Unlocking the Power of Cloud Tracker on Azure

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Azure Open AI Service
3. Azure Container Apps
4. Azure Chaos Studio
5. Azure Hybrid Cloud Updates
6. DevOps Workflow Generator Tool
7. Platform Updates
   • Azure API Management
   • Native Websocket Support
   • Azure Web Pub Sub
   • Flexible Orchestration for Scale Sets
   • New VM Types
   • Commitment Pricing Tier for Cognitive Services
   • Azure Managed Instance for Apache Cassandra
   • Azure Database for MySQL Flexible Server
   • Azure SQL Managed Instance
   • SQL Server 2022 Preview
   • Azure Communication Services Updates
   • Gateway Load Balancer
   • Azure Service Bus Payload Size Bump
   • Open Service Mesh Solution for Azure Kubernetes Service
8. Learning Resources
   • Microsoft Ignite On-Demand Sessions
   • IoT Signals Report 2021

Introduction

In this article, we will explore the latest updates and announcements from Microsoft Azure. We will cover a wide range of topics, including the introduction of new services, updates to existing services, and improvements in the hybrid cloud offerings. Additionally, we will discuss tools and resources that can help optimize your cloud devops workflow. So, let's dive into the exciting world of Azure updates!

Azure Open AI Service

Microsoft has introduced a new service called Azure Open AI Service, which brings the power of Open AI's GPT-3 natural language model to your Azure workloads. This service provides connectivity between your workloads and Open AI's commercial API, allowing customers to access powerful natural language models with the security, reliability, and enterprise capabilities of Microsoft Azure. One of the standout features of GPT-3 is its ability to customize the output Based on a small sampling of examples, making it highly versatile across various industry verticals. Although this service is currently invite-only, it is worth keeping an eye on for future developments.

Azure Container Apps

Running container-based workloads in the cloud is now easier with Azure Container Apps. This new service takes a serverless approach to containers, freeing developers from managing the infrastructure or orchestration. Built on Azure Kubernetes Service, Azure Container Apps allows You to execute application code packaged in any container and is unopinionated about the runtime or programming model. Whether you have single container applications or multiple containers in a unified environment, Azure Container Apps simplifies observability, logging, and cross-container communication. The service is currently available in public preview.

Azure Chaos Studio

Chaos engineering is gaining popularity in the cloud space, and Microsoft is making it easier for organizations to adopt these practices with Azure Chaos Studio. This fully managed service, launched as a public preview, enables you to simulate over 25 different faults in your application environment. With the ability to configure and deploy experiments using ARM templates, you can proactively test the resiliency of your applications and ensure they can withstand failures. If any issues arise, you can easily Roll back the faults and return your application to its normal working state. Azure Chaos Studio offers a valuable tool for improving the reliability and robustness of your applications.

Azure Hybrid Cloud Updates

Microsoft continues to enhance its Azure hybrid cloud story with several updates and improvements. One notable integration is between Azure Arc and Logic Apps, Hyper-converged infrastructure (HCI), VMware vSphere, and Azure ML. These updates bring new capabilities to Azure Arc, such as improved integration with other services and the ability to leverage Azure ML models for inference. Additionally, the Azure Migration and Modernization Program (AMMP) has been updated to include scenarios focused on Azure Arc. These updates demonstrate Microsoft's commitment to providing a seamless hybrid cloud experience for organizations.

DevOps Workflow Generator Tool

Managing and optimizing your cloud DevOps workflow is made easier with the DevOps Workflow Generator Tool. This web-based tool allows you to Visualize, organize, and optimize your Current workflows. By mapping out your workflows, you can gain insights into the tools being leveraged at each stage. The tool generates a PDF report that provides a comprehensive view of your workflow and the tools used. Microsoft aims to Gather data on tool usage across industry verticals, which may inform future reports or solutions. The DevOps Workflow Generator Tool is available for immediate use.

Platform Updates

Microsoft Azure continues to roll out updates and improvements across its platform. Here are some notable highlights:

Azure API Management

Azure API Management now supports passthrough GraphQL support in preview. This means you can import existing GraphQL-based endpoints into API Management and benefit from its security and observability capabilities. Microsoft has also included GraphQL-specific features, including query validation and field-based authorization.

