Ask us about the most advantageous Microsoft solutions offer for you.
We will call you back and help choose the right service
Contact Us:
[email protected]
Uninterrupted access to virtual machines, services and applications from anywhere in the world
Use the potential of cloud computing in your business!
‹
›
What are the cases for using Cloud Services?
Discover the incredible potential of Azure solutions for your business!
Scalable computing power on demand
Don't limit yourself with hardware. Launch Linux or Windows servers in seconds, matching computing power perfectly to your needs. From economical machines for testing to powerful workstations with GPUs and supercomputers for HPC calculations. Pay for seconds of operation, not for physical "boxes."
How will Virtual Machines revolutionize work in your company?
The ideal solution for machines that need to run 24/7 (e.g., databases, production servers).
- How does it work? You commit to using a specific type of virtual machine in a designated region for 1 year or 3 years.
- Benefit: You receive a significant discount of up to 72% compared to on-demand pricing. You can pay for the reservation upfront or in monthly installments with no interest.
Do you already have Windows Server or SQL Server licenses with active Software Assurance (SA) purchased in an on-premise model? Don't pay for them again in the cloud!
- Benefit: Move your licenses to Azure and only pay for the infrastructure (the so-called base compute rate). This allows you to save up to 40% on virtual machine costs.
Utilize the excess, idle computing power in Microsoft data centers.
- Use cases: Batch processing, rendering, testing environments, CI/CD – anywhere work can be paused for a moment.
- Benefit: Discounts of up to 90%.
Check the differences between the types of virtual machines:
| Category | Series | Characteristics and Applications |
|---|---|---|
| Basic (Entry Level) | Series A, B | Economical and Burstable. Ideal for small web servers, testing environments, code repositories, and applications that do not heavily load the CPU most of the time but occasionally require a "boost" in performance (Series B). |
| General Purpose (Enterprise) | Series D | Corporate standard. A balanced ratio of CPU to RAM. This is the "workhorse" of Azure cloud. Dedicated for CRM/ERP systems, application servers, medium databases, and most production workloads. |
| Compute Optimized | Series F | High computing power. For tasks requiring a fast processor. Used in game servers, batch processing, high-traffic web servers, and analytics. |
| Compute Optimized | Series E, M | Large amount of RAM. Designed for large databases (SQL Server, Oracle, SAP HANA) and in-memory processing systems, where memory capacity is the bottleneck. |
| Storage & GPU | Series L, N | Special tasks. Series L: Optimized for storage (Big Data, NoSQL, Data Warehousing). Series N: Equipped with NVIDIA graphics cards for visualization, video editing, and machine learning (AI/ML). |
Azure Backup
Azure Backup is a cost-effective and secure backup solution. With a single click, you can create, manage and size backups of your storage, including these services: Azure Virtual Machines, SQL/SAP databases and Azure platform files.
What does Azure Backup mean for your business?
Development
It is a chance for stable business development and greater security of company resources.
Cost savings
Lowering logistics costs connected with creating backup copies outside your office.
Security
Continuity of work
It provides the highest data security status by implementing the golden rule of 3-2-1 backup (more on this in the FAQ).
How works Microsoft Azure Backup?
Protects your data always - 24/7, and everywhere - on servers, on hosts, in the cloud, all your applications and Azure Virtual Machines. Microsoft Azure Backup provides unlimited data transfer, and resources are stored for up to 99 years. Three copies of data are stored in one Data Center, with an additional one in a remote location. Data is encrypted before leaving the Client's Data Center and is stored in that form on the Azure platform. There is an option to integrate with System Center Data Protection Manager for advanced protection. With the Soft Delete feature, even if a hacker deletes your backups, we keep them for an additional 14 days, giving you time to recover.
Microsoft Azure Backup can be used in both on-premises cloud (files, folders, local virtual machines) and hybrid cloud environments, including Azure virtual machines, Azure Storage, Azure Files, SQL Server VM, SAP HANA database, Azure Database for PostgreSQL, and Blobs. The solution allows for the backup of growing data as well as backups of IaaS virtual machines.
