Which Major Companies Rely on Microsoft Azure?
Published by Christopher Porter on September 30, 2024
It’s impossible to have a career discussion without mentioning cloud certifications these days. Driven by explosive growth in cloud infrastructure spending (set to exceed $1 trillion per year by 2026), certifications in platforms like Azure, Amazon Web Services (AWS), and Google Cloud have become necessary credentials for IT professionals wanting to stay competitive.
However, conflicting opinions on which cloud certification offers the best career prospects can make it hard to decide where your time and money are best spent. Will training in Azure genuinely boost your career, or will you find yourself chasing skills that companies aren’t asking for?
There’s also a lingering perception that Azure is mostly for big enterprises running Microsoft stacks, while “startup-y” tech firms stick with AWS or Google. In reality, over 70% of companies that use Azure are small to mid-sized businesses (<$50M). These companies are using Azure to integrate open-source technologies, scale operations, and manage workloads across hybrid, multicloud, and edge environments.
In this article, we’ll discuss what Azure is used for, top companies that rely on Azure, and how these Azure uses translate into career opportunities. By the end, you’ll have the insights needed to decide whether an Azure certification is the right move for your career.
What is Microsoft Azure Used For?
Azure provides a comprehensive range of Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) and Platform as a Service (PaaS) solutions, covering data management, media services, machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI), developer tools, and Internet of Things (IoT) applications.
Its strengths as a platform include advanced data protection, built-in compliance tools, and modernization capabilities for legacy systems. Azure is also used for building scalable applications capable of handling substantial data processing and computing power.
Here are five of the most impactful Azure use cases across different sectors:
Hosting and Infrastructure
Everything from internal business apps to global consumer services can run on Azure’s servers. This ease-of-use is why nearly 40% of businesses worldwide chose Azure for their cloud infrastructure.
In 2024, the NBA migrated its extensive digital platform, NBA.com, along with its related applications and services, to Microsoft Azure. Azure’s infrastructure now hosts NBA’s global digital content, including live games, video highlights, news articles, and real-time player statistics.
Data Storage and Analytics
Azure provides secure, scalable storage and advanced analytics for big data workloads. Services like Azure Synapse and Azure Databricks allow IT teams to run complex queries, generate business intelligence reports, and apply machine learning to their data for actionable insights.
Walgreens uses Azure Synapse to improve its retail operations, lower total costs, and modernize its business processes. Albertsons enabled a more flexible omnichannel customer experience while increasing its digital sales by migrating its entire on-premises datacenter to Microsoft Azure. Financial institutions like PWC rely on Azure Synapses and Power BI for high-quality analytics that are customizable to client needs.
AI/ML
Thanks to Azure Machine Learning and Azure OpenAI, companies that use Azure are able to successfully integrate AI into its products or operations.
Coca Cola has migrated all its applications to Azure’s cloud and is experimenting with Azure OpenAI Service to integrate generative AI into its marketing, customer experience, and supply chain processes. Laerdal Medical is leveraging Azure AI Text to Speech to provide an immersive experience that simulates interactions between patients and providers. In 2024, Coles and Emirates Global Aluminum (EGA) deployed AI and machine learning workloads in retail environments and smelting factories, highlighting the demand for AI-optimized cloud infrastructure.
IoT
Companies use Azure IoT Hub to manage data from millions of devices, turning real-world information into actionable insights.
Chevron, for example, leverages Azure IoT Operations—powered by Azure Arc—to analyze data directly at remote edge locations while maintaining centralized cloud management. This provided Chevron with immediate, on-site insights that enhanced worker safety and reduced operational costs, freeing staff from routine inspections to handle more critical tasks. Similarly, Conagra has modernized its manufacturing by integrating IoT sensors directly onto production equipment. These sensors stream operational data to Azure’s IoT platform for live analysis, enabling Conagra to catch issues faster and optimize efficiency.
Hybrid Integration and Enterprise IT
Azure services like Active Directory, Azure Stack, and VPN gateways integrate existing on-premises IT and the cloud, allowing companies to migrate at their own pace.
For example, DICK’S Sporting Goods deployed Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) on Azure Stack HCI (a hybrid cloud hardware solution) in every store, allowing applications to run locally while remaining centrally managed in Azure. The “build once, deploy anywhere” model helps the company balance cloud agility and security with the low-latency demands of its retail operations.
Top Companies and Industries Using Azure
Companies using Azure span industries including healthcare, retail, financial services and banking, government, manufacturing, sports, and gaming. In fact, recent data shows that approximately 38% of organizations worldwide use Microsoft Azure for their cloud services Approximately 38% of organisations from around the world use Microsoft Azure for their cloud computing needs..
Tech giants like Adobe, SAP, and CDW prefer Azure—not just for its raw computing power, but because its hybrid capabilities make it ideal for managing legacy systems that need global reach, flexibility, and compliance. These advantages are necessary for managing complex legacy systems with mission-critical uptime requirements.
In 2024, Futurum Research reported that Azure use has outpaced AWS in a major MSP-focused metric. This finding, published in its GTM Channel Decision Maker Survey, challenges the status quo of AWS dominance and highlights the increasingly competitive dynamics among top cloud providers. Additionally, Gartner’s 2024 Magic Quadrant for Strategic Cloud Platform Services (SCPS) positions Microsoft as a leader alongside AWS and Google Cloud.
Let’s take a closer look at how companies across multiple industries are using Azure to push boundaries in scalability, data, and customer experience.
