Microsoft Azure Development
Azure development is the design, build and deployment of applications that run on Microsoft Azure. We are an application-layer development team: we build the web app, portal or API, and we configure the Azure services it runs on.
Microsoft Azure is Microsoft's public cloud platform: compute, managed databases, storage, identity and networking rented by the hour instead of bought as hardware. Azure development means building an application on top of those services, and deciding which of them the application actually needs. Microsoft documents the full service catalogue at learn.microsoft.com.
Scorchsoft is a UK app development team based in Birmingham, with over 16 years building functionally complex web and mobile applications. We work at the application layer. We design and build web apps, customer portals, APIs and mobile back ends, then configure and run the cloud infrastructure underneath them. On Azure that usually means App Service or containers for the application itself, a managed PostgreSQL or SQL database, Blob Storage for files, Microsoft Entra ID for sign-in, and a deployment pipeline that ships changes safely.
We are not a Microsoft licensing reseller, an enterprise datacentre migration consultancy or a .NET shop. If you need Dynamics 365 configured, hundreds of legacy servers lifted into Azure, or a licensing negotiation, a Microsoft solutions partner will serve you better and we will tell you so. What we do is build the application. We do the same work on AWS and Google Cloud, and the rest of our stack is listed on our supported technologies page.
What We Build on Azure
Applications on App Service and containers
Your application carries the business logic, and it has to run somewhere. On Azure that is usually Azure App Service for a straightforward web application, or Azure Container Apps and Azure Kubernetes Service when the application is packaged as containers.
We build in Docker containers as standard, so the same image runs on a developer's laptop, in a test environment and in production. That gives you three practical things:
- The environment a bug appears in is the environment we can reproduce it in
- A release is a new image rather than a set of manual server changes
- A containerised application moves between Azure, AWS and Google Cloud without being rewritten
The last one matters commercially: the hosting decision stays reversible rather than becoming a one-way door.
Managed databases, storage and integration
Most of the applications we build are data applications underneath, so the storage choices matter more than the compute ones. On Azure the parts we most often configure are:
- Azure Database for PostgreSQL or Azure SQL Database for structured data
- Azure Blob Storage for documents, uploads and generated files
- Queues or Service Bus where work has to happen in the background rather than while a user waits
Using managed services rather than servers you patch yourself hands backups, failover and version upgrades to the platform. We design the data model, write the migrations that change it safely, and connect the third-party systems your application has to talk to. There is more on that work on our cloud database development and systems integration pages. The equivalent storage and data engineering work on AWS is covered on our AWS consultants for data lakes page.
Identity, pipelines and monitoring
Sign-in is often the reason Azure is chosen at all. If your staff already have Microsoft 365 accounts, Microsoft Entra ID gives them one login to the new application, governed by the access rules your IT team already maintains. We build single sign-on into portals this way, and support external customer accounts alongside it, so staff and customers can use the same system without sharing an identity provider.
Around that we set up what makes a system supportable after launch: automated deployment pipelines, database migrations that run on release, separated development, test and production environments, and logging with alerting on top. The aim is simple. A failure should be noticed by a monitor, not reported by a customer.
Not sure whether Azure is the right fit?
Scorchsoft are UK app and portal developers with over 16 years' experience building functionally complex web apps. Tell us what you are building and we will give you a straight answer on the platform, including when it should not be Azure.
Choosing Azure With Your Eyes Open
When Azure is the obvious choice
Azure tends to be the right platform when your organisation already runs on Microsoft. If your identity lives in Entra ID, your documents are in SharePoint and your commercial agreements are already with Microsoft, putting the new application on Azure removes a procurement conversation and a second set of logins for staff.
It is often a requirement rather than a preference. Clients come to us with Azure already chosen by their IT function or by group policy, and that is fine. The application we build is the same application; we work within the platform you have committed to.
When we would point you elsewhere
We will also tell you when Azure is not the deciding factor. For most greenfield web applications the three major clouds do the same job, and the better question is which platform your team can support after we hand over. This site runs on AWS, and that was a considered choice rather than a house rule.
There is also work we do not do. We do not resell Microsoft licences or run datacentre-to-cloud migration programmes. Our cloud applications are typically written in JavaScript and TypeScript, PHP and Python.
If your requirements extend beyond our capabilities we will say so and recommend options, or work with your existing IT team.
Azure Development Questions
Azure development is building and running software on Microsoft Azure, Microsoft's public cloud platform. In practice it covers designing the application, choosing which Azure services it needs for compute, data, storage and identity, configuring those services, and setting up the deployment and monitoring that keep it running afterwards.
