8. West US
9. North Europe
can store all the data. Microsoft has Data centre’s all 10. West Europe
over the world where Azure Services are Managed [13]. 11. East Asia
Data centre’s are divided in regions which are as 12. Southeast Asia
13. Japan East
follows: 14. Japan West
15. Brazil South
1. Central US 16. Australia East
2. East US 17. Australia Southeast
3. East US 2 18. Central India
4. US Gov Lowa 19. South India

5|Page
 Fig. 7 Data centre’s of Microsoft Azure
J. ADVANTAGE OF MICROSOFT AZURE
1. Security: Microsoft has the most powerful and
advanced security technology in the industry so 3.
you can be confident your data is safely
protected. Your Azure environment is
safeguarded with tools like Threat Intelligence,
Advanced Threat Analytics, Azure Information
[14]
Protection, and Multi-Factor Authorization . percent up time. That amounts to less than five
These technologies help you analyse threats in
real time, identify and react to suspicious user and
device activity on your network, and provide the
highest levels of access security.
2. Privacy: Microsoft provides in depth information
on how they will handle your data. You know 4.
how they will manage your data, where it is
geographically located, and who has access and
on what terms. Microsoft will not disclose your
customer data hosted on Azure to a governments
or law enforcement except as you direct or where
[14]
required by law . Only a tiny fraction of a
percent of customer data has ever been subject to
a government request related to criminal law or
national security.
High Availability and Scalability: Azure
provides high availability and redundancy because
of Microsoft’s vast global footprint. With data
centres located in all parts of the world, Azure can
offer service level agreements guaranteeing 99.95
[14]
hours of downtime per year . Like most cloud
services, Azure can scale up or down to meet the
volatile needs of your business. Azure makes it
easy to change the level of computing power
needed with a simple mouse click.
Cost Effectiveness: Azure offers a pay-as-you go
payment plan that allows businesses to have better
control over their IT budgets since they purchase
only what they need. Using Azure to take
advantage of SaaS applications also reduces the
costs of infrastructure, maintenance, and
management of your IT environment [14].

6|Page
 K. LITERATURE REVIEW Applications: A Survey” In this article, Cloud

1. M.Rajendra Prasad, R. Lakshman Naik, computing is the development of parallel

computing, distributed computing, grid computing
V.Bapuji – “Cloud Computing: Research
and virtualization technologies which define the
Issues and Implications” In this paper, Cloud
shape of a new era. Cloud computing is an
computing is Internet-based computing, whereby
emerging model of business computing. In this
shared information, resources, and software, are
paper, we explore the concept of cloud
provided to terminals and portable devices on-
architecture and compares cloud computing with
demand, like the energy grid. Cloud computing is
grid computing. We also address the
the product of the combination of grid computing,
characteristics and applications of several popular
distributed computing, parallel computing, and
cloud computing platforms. In this paper, we aim
ubiquitous computing. It aims to build and
to pinpoint the challenges and issues of cloud
forecast sophisticated service environment with
computing. We identified several challenges from
powerful computing capabilities through an array
the cloud computing adoption perspective and we
of relatively low-cost computing entity, and using
also highlighted the cloud interoperability issue
the advanced deployment models like SaaS
that deserves substantial further research and
(Software as a Service), PaaS (Platform as a
development. However, security and privacy
Service), IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service),HaaS
issues present a strong barrier for users to adapt
(Hardware as a Service) to distribute the powerful
into cloud computing systems.
computing capacity to end-users.
4. Miss Shakeeba S. Khan – “Security in
2. Priyanshu Srivastava, Rizwan Khan – “A
Cloud Computing using Cryptographic
Review Paper on Cloud Computing” In this
Algorithms” In this paper, Cloud Computing is
article, Today is the era of Cloud Computing
a set of IT Services, for example network,
Technology in IT Industries. Cloud computing
software system, storage, hardware, software, and
which is based on Internet has the most powerful
resources and these services are provided to a
architecture of computation. It reckons in of a
customer over a network. The IT services of
compilation of integrated and networked
Cloud Computing are delivered by cloud service
hardware, software and internet infrastructure. It
provider who owns the infrastructure. Benefits of
has various avails atop grid computing and other
cloud storage are easy access means access to
computing. In this paper, I have given a brief of
your knowledge anytime along with scalability,
evaluation of cloud computing by reviewing more
resilience, cost efficiency, and high reliability of
than 30 articles on cloud computing. The outcome
the database. Because of these advantages and
of this review signalizes the face of the IT
facilities each and every organization or company
industry’s before and after the cloud computing.
is moving its data to the cloud, means it uses the
3. Santosh Kumar and R. H. Goudar –
storage service provided by the cloud provider. So
“Cloud Computing – Research Issues,
there is a need to protect that data against
Challenges, Architecture, Platforms and

