Azure Beginner to Hero

Here's the summary of available information: [In Preview] Public Preview: Azure SQL Updates (Late-April 2025) MSSQL Extension for VS Code : Added Schema Compare functionality to analyze and synchronize database schemas directly within the editor[4]. Target Platform Support : Microsoft.Build.Sql 2.0.0 Preview now includes support for SQL Server 2025 in database projects[4]. Earlier versions (1.0.0) already supported SQL database in Fabric [4]. Tooling Updates : The 170.0 release of SqlPackage/DacFx (mid-April 2025) provides compatibility with SQL Server 2025 and Fabric integration[3][5]. Additional Context The query references https://azure.microsoft.com/updates?id=489702 , but no specific details about this update are available in the provided search results. For accuracy, always verify the URL directly for unreferenced updates. Key Sources : [4] for VS Code Schema Compare, [3][5] for tooling releases. Background : SQL Server 2025 offers AI/analytics enhancemen...

Summary of Azure Firewall Integration in Security Copilot Overview The integration of Azure Firewall with Microsoft Security Copilot enhances the security capabilities by leveraging AI to investigate malicious traffic intercepted by Azure Firewall's intrusion detection and prevention system (IDPS). This integration simplifies complex tasks for security analysts, allowing them to query data using natural language instead of writing complex queries[1][2][5]. Key Features and Benefits Automated Investigation : The Azure Firewall integration in Security Copilot enables detailed investigations of malicious traffic using AI, reducing manual effort and time spent on threat analysis[2][5]. Natural Language Queries : Analysts can ask questions in natural language, making it easier to investigate threats without needing to write complex KQL queries[2][5]. Integration and Accessibility : The integration is available both through the Security Copilot portal and the Copilot in Azure exp...

Introduction to Azure Compute Fleet Azure Compute Fleet is a feature designed to simplify and optimize large-scale virtual machine (VM) deployments. It provides accelerated access to Azure's capacity in a given region, allowing users to deploy and manage thousands of VMs efficiently[1][2]. Key Features and Capabilities Scalability and Deployment : Azure Compute Fleet can deploy up to 10,000 VMs in a single API call, combining Spot and Standard VMs. This scalability is beneficial for dynamic applications or large-scale workloads[3][5]. Cost Optimization : Compute Fleet offers superior price-performance ratios by utilizing a mix of pricing models, including Reserved Instances, Savings Plans, Spot Instances, and pay-as-you-go options[1][5]. Flexibility in VM Sizes : Users can mix up to 15 different VM sizes and families within a single fleet, tailoring deployments to specific workload needs[3]. Simplified Management : The "Fire & Forget-it" model automates the de...

Overview of Next Generation Azure Data Box Devices Microsoft has announced the general availability of the next generation Azure Data Box devices, specifically the Azure Data Box 120 and Azure Data Box 525 . These devices are designed to enhance the process of transferring large amounts of data into Azure Storage by offering faster, more reliable, and secure offline data ingestion solutions[2][3][4]. Key Features and Improvements The new Azure Data Box devices incorporate several key features and improvements: Fast Data Transfer : They utilize NVMe devices to achieve faster data transfer rates, with speeds reaching up to 7 GBps for medium to large files, offering a significant improvement over previous models[1][3]. Resilience and Security : The devices are ruggedized to withstand rough transportation conditions and offer secure data transfer protocols to ensure data integrity and confidentiality[2][3]. Ease of Use : The devices are designed for ease of handling, with larger c...

Enhanced Support for Generation 2 VMs in Azure DevTest Labs Azure DevTest Labs has introduced enhanced support for Generation 2 Virtual Machines (VMs) in public preview, offering key advantages over Generation 1 VMs. This development aligns with Microsoft's commitment to providing users with more advanced and secure virtualization options. Key Features of Generation 2 VMs Increased Memory : Generation 2 VMs support greater memory compared to their Generation 1 counterparts[1][2]. Intel Software Guard Extensions (Intel SGX) : Provides additional security features by enabling secure enclaves[1][2]. Virtualized Persistent Memory (vPMEM) : Enhances performance and capacity with persistent memory support[1][2]. Improved Boot and Installation Times : Offers faster boot and installation experiences, enhancing overall productivity[1][2]. Enhanced Support in Azure DevTest Labs Image Choice : Users can now easily choose between Generation 1 and Generation 2 versions of the same ...