Notable Companies Using Azure in 2025
| Company | Industry | Azure Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| OpenAI | Technology | Training and deploying LLMs (like GPT-4) at scale via dedicated Azure supercomputer with 285,000+ CPU cores and 10,000 GPUs |
| Walmart | Retail | AI-powered search using Azure OpenAI Service for natural language queries across mobile app and website |
| Epic Systems | Healthcare | LLMs hosted on Azure to help draft patient messages and streamline data analysis in EHR software |
| General Motors | Manufacturing | Azure DevTest Labs, AKS, and Azure Virtual Desktop for faster connected-vehicle feature development |
| Framestore | Media & Entertainment | On-demand rendering through Azure Cloud Services for blockbuster films like Guardians of the Galaxy and Barbie |
| Hi-Rez Studios | Gaming | Azure Kubernetes Service for auto-scaling containers and Azure SQL for game data, supporting millions of players |
Key Insight
Recent data from 2025 shows that Azure now hosts over 41,000 products and services in its marketplace As of January 2024, a total of over 41,000 products and services were offered on the Microsoft Azure marketplace, with the cloud platform supporting more than 5,300 AI and ML services designed for companies of various sizes across healthcare, finance, government, and retail industries As of 2025, Azure boasts over 5,379 services and products pertaining to AI and ML meant to cater to companies of any size across different industries such as healthcare, finance, government, and retail..
Why Learn Azure?
With so many companies using Azure in 2025, postings for cloud talent have mirrored shifts in market share. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows Azure skills are gaining traction in several key industries, including IT services, aerospace and defense. This means professionals who develop Azure expertise will be well-positioned to take advantage of new career opportunities.
Here are three reasons why learning Azure is a smart move for your career:
Strong Market Demand and Growth
Azure skills have been among the fastest-growing in IT. Enterprises large and small are adopting Azure, creating a need for skilled professionals who can deploy and manage Azure services. Whether you aim to be a cloud engineer, a solutions architect, or a DevOps specialist, Azure proficiency offers a wealth of job opportunities.
Career and Salary Boost
Cloud expertise is one of the most lucrative skill sets in IT today, as well as being a critical skill gap. As migrations accelerate and cloud deployments expand in 2025, organizations need to onboard Azure-proficient professionals in greater numbers, depleting an already shallow pool of available talent. Due to this demand/supply gap, Azure-proficient professionals often command higher salaries. Beyond salary, Azure certifications like AZ-104 (Azure Administrator) and AZ-305 (Azure Solutions Architect) can open doors to promotions or new job offers. Many job postings now list Azure experience as either required or a strong plus.
Balanced Skill Set (Hybrid and Microsoft Ecosystem)
If you’re already familiar with Microsoft technologies—like Windows Server, Active Directory, .NET, Microsoft 365, or Dynamics—you’ll find Azure integrates naturally with your existing skills. Many professionals also find that Azure’s learning curve can be gentler for those from a Microsoft background, and that Azure is built with hybrid cloud in mind – allowing integration with on-premises legacy systems more easily than other cloud providers. So if your current company is a “Microsoft shop,” gaining Azure skills might be the logical next step as they modernize infrastructure. It lets you bridge legacy and cloud environments, which is a valuable skill in enterprises that aren’t 100% cloud-based yet.
Key Insight
An Azure certification path starts with foundational knowledge, often through the Azure Administrator (AZ-104) certification. This certifies that you can manage Azure resources, handle storage, configure networks, and keep infrastructure running smoothly. After mastering these fundamentals, many professionals progress to specialized roles. For instance, the Azure Security Engineer (AZ-500) certification builds on administrator skills, focusing on securing cloud environments, implementing identity controls, threat protection, and compliance. Alternatively, experienced administrators might move toward an advanced role like the Azure Solutions Architect (AZ-305), where the focus shifts toward designing end-to-end cloud solutions.
Pro Tips
Azure’s capabilities are impressive, but our experience training IT teams has highlighted a few challenges worth keeping in mind to help you get the most from Azure:
- Azure offers a broad range of hardware and software options, which can quickly become overwhelming. You’ll be juggling multiple admin tools and different generations of Microsoft tech, leading to unexpected learning curves. We recommend investing in Azure training and skill-building to make this transition smoother and more cost-effective.
- Although Azure Stack HCI works great for edge computing scenarios, it’s less popular for large-scale, single-site deployments or full-scale private cloud migrations. If your organization is planning large-scale infrastructure moves, carefully evaluate whether Azure Stack HCI is the best fit, or if another Azure service might better meet your scalability requirements.
- Microsoft continues to make strides in security, particularly around Entra ID integrations. However, we’ve found there are still gaps concerning Distributed Hybrid Infrastructure (DHI). To effectively secure your Azure environment, you might need additional tools or custom processes to fill these specific security requirements.
Explore Azure Certification
In 2025, companies that use Azure are managing some of the world’s largest workloads. With cloud adoption spanning every industry and company size, having Azure skills under your belt makes you a versatile IT professional who can work across many environments.
Learning Azure shows employers that you can design, secure, and manage cloud solutions – capabilities every company needs and is willing to reward. Azure certifications like Azure Solutions Architect, Azure Security Engineer, and Azure Administrator are also among the top-paying Azure credentials in the industry.
If you’re looking to build your Azure skills, the next step is to get the right training with our Azure Administrator Boot Camp. Our experts provide a focused, hands-on course that helps you translate your Azure knowledge into lucrative career opportunities.
Ready to boost your Azure skills?
