How to Overcome 3 Key Azure Challenges to Optimize Your ROI

In an era of technological advancement as never seen before, Microsoft Azure continues to be a powerhouse, offering a comprehensive platform and suite of tools designed to help you drive innovation and business growth. Understanding and deploying the right solutions to effectively manage its complexities, security upkeep and cost optimization, however, is another story.

Only 44% of organizations adopt the latest cloud products as soon as they are available. The truth is that many organizations simply don’t employ the in-house talent and expertise needed to navigate these capabilities, leaving the full potential of Azure's scalability, flexibility and cost-efficiency untapped.

Azure offers unparalleled opportunities for businesses, but it also presents some unsuspecting hurdles. Let’s discuss some of these hurdles and how to leap over them.

• Unexpected expenses: Do you find your costs could be more manageable due to unmonitored resource use and inefficiencies?
• Budgeting and forecasting: Does accurately predicting and managing your cloud expenditures seem impossible, especially when scaling resources?

It’s no secret that managing cloud costs is a widespread concern among businesses. Over half of enterprises are struggling to see cloud ROI according to a recent survey. Azure offers a flexible pricing structure as one means of mitigating spiraling cloud costs. Still, even their flexible pricing can sometimes lead to unexpected expenses and budgeting challenges.

Aligning your cloud expenditure with your strategic goals is key to helping you avoid unnecessary costs and optimizing your budget. A robust cloud-native cost management platform such as CDW’s Inscape can help you monitor your Azure usage to identify cost-saving opportunities and prevent overspending. These tools provide real-time insights into your cloud expenditure, allowing you to make informed decisions, adjust your strategies as needed and scale environments to meet demand efficiently.

• Ongoing training needs: Does keeping your team updated with the latest Azure advancements feel like a continuous effort that requires significant time and resources?
• Staffing qualified expertise: Is it difficult to find the right expertise you can trust on budget?

Finding and maintaining skilled cloud professionals is a significant challenge for many organizations. In a survey this year, HashiCorp revealed that 64% of organizations still lack the staff expertise they need to support their cloud infrastructure strategy comprehensively. 

Managing any cloud environment can be fraught with complexity, especially when it comes to integrating it seamlessly with existing IT infrastructures. Azure's diverse set of services and configurations in particular are enough to overwhelm IT staff, making it challenging to effectively manage and deploy resources. This complexity not only demands a steep learning curve but also diverts valuable time and resources away from core business activities, ultimately impacting overall productivity.

A comprehensive solution to the challenges of managing your Azure environment cannot be achieved without consistent, reliable expertise. This is why many organizations partner with experts such as CDW who can provide a dedicated team of Azure-certified cloud experts to help you create a cohesive strategy that eliminates operational silos, enhances efficiency and allows your IT team to focus on their core functions without getting bogged down by technical hurdles.

Leveraging the help of experts also means you don’t have to hire and retain in-house Azure experts, ensuring you get the most out of your Azure environment with cost efficiency.

• Data protection: Are you worried about safeguarding sensitive information from breaches and unauthorized access? Data security is a top organizational priority, and Azure's vast ecosystem requires diligent oversight.
• Compliance requirements: Are you finding it complex to meet industry-specific compliance standards and regulations? Navigating the regulatory landscape can be daunting, mainly when operating in highly regulated industries.
• Artificial intelligence (AI) vulnerabilities: Are you concerned about the potential loss of intellectual property due to vulnerabilities in AI systems?

Security is always a priority in the cloud. With the increasing sophistication of cyber threats, ensuring robust security protocols and compliance across the cloud environment becomes paramount. Businesses often face difficulties in identifying vulnerabilities and establishing the necessary security measures to protect sensitive data and applications.

Operating in the cloud necessitates robust security measures to protect your IT infrastructure, systems, and data from current and emerging cyber threats including malware, hacking and data breaches.

As AI continues to proliferate, unique security challenges and vulnerabilities are also developing. According to Splunk’s 2024 State of Security report, 91% of security teams use generative AI, but 65% say they don’t fully understand the implications. There’s still quite a learning curve.

Add to this that organizations must ensure their security measures are not only consistent but also adaptable to continually evolving compliance standards and regulations. The risks of non-compliance, including financial penalties and reputational damage, further underscore the critical need for robust compliance strategies.

Working with cloud security experts such as CDW can provide much relief for these pain points. For example, CDW’s managed services for Azure include built-in, robust security features like advanced threat detection, real-time monitoring and incident response to ensure your environment remains secure. 

Maximizing your Azure environment requires a strategic approach that leverages expert guidance and comprehensive support. By tapping into the expertise of Azure-certified professionals, businesses can optimize both performance and cost-efficiency, ensuring that their cloud resources are used to their fullest potential. Experienced professionals can navigate complex configurations and implement best practices, helping you streamline operations and enhance productivity, while ensuring robust security and compliance.

This is where partnering with experts such as CDW can make all the difference. CDW is a certified Azure Expert Managed Service Provider (MSP) — a designation given only to Microsoft’s most capable partners. Experts like these can help you navigate the breadth and depth of Azure capabilities, from virtual machines and databases to AI and IoT, while helping you overcome the challenges of cost optimization, talent acquisition and cloud security. Get the most out of your cloud so you can focus on driving your business forward.