One of the big challenges of moving to cloud is that there’s so much new to learn. The new partnership between Microsoft Azure and VMware will make switching to cloud easier because you can continue to use the technology you use in your data center in the cloud. Azure VMware Solutions will allow you to move workloads to the Azure cloud and manage them with familiar VMware tools.

Benefits of Using VMware on Azure

By moving VMware workloads to the Azure cloud, you’ll be able to take advantage of both VMware and Azure capabilities. The benefits include:

• scalable, fast provisioning of VMware workloads in Azure
• integration with Azure services including Active Directory and Analytics
• low-cost Azure pricing on Windows Server and SQL Server
• familiar VMware tools including vSphere, vSAN, and vCenter

In addition, VMware Workspace ONE can be used to manage Office 365.

Overall, the partnership means you can natively run all your VMware workloads in the Azure cloud.

Use Cases for VMware in Azure

There’s more than one reason to consider switching to VMware in Azure. Possible uses cases include:

• Data center consolidation or retirement. If you don’t want to maintain an on-site data center any more, a “lift and shift” migration of VMware workloads to Azure offers a simple exit strategy.
• Data center growth. The cloud offers great options when you anticipate growing your infrastructure, too. With on demand access to resources, cloud allows you to expand your usage as your demand increases.
• Disaster recovery. Cloud provides a reliable, affordable disaster recovery strategy. Use VMware in Azure to simplify your recovery site deployment and recovery processes. 
• Application updates. If you’ve got systems that haven’t been refreshed in a while, using cloud gives you access to new technologies that let you affordably bring them up to date.
• Hybrid cloud. Through use of the same tools in your data center and Azure, building and supporting a hybrid cloud environment is greatly simplified.

Are you still hesitating to adopt cloud? The ability to easily use VMware in Microsoft Azure can alleviate your concerns and allow you to get cloud benefits while continuing to use familiar technology. The Prescient Solutions team is expert in both VMware and Microsoft Azure. Our cloud services help businesses in the Chicago area design, implement, and support clouds to meet their business needs. Contact us to learn how Prescient Solutions can help you leverage your preferred technologies, including VMware, to develop dynamic cloud infrastructure.