A short data recovery time after a failure allows for a quick return of the company to smooth operation. There is the possibility of detailed data restoration - to a mailbox or recovering an SQL database. Configuration and scalability are extremely simple, and backups are optimized and can be easily restored if needed. There is the option to obtain application-consistent copies, meaning that the recovery point has all the data required to restore the backup. Restoring application-consistent data shortens the entire process time, allowing for a quick return to a working state.
Microsoft Azure Backup provides automated storage management capabilities. Hybrid environments often require storage that is partially on-premises and partially in the cloud. The Azure Backup service automatically allocates capacity and manages backup storage, with users only paying for actual storage consumption. Azure Backup offers three types of replication: LRS (Locally Redundant Storage - economical), ZRS (Zone-Redundant Storage - high availability within a region), and GRS (Geo-Redundant Storage - disaster protection to ensure optimal storage availability). Locally Redundant Storage (LRS) is an economical option for protecting data against local hardware failures. Geo-Redundant Storage (GRS) is the default setting and the recommended replication option. More on this in the FAQ.
Azure Storage
Azure Storage is a cloud service that provides high availability storage space that is secure, sustainable, scalable, and redundant. Regardless of the content stored (images, audio, video, logs, configuration files, etc.) it allows easy access to the stored data.
Why is Azure Storage the perfect solution for your business?
Reliability
We guarantee the security of your data through automatic replication. Each file is saved in a minimum of 3 copies within the data center, which protects against hardware failures.
Security
All data is automatically encrypted. The service integrates with Microsoft Defender for Storage, scanning files for malware in real-time.
Scalability
Quick and easy expansion of warehouse space
Friendly management
The Azure platform handles hardware maintenance, updates, and critical issues for you.
Availability
Data in Azure Storage is accessible from anywhere in the world via protocols such as HTTP or HTTPS.
Flexible price
Pay only for the space you use. Lower your bills by automatically moving rarely used data to cheaper tiers (Cool/Archive) using Lifecycle Management policies.
Check out what storage services are available in Azure Storage!
An optimized solution for storing vast amounts of unstructured data. Ideal for:
- Multimedia files (video, audio, images) for web applications.
- Document archiving and backups.
- Data Lake Storage Gen2: The foundation for Big Data analytics and artificial intelligence (AI).
- Cost optimization through access tiers: Hot, Cool, and Archive.
Fully managed cloud file shares. Accessible via standard SMB (Windows) and NFS (Linux) protocols.
- Azure File Sync: Sync files between your on-premises server and the cloud while maintaining local performance.
- Active Directory: Manage file permissions using the same identities as in your corporate domain.
- Replace old file servers without rewriting applications.
Enterprise-class virtual hard disks for virtual machines. Designed for performance and durability of 99.999%. Available options:
- Ultra Disk: Highest performance for databases (SAP HANA, SQL).
- Premium SSD v2: Latest generation with the best price-to-performance ratio.
- Premium SSD / Standard SSD: For typical production workloads.
- Standard HDD: Economical disks for testing and backup.
Azure Queue service is used to store large amounts of messages. Queue messages can be up to 64 KB in size, and a single queue can contain millions of messages. Queues are typically used to store lists of messages that need to be processed asynchronously.
Non-relational NoSQL database (key-value). An exceptionally cheap and fast solution for storing vast amounts of structured data that do not require complex SQL relationships, such as application logs, IoT sensor data, or address books.
Modern Databases for Your Business
Data is the most valuable asset of your company. Microsoft Azure offers a database environment that is not only secure and scalable but also intelligent. From migrating legacy SQL Server systems "one-to-one" to building modern cloud-native applications with AI support – we will help you choose the engine perfectly suited to your business needs and budget.
More about Azure SQL Database
This is a fully managed service, ideal for building modern, native cloud applications. Microsoft takes responsibility for maintaining the infrastructure, updates, backups, and high availability (99.99%). You focus solely on application development, while Azure takes care of scalability and reliability.