Announcing preview support to enable Trusted launch on existing Virtual machine Flex scale set by upgrading the scale set resource to Gen2-Trusted launch. This will help improve the foundational security of existing Azure Virtual machine Flex scale set re

Announcing general availability of support to enable Trusted launch on existing Virtual machine Uniform scale sets by upgrading the scale set resource to Gen2-Trusted launch. This will help improve the foundational security of existing Azure Virtual machi

Azure Firewall enables users to set a maintenance window with a minimum duration of 5 hours, recurring daily, to best accommodate their requirements and minimize unexpected downtime. Firewalls with an associated maintenance configuration will not undergo

Azure Storage Mover—a free, fully managed service— now supports data transfers from Amazon Web Services (AWS) S3 to Azure Blob Storage, ideal for multi-cloud architectures or full migrations to Azure. The new Cloud-to-Cloud migration capability enables si

We are excited to announce that Azure Cosmos DB for MongoDB (vCore) clusters now support secondary users, enabling more flexible and granular access control for your database. Previously, each cluster could have only one user with full privileges, limitin

In early-July 2025, the following updates and enhancements were made to Azure SQL: Enhanced server audit for Azure SQL Database boosts performance, availability, and reliability. Learn more. Server audit action groups are now available to achieve compli

DNS security policy is now generally available. This release brings visibility of DNS traffic at the VNET level with the flexibility to send logs to storage account, log analytics workspace, or event hubs. It also includes DNS filtering based on lists of

Azure App Service on Azure Stack Hub 25R1 is now available for customers to download and update their Azure Stack Hub deployments. What's New? This release contains a number of new capabilities, updates to application stacks and improvements to Azure App

Two-Way Forest Trusts for Microsoft Entra Domain Services are now Generally Available. This capability allows organizations to create forest trusts between Microsoft Entra Domain Services and on-premises Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) environmen

Azure Firewall supports the use of Fully Qualified Domain Names (FQDNs) in DNAT (Destination Network Address Translation) rules, allowing inbound traffic to be routed to backend resources using domain names instead of static IP addresses. This feature i

We're announcing the General Availability of Query Editor in Azure Metric Explorer through Azure Monitor Workspace (AMW). With this update, customers can directly query Prometheus metrics using PromQL within their Azure Monitor workspace. This empowers us

Azure Files NFS shares now support Encryption in Transit (EiT) using TLS 1.3 to secure all NFS traffic, ensuring confidentiality, integrity, and authentication. This layer of added security helps enterprises meet end-to-end compliance needs while maintain

Azure Managed Prometheus sends metrics into Azure Monitor Workspace. Customers can now view and monitor issues with ingestion of Prometheus metrics as part of the platform metrics for the Azure Monitor Workspace. Ingestion errors are issues that occurred

Customers can now transition existing volumes from platform-managed keys (PMK) to customer-managed keys (CMK) seamlessly. This provides customers flexibility of encryption key lifecycle (renewals, rotations) and additional security for regulated industry

Azure Virtual Network Manager IP address management feature, a feature designed to enhance your network management, is generally available. In complex network environments, managing IP addresses effectively is essential. This feature centralizes IP planni

The new Draft & Deploy feature for Azure Firewall Policy introduces a streamlined, two-phase approach to managing firewall policies, significantly reducing deployment time and disruption. Traditionally, any policy update would trigger a full deployment of

Microsoft Cost Management now supports exporting cost and usage data in the FinOps Open Cost and Usage Specification (FOCUS) 1.2 schema. This update introduces key enhancements that help FinOps teams streamline reporting, unify billing data across clouds,