7|Page
 unauthorized access, modification or denial of that there is major impact of cloud computing on
services etc. To secure the Cloud means secure society and business.
databases hosted by the Cloud provider.
M. REFRENCES
5. Pratiksha P. Nikam, Ranjeetsingh S. 1. https://azure.microsoft.com/en-in/overview/what-
Suryawanshi – “Microsoft Windows is-cloud-computing/#cloud-deployment-types

Azure: Developing Applications for Highly 2. www.javatpoint.com/introduction-to-cloud-

computing
Available Storage of Cloud Service” In this
3. www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/a-
paper, Cloud Computing is storing of data and
general-introduction-to-cloud-computing
application on remote servers and accessing them
4. www.researchgate.net/publication/326073288_A
via internet rather than installing and saving them
_Review_Paper_on_Cloud_Computing
on your personal computers. As more publicly
5. www.slideshare.net/Ilyasmalik418/seminar-
available scientific data sets become available,
report-on-microsoft-azure-92418144
growing volume of this data has made it
6. www.synextra.co.uk/evolution-cloud-computing/
impractical to move data to desktop for analysis.
7. www.salesforce.com/in/
These issues require a new computing paradigm-
8. https://www.elprocus.com/cloud-computing-
Cloud Computing. In recent years, advancement
technology/
in cloud computing assure us to remove these
9. https://aisel.aisnet.org/cais/vol31/iss1/2/ Yang,
barriers. Microsoft has huge contribution in the
H., Tate, M.: A Descriptive Literature Review
development of data centers for public cloud
and Classification of Cloud Computing Research.
infrastructure, known as Microsoft Windows
Commun. Assoc. Inf. Syst. 31 (2012)/.
Azure, which serves the needs of scientific
10. Marston, S., Li, Z., Bandyopadhyay, S., Zhang,
community. Microsoft Azure provides a variety of
J., Ghalsasi, A.: Cloud computing — The
cloud service which enables you to select right
Business Perspective. Decis. Support Syst. 51,
combination that meet your needs from setting up
176–189 (2011).
a community website to document and discuss
11. https://medium.com/gangboard/microsoft-azure-
research findings to perform complex data
cloud-services-e18b29649304
analysis in scalable environment.
12. https://victorops.com/blog/microsoft-azure-
L. CONCLUSION
services-overview
In this we described the introduction, evolution, 13. https://medium.com/@mbellinaso/microsoft-
types and components of Microsoft Azure: Cloud azure-services-overview-and-notes-cfb30b95d8e
Computing and also different approaches of cloud 14. https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/global-
computing and some of its advantages. The infrastructure/geographies/#overview
application area of cloud computing will continuously 15. https://www.dyntek.com/blog/4-key-advantages-
be increasing. Today approximately all small and big of-microsofts-azure-cloud
industries are using cloud computing to manage 16. https://azure.microsoft.com/en-in/overview/what-
storage, traffic, hardware requirements. So, it is clear is-azure/

8|Page