Usage patterns on applications, particularly those with a public face are rarely predictable. Public holidays and seasonal variations can unleash large demands on a system, which are typically handled by expensive overcapacity. Some peaks however are not foreseen and can lead to poor performance or even outright failure.

Other businesses face different challenges where an application popularity exceeds all expectations. Startups must try and predict demand early on, facing the dilemma of investing too heavily in capacity with its attendant costs and depreciation of hardware.

Azure offers a 'pay-as-you-go' model which gives you an elastic computing resource that can scale to meet your needs. Peak demand can be met automatically without long term cost commitments.