Azure

Overview

Microsoft Azure is Microsoft’s cloud platform. Alongside servers and storage, it offers ready-made AI services and connects directly to Microsoft 365, which many organisations already use.

How I Use Azure

I use Azure mainly for AI features. Azure AI Document Intelligence reads invoices, forms and PDFs, and I train custom models when a layout is unusual. Language models through Azure AI Foundry power chatbots and data matching, and Azure AI Search lets a chatbot answer from an organisation’s own documents.

I also host apps and files on Azure virtual machines and Blob Storage, and add Microsoft sign-in (Entra ID) so staff can log in with their existing work accounts.

Certification

Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Fundamentals (AI-900), issued by Microsoft in 2025. View the badge on Credly

Why Azure

It’s a natural fit for organisations already on Microsoft 365. Its AI services can run in UK data centres, and the data sent to them isn’t used to train the models, so sensitive information stays under the organisation’s control.