Microsoft Azure

Microsoft Azure Clouds service, commonly referred to as Azure, is a cloud computing service created by Microsoft.

Cloud specialist managing Azure applications and virtual infrastructure.

Microsoft Azure · British Virgin Islands

Microsoft Azure is Microsoft's public cloud platform, used by British Virgin Islands businesses to run virtual machines, host line-of-business applications, store files, manage identity through Microsoft Entra ID, and provide backup and disaster recovery without owning physical servers.

Most BVI businesses already sit inside the Microsoft cloud through Microsoft 365, Microsoft Teams, SharePoint and OneDrive. Azure extends that same Microsoft tenant to cover workloads Microsoft 365 was never designed for: custom applications, databases, virtual desktops and infrastructure that needs to run outside the office.

Fresh Mango Technologies designs and manages Azure environments for clients across Tortola and Virgin Gorda, and is equally clear about when Azure is unnecessary and Microsoft 365 alone is the right answer.

How Microsoft Azure works

Azure provides on-demand computing resources — virtual machines, storage accounts, databases and networking — billed by consumption rather than owned outright. Instead of buying a physical server that sits in a cupboard or a data centre rack, a business provisions a virtual machine in an Azure region and pays for the capacity it actually uses.

Identity and access are managed through Microsoft Entra ID, the same directory that already controls sign-in to Microsoft 365, so staff use one set of credentials and one multi-factor authentication policy across email, files, Microsoft Teams and any Azure-hosted application.

What Azure is commonly used for in the BVI

Hosting an older line-of-business application that will not run natively in Microsoft 365, providing virtual desktops for staff who need a full Windows environment from any device, storing large volumes of files or media in Azure Files or Blob Storage, running Azure Backup and Azure Site Recovery for disaster recovery, and hosting websites or internal tools on Azure App Service.

What Azure is not needed for

Email, document collaboration, chat and video calling are already covered by Microsoft 365, SharePoint, OneDrive and Microsoft Teams. Adding an Azure virtual machine purely to store files or run email is unnecessary cost and complexity for the great majority of small and medium BVI businesses.

Who Microsoft Azure is for

Businesses with a legacy application, accounting package or database that must keep running but cannot move to a modern SaaS replacement yet.
Firms that need a small number of staff to access a full Windows desktop remotely, rather than just files and email.
Organisations that want cloud-based backup and disaster recovery for an on-premises server without duplicating hardware off-island.
Businesses outgrowing a single physical server and wanting to retire it without buying a replacement.

Problems Microsoft Azure solves

An ageing on-premises server that is approaching end of life, with no clear replacement plan.
The need to keep a specific application running without the capital cost of new hardware.
Recovery time in the event of a server failure or a hurricane-related outage on-island.
Staff needing secure access to business systems from outside the office without a traditional VPN.

How Fresh Mango helps

Fresh Mango Technologies scopes the actual workload before recommending Azure: what the application needs, how many users, how much storage, and what recovery time the business can tolerate. We size and provision the environment, configure Microsoft Entra ID, multi-factor authentication and network security, and set a monthly budget alert so consumption-based billing never produces a surprise invoice.

Once live, the environment is monitored and patched as part of an ongoing managed IT service, and security controls sit alongside our specialist cyber security practice, Complete Cyber Security.

Microsoft Azure compared with Microsoft 365 alone

Consideration	Microsoft Azure	Microsoft 365 alone
Best for	Custom applications, databases, virtual desktops, disaster recovery	Email, files, chat, video calling, document collaboration
Billing model	Pay for consumption — compute, storage and data transfer	Fixed monthly licence per user
Management effort	Requires ongoing configuration, patching and cost monitoring	Managed largely by Microsoft, with tenant administration by Fresh Mango
Typical BVI use	Legacy line-of-business systems, remote desktops, backup targets	Day-to-day office productivity for the whole business
When both are used together	Azure hosts the specialist workload while staff still use Microsoft 365 for everyday work — this is the normal pattern, not an either/or choice.

When should a business use this?

Retiring an ageing physical server

Move the workload it runs into an Azure virtual machine sized to actual usage, removing hardware replacement and on-site power and cooling risk.

Disaster recovery for an on-premises server

Replicate a server to Azure using Azure Site Recovery so operations can fail over quickly after a hardware failure or site-level incident.

Remote access to a full Windows desktop

Provide staff with a virtual desktop hosted in Azure rather than shipping laptops loaded with sensitive applications.

Hosting a custom or legacy application

Keep an application that will not migrate to modern software running securely, patched and backed up.

Best practices we recommend

Size Azure resources against measured usage, not guesswork, and review consumption monthly.
Set spending alerts and budgets before an environment goes live, not after the first invoice.
Enforce multi-factor authentication through Microsoft Entra ID for every account with Azure access.
Keep everyday productivity — email, files, chat — in Microsoft 365 rather than duplicating it in Azure.
Test disaster recovery failover at least annually, not just at the point it is configured.
Review whether a legacy application hosted in Azure could eventually be replaced by a modern Microsoft 365-based alternative.

Frequently asked questions

Does a small BVI business need Microsoft Azure?