A service designed for migrating existing databases from on-premises servers to the cloud (lift-and-shift strategy). It offers nearly 100% compatibility with the local SQL Server, allowing for the transfer of applications with minimal changes. You gain the benefits of a fully managed PaaS service while maintaining full compatibility.
This solution is for companies that need full control at the operating system and database engine level. Ideal for specific scenarios that require access to configuration at the virtual machine level, such as in testing and development processes.
A globally distributed NoSQL database designed for applications requiring extremely low latency (below 10 ms) and global scalability. It guarantees 99.999% availability through multi-region replication. Ideal for gaming, e-commerce, IoT, and any scenario where data must be instantly accessible regardless of user location.
Comparison of Azure Database Services
| Feature | Azure SQL Database | Azure SQL Managed Instance | SQL Server on Azure VMs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Model | PaaS (Platform-as-a-Service) | PaaS (Platform-as-a-Service) | IaaS (Infrastructure-as-a-Service) |
| Management level | Fully managed by Microsoft | Fully managed by Microsoft | Fully managed by the client |
| Typical application | New cloud applications | Migration of large, local databases | Full control at the operating system level |
| Key benefits | Low administrative costs | Almost 100% compatibility with the local SQL Server | Bring Your Own License (BYOL) |
AI Services in Azure: Your Advantage in the Age of Artificial Intelligence
From ready-made GPT-4o models to advanced machine learning – Azure is the most comprehensive and secure platform for deploying AI in business. Build your own "Corporate Copilot," automate document processes, and analyze data with full enterprise-grade security assurance. Your data remains yours – Microsoft does not use it to train public models.
More about Azure AI
In a world where technology changes day by day, you need a single, cohesive environment to work in. Azure AI Foundry is a unified platform that combines the best language models (Microsoft, OpenAI, Meta, Mistral), prompt engineering tools, and content safety systems.
- Model Catalog: Choose from hundreds of models (including GPT-4o, Llama, Mistral) available "on demand" in a Model-as-a-Service format.
- Prompt Flow: Visually design, test, and deploy intelligent applications.
- Safety: Built-in filters (Content Safety) automatically block harmful content before it reaches your customers.
Platform for Data Science professionals. A comprehensive MLOps environment for building, training, and managing your own predictive models.
- Key applications: Sales forecasting, anomaly detection on the production line, advanced analytics.
Create your own ChatGPT solutions on private data. Access the world's most powerful language models: GPT-4o, o1-preview, and DALL-E 3 in a secure cloud environment.
- Key use case: Building a "Corporate Copilot" – an assistant that knows your documents and procedures (RAG) but does not share them externally.
Add senses to your applications (Vision, Speech, Language). A set of ready-to-use APIs that enable applications to "see," "hear," and "understand" user intentions without the need to hire a Data Science team.
- Key use cases: Meeting transcription, real-time translation, text recognition from documents (OCR).
Overview of key Azure AI services with business applications
| Business need | Recommended service | Why? |
|---|---|---|
| Rapid application development with GenAI using various models (OpenAI, Meta). | Azure AI Foundry | One environment to manage the entire lifecycle of AI applications – from prototype to deployment and security. |
| "Chat with documents" – an assistant answering questions from company PDF files. | Azure OpenAI + AI Search | Allows you to implement RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) architecture in a few days without training a model. |
| Automatic invoice reading and data entry into ERP. | Azure AI Document Intelligence | A ready AI model trained specifically to understand forms, tables, and documents. |
| Machine failure forecasting based on historical data. | Azure Machine Learning | Full control over algorithms and the training process for dedicated analytical problems. |
Azure Arc & Hybrid Management - Your command center for hybrid infrastructure
Azure Arc is a technology that "extends" the Azure control panel (Azure Resource Manager) to your on-premises infrastructure. This allows resources that are physically located outside of the Microsoft cloud to be visible and manageable in the Azure portal just like native cloud resources.
How does it work technically?
You don't need a VPN or complicated tunnels. Just install a lightweight agent (Azure Connected Machine agent) on your server (Windows/Linux) or Kubernetes cluster. The agent communicates with Azure over a secure, encrypted outbound channel (HTTPS), transmitting only metadata about the system's status.
