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While arguably any application developed for Windows Azure can also run within a traditional data centre, applications can be built on top of Windows Azure that take full advantage of the benefits.
It’s good to look for one or more of the following characteristics, particularly when embarking on the first Windows Azure application:
- Business units that have a need for agility are great candidates for Windows Azure. For example, if there is no capacity for long lead times or the infrastructural rigour required by traditional IT. The Windows Azure end-user provisioning is ideal for agile businesses.
- Applications that have a spiky usage pattern are well suited to the scalability of Windows Azure. These patterns can be predictable as the result of planned campaigns or expected growth, or unpredictable as the result of a viral response or even a disaster.
- Business and IT departments that are focused on delivering business value and efficiency of IT operations will find benefits in running an application on Windows Azure.
- Some businesses employ fail fast business tactics, where an idea can be tried out and if it doesn’t work stop and do something else. The pay-per-use model and immediate availability offered by Windows Azure allows businesses to defer and reduce IT costs, as well as having zero commitment to continued use.
- The ability of an application to ‘pivot’ refers to the sometimes radical changes to an application in response to customer demand, where the original primary feature is seen to be of less value than expected. Pivoting an application should not be hindered by a committed underlying infrastructure that can only serve a single purpose. Windows Azure applications are sufficiently distanced from the infrastructure that the decision to pivot is supported by the flexibility of the underlying platform.