Technology
Cloud
Microsoft Azure
Public cloud with native integration to your identity and Microsoft stack
What it is
Azure is Microsoft's public cloud platform: virtual machines, storage, virtual networks, and managed services (databases, containers, backup) with direct integration into Entra ID and the rest of the Microsoft stack. It's one of the explicit options in our cloud-migration process, alongside AWS, GCP, and private cloud, depending on what each client needs.
When we recommend it
We recommend Azure when:
- The client already runs Microsoft 365 and Active Directory and wants unified identity and management between productivity and infrastructure.
- There are EU data-residency requirements, relevant to our operation in Italy.
- The plan is a hybrid infrastructure: part on-premise (often deployed by DITAP Core) and part in the cloud, kept in sync.
- The client's IT team already has Microsoft tooling experience and prefers minimizing the learning curve of a new platform.
- The client runs .NET applications or Windows Server workloads that Azure integrates more directly than other clouds.
How we implement it
Our Azure migration and management process includes:
- Assessment of current infrastructure and strategy definition — lift-and-shift, refactoring, or cloud-native redesign, depending on the case.
- Network design (VNets, site-to-site VPN, or ExpressRoute) connecting the client's local infrastructure to Azure securely.
- Backup and disaster-recovery configuration with RPO/RTO targets defined together with the client, not generic ones.
- Ongoing cost and resource management, to avoid the runaway spend typical of cloud accounts without governance.
- Azure Monitor configuration and alerting to catch performance or security issues before they affect users.
Alternatives
Azure competes with other platforms we also migrate to and manage:
AWS
a broader service catalog and greater maturity for certain workloads, with a less integrated identity model if the client isn't on Microsoft.
Google Cloud Platform
strong for data and machine learning, with less direct integration if the client already relies on Microsoft 365.
Private cloud / on-premise (Proxmox)
full control and no recurring consumption cost, in exchange for taking on fixed capacity and your own hardware maintenance.
DITAP is not an official partner of this vendor and holds no certification or exclusive commercial agreement with it. This page describes our real implementation experience on client projects.
Need to implement or migrate this at your company?
Let's talk about your specific case — site, number of users, budget — and we'll tell you honestly whether this is the right technology.