You’ve likely heard of Sitecore, an enterprise-class .NET web content management system (CMS) with extensive tools designed for marketers, as well as Microsoft’s cloud computing platform and infrastructure, Windows Azure – but how much do you know about Sitecore Azure?
If you are already using Sitecore, or are considering it, and are also interested in hosting your website in the cloud, we’ve got some great reading material for you.
My colleague, Parshva Vora, recently authored a new paper, 10 Considerations for a Successful Sitecore Azure Implementation. In this guide, he explains that this PaaS (Platform as a Service) offering enables you to focus on managing the application and not the infrastructure. It’s unique in that, unlike Sitecore on other cloud platforms where virtual machines running the Sitecore application need to be managed, with Sitecore Azure, you retain a high level of control of the Sitecore application and its foundation, while the lower level details are managed for you.
Steps to a “Sitecore as a Service” implementation include:
- Build a compelling case for the cloud
- Review IaaS and Sitecore
- Opt for Sitecore Azure Edition: a PaaS solution
- Decide if Sitecore Azure is the right choice for you
- Explore deployment options
- Understand how Sitecore DMS scales with Windows Azure
- Integrate Sitecore with Salesforce.com, if applicable
- Explore Big Data and HDInsight
- Leverage multi-tenancy in Sitecore Azure
- Use an emulator when developing and testing
Parshva covers each consideration in great detail. He recommends that you thoroughly assess the impact before deciding to move your application to Sitecore Azure, as transitioning an on-premises application to Sitecore Azure may necessitate a revamping before it can run in a managed environment.
You can download the guide here.