Azure Advisor has improved its VM right-sizing recommendations by extending coverage for newer VM series. This broader SKU coverage across the D, E, and F VM families enables a more comprehensive evaluation of CPU performance, providing your teams with re

Azure SQL now supports vector data types for efficient storage, querying of embeddings, and semantic search, making it an ideal database for AI. Now you can integrate advanced AI capabilities into your applications, resulting in smarter and more responsiv

Azure Front Door standard and premium profiles now support managed certificate for wildcard domains. Previously, you can only bring your own certificate for wildcard domains on Azure Front Door. This enables customers to secure multiple subdomains with a

Azure Web Application Firewall (WAF) integration in Microsoft Copilot for Security has reached general availability. This integration supports both Azure Front Door WAF and Azure Application Gateway WAF. By integrating Azure WAF with the Security Copilot

Azure Premium SSD v2 and Ultra Disk are now available in Malaysia West region. Azure Ultra Disks are the highest-performing storage option for Azure virtual machines (VMs), offering high throughput, high IOPS, and consistent low sub-millisecond latency. U

On August 14 2025, Azure Kubernetes Service will no longer support the skip-gpu-driver-install node pool tag to skip automatic driver installation on GPU node pools. Starting on August 14 2025, you will no longer be able to use this node pool tag at AKS n

Announcing the Public Preview of Azure Site Recovery (ASR) for Virtual Machines with Ultra disks. ASR provides seamless disaster recovery for Virtual Machines across Azure Regions and from on-premises to Azure, helping organizations maintain business con

Announcing the expansion of Azure VM Backup disk capacity. VMs can now be protected with individual disks up to 64 TB and a total of 512 TB per VM. This enables large disk support for business continuity and recovery from disasters or ransomware attacks.

After September 30, 2025, new virtual networks will default to requiring explicit outbound connectivity methods instead of having a fallback to default outbound access connectivity.  All virtual machines that require public endpoint access will need to us

The first cloud region in Chile is now available with Azure Availability Zones and provides organizations across the globe with access to scalable, highly available, and resilient Microsoft Cloud services, confirming its commitment to promoting cloud tran

Azure Monitor, Microsoft’s comprehensive solution for monitoring and optimizing cloud resources, is expanding its integrated diagnostics capabilities with the Public Preview of Continuous Performance Diagnostics for Linux VMs. On-demand Performance Dia

On June 30, 2026, DCsv2-series Azure virtual machines (VMs) will be retired. After that date, they will no longer be available for use. Please migrate your workloads before June 30, 2026. Options: To continue using the enclave-based Intel SGX technolog

Cross-tenant customer managed keys (CMK) for Premium SSD v2 and Ultra Disks is now in public preview in select regions. Encrypting managed disks with cross-tenant CMK enables encrypting the disk with a CMK hosted in an Azure Key Vault in a different Micr

Azure Site Recovery support for Azure Trusted Launch VMs running Linux OS is Generally Available. Azure Trusted Launch VMs provide foundational compute security to Azure Generation 2 VMs by enabling Secure Boot and vTPM capabilities. This Generally Availa

The Laosv4 series and Lasv4 storage optimized VMs, based on the 4th Gen AMD EPYC™ processor (Genoa), and the Lsv4-series VMs, based on the 5th Gen Intel® Xeon® processor (Emerald Rapids), are now generally available. Laosv4 VMs have sizes ranging from 2

Announcing the private preview of jaz, a new JVM launcher optimized specifically for Azure. This tool provides better default ergonomics for Java applications running in containers and virtual machines, ensuring more efficient use of resources right from

Now you can easily connect Azure Databricks with Microsoft Power Apps in several new ways. The new connector enables you to: Support real-time data access without the need for data copying. Create dynamic applications that take advanta

