Azure is Microsoft's cloud platform and the world's number two after AWS. It's especially strong at integrating with existing Microsoft infrastructure (Active Directory, Windows Server, SQL Server, Office 365). This is the number-one reason enterprise customers move from AWS to Azure.
01. Main Service Categories
The most widely used Azure services:
- Virtual Machines (classic VM)
- App Service (managed web app)
- Azure SQL, Cosmos DB (database)
- Azure Functions (serverless)
- Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)
- Storage (Blob, Files, Disk)
- Entra ID (Azure AD)
02. Hybrid Cloud Strength
Azure's strongest card is hybrid. With tools like Azure Stack and Azure Arc, it bridges the way for large enterprises with on-premise infrastructure to move to the cloud gradually.
03. Entra ID: Enterprise Identity
Azure Active Directory (now called Entra ID) is the identity backbone of the Microsoft world. M365, Azure and thousands of SaaS applications integrate with Entra ID.
04. AWS Comparison
The main differences:
- Large enterprise: Azure is usually advantageous (integrated with M365)
- Startup, web-native: AWS takes priority
- Support in Turkey: Azure has a more widespread Microsoft partner network
- Price: close, with Azure 10-20% cheaper in some scenarios
05. Turkey Region
Azure doesn't have a data center in Istanbul yet, but an opening is expected in 2026. The nearest regions right now are the UAE, Italy and Germany. Access from Turkey is usually via Amsterdam or Italy.