Microsoft Azure is a terrific hybrid cloud system that allows businesses and organizations to optimize their operations. On top of this, the tool opens a world of possibilities for users within other organizations, including students in school. Read on to learn more about how Microsoft Azure is helping students achieve.
Azure for Students
One of the ways in which Azure helps students achieve is that it offers free Azure services to students. If you have a university or school e-mail, you can sign up with Azure and access various services you would have to pay for elsewhere. For example, there are a wide variety of ways that students can begin building custom applications in multiple languages, all through Visual Studio. AI isn’t even off limits, as students can use Azure Cognitive Services and work with intelligent application programming interfaces (APIs) to dive in deeper with whatever they’re working on.
There are even learning paths that students can take advantage of to learn more about their services. For example, there is a learning path for students to learn basic cloud concepts and more information regarding the Azure services. Many of these learning paths also include hands-on exercises so students can engage with the tools they’re studying.
There are even education modules to teach students how to build and host websites, all with Azure tools. They can experiment with publishing sites through virtual machines that all interact with their site differently. In addition, students will have $100 of Azure credit that they can use with any of the different available services. By taking advantage of this early, they can put all the various tools they’ve mastered on their resumé and be more prepared for entering the workforce or even starting their own business.
Software Download Benefits
In addition to having various services available, students can download multiple new software pieces. These benefits from Azure are intended to help with research and education, furthering students’ ability to design, develop, and test new software and applications.
However, a caveat with this service is that any software or material you download is only yours. You cannot transfer, share, sublicense, or lend software or software keys to others. Other agreements stipulate that you cannot use the software, developer tools, or cloud services to develop malicious software like spambots or malware. Suppose Microsoft believes a user has used any of its services for cryptocurrency mining, denial of service attacks (DoS), or other illegal activity. In that case, they can suspend and terminate your access.
Communication Services
Microsoft Azure also has a variety of communication services available to users so that they can ask questions, look for answers, and receive feedback on their projects. There are e-mail services, chat areas, forums, personal web pages, and other ways you can communicate with other students. However, like any other online service, there are strict rules and regulations regarding their proper use. For example, much like how you cannot use Azure to develop malware, you cannot use these services to spam, create pyramid schemes, or send unsolicited messages.
Educational Dev Tools
Students can access Azure services, and teachers can also use dev tools. Microsoft Azure Dev Tools for Teaching makes resources for working with Azure available to different faculty and students through Academic Volume Licensing Agreements. As an administrator, you can access everything in a centralized location for your students and keep everything in an easy-to-access space. Doing this allows students to access the training and learning materials from an online portal without transferring codes or USBs, as everything is right there.
This tool kit is excellent for high school teachers in a web or app development class. Schools may lack the opportunity for real-world application in their classrooms, so this would be a wonderful thing for any students interested in development. In addition, since Azure has a lot of industry-standard software, it is also a great way to instruct students while getting them familiar with the real-world tools that others in the industry work with.
Remote Access
Another way in which Azure is great for students is remote work. Traditionally, universities and colleges have been primarily in-person with little online presence. Some schools had a lot of online students, but this was rare. However, as the pandemic got worse, more and more students had to work remotely, and they could do so with the help of Azure.
Azure allows organizations like schools to deploy a Virtual Desktop Infrastructure and secure it with an Azure Firewall. Within the traditional education system, students cannot access resources and materials unless they view them in person or have the proper passwords and clearance from their school. These restrictions can make remote work tricky, but thankfully with Azure, students were and are still able to access learning materials, work with other students, and handle sensitive materials.
Another reason Azure is so critical here is that you’ll need a solid infrastructure for an organization to have multiple thousands of students online and accessing your system. The amount of traffic and bandwidth requirements are significant, and the system could easily crash if not properly maintained. Thankfully, Azure makes the use and maintenance of systems like these easy.
Education Architectures
Azure is also terrific because people can develop architectures that solve specific issues, and others can implement them for personal use. For example, there are a variety of educational architectures that other schools and organizations can quickly implement into their Azure system.
For example, some people have developed a “Governance of Microsoft Teams guest users.” This architecture allows users to collaborate with other organizations by providing identity and governance controls for external users. It may seem initially confusing, but it would be great for a university’s administration to streamline classroom organization. They can put students into their respective classrooms while maintaining learning groups, project groups, mentor relationships, educational pathways, etc.
Microsoft Azure helps students achieve in various ways, highlighting that Azure is a great tool that more universities and schools should begin adopting. In addition to simplifying remote learning, Azure also works with systems applications and products (SAP) to take care of your workloads and applications. At Atmosera, we can help you integrate your system and implement SAP on Azure, so your business goals are always obtainable and never out of reach.