In September 2022, we announced the upcoming retirement of SAP HANA Large Instance (Gen4 and Gen4.5) products on Azure, initially scheduled for 30 June 2025. Based on your valuable feedback and to provide additional time for your migration planning, we ar

Azure Virtual Network Manager’s connectivity, security admin, and routing configuration features are now generally available in Azure China. This enables centralized management of connectivity, security rules, and routing across subscriptions at scale and

We are announcing the private preview of profile and route-based Web Application Firewall (WAF) policies on Azure Front Door. Previously, to protect your applications from malicious attacks, a WAF policy had to be linked to a Front Door via one or more Fr

The Archive access tier for Azure Blob Storage is now generally available in the Italy North region. With this regional expansion, customers can now store infrequently accessed data in the cost-effective Archive tier while meeting data residency and com

Azure Data Explorer now offers Persistent Graphs in public preview, enabling durable graph data structures that persist beyond individual query executions for enterprise-scale relationship analysis. Unlike transient Graphs which exist only in memory durin

Announcing that you can now use user-assigned managed identity and system-assigned managed identity Entra authentication to connect your Azure Database for PostgreSQL instance with Azure Synapse Analytics and Azure Data Factory. This feature enhances secu

On May 12, 2026, extended support for .NET 9 (STS) will end. Your apps that are hosted on App Service will continue to run, but security updates will no longer be available and we’ll no longer provide customer service for .NET 9 (STS). Learn more about Ap

Announcing the public preview of a dedicated Azure Standard Load Balancer in Azure Database for MySQL - Flexible Server for high availability-enabled servers. With this feature, a high availability configuration gets the benefit of a dedicated Standard Lo

Announcing that pg_cron is now supported in PostgreSQL 17 on Azure Database for PostgreSQL flexible server. This extension brings powerful, built-in job scheduling to PostgreSQL 17—previously available only in earlier versions. Learn more.

Starting April 30, 2025, private endpoint approvals from the Azure Machine Learning and Azure AI Foundry managed network will no longer be handled by the internal networking service. Moving forward, either the Azure AI Enterprise Network Connection Approv

Azure Database for PostgreSQL - Flexible Server now offers a backup solution for supporting long-term backup retention and improved compliance for your PostgreSQL databases using Azure Backup. This release enables you to take advantage of a rich set of c

Announcing the Public Preview of Azure Site Recovery (ASR) for Virtual Machines with Premium SSD v2 disks. ASR provides seamless disaster recovery for Virtual Machines across Azure Regions and from on-premises to Azure, helping organizations maintain busi

Azure Migrate now supports migration to ZRS Disks. Zone-Redundant Storage (ZRS) for Azure Disks synchronously replicates data across three physically separate availability zones within a region – each with independent power, cooling, and networking – enha

Azure Storage Mover can now migrate your SMB shares to Azure Blob container. Storage Mover is a fully managed migration service that enables you to migrate on-premises files and folders to Azure Storage while minimizing downtime for your workload. Togeth

Azure Quota Groups is now generally available, offering improved flexibility and control for Enterprise Agreement (EA) and internal customers. This feature enables quota sharing across a group of subscriptions, reducing the number of individual quota tran

End of Support for Microsoft Fabric Runtime 1.2 has been announced. Microsoft Fabric Runtime 1.2 will be deprecated and disabled March 31, 2026.   We strongly recommend upgrading your Fabric workspace and environments to use Runtime 1.3 (Apache Spark 3.5

In September 2022, we announced that Language Understanding (LUIS) would be retired on October 1, 2025. Based on feedback from you, we are extending the retirement date to October 31, 2025, to give you more time to plan for your migration. On October 31,

End of Support Announcement for Azure Synapse Runtime for Apache Spark 3.4. Azure Synapse Runtime for Apache Spark 3.4 will be deprecated and disabled March 31, 2026. 

