If GCP is Google’s world of code-driven tooling, Azure is Microsoft’s enterprise cloud playground.
But what about you — the small team, the indie dev, the builder with a vision?
Can Azure serve your business without overcomplicating it?
🧰 What Azure Gets Right
- Hybrid focus: great if you work across cloud and on-prem
- Dev tools integration: seamless with Visual Studio, GitHub, CI/CD pipelines
- Enterprise-grade infrastructure: security, compliance, identity (Azure AD)
- App Services: fast deployment without managing VMs
- AI, Cognitive Services & OpenAI integration: powerful out of the box
There’s serious potential — especially if you’re already in the Microsoft ecosystem.
🧱 What to Watch Out For
- Dashboard/UI complexity: can be confusing for first-timers
- Broad service catalog: many tools do similar things under different names
- Pricing: not always startup-friendly without the right plan
- Less indie-focused than Firebase or Render
You’ll get scale and features — but expect a steeper setup curve.
🧠 How BoredGiant Uses Azure (When We Do)
We reach for Azure when:
- The client is already on Microsoft systems
- We need secure cloud + on-prem integration
- We’re working with .NET, C#, or enterprise-grade backends
Otherwise, we stay lighter — simpler tools for simpler jobs.
☁️ Services Worth Exploring
- Azure App Service — deploy web apps without managing infrastructure
- Azure Static Web Apps — great for frontend-heavy projects
- Azure Cosmos DB — distributed NoSQL with real-time sync
- Azure Functions — powerful serverless logic
- Application Insights — in-depth performance tracking
🪞 TL;DR:
Azure is great for scale and serious workloads — but know your needs.
If you’re already in Microsoft’s orbit, it fits like a glove. If not, it may feel like a full suit of armor for a casual hike.