We can but it's not typically our first choice.
Our typical preference is to build back end applications in JavaScript and TypeScript, PHP (Laravel) and Python. Azure runs all of them: App Service supports Node.js, PHP and Python directly, and anything containerised runs on Azure Container Apps or Kubernetes whatever the language.
Yes, and that is the common case. Clients usually come to us with an Azure subscription, an IT team and existing Microsoft 365 identity. We build the application, deploy it into your environment, and work to the constraints your IT function sets, including using Microsoft Entra ID for sign-in so staff keep one login.
For most new web applications all three do the same job, so the tie-breaker is rarely technical. Although we have found Azure to often be cheaper than AWS on infrastructure cost for some big data projects where backup and storage costs form a large part of the bill.
Azure is the natural choice when your organisation already runs on Microsoft identity and licensing. We build on AWS and Google Cloud as well, and building in containers keeps the decision reversible.
We advise on the architecture of the application we are building for you and on the Azure services it needs. We are not a Microsoft licensing reseller and we do not run enterprise migration or Microsoft 365 governance programmes. For those, a Microsoft solutions partner is the right kind of firm.
You do. We recommend the Azure subscription is billed to your organisation rather than to us, so you keep control of the account and could change supplier without migrating anything. The application source code is yours as well, held in a repository you own.
Yes. If your business already uses Microsoft Dataverse, we can connect your application to it and make supporting changes where needed, working alongside your IT provider to fit the solution into your existing infrastructure.
For more complex applications, moving some functionality into custom code, or replacing Dataverse with a dedicated application database, may give you greater flexibility and control. We assess this case by case, considering your existing setup, maintenance needs and business goals.
Our starting point is to build on what already works. We recommend replacing infrastructure only when there is a clear business case, helping you avoid unnecessary complexity, cost and rework.
It depends on how much of the work is application build and how much is infrastructure, so we scope it rather than guess. Send us a short description of what you need and we will come back with an estimate and the reasoning behind it. You can get a free quote or book a free consultation.
Experience Delivering
Features we regularly build into Azure-hosted web apps and portals, from payments and single sign-on to cloud databases and systems integration. Explore the full list on our capabilities page.
Discover How Scorchsoft Can Help
We would love to hear about your project. Please contact us, and share your goals; we'll respond with our thoughts and a rough cost estimate. Scorchsoft is a UK-based team of web and mobile app developers and designers. We operate in-house from Birmingham, and our offices are located in the heart of the Jewellery Quarter.
Building for teams across healthcare, logistics, motorsport and manufacturing
What Our Clients Say
Scorchsoft helped us take our idea for an app and make it a reality. Everything from the planning meeting to decide what we really needed to the project management and execution was great. It was delivered on time - early in fact - and on budget. Highly recommend.
Rebecca PalserDragonfly IntelligenceScorchsoft is a brilliant company with fantastic knowledge of the mobile app industry. From the project management to the development team, they have been the perfect candidate for our project, and we can't thank them enough!
Lance ChorltonGapped OnlineWe're really pleased with the work Scorchsoft has done in developing our web portal! They have been accurate with timelines and budget, delivering a solid product that allows us to monitor and manage patients remotely while they use our novel medical device at-home. The "plan - design - build" approach has worked well and saved us time in the long-run by catching requirements and issues early.
Daniel GreenSensTrainI'm really pleased with how my app came out, it was exactly what I was looking for. The team at Scorchsoft are great at what they do and made the whole process as simple and easy as possible. Being someone who is not very tech savvy the set up and back end operations were done in a great easy to use manner even for myself which makes using my app stress free. Thanks to all the team!
Ruben CarrollMosaic MasterpiecesThe new Flourish Education website has already removed a lot of manual processes, freeing up both schools, candidates and internal employees time. We are delighted with the look and feel which is clean, professional and more engaging. We are also pleased with the decision to have an HD video background on the homepage, and building immediate trust with our clients by giving them a taste of what it looks like in the Flourish Education offices.
James HancocksMarketing Manager, Flourish Education I can't believe how quickly we started to see results with this project. Scorchsoft provided us with graphic-designed mockups of how the app would look once built, and we were able to sell the product for use by our first customer before the product was finished. Since launching in March, we have secured a major television network as a client who now uses Image Approvals to manage the talent approval process for their productions.
Aimee SpinksMD, ImageApprovals.com
Need help building your ideas?
Tell us where you're headed and we'll come back with our thoughts, a realistic plan and a rough cost estimate. Scorchsoft is a UK-based team of app, portal and AI developers, working in-house from Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter.