Description
Server services provide University academic and administrative with secure, managed virtual server infrastructure to support applications, databases, websites, integrations, and other business services. University Technology Services (UTS) offers virtual servers hosted in Microsoft Azure as the standard platform for new server deployments.
Azure virtual servers provide a modern, scalable, and resilient hosting environment that allows resources to be provisioned quickly while benefiting from enterprise-grade security, monitoring, backup, and disaster recovery capabilities. Azure also reduces the need for departments to invest in physical hardware and enables improved flexibility as business needs change.
On-premises virtual servers remain available for specialized use cases where technical, regulatory, performance, licensing, or integration requirements cannot be met in Azure. Requests for new on-premises servers require documented business and technical justification and are subject to review and approval by UTS.
Azure is the default hosting platform for all new virtual server requests. Requests for on-premises hosting must include a business justification explaining why Azure is not a suitable solution.
Benefits of Azure Virtual Servers
- Rapid provisioning and deployment of new server resources.
- Scalable compute, memory, and storage to accommodate changing business needs.
- Enterprise-grade security controls and monitoring.
- Built-in backup, redundancy, and disaster recovery capabilities.
- Reduced hardware lifecycle and maintenance requirements.
- High availability options to improve service reliability.
- Integration with Microsoft cloud services and identity management.
- Flexible resource consumption that can be adjusted as requirements evolve.
Audience
Faculty, staff, departments, and administrative units requiring server infrastructure for University business applications, services, databases, websites, research, or integrations.
Requirements
- A clearly defined business purpose for the server.
- Compliance with University security, data protection, and infrastructure standards.
- For on-premises requests, documented justification explaining why Azure hosting is not suitable.
Cost
Costs vary based on server size, storage, backup requirements, licensing, and hosting location. Learn more via our Server: Azure Virtual Machine Sizing Standards KB article.
Service Levels
| Request |
Respond In |
Resolve In |
| Submit a New Server Request |
2 business days |
15 business days |
| Submit SFTP Access Request |
2 business days |
10 business days |