Most do not need it for everyday work — Microsoft 365, SharePoint, OneDrive and Microsoft Teams already cover email, files and collaboration. Azure becomes relevant when there is a specific workload Microsoft 365 cannot host: a legacy application, a database, a virtual desktop, or disaster recovery for an existing server.

How much does an Azure environment cost to run?

Cost depends on the virtual machine size, storage volume and how many hours resources run, so there is no fixed monthly figure. Fresh Mango sizes the environment against actual workload and sets budget alerts so spend is predictable rather than open-ended.

Is Azure more secure than an on-premises server?

Azure removes physical risks such as hurricane damage, power loss and hardware theft, and Microsoft secures the underlying infrastructure. Responsibility for identity, access configuration, patching within the virtual machine and data protection remains with the business and its IT provider — security is shared, not automatic.

Can we move our existing server to Azure?

Often yes, through a process called lift-and-shift migration, which replicates the server as an Azure virtual machine. Some older applications need adjustment first, which is why an assessment normally precedes migration rather than a same-day move.

What is the difference between Azure and cloud-to-cloud backup for Microsoft 365?

Azure hosts compute and storage workloads such as virtual machines and databases. Backup for Microsoft 365 mailboxes, SharePoint and OneDrive data is a separate, independent backup service — Microsoft does not include long-term backup of that data by default.

Do we still need Microsoft 365 if we use Azure?

Yes. Azure and Microsoft 365 solve different problems and are normally used together: Microsoft 365 for email, files, Microsoft Teams and collaboration, and Azure for the specific workloads that Microsoft 365 was never built to run.

Related services and guides

Practical advice, no obligation

Work out whether Azure is right for your business

Book a free 30-minute consultation to review your current servers and applications and get a straight answer on whether Microsoft Azure, Microsoft 365 alone, or a mix of both fits your business.

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Microsoft Azure Clouds service, commonly referred to as Azure, is a cloud computing service created by Microsoft. Focused on building, testing, deploying, and managing applications and services through Microsoft-managed data centres. Simply put, Microsoft Azure allows businesses to operate their IT in the Cloud.

MICROSOFT AZURE SERVICES

This is a simple list of many of the services available for companies operating with Microsoft Azure. It isn’t comprehensive (nor may it be that comprehensible!). Do Contact us if you would like to discuss Moving to the cloud.

MICROSOFT AZURE COMPUTER SERVICES

Access cloud computing capacity and scale on demand – and only pay for the resources you use.

Virtual Machines
Provision Windows and Linux virtual machines in seconds
Virtual Machine Scale Sets
Manage and scale up to thousands of Linux and Windows virtual machines
Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)
Simplify the deployment, management and operations of Kubernetes
Azure Spring Cloud
A fully managed Spring Cloud service, jointly built and operated with VMware
App Service
Quickly create powerful cloud apps for web and mobile
Azure functions
Process events with serverless code
Azure Dedicated Host
A dedicated physical server to host your Azure VMs for Windows and Linux
Batch Cloud-scale job scheduling and compute management
SQL Server on virtual machines
Host enterprise SQL Server apps in the cloud

NETWORKING

Connect cloud and on-premises infrastructure and services, to provide your customers and users with the best possible experience.
Virtual Network
Provision private networks, optionally connect to on-premises data centres
Load Balancer
Deliver high availability and network performance to your applications
Application Gateway
Build secure, scalable and highly available web front ends in Azure
VPN Gateway
Establish secure, cross-premises connectivity
Azure DNS
Host your DNS domain in Azure
Content Delivery Network
Ensure secure, reliable content delivery with a broad global reach
Azure DDoS Protection
Protect your applications from Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks
Azure Orbital
Satellite ground station and scheduling service connected to Azure for fast downlinking of data
Azure ExpressRoute

STORAGE

Get secure, massively scalable cloud storage for your data, apps and workloads. Disk storage

High-performance, highly durable block storage for Azure Virtual Machines
Azure Data Lake Storage
Massively scalable, secure data lake functionality built on Azure Blob Storage
Azure Files
File shares that use the standard SMB 3.0 protocol
Azure Data Explorer
Fast and highly scalable data exploration service
Azure NetApp Files
Enterprise-grade Azure file shares, powered by NetApp
Azure Backup
Simplify data protection and protect against ransomware
Blob storage
REST-based object storage for unstructured data
Data Box
Appliances and solutions for offline data transfer to Azure
Archive Storage
The industry-leading price point for storing rarely accessed data

DATABASES

Support rapid growth and innovate faster with secure, enterprise-grade and fully managed database services.

Azure SQL
Managed, always up-to-date SQL instances in the cloud
Azure Cosmos DB
Fast NoSQL database with open APIs for any scale
Azure SQL Database
Managed, intelligent SQL in the cloud
Azure Database for PostgreSQL
Fully managed, intelligent and scalable PostgreSQL
Azure SQL Managed Instance
Managed, always up-to-date SQL instances in the cloud
Azure Database for MySQL
Fully managed, scalable MySQL database
SQL Server on virtual machines
Host enterprise SQL Server apps in the cloud
Azure Cache for Redis
Accelerate applications with high-throughput, low-latency data caching
Azure Database Migration Service
Simplify on-premises database migration to the cloud

For more information on Microsoft Azure services, please contact Fresh Mango today!

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