As always, Microsoft Ignite came packed with major updates across the Microsoft stack. And Azure is no exception.
With a focus on “Do more with less in the Microsoft Cloud”, Microsoft Ignite aimed to enable customers to:
- Empower everyone for a new world of hybrid work,
- Build a hyperconnected business,
- Innovate anywhere from multicloud to edge, and
- Protect everything with end-to-end security.
As premium event sponsors, we had a front-row seat to the exciting updates Microsoft announced. Here, we’ll share our key takeaways from the event and the updates we think you need to know about in Azure.
Of course, some of these updates are quite technical – if you have any questions or want to discuss how these updates affect your cloud environment don’t hesitate to get in touch.
General Availability: Azure Savings Plan for Compute
Customers commit to spending a fixed hourly amount for one or three years on compute services – paid all upfront or monthly.
As you use select compute services across the world, your usage is covered by the plan at reduced prices, helping you get more value from your cloud budget. If you go over your committed usage, you’ll be billed at the regular pay-as-you-go prices. Savings automatically apply across compute usage globally.
Customers may see estimated savings between 11%-65%.
Public Preview: Azure Container Apps Azure Monitor Integration!
By default all logs are sent to Log Analytics, this new integration will let you send logs to Azure Monitor and choose where to send the logs.
You can now leverage Azure Storage, Event Hubs and other partner solutions. This provides a single pane of glass for monitoring by allowing you to use Azure Monitor to Monitor Container apps.
Generally Available: Azure Automanage for VMs and Arc-Enabled Servers.
New capabilities added to Azure Automanage, this allows you to save time, reduce risk and improve workload uptime by automating day-to-day configuration and management tasks.
- Apply enhanced backup settings and auditing modes for server baselines
- Specifying custom Log Analytics workspace and Azure tags to identify resources based on settings relevant to an organisation.
- Support for Windows 10 VMs
Public Preview: IP Protection SKU for Azure DDOS Protections
New SKU To enable DDoS protection on individual public Ips. IP Protection will contain the same features as Network protection.
Network protection will gain the following services:
- DDoS Rapid Response support
- Cost protection
- Integration with Azure Firewall Manager
- Discounts on Azure Web Application Firewall
Billing is effective as of 1 Feb 2023.
Generally Available: Windows server 2022 Host support in AKS
Windows Server 2022 is now supported on AKS bringing security improvements, available for Kubernetes v1.23 and higher.
General availability: Confidential VM option for SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machines
New option for SQL servers on VMs ensure the data in use as well as the data at rest stored on your VM’s drives, are inaccessible to unauthorized users from the outside of the VM without changing the code of the SQL Applications.
Public Preview: Azure Resource Topology
ART is replacing the Network watcher topology. ART will allow users to draw a unified topology across multiple subscriptions, regions and resource groups.
ART will allow deep dives into the environments layout, it also allows for monitoring/diagnostics with the capability of running ‘Next Hop’ directly from a resource within the ART view after specifying a destination. Plus:
- Selecting a resource will highlight all nodes/connected resources to the resource.
- Side by Side comparisons of Regions/VNETs/Subnets
General Availability: Azure Monitor predictive autoscale for Azure VMSS
Azure Monitor can forecast CPU Load to your VMMSS based on historical CPU usage patterns and scale-out occurs in time to meet demand. You can configure how far in advance the new instances are provisioned and view predicted CPU forecast without triggering the scaling action with forecast only mode.
Generally available: Windows Admin Centre for Azure Virtual Machines –
Access WAC within Azure – perform maintenance and troubleshooting tasks such as managing your files, viewing your events, monitoring your performance, getting an in-browser RDP and PowerShell session,
- Perform more actions within Azure
- Lesser requirement to RDP to VMs for Admin, simplifying the experience
- Features SSO using AAD regardless if VM is joined on prem, joined to AAD or not at all
- Should reduce reliance on local admin accounts when managing servers in Azure
- Available on Windows Server 2016 or above
- Get to the Windows Admin Centre blade under Settings in the Virtual Machine Azure portal UI!