Azure Backup now supports Elastic SAN, offering a fully managed solution for backing up and restoring Elastic SAN volumes. This integration helps protect data against accidental deletions, ransomware attacks, and application updates by exporting Elastic S

Azure Firewall enhances the DNAT rule configuration to support port translations on its Private IP address. DNAT on Azure Firewall Private IP address helps connect overlapped IP networks, which is a common scenario for enterprises when onboarding new part

Announcing the public preview of Live Resize for Premium SSD v2 (Pv2) and Ultra NVMe Disks. This feature allows you to dynamically expand the storage capacity of your disks without any disruption to your applications. To optimize costs, you can start with

Microsoft Planetary Computer Pro is a comprehensive geospatial data platform designed to accelerate the generation of geospatial insights and their integration into enterprise Data & AI workflows. It offers robust capabilities to ingest, manage, and disse

A key step in any cloud transformation plan is a current state analysis of the entire IT estate covering workloads and applications, and relationships/dependencies among them. More often, customers are looking to set their migration goals in terms of the

Azure NetApp Files volume encryption choices have expanded to offer support customer-managed keys for Azure NetApp Files volume encryption with Azure Key Vault Managed HSM. This capability offers increased security from FIPS 140-2 Level 2 to FIPS 140-2 Le

Announcing App Service Hybrid Connection has been updated, and the latest version is now generally available. This new version has an updated look and feel and provides the following advantages over the previous version:Support for both Windows and Linux

You can now configure Azure Container Apps and Azure Functions as Private Link enabled origins in your Front Door Premium profile. Private Link enabled origins in Front Door allow you to deliver content to your end-users through public Front Door endpoint

The Azure Cosmos DB JavaScript SDK 4.0 is now generally available. This major update brings a range of enhancements to help you build more efficient and scalable applications, whether you're working with large datasets, securing sensitive information, or

We are announcing the general availability of private subnet functionality in Azure. Currently, when virtual machines are created in a virtual network without any explicit outbound connectivity, they are assigned a default outbound public IP address. Thes

Announcing the General Availability of Workspace Gateway Metrics in Azure API Management!Two new metrics—CPU Utilization (%) and Memory Utilization (%)—are now available for API Management workspace gateways, offering deeper visibility into resource usage

You no longer need to manage the key version for customer-managed keys (CMKs) in Azure Database for PostgreSQL flexible server. Versionless keys automate the propagation of newly rotated CMKs independent of the rotation method (auto-rotation or manual). L

Announcing the General Availability of Federated Logging in Azure API Management! With federated logging, platform teams gain a centralized view of logs across the entire API Management instance, while API teams get scoped access to logs for APIs within

Unity Catalog access to Amazon S3 data on Azure Databricks is now generally available. This release gives you seamless, multicloud data governance by unifying permissions and access controls across S3 and Azure Data Lake Storage.With cross-cloud data gove

Now you can easily capture real-time data changes using change streams in Azure Cosmos DB for MongoDB (vCore). This new capability eliminates polling overhead and enables real-time analytics, automation, and synchronization across distributed systems. And

Announcing the public preview of the Automated Testing Framework for Azure Logic Apps (Standard)! This new capability empowers developers and integration specialists to build more reliable workflows by simplifying the unit testing experience within their

Azure AI Foundry supports Reinforcement Fine-Tuning (RFT) with the o4-mini model in Azure OpenAI, enabling adaptive learning for context-aware applications. Alongside RFT, we introduced Global Training, allowing fine-tuning from 12+ Azure regions at reduc

Announcing the public preview of native integration between Azure Cosmos DB and Azure Logic Apps for document ingestion enabling a faster, low-code path to bring your data into Cosmos DB from a wide variety of sources. With out-of-the-box templates and c

The capability to run Azure Container Apps on your own Azure Arc-enabled Kubernetes clusters (AKS and AKS-HCI) is now generally available. The cluster can be on-premises or hosted in a third-party cloud. This approach allows developers to take advantage

Azure Premium SSD v2 and Ultra Disk are now available in Indonesia Central region. Azure Ultra Disks are the highest-performing storage option for Azure virtual machines (VMs), offering high throughput, high IOPS, and consistent low sub-millisecond latenc

