Microsoft owns Azure, the cloud platform that helped make it one of the world’s most valuable firms.
Azure is Microsoft’s cloud-computing platform, offering computing, storage, databases, networking, analytics, artificial intelligence, and developer tools. It competes with major services including Amazon Web Services and Google Cloud.
Microsoft launched Azure commercially in 2010, initially under the name Windows Azure. The platform expanded beyond Windows-focused hosting and became a broad infrastructure and software service used by governments, businesses, and developers.
Azure is part of Microsoft’s Intelligent Cloud segment, alongside server products and enterprise services. Its growth has helped Microsoft diversify beyond personal-computer software. The company also earns substantial revenue from Microsoft 365, Windows, gaming, LinkedIn, and business applications.
Azure is sometimes confused with Microsoft 365. Azure provides cloud infrastructure and platform services, while Microsoft 365 is a subscription productivity suite built around applications such as Word, Excel, Teams, and Outlook.