The team catches up with Daniel Taylor and Bradley Ball of the Azure Fast Track team and learns about how Database Watcher can help customers better manage and debug their Azure SQL, Elastic Pools, SQL Managed Instances, and Hyperscale and the replicas.  Daniel and Bradley also share the really cool work they are doing helping Azure customers learn about Azure with their Tales from the Field YouTube channel, plus we hear about some upcoming events where you can see Daniel and Bradley in person!!!   Media file: https://azpodcast.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/Episode500.mp3 YouTube: https://youtu.be/Z_jBWLUBY9g   Resources:  https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database-watcher-overview?view=azuresql https://youtu.be/qr1Qxwao68M?si=mO24KZF3PAvTnnmn   Other updates: https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/updates/v2/Guest-OS-Family-Retirement https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/updates/v2/cmk-for-backup-vaults-ga/ https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/updates/v2/Azure-Elastic-SAN-Feature-Updates Azure classic resource providers will be retired on 31 August 2024 | Azure updates | Microsoft Azure

Prashant Nayak, a Cloud Solutions Architect at Microsoft, gives us a quick background on AVS and enlightens us with the latest updates in migration and licensing to support customers wanted to move to Azure.   Media file: https://azpodcast.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/Episode499.mp3 YouTube: https://youtu.be/ut-iUJZXtI4 Resources: Microsoft and Broadcom to support license portability for VMware Cloud Foundation on Azure VMware Solution | Microsoft Azure BlogIntroducing the VMware Rapid Migration Plan | Microsoft Azure BlogTutorial - Network planning checklist - Azure VMware Solution | Microsoft LearnIntroduction to the Azure VMware Solution adoption scenario - Cloud Adoption Framework | Microsoft LearnEnterprise-scale network topology and connectivity for Azure VMware Solution - Cloud Adoption Framework | Microsoft LearnRun VMware resources on Azure VMware Solution - Training | Microsoft LearnAzure VMware Solution Documentation Hub - Azure VMware Solution | Microsoft LearnAzure VMware Solution Videos - YouTube (Videos)   Other updates: https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/azure-observability-blog/advanced-network-observability-for-your-azure-kubernetes-service/ba-p/4176736 https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/updates/v2/Databricks-Jobs-Serverless-Compute https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/updates/v2/interactive-serverless-compute-AU https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/updates/v2/DLT-Serverless-Compute  https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/updates/v2/Cross-Subscription-Load-Balancer

We get an update on the fascinating topic of Quantum Computing on Azure from Cloud Solutions Architect and Quantum enthusiast Delbert Murphy. He gives us the latest status on Quantum, Quantum Elements and the Q# programming language and provides guidance on the type of use-cases that can take advantage of these services. Media file: https://azpodcast.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/Episode498.mp3 YouTube: https://youtu.be/2bZD2Ns91O8 Resources: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/blog/microsoft-has-demonstrated-the-underlying-physics-required-to-create-a-new-kind-of-qubit/  https://cloudblogs.microsoft.com/quantum/2024/04/03/how-microsoft-and-quantinuum-achieved-reliable-quantum-computing/  https://cloudblogs.microsoft.com/quantum/2024/05/30/in-collaboration-with-microsoft-photonic-demonstrates-quantum-entanglement-at-telecom-wavelengths/ https://www.qir-alliance.org/ https://github.com/microsoft/qsharp/ https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/quantum/hybrid-computing-overview https://quantum.microsoft.com/en-us/experience/quantum-katas https://devblogs.microsoft.com/qsharp/design-fault-tolerant-quantum-computing-applications-with-the-open-source-resource-estimator/ https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/solutions/quantum-innovator-series/ https://quantum.microsoft.com/en-us/quantum-elements/product-overview https://cloudblogs.microsoft.com/quantum/2024/06/18/introducing-two-powerful-new-capabilities-in-azure-quantum-elements-generative-chemistry-and-accelerated-dft/ https://cloudblogs.microsoft.com/quantum/2024/01/09/unlocking-a-new-era-for-scientific-discovery-with-ai-how-microsofts-ai-screened-over-32-million-candidates-to-find-a-better-battery/ https://cloudblogs.microsoft.com/quantum/2024/02/29/microsoft-and-1910-genetics-partner-to-turbocharge-rd-productivity-for-the-pharmaceutical-industry/ https://blogs.microsoft.com/blog/2024/06/18/empowering-every-scientist-with-ai-augmented-scientific-discovery/ https://quantum.microsoft.com/en-us/quantum-elements/azure-quantum-elements  https://quantum.microsoft.com/en-us/experience/quantum-cryptography   Other Updates: Generally Available: az command invoke in AKS https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/aks/access-private-cluster?tabs=azure-cli   Public Preview: Cluster operation status for AKS https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/aks/manage-abort-operations?tabs=azure-cli   Public Preview: Geo-Replication for Azure Service Bus Premium https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/service-bus-messaging/service-bus-geo-replication   Public Preview: Force detach zone redundant data disks during zone outage  https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/azure-updates/week-of-june-20-2024-azure-updates/ba-p/4173016   How hollow core fiber is accelerating AI https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/how-hollow-core-fiber-is-accelerating-ai/