These capabilities enhance your troubleshooting experience and streamline diagnosing and resolving health degradation of your application and infrastructure. AI-powered Investigations enable fast troubleshooting, diagnosing and resolving problems efficien

Announcing the general availability (GA) of vaulted backups by Azure Backup for Azure Database for PostgreSQL - flexible server, a robust and scalable backup solution designed to meet the needs of enterprises and developers alike. Key features include pol

We are excited to announce the Public Preview of Simple Log Alerts in Azure Monitor, available starting in mid-May. This new feature is designed to provide a simplified and more intuitive experience for monitoring and alerting, enhancing your ability to d

We are excited to announce support for confidential computing in Azure Database for PostgreSQL flexible server. With confidential computing enabled, you can enhance the security of sensitive and regulated data, helping mitigate unwanted data access by clo

With managed identity support in the Azure AI extension on Azure Database for PostgreSQL – Flexible Server, you no longer need to store secrets (access tokens) to your Azure OpenAI, Azure AI Services, and Azure Machine Learning services within the Postgre

We are excited to announce the general availability of the Apache AGE extension for Azure Database for PostgreSQL. With this release, you can unlock powerful graph database capabilities, enabling you to efficiently manage and analyze complex relationships

Azure File Sync enables seamless tiering of data from on-premises Windows Servers to Azure Files for hybrid use cases and simplified migration. It also enables you to leverage the performance, flexibility and compatibility of your on-premises File Server

Azure Premium SSD v2 (Pv2) Disk Storage is now available in Japan West. Pv2 is Azure’s next-generation general-purpose block storage designed to deliver an ideal balance of low-latency performance, flexible scalability, and cost efficiency. With sub-milli

Azure Virtual Network Manager high-scale private endpoints in connected groups is now in public preview, delivering enhanced scalability for complex Azure network environments. As organizations grow, the need to large numbers of private endpoints becom

We are announcing the public preview of the Perth Azure Extended Zone. Azure Extended Zones are small-footprint extensions of Azure placed in metros, industry centers, or a specific jurisdiction to serve low latency and data residency workloads. They sup

To provide a new flexible and cost-effective option for developers, Azure App Configuration now offers a Developer pricing plan. This new plan is ideal for development teams looking for a reliable configuration store for development and testing, and for

Azure NetApp Files support for Active Directory connection per NetApp account feature is now generally available. The feature allows each NetApp account to connect to its own Active Directory Forest and Domain, providing the ability to manage more than on

Bing Search APIs will be retired on  August 11, 2025. Any existing instances of Bing Search APIs will be decommissioned completely, and the product will no longer be available for usage or new customer signup. Note that this retirement will apply to part

Azure Migrate now supports migration to Premium SSD v2 disks, providing users with advanced disk options that offer greater flexibility and enhanced performance. These disks are ideal for mission-critical applications that require high IOPS & throughput,

The Azure Cosmos DB Rust Software Development Kit (SDK) is now in public preview. You can use the Rust SDK to connect to an Azure Cosmos DB for NoSQL account and perform operations on databases, containers, and items. In addition to creating, reading, upd

Azure Ultra Disk Storage is now available in New Zealand North. Azure Ultra Disk Storage offers high throughput, high IOPS, and consistent low latency disk storage for Azure virtual machines (VMs). Ultra Disk Storage is suited for data-intensive workloads

Azure Container Storage is a cloud-based volume management, deployment and orchestration service and works with Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) to effectively scale across storage services while providing a cost-effective, container-native experience. Cus

In September 2022, we announced that Language Understanding (LUIS) would be retired on October 1, 2025. Based on feedback from you, we are extending the retirement date to October 31, 2025, to give you more time to plan for your migration. On October 31,

Fallback to internet on Private DNS Zones: New feature which unblocks adoption of a fully managed solution for Network Isolation and simplifies scenarios with Private Link and Private DNS. This feature enables public recursion to occur in the event of rec

In mid-February 2025, the following updates and enhancements were made to Azure SQL: Convert Azure SQL databases to Hyperscale with improved progress reporting and explicit cutover control. Learn more.