Native Websocket Support

Native websocket support is now generally available in Azure API Management. With this feature, you can pull in existing websocket APIs, configure access control policies, and test the APIs from the console. Note that websocket support may not be available in all tiers of API Management.

Azure Web Pub Sub

Azure Web Pub Sub simplifies scaling real-time applications and now includes integration with Azure Functions, making it easier to Create large-scale serverless interactive solutions.

Flexible Orchestration for Scale Sets

Flexible orchestration for scale sets is now generally available. This feature enhances the capabilities of scale sets, providing more tools for managing large-scale workloads. It includes support for mixed demand types, fault domain spreading, and VM size changes without redeployment.

New VM Types

Microsoft has introduced new VM types to support typical, memory-intensive, and general-purpose workloads. This includes Intel-powered DV5 and EV5 VMs, as well as their AMD counterparts. For memory-intensive workloads, the EBS V5 VM is available. These new VM types offer improved performance and expanded options for workload optimization.

Commitment Pricing Tier for Cognitive Services

To help organizations accurately predict their spend on cognitive services, Microsoft has introduced a new commitment pricing tier. This tier allows you to commit to using specific service features for a fixed fee, ensuring a predictable total cost based on your workload's needs.

Azure Managed Instance for Apache Cassandra

Azure Managed Instance for Apache Cassandra is now generally available. This service enables you to leverage Cassandra in the cloud or on-premises, with built-in security, stability, and data replication features.

Azure Database for MySQL Flexible Server

The Azure Database for MySQL Flexible Server feature is now generally available. This feature allows you to control the configuration settings, replication, and temporary server suspension for your MySQL databases. With support in over 30 Azure regions globally, it provides flexibility and scalability for your MySQL workloads.

Azure SQL Managed Instance

Azure SQL Managed Instance offers the flexibility to deploy SQL Server applications in the cloud or your own data center. The new link feature connects your SQL servers hosted anywhere to Azure SQL Managed Instance, providing hybrid flexibility and database mobility. Additionally, there are options to increase performance and maximum storage for Azure SQL Managed Instance.

SQL Server 2022 Preview

Microsoft has announced the preview release of SQL Server 2022, which is the most Azure-enabled SQL Server release to date. It includes support for disaster recovery with Azure SQL Managed Instance and analytics with the SYNAPSE link for SQL Server. This release brings exciting new features and capabilities to enhance your SQL Server deployments.

Azure Communication Services Updates

Azure Communication Services has introduced two significant updates. First, SMS short code support will be available later this month, enabling organizations to leverage short codes for communication. Second, the interoperability feature with Microsoft Teams will be generally available in early December. This feature allows seamless communication between Azure Communication Services and Microsoft Teams.

Gateway Load Balancer

Microsoft has added the Gateway Load Balancer service to its portfolio. This service enables easy deployment, scaling, and management of third-party network virtual appliances (NVAs) by leveraging the capabilities of Gateway Load Balancer.

Azure Service Bus Payload Size Bump

Azure Service Bus now supports a payload size of up to 100 megabytes, a significant increase from the previous limit of 1 megabyte. This allows for the transfer of larger messages across the service. Refer to the documentation for details on setting the maximum message size for your Azure Service Bus entities.

Open Service Mesh Solution for Azure Kubernetes Service

The open-source Open Service Mesh solution for Azure Kubernetes Service has reached version 1 and is now generally available. This project provides a tool for implementing microservice mesh architecture alongside standard Kubernetes tools, enhancing the management and communication of microservices in your environment.

Learning Resources

To keep you up to date with the latest Azure developments, Microsoft offers valuable learning resources. Here are two recommendations:

Microsoft Ignite On-Demand Sessions

If you missed the opportunity to attend the virtual Microsoft Ignite conference, you can access the session catalog for on-demand sessions. This allows you to catch up on the hundreds of sessions available and stay up to date with the latest developments in the Microsoft ecosystem.

IoT Signals Report 2021

Microsoft has released the IoT Signals Report for 2021, providing insights into IoT trends in various verticals worldwide. Whether you're interested in the growth of IoT or want to explore industry-specific trends, this report serves as a valuable learning resource.

Stay tuned for more Azure updates and innovations in the coming months!