The big factors in deciding where to host are cost and quality. Microsoft brings the best of both worlds to non-profits by offering a generous $2,000 annual Azure hosting credit. That's right, you can get premium hosting services with an industry-leading cloud provider at a significantly reduced rate. Depending on your organization's size and needs, your hosting costs might even be completely covered by the credit. We've got all the details to get you started in the Hosting Credit for Non-Profits chapter below. But remember that cost isn't the only factor. There are hosting services available at a fraction of the cost of Azure, but they vary widely in overall quality when it comes to running Rock. This is where Azure stands out. As a part of Microsoft, they are true experts in the foundational technologies (Windows, .NET, SQL Server) upon which Rock itself is built. We're not saying you can't or shouldn't host elsewhere, but this is certainly an advantage of hosting with Azure. NoteFeeling overwhelmed?Unless you have a background in technology, all this talk about servers and hosting can be intimidating. Don't worry, that's perfectly understandable and not a problem at all. We have partners who can help get this all up and running for you, so you can focus on other aspects of your ministry. Visit rockrms.com/partners for details. The rest of this guide will help you through the steps needed to get Rock up and running with Azure. As you'll see in the next chapter, there are different Azure hosting options available depending on the size and needs of your organization. Be sure to consider these factors before deciding on a service. If you haven't already, it's also a good idea to check out our Planning for Rock guide to make sure you're ready to get started.