What you can connect to Azure Arc:
Servers (physical and virtual)
Manage Windows Server and Linux (Ubuntu, RHEL, SUSE) systems running on VMware, Hyper-V, Nutanix, or other clouds (AWS, GCP).
Kubernetes Clusters
Connect and configure any Kubernetes cluster (e.g., OpenShift, Tanzu) from Azure. Deploy applications using GitOps at scale.
SQL Server
Manage SQL Server instances running on-premises or in other clouds directly from the Azure portal. Gain access to automated compliance assessments (Best Practices Assessment), a flexible Pay-as-you-go licensing model, and Extended Security Updates for older versions – without the need to migrate to the cloud.
A. Windows Server 2025 through Azure Arc
No more buying licenses in advance. With Azure Arc, you can enable pay-as-you-go billing for Windows Server on your physical and virtual machines.
Pay only for usage
Ideal for testing, development, or temporary environments (e.g., Disaster Recovery). If you turn off the server, you don't pay for the license.
Always the latest version
Access to Windows Server 2025 without the need to purchase new perpetual keys.
Hotpatching
Exclusively for Windows Server 2025 with Azure Arc. The system downloads and installs critical security patches in RAM, eliminating the need for monthly server restarts.
B. SQL Server enabled by Azure Arc
Manage SQL Server Standard and Enterprise database costs flexibly.
Hourly Model (PAYG)
Run powerful Enterprise editing for 3 days a month (e.g., until the end of the accounting month) and pay only for 72 hours of work, instead of purchasing a license for hundreds of thousands of zlotys.
Unlimited Virtualization
(Unlimited Virtualization) By using the PAYG model for SQL Server Enterprise at the physical host level, you can run any number of SQL virtual machines on it without additional charges.
Free Audit
Azure Arc automatically scans your SQL databases and generates compliance reports with Microsoft best practices – for free.
Key applications
Do you have hundreds of servers distributed across your company's branches? With Azure Arc, they all appear in a single view in the Azure portal. You can tag them (e.g., "Branch: Krakow," "Owner: IT"), group them, and search through them in seconds, regardless of their physical location.
Do you want to ensure that a specific security certificate is installed on every server in the company or that the USB port is blocked? With Azure Policy, you can enforce configuration compliance across all machines connected to Arc with a single click – and automatically remediate those that do not meet the requirements.
Secure on-premise servers as effectively as the cloud. Azure Arc allows you to deploy Microsoft Defender for Servers on local machines. You gain:
- Vulnerability Scanning.
- Real-time attack detection (EDR).
- Alerts for suspicious logins.
Costs
Many customers ask about hidden costs. Here is a transparent fee structure:
1. Control Plane Layer – FREE
- Connecting servers to Azure Arc.
- Inventory of resources, tagging, grouping.
- Using extensions for management.
- SQL Server Best Practices Assessment.
- Price: 0 € / month.
2. Additional Services – Paid
You only pay when you enable specific features on the connected servers:
- PAYG Licenses: Hourly rate for Windows Server or SQL Server core.
- Security: Microsoft Defender for Cloud (per server/month).
- Extended Security Updates (ESU): Monthly support subscription for older systems (e.g., Windows 2012).
- Azure Policy: Charged only for advanced guest policies (Guest Configuration).
Security and Business Continuity
Azure Cloud is not just servers. It is an ecosystem of tools that protect your business from cyberattacks and ensure operational continuity even in the face of disaster. Discover the advanced solutions that set Microsoft Azure apart.
Microsoft Sentinel
A unique solution that offers a range of benefits for businesses
Microsoft Sentinel is a native, cloud-based solution for SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) and SOAR (Security Orchestration Automated Response) that provides comprehensive visibility and control over threats across the entire IT infrastructure. Sentinel integrates data from various sources – from on-premises environments to multi-cloud platforms (Azure, AWS, GCP) – using built-in artificial intelligence for rapid threat detection and investigation. With Sentinel, you gain a complete view of security, enabling your teams to respond to attacks more quickly and accurately.