Azure Premium SSD v2 Disk Storage is now available in New Zealand North region. This next-generation storage solution offers advanced general-purpose block storage with the best price performance, delivering sub-millisecond disk latencies for demanding IO

With Azure Virtual Network Manager, a central management service for your virtual network resources, you can easily manage your virtual networks’ connectivity, security, and more at scale. Starting February 11, 2025, all newly created Azure Virtual Netwo

In late-April 2025, the following updates and enhancements were made to Azure SQL: The MSSQL extension for VS Code now includes Schema Compare in its April release—making it easier to compare database schemas, identify differences, and apply updates acros

We’re announcing the open public preview of inbound private endpoint support for the Azure API Management Standard v2 tier. This capability enables private, secure access to the API Management gateway from within your virtual network using Azure Private L

The Azure Firewall integration in Security Copilot helps analysts perform detailed investigations of the malicious traffic intercepted by the IDPS feature of their firewalls across their entire fleet using natural language questions. The following capabi

We’re introducing service update settings for Azure API Management, giving customers greater control over when and how their instances receive platform updates—including new features, security patches, and reliability improvements. Customers can now:Selec

Azure Compute Fleet is now generally available in all regions. Azure Compute Fleet allows users to easily obtain large amounts of compute capacity algorithmically mixing and matching a variety of available and VM sizes suitable to a user's workload, up to

You can now develop functions using Python 3.12 locally and deploy them to all Azure Functions plans. Python 3.12 builds on the performance enhancements that were first released with Python 3.11 and adds several performance and language readability featu

Today, you can control an AKS cluster's egress traffic using Azure Firewall. While this configuration is intended to isolate the cluster to protect sensitive business or customer data, it adds an additional layer of management complexity and cost. AKS n

Azure AI Search has two new self-serve options that make it easy to change or upgrade your service, directly from Azure portal or the management API. Changing your service tier is now as easy as adding partitions or replicas; no rebuild required. Self-se

We are excited to announce the general availability of instance mix, a new feature designed to optimize your Virtual Machine Scale Set deployments. Instance mix allows you to specify multiple VM sizes within a single Virtual Machine Scale Set, providing

Today, we’re excited to announce the General Availability of Azure Data Box 120 and Azure Data Box 525, our next-generation compact, NVMe-based Data Box devices. These devices are currently available for customers to order in the US, US Gov, Canada, EU an

You can now use MongoDB version 8.0 on vCore-based Azure Cosmos DB for MongoDB. This release provides access to the latest MongoDB features, helping you build and manage your applications more efficiently. Learn more.

We are pleased to announce the general availability of cross-region data transfer for all region pairs using Azure Data Box. Customers can now select any source location and directly upload data to any Azure destination region, offering flexibility and co

All resource specific log tables for Azure Firewall now support the Basic log plan which can reduce your logging costs by 80%. However, Policy Analytics and Security Copilot integrations will not work with the Basic log plan. Learn more: About this new

Now available in Spain Central region, Azure Ultra Disk Storage provides high-performance along with low sub-millisecond latency for your most-demanding workloads.Azure Ultra Disk Storage offers high throughput, high IOPS, and consistent low latency disk

Azure AI Image Analysis 4.0 Preview API Retirement Summary Retirement Date : March 31, 2025[1][5]. Scope : The following preview API versions will be retired: 2022-07-31-preview 2022-10-12-preview 2023-02-01-preview 2023-04-01-preview 2023-07-01-preview v4.0-preview.1 [1]. Key Impacted Features : Discontinued functionalities : Model customization , background removal , and product recognition (removed from Azure AI Studio as of January 10, 2025)[1]. Product recognition preview API (explicitly cited for retirement in multiple sources)[2][4]. Migration Path : Transition to Image Analysis 4.0 GA API or Azure AI Custom Vision (GA) for model customization and object detection[1][2]. Recommendations : Act Before March 31, 2025 : API calls to preview versions will fail post-retirement[1][5]. Benefits of GA API : Features like multimodal embedding , synchronous OCR , people detection , smart cropping , and dense captions are available in the GA ...

