Why Xamarin and Azure are Ideal for Development of Cloud-Powered Mobile Apps

We've all heard of mobile apps, but there's now a new concept taking the world by storm -- cloud-powered mobile apps. What are they, you ask. Well, cloud-powered applications are primarily the ones that store their data on the cloud. Here are some of the examples that will help you understand better: Netflix, the globally renowned streaming service, makes use of the power of the cloud to expertly tackle the surges in server load during peak times and also expand its customer base without investing in expensive infrastructure. Another example is WhatsApp, wherein all messages along with other relevant data get stored on the cloud.

Now, it is a well-known fact that users today are more inclined to use mobile apps, thanks to the prevalence of mobile devices and the convenience offered by them. However, this has proven to be challenging for developers since they must create apps that function well on all mobile platforms available in the market, mainly iOS, Windows, and Android. Thankfully, they have found the ideal solution in Xamarin, which empowers them with the tools required for creating and deploying cross-platform native mobile apps. It is because with Xamarin developers don’t have to develop different apps for different platforms. Instead, they can share the same code to create apps that work as well as native apps. Xamarin enables this by using the .NET framework and compiling the code to a native binary for every platform.

So when you are working on building Xamarin apps, there's one aspect that you can't afford to leave out: Microsoft Azure Services. We list some of the top benefits of using Azure Services for building Xamarin apps.

1. Extensive features: Microsoft Azure delivers an abundance of features, including push notifications, offline data sync, and user authentication. While push notifications enable the company to send customized messages to users, offline data sync allows users to access the app even when in the absence of an internet connection, and user authentication facilitates a seamless sign-in process.

2. Connectivity: While using Azure for Xamarin app development, the former offers smooth and safe connectivity to both cloud as well as on-premises systems. It, in turn, helps the company ensure that its users never have to face issues while connecting with the app, no matter where they might be.

3. Scalability: It is a widely accepted fact that mobile apps today must be scalable since they are expected to expertly deal with unexpected bursts of requests and demands and deliver high-quality performance. Conventional hosting models are typically incapable of handling them and often lack the additional resources required for running the application. Thankfully, this isn't a problem with Azure since it can scale automatically as and when needed.

4. Data storage: Via Microsoft Azure's cloud service, users can store any data, regardless of whether they are structured datasets, queries, or file data. Furthermore, they can also share this data across virtual machines using the standard SMB 2.1 protocol.

5. Integration with mobile SDKs: With Azure, developers gain the ability to integrate Xamarin, with a variety of mobile SDKs, for example, one could combine the Android SDK and GDK with Xamarin Studio for mobile sdk development.

6. Boost productivity: Integrating mobile DevOps processes, tools, and systems allows developers to accelerate the app's time to market. Facilitated by Azure, Visual Studio, HockeyApp, and Xamarin Test Cloud, it helps developers enhance the app's quality as well as productivity.

The above features offered by Microsoft Azure help development teams to leverage Xamarin to put together enterprising cloud-powered, cross-platform mobile apps that can help the company reach out to millions of users across the globe. If you too want to start building applications using Xamarin, be sure to connect with a trusted vendor. It will help ensure that your business gets a high-quality app that offers the complete native experience.