What is Microsoft Azure AI Search?
Search facilities are becoming ever more important in application development. Microsoft Azure has provided a powerful, scalable solution to allow developers to add a feature-rich full-text search to a custom application.
Microsoft Azure AI Search is an Azure cloud search service. It sits between data stores and your application. The application can use Azure AI Search to search several storage resources through either the Azure Cloud search services provided REST APIs, or SDKs like the Azure SDK for .NET. Due to the nature of its cloud hosting and pricing structure, Azure AI Search is suitable for any type and size of company; small businesses, mid-size businesses, Enterprise, Freelance, Non-profit, and Government.
The main components of Azure AI Search are Indexing and Querying. Searchable text is stored in a document store, an index. Through a process of indexing, Azure AI Search builds these indexes using indexers which can be either a manual or automated process. E.g., an automated indexer can connect to your blob storage, search for usable text within that storage resource and add that text to an index. Azure AI Search has built-in AI enrichment tools to enhance this search facility further by optionally including image optical character recognition (OCR), image analysis, text translation, entity recognition, and full-text search, as well as integration with Azure Open AI services
Once an index has been populated, you can query that index using either the rest of the API’s or one of the available SDKs. The provided search results allow for an advanced application search facility. Your application can provide a full-text search using a basic search syntax, wildcards, fuzzy search, or regular expressions. The search results response allows for an advanced feature-rich search with paging and suggested results from partial terms and autocomplete.
There are several options for the configuration of Azure AI Search, it can be done either through the Azure portal, Azure PowerShell, Azure CLI, the Management REST API, or an Azure Resource Manager service (ARM) templates. The process of setting up the service and then the individual indexers to search the storage resources is straightforward using the portal tools.
The pricing model for Azure AI Search is based on search units. A search unit is a scalable replica or partition, replicas are copies of the search engine and partitions are storage units within the search engine. When creating a search service resource in Azure you can decide on a tier which will provide more expensive hardware and features as the cost increases, the Search Units then provide the scalability within that tier.
For a custom application that needs to provide a feature-rich search facility that searches several different types of storage resources, Azure AI Search can enhance this requirement within your application. It’s suitable for small medium and large data sets with scalability and suitable cost effectiveness at each level.
Why Ingentive?
DATA COLLECTION & ANALYSIS
In the realm of security and threat management, data collection and analysis play a pivotal role. At Ingentive, we excel in harnessing the capabilities of Microsoft Azure for comprehensive data collection and analysis. Our expertise ensures that our clients can consolidate security data from various sources and gain valuable insights into potential threats and vulnerabilities. With advanced analytics and threat intelligence, we empower you to proactively detect and respond to security incidents, bolstering your defences against sophisticated threats. Ingentive's approach combines the power of data collection and analysis with the robust features of Microsoft Azure Sentinel to safeguard your digital landscape effectively.
THREAT INVESTIGATION WITH AI
Azure deploys machine learning, AI, and behavioural analytics to detect advanced and evolving threats. You can locate unusual patterns and anomalies across your organisation’s environment, providing early detection of potential breaches.
DETECTION OF UNDETECTED THREATS
To detect hidden threats, we rely on Microsoft's advanced technologies. Our continuous monitoring and analysis, backed by machine learning and AI, leverages tools like Microsoft Defender to uncover emerging threats that might elude traditional methods. With Ingentive, you benefit not only from these cutting-edge capabilities but also from seamless integration into the broader Microsoft ecosystem, spanning 365, Azure, and Power Platform. This comprehensive approach ensures proactive threat detection and a robust defence against evolving security risks.
RAPID INCIDENT RESOLUTION
Our rapid incident resolution methodology is straightforward and effective. We use advanced Microsoft tools to detect threats, and when an incident occurs, swiftly identify, contain, investigate, and resolve it. Our process is meticulous, ensuring minimal damage and disruption, and we maintain clear communication with stakeholders throughout.
Secure your business
At Ingentive, we recognise the paramount importance of comprehensive security. We implement a "Defence in Depth" strategy, which layers security measures across your infrastructure, bolstering your defences at every level. We embrace the principles of "Zero Trust," where trust is never assumed, and rigorous identity management plays a pivotal role.
Our commitment to contextual identity management ensures that access to your digital resources is based on real-time, situation-specific factors, minimising security risks. We rely on Microsoft's robust security solutions, such as Microsoft Sentinel, to provide holistic and forward-thinking protection. With Ingentive as your cybersecurity partner, you can trust us to navigate the intricate landscape of digital security, crafting a secure and resilient future for our clients. Together, let us fortify your digital boundaries and safeguard your digital assets in this ever-evolving digital era.
Want to learn more?
Our team are specialists in implementing Microsoft Azure AI into businesses, yet we understand that each business is different and has different needs and goals. We are uniquely placed as a Microsoft FastTrack Ready Partner that are able to diagnose your organisation's digital processes, using your use cases. From this understanding, we create tailor-made solutions that suit your business needs. And that's not all! Not only do we implement Microsoft tools, but we use them internally too - ensuring that Ingentive know from experience, the positive effects of utilising these solutions.
Want to learn more about how Ingentive can help you stay ahead of the curve? Join our workshops or get in touch to learn more about how we can help your business digitally evolve.