Want to learn more? Get in touch with us!
Application Security and Protection
Multi-layered protection for your website and applications
In today's world, website security is more than just basic protection. To effectively fend off attacks, a multi-layered strategy is required. Microsoft Azure provides built-in, intelligent security services that help protect data, applications, and the entire infrastructure.
Azure Web Application Firewall (WAF): A built-in firewall mechanism in Azure that actively protects your web applications from common attacks (e.g., SQL injection, cross-site scripting). WAF automatically cleanses input data, safeguarding the application without the need to modify backend code. It can be configured in detection or prevention (blocking attacks) mode.
Comprehensive Security with Microsoft Defender for Cloud: This is a unified platform that provides advanced threat protection for all cloud and hybrid environment resources. The service offers analysis, monitoring, and vulnerability detection, enabling rapid response to cyber threats.
Want to learn more? Get in touch with us!
Business continuity and disaster recovery
Ensure security and business continuity with Azure Site Recovery.
The Azure Site Recovery service minimizes the risk and losses resulting from unforeseen events, ensuring no data loss and quick recovery of environments (within minutes) after a failure. The system provides high availability by automatically switching to another region in the event of a failure, allowing for uninterrupted operation (e.g., e-commerce avoids sales losses). This service guarantees business continuity, as maintenance does not impact workload.
Benefits:
- Cost Reduction: Pay only for the resources you use (pay-as-you-go), saving up to 80% compared to a traditional secondary data center – with no construction and maintenance costs.
- Quick access to replicas: Data available within minutes after a failure, with geo-redundancy (GRS) rule.
- Increased security: Built-in encryption, compliance, and automatic updates. Integration with Microsoft Sentinel for AI-driven security.
- Scalability: Supports any number of critical applications, including VMs, SQL, and hybrid environments.
Want to learn more? Get in touch with us!
Microsoft Entra ID
Cloud Identity and Access Management (IAM) service
Foundation of security: Identity. Formerly known as Azure Active Directory. It's more than just logging in.
Conditional Access: Smartly decides whether to allow a user (e.g., blocks login from an unknown country or a device without antivirus).
Single Sign-On (SSO): One secure password for everything (Office 365, Salesforce, Azure).
MFA: Multi-factor authentication that stops 99.9% of account attacks.
Want to learn more? Get in touch with us!
Implementing Microsoft Azure in your company? With us, it’s simple!
Our dedicated team of Microsoft experts will help you properly configure your cloud environment, ensure the highest security standards, and significantly boost your company’s productivity.
Learn moreAzure
Microsoft Azure is a platform based on a global network of data centers providing comprehensive Iaas (Infrastructure-as-a-Service) and PaaS (Platform-as-a-Service) solutions that allow you to deploy virtual machines, SQL databases, or create backup copies of resources.
Azure was created to provide you with uninterrupted access to all services, virtual machines and applications from anywhere in the world with continuous monitoring of service performance and ongoing technical support. What's more, Azure's unlimited scalability allows you to tailor it to your needs and the monthly charge based on actual usage allows you to control spending.
Not sure about which product to choose? Talk to our sales expert today.
Contact Us
Modern Work
Business Aplication
Infrastructure Azure
Data & AI Azure
Digital & App Innovation Azure
Security
Advanced Specialization
Adoption and Change Management
Copilot
Adoption and Change Management
Copilot
Frequently Asked Questions about Azure
The cloud is a global network of data centers that provide computing and storage services over the internet. Instead of investing in expensive hardware and its maintenance, you can rent the necessary resources from a provider like Microsoft Azure. The main benefits are: flexibility (quickly scaling resources), cost savings (you only pay for what you use), and increased security and availability.
Yes. Azure is designed to facilitate the easy migration of existing systems. With services like Azure Virtual Machines, you can move your applications that require full control at the operating system level, or use Azure SQL Managed Instance to migrate on-premises SQL databases with minimal changes. This way, you avoid costly and time-consuming code rewriting processes.
