Private cloud offers an option for companies that don’t want their data in the public cloud or want to build a hybrid cloud and move data between clouds when needed. The Microsoft Azure Stack provides support that reduces the complexity of building a private cloud in your data center and simplifies integrating public and private clouds.

Azure in Your Data Center

Azure Stack is a private cloud solution from Microsoft, designed to extend the Azure cloud architecture to corporate data centers and enable private and hybrid clouds. The architecture offers the same look and feel as the public cloud and enables use of the same templates and management tools. Private cloud using Azure Stack allows companies to use cloud while overcoming these challenges that sometimes come with public cloud:

• Performance. Using Azure Stack gives you more control over network and server issues that can increase latency and reduce performance.
• Data sovereignty. Data protection laws require some data to remain within the country where it was created.
• Data security. While public cloud is highly secure, some companies prefer to keep data within their own premises.
• Remote locations. Remote locations that lack consistent internet connection can’t rely on access to the public cloud.

Azure Stack is a Hardware and Software Solution

With Azure Stack, you get a turnkey private cloud solution, not a software distribution to be installed on your own hardware. Microsoft and partners including Cisco, Dell, and HPE offer preconfigured integrated systems in different sizes designed to meet different users’ needs.  The Azure Stack provides and Active Directory domain on virtual machines running Windows Server 2016. The storage model provides resiliency and allows multiple nodes to be lost without loss of data.

The net result is that Azure Stack is a turnkey solution that you take as-is into your data center. There are limits to how much access you have to your Active Directory structures and to the type of monitoring software you can install. You do have to keep up with the monthly updates from Microsoft for your configuration to be supported.

Azure Stack Integrates With Azure Cloud

Part of the reason for needing to keep updated is to keep Azure Stack compatible with Azure Cloud, to support the hybrid cloud use case. While you can use Azure Stack with no internet connection, Azure Stack also supports an “as-a-Service” model where you pay for what you use just like in the Azure public cloud.

Any application deployed to the public Azure will also run on Azure Stack, simplifying hybrid cloud use. You can easily use the private cloud to gather data and process it at edge locations, then send data to the public cloud when you have connectivity. You can implement load balancing between public and private clouds without needing refactoring.

Because the administration model is the same, your operations team and developers can apply the same knowledge and expertise to effectively using both public and private instances. Security models also are easily applied across both environments.

Whether you use the public Microsoft Azure cloud or are ready to deploy Azure Stack and build a cloud in your data center, the Prescient Solutions IT consulting and managed services team is ready to help you achieve your goals. As a Microsoft Partner, we have extensive familiarity with all the Microsoft Solutions you need. Contact us to learn how we can help your Chicago or Schaumburg business leverage Microsoft Azure to support your business.