For my project, I decided to deploy a personal business website for a clothing brand using Microsoft Azure for Students as the cloud hosting platform. The main objective of my project is to create a scalable, secure and cost-effective online presence that enables product showcasing, customer interaction, and future e-commerce expansion.
The reason for me to choose Microsoft Azure for Students is because, it provides free cloud credits and access to essential services such as virtual machines, storage, and web hosting without requiring a credit card. Students receive around $100 in free credits along with access to multiple free services, allowing the development and testing of real-world applications at no initial cost.
The website will be hosted using Azure Virtual Machines or Azure App Services, depending on performace requirements. The system architecture will include a web server, database storage, and basic security configurations sus as HTTPS and firewall rules. Azure's global infrastructure ensures high availability, making it suitable for business applications.
This project demonstrates thee application of cloud computing concepts such as Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) and Platform as a Service (PaaS). It also highlights scalability, as Azure follows a pau-as-you-go pricing model where users only pay for the resources they consume. This is perticularly beneficial for a startup clothing business where demand may vary.
Overall, my project will provide hands-on experience in deploying a real-world business solution using cloud technology. It aligns with industry practices and enhances skills in web hosting, cloud manangement and system development, which are essential for careers in IT and business infomration systems.
For my project, I have decided to use Azure Pay-As-You-Go license model under the Microsoft Azure ecosystem. This licensing model allows users to consume cloud services based on actual usage, eliminating the need for upfront costs. In azure, software such as Windows Server is typically included in the virtual machine pricing, meaning no seperate license purchgase is required.
For development purposes, Azure for Students provides free credits and servcies, making it suitable for academic projects. As the business grows, the license can be upgraded to a full Pay-As-You-Go subscription, ensuring flexibility, scalability and cost efficiency.
Microsoft.(n.d). Azure for Students. Microsoft Azure. https://azure.microsoft.com/enus/free/students/
Microsoft.(n.d.). Licensing FAQ. Microsoft Azure. https://azure.microsoft.com?en-us/pricing/licensing-faq/