The "pay for actual usage" model is extremely cost-effective and transparent, as you do not incur fixed costs associated with purchasing and maintaining infrastructure. You only pay for the resources you actually consume (e.g., server computing power, storage capacity). This allows you to precisely control your budget and adjust expenses to changing business needs.
Azure offers multi-layered protection, built on Microsoft's investment in cybersecurity. The platform ensures the security of infrastructure (physical, network, and operational layers), as well as a range of advanced services that protect your applications and data from attacks. This way, you can be confident that your resources are safeguarded at every stage.
Microsoft Azure offers a range of built-in solutions that ensure business continuity and minimize losses. The Azure Site Recovery service protects entire environments by replicating them to the cloud, allowing for quick recovery within minutes. Additionally, many Azure services come with built-in high availability (HA). For example, Azure SQL Database and Azure SQL Managed Instance provide built-in replication and automatic backups, while Azure Cosmos DB guarantees 99.999% availability through global data replication. Furthermore, the dedicated Azure Backup service is a cost-effective and secure solution for backing up virtual machines, SQL databases, and files, providing an extra layer of protection and easy data recovery in case of loss. These solutions protect data and ensure that your business can operate without interruptions, even in the event of unforeseen incidents.
Yes, absolutely. Senetic is not just a license provider, but primarily a technology partner. Our Azure implementation service is carried out by qualified, certified specialists with over 14 years of experience. We assist in planning, configuring, and optimizing the environment, as well as providing the necessary knowledge for you to fully leverage the potential of the cloud.
The cost of running a virtual machine in Azure consists of four main components:
- Compute – a charge for each hour (or second) the machine is running, depending on the selected VM series and size (number of vCPUs, amount of RAM).
- Storage – the cost of disks attached to the machine (OS and data disks), billed per GB per month regardless of whether the machine is running.
- Operating system license – the Windows Server fee is included in the price (unless you use Azure Hybrid Benefit and your own licenses with SA – then you only pay the base rate, equivalent to the Linux machine price).
- Outbound data transfer (Egress) – data transfer into Azure is free; charges apply for data leaving Azure to the internet or between regions.
The main tool is the Azure Migrate service. It allows for the discovery (scanning) of on-premises machines (VMware, Hyper-V, physical), assessment of their readiness, and cost estimation, followed by replication and migration (cutover) to Azure.
Yes, the Azure Hybrid Benefit program serves this purpose. If you have active Software Assurance for Windows Server or SQL Server licenses, you can use them in Azure. This allows you to pay only for the infrastructure cost (the so-called "base rate," equal to the price of a Linux machine), which significantly reduces costs.
Frequently Asked Questions about Azure Backup
Yes, and it even exceeds that. Azure Backup automatically creates 3 copies of your data in one data center. Optionally (GRS), it sends another 3 copies to a different geographic region. You do not need physical tape transport to meet security requirements.
1. Protected instance fee: A fixed monthly charge for each protected machine or resource. It is often tiered based on the size of the instance data (e.g., <50 GB, 50-500 GB, >500 GB).
2. Backup storage fee: A charge for GB of data stored in the Recovery Services Vault.
2. Backup storage fee: A charge for GB of data stored in the Recovery Services Vault.
Yes. Data is encrypted in transit (while being transmitted) and at rest (in Azure storage). Importantly, only you have the keys or passwords to read them. Microsoft does not have access to the content of your files.
A common mistake is confusing backup with business continuity.
- Azure Backup is used to recover a deleted file or server from the past (e.g., from yesterday).
- Azure Site Recovery (ASR) is a service that, in the event of a failure in your data center, can bring your systems online in Azure cloud within minutes, ensuring business continuity.
Frequently Asked Questions about Azure Storage
Microsoft Azure offers the option to choose a data storage region. For companies in Poland, we recommend the Poland Central region, which ensures that data does not leave the country's borders, making it easier to comply with strict legal requirements and GDPR. Regardless of the region, you as a customer retain full ownership and control over your data.
Layers allow you to optimize costs in Azure Blob Storage:
- Hot: For data that you need frequent access to. Higher storage cost, lowest access cost.
