Azure ARC

Azure has Azure Stack for on-premises DCs; AWS has Outposts to bring AWS services to companies’ own DCs; Google introduced Anthos, to let companies run Google cloud software in their DCs. Azure Stack is available. Neither Outposts nor Anthos is available yet. Now Azure has Azure ARC to extend to other cloud infrastructure.

https://azure.microsoft.com/en-gb/blog/azure-services-now-run-anywhere-with-new-hybrid-capabilities-announcing-azure-arc/ 

There are some renaming going on also! Azure Stack is the name of the all up strategy for Microsoft’s Hybrid 2.0 strategy (which now includes managing other clouds from Azure with Azure ARC). Azure Stack’s new name is now Azure Stack Hub; Azure Stack DataBox Edge is now Azure Stack Edge. There’s still Azure Stack HCI to run high performance VMs on-premises that can access Azure Services.

Azure Synapse Analytics

Announcing Azure Synapse Analytics (Data Warehousing with Big Data Analytics brought together). Azure Synapse Analytics vs AWS RedShift vs GCP BigQuery

https://azure.microsoft.com/en-gb/blog/simply-unmatched-truly-limitless-announcing-azure-synapse-analytics/

Azure Quantum

Announcing Azure Quantum with open hardware (IONQ, Honeywell, QCI partners) and open software (Q#; QDK; 1QBit)

Azure Migrate Updates

• Web apps migration experience now available in Azure Migrate.
  • Azure Migrate now provides a dedicated experience for migrating .NET web applications to Azure App Service. Fully integrated with the App Service Migration Assistant tool, it can identify web servers or virtual machines running web applications and provides necessary tooling to perform detailed assessment and guide you through the migration process.
  • https://azure.microsoft.com/en-gb/updates/web-apps-migration-experience-now-available-in-azure-migrate/
• Azure Database Migration Service hybrid mode (in preview)
  • Azure Database Migration Service hybrid mode is now in preview. It uses a migration worker hosted on-premises together with an instance of Database Migration Service running in the cloud (the “cloud service”) to manage database migrations.

Azure Functions Updates

• .NET Core 3 support (in preview)
  • https://azure.microsoft.com/en-gb/updates/net-core-3-support-in-azure-functions-now-in-preview/
• PowerShell support now GA
  • https://azure.microsoft.com/en-gb/updates/powershell-support-in-azure-functions-is-now-generally-available/
• Premium Plan now GA (not just consumption and app service plans)
  • Some capabilities includes running Functions without cold start by pre-warming instances; Longer maximum execution time (up to 60 minutes); DEPLOYMENT SLOT support (yes!) among others.
  • https://azure.microsoft.com/en-gb/updates/azure-functions-premium-plan-is-now-generally-available/

Azure Event Grid Updates

• Azure Data Lake Storage (ADLS) Gen2 (part of the Azure Storage Account v2 Service) can now publish events to Azure Event Grid
  • https://azure.microsoft.com/en-gb/updates/streamline-data-analytics-processes-with-adls-gen2-events-in-azure-event-grid/
• Azure Key Vault can now publish events into Azure Event Grid
  • https://azure.microsoft.com/en-gb/updates/event-driven-secrets-management-with-azure-key-vault-events-now-in-event-grid/
• Azure Machine Learning service can now publish events into Azure Event Grid
  • https://azure.microsoft.com/en-gb/updates/simplify-ml-workloads-with-azure-machine-learning-events-now-in-event-grid/

Azure Networking Updates

• Azure Peering Service is a partnership with service providers to provide highly reliable and optimized internet connectivity to Microsoft services. It also provides internet latency telemetry and route monitoring with alerting against hijacks, leaks, and any other BGP mal configurations.
  • https://azure.microsoft.com/en-gb/updates/azure-peering-service-is-now-in-managed-preview/
• IPv6 for Azure Virtual Network is now GA
  • https://azure.microsoft.com/en-gb/updates/ipv6-for-azure-virtual-network-is-now-generally-available/
  • IPv6 support within the virtual network and to the internet
• Azure ExpressRoute for satellites now GA
  • https://azure.microsoft.com/en-gb/updates/azure-expressroute-for-satellites-is-now-available/
  • ExpressRoute now includes satellite connectivity partners, bringing new options and coverage

Azure API Management Updates

• New Azure API Management developer portal GA
  • The new, open-source API Management developer portal is now generally available. It features a carefully redesigned modern look and feel and enables new scenarios such as automation or custom extension of the functionality. The Azure documentation article contains instructions on how to get started.
  • https://azure.microsoft.com/en-gb/updates/new-azure-api-management-developer-portal-is-now-generally-available-2/
• Azure Arc enabled API Management (in preview)
  • Allows customers to leverage a self-hosted API gateway, that expands API Management support for hybrid and multi-cloud environments and enables Azure customers to efficiently and securely manage APIs hosted on-premises and across clouds from a single API Management service in Azure.
  • In other words, management plane in Azure but data plane is private

