The recent explosion of cloud technology and its accompanying services has led to countless enterprises pivoting towards cloud-based solutions. Among the myriad of cloud offerings, Azure, Microsoft’s flagship cloud service, has emerged as a preferred choice for many businesses due to its comprehensive suite of services, robust security and compliance features, and seamless integration with existing Microsoft products.

However, to maximize the benefits of Azure, businesses often require the expertise of top-tier Azure consultants. Thus, the critical task for enterprises lies in selecting the right Azure consultants. This selection process calls for a thorough understanding of Azure's intricacies, and the ability to ask the right questions.

The credentials of an Azure consultant and their level of expertise can be gauged by evaluating their understanding of the cloud environment, their experience with similar projects, their ability to troubleshoot, their knowledge of specific Azure services, and their ability to design and implement a strategic plan tailored to the needs of your business.

For example, inquiring about their experience with Azure's Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) and Platform as a Service (PaaS) can provide insights into their ability to handle infrastructure and platform-related tasks respectively. IaaS offers direct control over the virtual machines and allows the user to manage the networking and storage. PaaS, on the other hand, provides an environment that allows developers to build, test, and deploy applications. The tradeoff between these two services lies in the degree of control versus the level of abstraction; while IaaS provides more control, PaaS offers more abstraction, which simplifies the development process.

Another question that can be posed is about their proficiency in handling security and compliance issues. Azure provides a robust set of features like Azure Active Directory, Azure Security Center, and Azure Policy, which help manage identity and access, protect against threats, and enforce compliance, respectively. The consultant’s knowledge of these features and their ability to leverage them effectively can play a significant role in ensuring the security and compliance of your cloud environment.

Additionally, their understanding of Azure cost management can also be a deciding factor. Azure offers several cost management and optimization tools like Azure Cost Management and Azure Advisor, which offer cost analysis and recommendations for cost savings, respectively. Azure consultants adept at using these tools can help manage and optimize costs, thus providing a significant financial advantage.

Moreover, their experience with Azure DevOps, a suite of development tools provided by Azure, can also be evaluated. Azure DevOps includes features like Azure Repos, Azure Pipelines, and Azure Test Plans, which aid in version control, continuous integration and delivery, and testing, respectively. Knowledge and experience with these tools can significantly streamline the development and deployment process.

Digging deeper, their knowledge of Azure's machine learning and AI capabilities can be assessed. Azure provides a comprehensive suite of AI and machine learning services, such as Azure Machine Learning service, Azure Bot Service, and Azure Cognitive Services. These services enable the development of intelligent applications that can process natural language, recognize speech and images, and perform predictive analytics. An Azure consultant skilled in leveraging these services can contribute significantly to the innovation and competitiveness of your business.

Finally, their ability to strategize and implement a successful cloud migration can be evaluated. This involves understanding the existing IT environment, planning the migration, executing the migration, and optimizing the new cloud environment. The complexity of this process necessitates a deep understanding of Azure and a strategic approach, making it a critical factor in selecting the right Azure consultant.

In conclusion, selecting the right Azure consultant can be a complex process and requires a thorough understanding of Azure and its accompanying services. The key lies in asking the right questions and evaluating the consultant on multiple aspects, such as their experience, strategic planning ability, and knowledge of specific Azure services. By doing so, businesses can ensure they choose the right Azure consultant who can effectively leverage Azure to meet their specific needs and maximize their benefits from Azure.