- Cool: For data stored for at least 30 days that you access infrequently. Lower storage cost, slightly higher read cost.
- Archive: The cheapest option for data (e.g., backups, historical logs) that you do not need to access immediately (data restoration may take several hours).
Yes. Azure Storage automatically creates backups of your data. In the simplest variant (LRS - Locally Redundant Storage), your data is replicated three times within a single data center. However, you can choose the GRS (Geo-Redundant Storage) option, which creates additional copies in another geographic region (hundreds of kilometers away), protecting your business even in the event of widespread natural disasters.
There are many methods, depending on the volume of data and time. We can assist with configuring Azure File Sync (for file server synchronization), using tools like AzCopy, and in the case of migrating huge volumes (terabytes/petabytes) – utilizing a physical Azure Data Box device that Microsoft sends to your company, so you can securely copy the data and send it back for upload in the data center.
In a cloud model, data transfer "to the cloud" (Ingress) is typically free. Charges may apply for data transfer "out of the cloud" (Egress) and between different regions.
You mainly pay for three things:
1. Data storage: Monthly fee per GB. The rate depends on the type of storage (e.g., Blob, Files) and access tier (Hot, Cool, Archive).
2. Operations (Transactions): A small fee for every 10,000 operations (e.g., read, write, delete).
3. Data transfer (egress): Fee per GB of data transferred out of the Azure region (transfer to Azure is free).
1. Data storage: Monthly fee per GB. The rate depends on the type of storage (e.g., Blob, Files) and access tier (Hot, Cool, Archive).
2. Operations (Transactions): A small fee for every 10,000 operations (e.g., read, write, delete).
3. Data transfer (egress): Fee per GB of data transferred out of the Azure region (transfer to Azure is free).
Frequently Asked Questions about Azure SQL Database
DTU (Database Transaction Unit): DTU is a combined measure of computing power, memory, and I/O. It is easy to manage – you purchase power packages (e.g., Standard S1 = 20 DTU). Good for simple, predictable workloads.
vCore (Virtual Core): You pay separately for computing power (the number of vCore cores and RAM) and storage (GB). It is more transparent, flexible, and allows for the use of Azure Hybrid Benefit (savings on SQL licenses).
vCore (Virtual Core): You pay separately for computing power (the number of vCore cores and RAM) and storage (GB). It is more transparent, flexible, and allows for the use of Azure Hybrid Benefit (savings on SQL licenses).
Azure SQL Database is a fully managed service (PaaS). This means that Microsoft takes care of the hardware, system updates, backups, and security patches. You only focus on the data and the application. In the case of SQL Server on a virtual machine (IaaS), you have to manage the operating system, configure backups, and apply patches. Choosing the PaaS version (Azure SQL Database) drastically reduces administrative costs and allows your IT team to focus on innovation rather than "keeping the lights on."
Yes, and significantly so. In the Azure SQL Database Serverless model, you pay for the compute power used on a per-second basis. Moreover, the database can automatically pause when not in use (e.g., at night), at which point you only pay a small amount for data storage, and the cost of the processor drops to zero. This is an ideal solution for applications with variable traffic or systems used only during office hours.
It depends on your strategy, but most often not. Azure offers the Elastic Pools model, specifically designed to manage multiple databases. You pay a single, fixed monthly amount for a pool of resources shared by all your databases. This is an ideal solution for software as a service (SaaS) providers and companies with multiple systems, ensuring cost predictability with maximum performance.
The server is included in the price. However, if you have local SQL Server licenses (Standard or Enterprise) with active Software Assurance, you can use the Azure Hybrid Benefit. This allows you to pay only for the infrastructure (the so-called "base rate"), which reduces the database cost by up to 40-55%.
Frequently Asked Questions about Azure AI
No. This is a fundamental difference between the free ChatGPT and Azure services. Your data is processed in your private subscription. It is not accessible to other customers, is not sent to OpenAI, and is not used to train global AI models.
Azure AI Foundry is dedicated to developers who want to build Generative AI applications (chatbots, copilots) using pre-built models. It is simpler and faster. Azure Machine Learning is a tool for data scientists who want to create and train their own models from scratch.