Azure CosmosDB

• Finally auto-scaling Request Unites for CosmosDB!
  • Users can select a throughput tier and Azure Cosmos DB will automatically scale RU/s up and down as needed to match capacity with demand
  • https://azure.microsoft.com/en-gb/updates/autopilot-mode-for-provisioned-throughput-is-now-in-preview/
  • For reference, here is a feedback link that was raised in October 2016!!
    • https://feedback.azure.com/forums/263030-azure-cosmos-db/suggestions/16598674-autoscale-throughput-ur-s

Azure CLI

• The latest version of the Azure CLI contains several exciting new features across the Azure platform including networking command, native support for Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2, and SQL serverless database support, in addition to others.

Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)

• Support for Azure Availability Zones now GA
  • https://azure.microsoft.com/en-gb/updates/azure-kubernetes-service-aks-support-for-azure-availability-zones-is-now-available/
  • AKS worker nodes can now be spread across AZs for higher availability and resiliency
• Autoscaling now GA
  • https://azure.microsoft.com/en-gb/updates/azure-kubernetes-service-aks-cluster-autoscaler-is-now-available/
  • Use VMSS for worker nodes instead of just VMs
• Support for multiple node pools now GA
  • Allows the use of different VM sizes in each pool to run various workloads in a single AKS cluster
• Support for authenticated IPs now GA
  • https://azure.microsoft.com/en-gb/updates/azure-kubernetes-service-aks-support-for-authenticated-ips-is-now-available/
  • Restricting AKS access to only trusted IPs
• AKS diagnostics (in preview)
  • https://azure.microsoft.com/en-gb/updates/easier-diagnostics-and-logging-with-azure-kubernetes-service-is-now-in-preview/
  • AKS diagnostics help to troubleshoot and diagnose problems with AKS clusters
• Dev Spaces connect for AKS
  • https://azure.microsoft.com/en-gb/updates/public-preview-dev-spaces-connect-for-azure-kubernetes-service/
  • Leverage Dev Spaces to run and debug a service(s) locally, while still being able to connect to the other services and resources it depends on in the cloud as if it was running in the Kubernetes cluster

Azure Virtual Machines

• Azure Bastion now GA
  • https://azure.microsoft.com/en-gb/updates/azure-bastion-is-now-generally-available/
  • PaaS service that provides seamless RDP and SSH access to VMs directly through the Azure portal
• New Azure Dav4-series and Eav4-series virtual machines now GA
  • Based on AMD EPYC™ (General purpose and memory intensive compute categories)
• Gen 2 VMs now GA
  • Available features include Intel Software Guard Extensions (Intel SGX), support for large VMs (up to 12 TBs), and the ability to provision OS Disks sizes that exceed 2 TBs.

Azure Database for PostgreSQL

• Azure Database for PostgreSQL – Hyperscale (Citus) now GA
  • Azure Database for PostgreSQL – Hyperscale (Citus) scales out Postgres horizontally and is ideal for multi-tenant and SaaS applications that are growing fast, as well as for real-time analytics apps that need sub-second response times across billions of rows.
• Active Directory integration for single server deployments
  • https://azure.microsoft.com/en-gb/updates/azure-active-directory-support-in-azure-database-for-postgresql-single-server/
  • For single Azure Database for PostgreSQL single server deployments

Azure App Service

• App Service Managed Certificates (in preview)
  • https://azure.microsoft.com/en-gb/updates/secure-your-custom-domains-at-no-cost-with-app-service-managed-certificates-preview/
  • Secure custom domains for web apps with free TLS certificates in App Service Managed Certificates
• New Integration with Azure Monitor (in preview)
  • https://azure.microsoft.com/en-gb/updates/new-app-service-integration-with-azure-monitor-preview/
  • App Service now has improved integration with Azure Monitor for greater insight into Windows and Linux web apps

Azure SQL Database

• UTF-8 support now GA
  • Allowing more options to companies extending their businesses to a global scale, where the requirements of providing global multilingual database applications and services is critical to meet customer demands, and specific market regulations.
• Microsoft Data Migration Assistant support for SQL Server 2019 now GA
  • The latest release of Data Migration Assistant provides support for SQL Server 2019

Azure Container Registry

• Azure Container Registry OCI artifact support now GA
  • Customers can now store content formats such as Helm charts, OCI Artifacts and images built to the Open Container Initiative (OCI) Image Format Specification, in addition to Docker containers images in ACR
  • Use a single unified registry for all container related artifacts, whether those are Docker images, Helm charts or OCI Artifacts.

Microsoft Edge

Announcing New Microsoft Edge browser