Retirement of Azure AI Image Analysis 4.0 Preview APIs On March 31, 2025 , the Azure AI Image Analysis 4.0 Preview APIs will be retired. This retirement affects several features, including: Model customization Background removal Product recognition Custom Image Classification and Custom Object Detection To ensure continuity, users are advised to migrate their workloads to the Image Analysis 4.0 GA API , which offers enhanced features like multimodal embedding, synchronous OCR, people detection, image tagging, smart cropping, caption, dense caption, and image object detection[1][4][5]. Impact and Migration Recommendations Impact on Features: Product Recognition and Custom Features : These will no longer be available in the preview APIs and have been removed from the Azure Studio experience as of January 10, 2025[1]. COCO File Compatibility : Users relying on COCO files for training data in product recognition will need to adapt to the Custom Vision service, as it does not ...

Azure Firewall's resource-specific log tables now support Azure Monitor's Basic table plan , offering cost-effective monitoring solutions. Here's a concise summary: Key Details Cost reduction : The Basic plan reduces logging costs by up to 80% compared to the Analytics plan[2]. Limitations : No Policy Analytics/Security Copilot support : Incompatible with advanced features requiring the Analytics plan[2]. Update restrictions : Table plans can only be modified once every 7 days [2]. Implementation Enable structured logs : Configure a Log Analytics workspace. Navigate to Diagnostic settings in Azure Firewall. Select Resource-specific tables and log types[2][3]. Query accessibility : Predefined KQL queries are available in the Azure portal[2]. Context General Availability : The Basic plan enables budget-conscious teams to retain core logging capabilities while avoiding premium-tier costs[2]. Alternatives : Analytics plan remains necessary for o...

Azure has launched a generally available feature for user-managed plugin enablement in Azure Database for MySQL – Flexible Server, starting with the validate password plugin. This update allows users to directly manage plugins on their MySQL flexible server instances without requiring Microsoft support intervention. For example, the validate password plugin can be enabled or disabled via built-in stored procedures ( CALL az_install_validate_password_plugin(); to enable and CALL az_uninstall_validate_password_plugin(); to disable). Once enabled, the plugin’s configuration parameters become accessible through the Azure portal's Server Parameters page. This capability enhances server security by allowing enforcement of strong password policies. Additionally, the update introduces a stored procedure for undo log cleanup to help prevent excessive storage consumption. The caching sha2 password plugin is also now exposed to customers by default, configurable through server parameters i...

User-Managed Plugin Enablement in Azure Database for MySQL - Flexible Server The recent launch of user-managed plugin enablement in Azure Database for MySQL – Flexible Server signifies a significant enhancement in terms of customization and security. This feature allows users to directly manage plugins for their database servers, providing greater flexibility and control over database management functions. Key Features Plugin Management : Users can now enable and manage plugins such as the validate_password plugin. This capability helps enhance server security by enforcing strong password policies, which can be crucial for protecting sensitive data[5]. General Availability : This feature is now generally available, meaning it is fully supported and ready for use in production environments. It marks an important milestone in the evolution of Azure Database for MySQL – Flexible Server by offering more granular control over server configuration[5]. Impact and Benefits The introd...

Calling all Azure Local (formerly Azure Stack HCI) users!  Take this 10-minute survey to give us your thoughts on running AKS Arc (Azure Kubernetes Service enabled by Azure Arc) on Azure Local for a chance to win one out of three (3) $250 USD virtual gift cards! Previous Kubernetes experience is NOT required—we’re looking for … The post Survey: Azure Local (formerly Azure Stack HCI) users!  appeared first on Thomas Maurer .