Billing models are flexible (Pay-as-you-go). With Azure OpenAI, you pay for tokens (amount of processed text), and with AI Services, you pay for the number of API calls. This allows for cost-effective testing of ideas (PoC) and scaling costs as usage increases.
RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) is a technique that combines the intelligence of the GPT model with your knowledge base. This way, the AI does not "make things up" (does not hallucinate), but provides answers solely based on your company documents, citing the source of information.
Frequently Asked Questions about Azure Arc
Azure Arc allows you to transition from a capital expenditure (CAPEX) model (large upfront costs for licenses) to an operational expenditure (OPEX) model (monthly payment). The key savings come from the Pay-as-you-go model for SQL Server and Windows Server. Instead of purchasing expensive "spare" licenses for test, development, or seasonal environments, you only pay an hourly rate when the servers are actually running. Additionally, the management service itself (Azure Arc Control Plane) is free – you only pay for the additional services that are enabled.
Yes, it is a fully secure and compliant solution. Azure Arc does not send your databases or client files to the cloud. Only technical metadata (e.g., server name, system version, update status) necessary for resource management is sent to Azure. Your business data remains physically on your local servers, under your full jurisdictional control.
Definitely yes. For systems that have reached the end of official support, Azure Arc offers Extended Security Updates (ESU) in the form of a flexible, monthly subscription.
No. Azure Arc is designed to work on your existing hardware. Whether you are using VMware virtualization, Hyper-V, or physical servers (even those that are a few years old), the installation simply involves deploying a lightweight agent. You don’t need to migrate anything, format, or invest in new infrastructure to gain modern cloud capabilities.
Azure Arc centralizes monitoring and management. With it, the IT department can see a local server failure immediately in the cloud dashboard, even if they are working remotely. Moreover, integration with Azure Monitor and Microsoft Defender allows for the detection of threats (e.g., ransomware attacks) and proactive responses before they paralyze the company's operations, significantly reducing downtime.
Frequently Asked Questions about Additional Solutions
- SIEM: Sentinel collects data (logs) from all sources in the company (Azure, M365, firewalls, servers), analyzes it, and detects threats.
- SOAR: Sentinel enables the automation of responses to detected threats (e.g., automatically blocking a user, isolating a machine).
The main cost is based on the amount of data (in GB) ingested for analysis each day. This data is stored in the Log Analytics workspace, which is the foundation of Sentinel's operation. There are different pricing tiers (e.g., "Pay-As-You-Go" or "Commitment Tiers" with discounts for declaring daily volume).
No. This is a multicloud solution. With Azure Arc, you can connect your Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Google Cloud Platform (GCP) environments to Defender to achieve the same Security Score and protection for workloads across other clouds.
- Defender for Cloud is a Cloud Workload Protection Platform (CWPP). It protects resources (VM, SQL, Storage) from attacks and identifies configuration vulnerabilities.
- Sentinel is a Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) platform. It collects logs (including alerts from Defender) and correlates them with other sources (e.g., firewall logs) to provide a complete picture of an attack and organize a response.
- Metaphor: Defender is a smoke detector and sprinkler in a room. Sentinel is the monitoring center that receives signals from all the sensors in the building and dispatches the fire department.
The cost model consists of several elements, which can be confusing:
- Main fee (during normal operation): You pay a fixed monthly fee for each protected instance (virtual machine). This is the ASR licensing cost for readiness to failover.
- Replication costs (during normal operation): You pay for storage in the target region that holds the replicated data of your machine. This is usually cheaper storage (e.g., HDD).
- Transfer costs (during normal operation): You pay for data transfer (egress) from the source region (although replication between Azure regions has special, lower rates).
- Costs after failover (during a disaster): Only when you actually initiate the failover procedure do you start paying the full computing costs (for the running virtual machine) in the backup region.
Get help from our specialists!
Our team of experts is at your disposal. We will answer all your questions, select an individual offer and help you implement the product.
Have a question? Contact us
