fbpx

Microsoft Azure News

Generally Available: Azure SQL updates for mid-August 2024

Published date: Aug 16, 2024

In mid-August 2024, the following updates and enhancements were made to Azure SQL: 

You can now configure the maintenance window for the named replica in the Azure SQL Database Hyperscale service tier to minimise the impact on read workloads during critical times.

Generally Available: Dev Containers templates for Azure SQL Database

Published date: Aug 16, 2024

Private registry support for the extensibility model in Azure Deployment Environments allows platform engineers and development teams to use private Azure Container Registry (ACR) to host and reference container images that define their deployment patterns.

Private ACR support in Azure Deployment Environments enables customers to further secure their customised project-specific templates. As a result, customers can achieve standardized and secure deployments while maintaining compliance and best practices.

Learn more by reading the private registry support release blog post or by viewing the documentation.

Public Preview: Azure NetApp Files now supports 50 GiB minimum volume sizes

Published date: Aug 16, 2024

We are excited to announce Azure NetApp Files volume enhancement with support for 50 GiB minimum volume sizes.

Customers can now create an Azure NetApp Files volume as small as 50 GiB, compared to the initial minimum size of 100 GiB. 50 GiB volumes will save costs for customer workloads, which need smaller than 100 GiB volumes by allowing customers to right size their storage volumes.

LEARN MORE:

Public Preview: Private registry support in Azure Deployment Environments

Published date: Aug 16, 2024

Dev Containers templates for Azure SQL Database are now generally available. These templates provide a streamlined and efficient way to set up development environments with all necessary tools and dependencies pre-configured.

Available for .NET Aspire, .NET 8, Node.js, and Python, you can now seamlessly integrate Azure SQL Database into your development workflow, ensuring a consistent and productive experience.

Adopting dev containers offers several advantages: efficient local development, cost-efficiency, faster time-to-market, and alignment with cloud-native trends. Start today and boost your productivity with these ready-to-use development containers.

Generally Available: Azure Database for MySQL Flexible Server supports Managed HSM

Published date: Aug 16, 2024

Support for Azure Key Vault Managed HSM (hardware security module) with customer managed keys (CMK) is now generally available in Azure Database for MySQL – Flexible Server. Managed HSM is a fully managed, highly available, single-tenant, and FIPS 140-2 Level 3 standard-compliant cryptographic processor that doesn’t store or process your data outside of the region where you deploy the HSM instance. With Managed HSM support, you can better protect your data at rest in Azure Database for MySQL – Flexible Server by importing your own HSM-backed encryption keys from a physical, on-premises HSM. Configure Managed HSM using the Azure Portal or Azure CLI. 

Generally Available: Navigate your data more easily in Azure Cosmos DB Data Explorer

Published date: Aug 16, 2024

You can now more easily navigate and access your data in Azure Cosmos DB Data Explorer. A new and improved resource tree—the directory structure that shows your databases, containers, and other resources—has been redesigned to make it more user-friendly and convenient.

Generally Available: Azure Policy support for Azure Database for PostgreSQL - Flexible Server

Published date: Aug 16, 2024

We are excited to announce that Azure Policy support for Azure PostgreSQL – Flexible Server is now generally available. This new feature helps you enforce rules and check compliance easily across your Azure resources. With Azure Policy, you can set, assign, and manage rules that apply to your Azure Database for PostgreSQL – Flexible Server instances. This support makes it easier to maintain governance, improve security, and have better control over your databases. You can use built-in policies from Microsoft or create your own custom policies to fit your needs. 

Generally Available: Enable multifactor authentication for your tenant by 15 October 2024

Published date: Aug 15, 2024

Starting 15 October 2024, we will require users to use multifactor authentication (MFA) to sign into the Azure portalMicrosoft Entra admin center, and Intune admin center. To ensure your users can maintain access, you’ll need to enable MFA by 15 October 2024. 

If you can’t enable MFA for your users by that date, you’ll need to apply to postpone the enforcement date. If you don’t enable MFA for your tenant or apply to postpone by 15 October 2024, your users will be required to set up MFA for the Azure portal, Microsoft Entra admin center, or Intune admin center.

Action required

  • To identify which users are signing into Azure with and without MFA, refer to our documentation.
  • To ensure your users can access the Azure portal, Microsoft Entra admin center, and Intune admin center, enable MFA for your users by 15 October 2024.
  • If you can’t enable MFA by 15 October 2024, apply to postpone the enforcement date.