I ran across a page that lists the set of freely available services in Azure. When I consider the fact that Microsoft makes the most powerful integrated development environment on the planet free with Visual Studio Dev Essentials for individuals and teams of up to five — not to mention the amazing capabilities available in Visual Studio Team Services — I’m amazed at the opportunity available to developers and small businesses right now.
These aren’t just toys to play with (although they are that, too); they’re cutting-edge, enterprise-class tools. Think of them as raw power previously available only to corporations playing at the high end of the market.
To top it off, there’s also a great resource for training available in the Microsoft Virtual Academy.
This article originally appeared on Oct. 12, 2017.