Azure updates

Public preview: Initialization taints in AKS

You can now use node initialization taints in AKS e.g. in scenarios where you may need extra time to setup your nodes.

• Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)
• Features

GA: Support for disabling Windows outboundNAT in AKS

You can now manually disable Windows outboundNAT when creating new Windows node pools in Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS).

• Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)
• Security
• Features

Public Preview: NFS Azure Files volume mount support in Azure Container Apps

You can now mount NFS file shares in Azure Container Apps.

• Azure Container Apps
• Features

General availability: Customer-managed keys on existing accounts

Target availability: Q2 2024

Configure customer-managed keys for your existing Azure Cosmos DB account.

• Azure Cosmos DB
• Features

Public Preview: SQL Server on Azure VM storage configuration deployment experience with support for Premium SSD v2

Target availability: Q2 2024

Customers can now choose Premium SSD v2 for the Ebdsv5 and Ebsv5 virtual machine series with the additional ability to opt-in for NVMe support.

• SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machines
• Features

General availability: Latest version of the TimeScaleDB extension on Azure Database for PostgreSQL - Flexible Server

Target availability: Q2 2024

Upgrade to the latest TimeScaleDB extension on Azure for enhanced time-series data handling and improved performance.

• Azure Database for PostgreSQL
• Features

General availability: Latest PostgreSQL minor versions supported by Azure Database for PostgreSQL - Flexible Server

Target availability: Q2 2024

Azure Database for PostgreSQL – Flexible Server now supports minor versions 16.2, 15.6, 14.11, 13.14, and 12.18.

• Azure Database for PostgreSQL
• Features

General Availability: Azure Cosmos DB Data Explorer keyboard shortcuts

Target availability: Q2 2024

Work Smarter: Enhance Productivity with Azure Cosmos DB Data Explorer shortcut keys.

• Azure Cosmos DB
• Features

General availability: Azure Cosmos DB API for MongoDB RU supports version 5.0 and 6.0

Target availability: Q2 2024

Azure Cosmos DB for MongoDB now supports MongoDB v5 and v6.

• Azure Cosmos DB
• Features

Public preview: Standby pools for Virtual Machine Scale Sets with flexible orchestration

Standby Pools for Virtual Machine Scale Sets with Flexible Orchestration provides the ability to reduce scale out latency and increase scale out performance.

• Virtual Machine Scale Sets
• Virtual Machines
• Features

General Availability: Microsoft Azure now available from new cloud region in Mexico

Microsoft has announced the opening of its first hyper-scale cloud region in Mexico.

• Security
• Regions & Datacenters
• Services

Azure Ultra Disk Storage is now available in Italy North

Now available in Italy North region, Azure Ultra Disk Storage provides high-performance along with sub-millisecond latency for your most-demanding workloads.

• Ultra Disk Storage
• Managed Disks
• Azure Disk Storage
• Regions & Datacenters
• Features

Generally Available: Azure Red Hat OpenShift v4.14 at install time

Azure Red Hat OpenShift version 4.14 is now available at install time.

• Services
• Features

Public Preview: Azure Storage Actions is now available in 14 more regions

Azure Storage Actions is a fully managed platform that helps you automate data management operations for object storage and data lakes. The preview is now available in 14 more regions.

• Azure Storage Actions
• Azure Blob Storage
• Azure Database for MariaDB
• Regions & Datacenters
• Features

Azure Front Door log scrubbing of sensitive data is general available

Azure Front Door supports removing sensitive data from Azure Front Door access log.

• Azure Front Door
• Security
• Features

General Availability - Azure API Center

Target availability: Q2 2024

Azure API Center is now generally available, providing a centralized solution to manage the challenges of API sprawl, which is exacerbated by the rapid proliferation of APIs and AI solutions. Azure API Center offers a unified inventory for seamless discovery, consumption, and governance of APIs, regardless of their type, lifecycle stage, or deployment location.

• API Management
• Features

Action needed: Update Azure Autoscale Notifications to using additional email addresses for notifications

Azure Classic roles will be retired by 31st August, 2024 – transition to using only additional email addresses for Azure Autoscale Notifications as Azure Autoscale is dependent on the Azure Classic Roles.

• Azure Monitor
• Retirements

Azure Governance Update - Management Groups

Beginning May 3, 2024, Azure will start enabling the root management group for tenants that have not enabled it yet. Using Azure management groups leverages best practices when applying Azure Policy and having it pre-enabled reduces the initial set up work to follow the best practices. 

• Azure Management Groups
• Azure Policy
• Azure Resource Manager
• Management

Azure Virtual Network Manager user-defined route (UDR) management now in public preview

UDR management in Azure Virtual Network Manager is now in public preview, enabling users to describe their desired routing behavior via configuration, simplifying the management of routing behaviors at scale.

• Azure Virtual Network Manager
• Services
• Features