Some things in life really are Free!
No matter which way you turn the predictions about the future of IT include a great deal of public cloud coverage. Many organizations have already started that journey one way or another.
In the cloud model having access to trials you can use as well as some basic initial credit is normal. What is not normal is the great new Azure Free Account Microsoft just announced.
With an initial $200 in credits you can leverage, many popular services totally free for 12 Months (within reasonable limits) and then some perpetually available free services this free account now stands out as the way for almost anyone to get going in the cloud.
Just think about it...
- Learning: If you want to learn about many of the newer services this is a great way to be able to go play without any cost. For me though it transcends just playing as the services can be used to serve production purposes if you do not exceed the limits. As a learner you can tap into things like new Artificial Intelligence services, understand and try out building cloud based mobile applications, spend time getting to know Cosmos DB (geo distributed multi-schema database) and get familiar with things such as security in the cloud. For those who may even want to develop skill sin thing such as SQL the access to SQL Database in the cloud will offer that option too. Really.. learning opportunities abound!
- Developing a new cloud/mobile application: If you want to develop a full blown prototype (and production version if within limits) of an application this is a great way to get going keeping your costs low. You can also use this to integrate developed services into applications you already have on-premise as an example. A great way to get a solid feel for the cloud with low to no risk.
- Stepping into Machine Learning: Yes.. the free services also extend access to Machine Learning capabilities. Now you can try your hand at being a data scientist using cloud services and more. I happen to think that is the future of analytics anyway and now you too can experience it.
I encourage you all to head on over and learn more about the Azure Free Account. Your future starts now! Share your thoughts after taking a look!
Mark.
For those who are interested below are some direct links to some core scenarios you might be thinking about using an Azure Free Account for: