{"id":6827,"date":"2021-06-02T09:39:16","date_gmt":"2021-06-02T16:39:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/insidetrack\/blog\/?p=6827"},"modified":"2023-06-11T13:41:50","modified_gmt":"2023-06-11T20:41:50","slug":"microsoft-digital-builds-a-better-wide-area-network-with-microsoft-azure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/insidetrack\/blog\/microsoft-digital-builds-a-better-wide-area-network-with-microsoft-azure\/","title":{"rendered":"Microsoft Digital builds a better wide area network with Microsoft Azure"},"content":{"rendered":"
This content has been archived, and while it was correct at time of publication, it may no longer be accurate or reflect the current situation at Microsoft.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Wide area networks (WANs) allow far-flung coworkers to share files and other resources, reduce the complexity of connecting people, and centralize IT infrastructure. On the downside, existing WANs can be challenging and even intrusive to set up, are prone to security breaches, and are difficult to manage.<\/p>\n
Now, a team in Microsoft Digital\u2014the organization that powers, transforms, and protects Microsoft\u2014has devised a way to build a virtual wide area network with Microsoft Azure.<\/p>\n
They did so using the Microsoft Azure global network<\/a>, a digital backbone that links Microsoft Azure datacenters in more than 60 countries and regions and gives users the benefit of easy setup, adaptive security, and high performance. It also shields sensitive data from the public internet and uses thousands of miles of fiber optic cable to deliver data at the speed of light.<\/p>\n WANs built on Microsoft Azure can manage the needs of global enterprises while also flexing down and being affordable enough that even a business based in just a few states can benefit from it.<\/p>\n [Learn how Microsoft implemented a Zero Trust security model.<\/em><\/a> Discover how Microsoft uses Azure to provide modern data transfer and storage.<\/em><\/a> Find out more about managing Microsoft\u2019s corporate firewalls with Azure Firewall Manager.<\/em><\/a>]<\/p>\n Less intrusive for customers<\/strong><\/p>\n For most people who may be on a WAN without even knowing it, it may seem invisible. But managing a traditional WAN is a nuisance. Take universities, says Pete Apple, a principal service engineer with Microsoft Digital. They often deploy WANs but aren\u2019t always happy about it.<\/p>\n