Deployment Options
On-premises software is installed and runs on computers on the premises of the person or organisation using the software. In Microsoft’s definition this also includes installing the software on a Cloud or server farm environment of your choice.
Dynamics 365 Business Central is hosted in the Azure Public Cloud.
Public clouds are the most common way of deploying cloud computing. The cloud resources (like servers and storage) are owned and operated by a third-party cloud service provider and delivered over the Internet. Microsoft Azure is an example of a public cloud. With a public cloud, all hardware, software and other supporting infrastructure are owned and managed by the cloud provider. In a public cloud, you share the same hardware, storage and network devices with other organisations or cloud “tenants”. You access services and manage your account using a web browser. Public cloud deployments are frequently used to provide web-based email, online office applications, storage, testing and development environments and increasingly, core business applications such as Finance, ERP and Customer Engagement.
Lower costs – no need to purchase hardware or software, and you only pay for the service you use.
No maintenance – your service provider provides the maintenance.
Near-unlimited scalability – on-demand resources are available to meet your business needs.
High reliability – a vast network of servers ensures against failure
All software licensing and infrastructure costs provided under one simple monthly subscription
One-size fits most – with more limited flexibility in configuration of integration and external access options.
Potentially a more desirable target for hackers
Microsoft understands the need to provide a secure, stable and environment for the data that customers entrust to its care. The below explains Microsoft’s approach to security.
Microsoft invests over $1 billion annually on security. Microsoft has invested significantly towards building security into their core technologies like Windows, Office, and Azure, and in making strategic acquisitions of security technologies that enhance the investments customers have already made in Microsoft. They operate the Microsoft Cyber Defence Operations Center (CDOC), a 24×7 cybersecurity and defence facility with leading security experts and data scientists that protect, detect, and respond to threats to Microsoft’s cloud infrastructure, products and devices, and internal resources.
Microsoft use their own hosted cloud and security solutions. They runs their business on the same multi-tenant cloud services as their customers, including those from highly regulated industries and governments.
Microsoft’s dedicated engineers, researchers, forensics experts, threat hunters, and data scientists work together to make their products and services better for customers. The global incident response team works around the clock to help their customers respond and recover from breaches, and their team of Executive Security Advisors, including former CISOs, leverage extensive real-world experience to partner with customers on planning and implementing sound security programs.
Microsoft takes a three-fold security approach for customers to enable their business’ digital transformation.
A Comprehensive Platform – Microsoft’s platform looks holistically across all the critical end-points of today’s cloud & mobile world. By building security into Microsoft products and services from the start, they can deliver a comprehensive, agile platform to better protect their customer’s organization, move faster to detect threats, and respond to security breaches across even the largest of organizations. The platform serves as the framework for protecting enterprise organizations in four ways:
Identity and Access Management: protect users’ identities and control access to valuable resources based on user risk level
Threat Protection: protect against advanced threats and help customers recover quickly when attacked
Information Protection: help ensure documents and emails are seen only by the authorised people
Security Management: as a customer gain visibility and control over your security resources, workflows, and policies, as well as recommendations on improving your security posture.
Vast Intelligence – Microsoft intelligence, which is built upon a massive amount of security related-signals from the consumer and commercial services that they operate on a global scale, powers Microsoft solutions to enable you to protect, detect, and respond to threats more effectively.
Each month Microsoft:
Scan 400 billion emails across outlook.com and Office 365 for phishing and malware
Process 450 billion authentications across all cloud services
Execute 18+ billion Bing webpage scans
Update 1+ billion Windows devices
Using the tremendous breadth and depth of signal and intelligence from their various on-premises and cloud solutions deployed globally, they investigate threats and vulnerabilities and regularly publish the Microsoft Security Intelligence Report (SIR) to educate enterprise organizations on the current state of threats and recommended best practices and solutions.
Broad Partnerships – Microsoft are committed to being a leader in this space, but security is not a problem they can address alone. Their commitment is to make sure their products work with technology customers already use. Microsoft is fostering a vibrant ecosystem of partners who help them raise the bar across the industry. They also collaborate extensively with customers and industry standards bodies to help them meet specific customer needs and industry regulations.
Microsoft’s mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. As their CEO, Satya Nadella, stated, “Businesses and users are going to embrace technology only if they can trust it”, and therefore they want to make sure their customers can trust the digital technology that they use, backed with the assurances they need. Microsoft has made investments in privacy and control, compliance, and transparency, and especially those features that matter the most to their customers.
For example, for their cloud services, they are committed to:
Helping customers have control over their own data,
Enabling customers to comply with applicable laws, regulations and key international standards,
Being transparent with customers about the collection and use of their data
Committed to safeguarding customer’s data from hackers and unauthorized access using state-of-the-art technology, process and certifications.
