Azure Updates This Week (Week of February 14, 2024)

Welcome to another week of exciting updates from Azure! This week, we have several features moving to general availability and public preview. Let's dive into the latest enhancements across Azure services:

Updates Overview:

Azure Blob Storage Cold Tier support on Change Feed and Object Replication Availability: GA Tags: Storage Accounts, Azure Blob Storage, Features Summary: Azure Blob Storage Cold Tier has been generally available for some time, offering a cost-effective solution for infrequently accessed data with long-term retention. Change Feed and Object Replication now support blobs in the cold tier. Documentation Link: Learn more

Azure SQL updates for mid-February 2024 Availability: GA Tags: Azure SQL Database, Features Summary: Azure SQL introduces automatic scaling and high availability using serverless for Hyperscale. Documentation Link: Azure SQL Database Features

Customer managed key encryption for Enterprise tier caches Availability: GA Tags: Azure Cache for Redis, Features Summary: Enterprise and Enterprise Flash tier caches now support customer-managed keys for encrypted access, ensuring security and compliance. Documentation Link: Learn more

Migration service in Azure Database for PostgreSQL Availability: Public Preview Tags: Azure Database for PostgreSQL, Features Summary: Simplify your PostgreSQL workload migration with a fully managed service, handling schema and data migrations seamlessly. Documentation Link: Learn more

AKS cluster control plane metrics in managed Prometheus Availability: Public Preview Tags: Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS), Features Summary: Managed Prometheus now supports scraping control plane metrics in AKS clusters, providing insights into API server traffic and etcd metrics. Documentation Link: Control Plane Metrics

Zone Redundant Storage for Azure Disks in Canada Central Availability: GA Tags: Azure Disk Storage, Managed Disks, Features Summary: Zone Redundant Storage for Azure Disks is now generally available in Canada Central, offering synchronous replication across three availability zones. Documentation Link: Read the documentation

Improvements in Azure Key Vault Availability: GA Tags: Azure Key Vault, Managed HSM, Features, Management, Security Summary: FIPS 140-2 Level 3 HSMs for Azure Key Vault are now generally available, along with PCI DSS and PCI 3DS certifications. Key Vault Premium HSMs have been modernized for enhanced security. Documentation Link: Key Vault Documentation

Call to Action:

• Azure Blob Storage Users: Explore the new capabilities in Cold Tier, including Change Feed and Object Replication.
• Azure SQL Database Admins: Take advantage of automatic scaling and enhanced high availability with serverless for Hyperscale.
• Azure Cache for Redis Customers: Implement customer-managed keys for secure access to Enterprise tier caches.
• PostgreSQL Users: Check out the migration service to simplify moving your workloads to Azure Database for PostgreSQL.
• AKS Operators: Preview AKS cluster control plane metrics in managed Prometheus for better monitoring.
• Azure Disk Storage Users in Canada Central: Leverage Zone Redundant Storage for higher availability in the Canada Central region.
• Azure Key Vault Users: Upgrade to FIPS 140-2 Level 3 HSMs for enhanced security and explore PCI DSS and PCI 3DS certifications.

Stay tuned for more updates from Azure, and don't forget to explore the detailed documentation for each feature to make the most out of these enhancements!