Rishabh Tewari, a Software Engineer on the Azure team, gives us insights into Project Sirius. This is an upgrade to the Azure software that lights up Accelerated Connections for any resource that uses a network interface. Using a specialized SDN, customers and ISVs can achieve very high number of connections per second throughput across all of their Azure and non-Azure resources.   Media file: https://azpodcast.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/Episode497.mp3 YouTube: https://youtu.be/ZVgBBrRlZGQ Resources: https://www.usenix.org/system/files/nsdi23-bansal.pdf   Other updates: https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/updates/general-availability-audit-logging-in-azure-api-management-developer-portal/  https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-monitor/logs/log-analytics-simple-mode

Cale, Evan and Sujit have an insightful discussion with Niko Pamboukas and Siri Velauthapillai about the new Azure Boost feature that is being deployed into the Azure substrate for VMs. They explain the specialized FPGAs and ARM SoCs that provide extreme IOPs for storage and networking and almost no downtime for system upgrades.   Media file: https://azpodcast.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/Episode496.mp3 YouTube: https://youtu.be/4FPQCAmYrzw Resources: Learn more about Azure Boost at https://aka.ms/AzureBoost Learn about accelerated networking with Boost at https://aka.ms/MANA Learn about accelerated storage with Boost at https://aka.ms/NVMe   Other updates: Public preview: Azure Load Balancer now supports Admin State | Azure updates | Microsoft Azure   https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/updates/public-preview-azure-bastion-premium/ https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/updates/kubernetesmetadataandlogsfilteringpublicpreview/ https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/updates/public-preview-azure-load-balancer-health-event-logs/ https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/updates/generally-available-azure-chaos-studio-supports-a-new-pause-process-fault-for-windows-virtual-machines/

Hearing how our ISVs are using Azure in innovative ways is always eye-opening. So, we are fortunate to have Saquib Rashid, a Technical Strategist in the Azure partner organization, give us insights into how Backbase used APIM and the Azure Service Operator to integrate with their customers and backend systems.   Media file: https://azpodcast.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/Episode495.mp3  YouTube: https://youtu.be/qFwOoSNpDME Resources:   Backbase Grand CentralMicrosoft Customer Story-Backbase seeks to usher in a new era of engagement banking with its Grand Central platform and Azure API ManagementAPIM links: Azure API Management - v2 tiers | Microsoft LearnASO links:Azure/azure-service-operator: Azure Service Operator allows you to create Azure resources using kubectl (github.com)Azure Service Operator v2   Other updates: Public Preview - Azure Compute Fleet | Azure updates | Microsoft Azure https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/products/copilot/#Usecases https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/azure-database-for-postgresql/gen-ai-simplified-the-azure-ai-extension-now-generally-available/ba-p/4146139 https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/azure-sql-blog/microsoft-copilot-in-azure-extends-capabilities-to-azure-sql/ba-p/4075408

We are fortunate to have Vlad Joanovic to give us the valuable insights into ARM. He shares the importance of ARM in Azure, provides details on performance and reliability investments and gives us tips on how to make effective use of it to deploy and manage your workloads in Azure.   Media file: https://azpodcast.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/Episode494.mp3 YouTube: https://youtu.be/kaeXdi2khTc Resources: https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/azure-tools-blog/azure-cli-and-powershell-tools-build-2024-announcement/ba-p/4148584 https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/governance/resource-graph/changes/view-resource-changes https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/azure-governance-and-management/what-s-new-across-azure-governance-services-microsoft-build-2024/ba-p/4150428 Other updates: Public preview: Azure Log Analytics enhances resilience with workspace replication across regions | Azure updates | Microsoft Azure Update on Inter-Availability Zone Data Transfer Pricing | Azure updates | Microsoft Azure General availability: ExpressRoute Seamless Gateway Migration | Azure updates | Microsoft Azure App Service Environment version 1 and version 2 will be retired on 31 August 2024 | Azure updates | Microsoft Azure   https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/updates/public-preview-azure-application-gateway-v2-basic-sku/ https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/updates/cloud-services-classic-retirement-announcement-may2024/ https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/updates/gpt4-turbo-vision/ https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/updates/public-preview-sensitive-data-protection-for-azure-front-door-web-application-firewall/

The team catches up with Priyanka Khare to learn about recent advancements in Azure Advisor and how customers can use Advisor to help ensure their workloads are more stable. Media file: https://azpodcast.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/Episode493.mp3 YouTube: https://youtu.be/Y9LVYhSiGgE   Resources: Azure Advisor: Advisor - Microsoft Azure Advisor Workbooks: Advisor Workbooks Advisor WAF Assessments: Advisor WAF Assessments Advisor Recommendations: Advisor Recommendations Advisor Manage Reviews: Advisor Manage Reviews What's new on Azure Advisor: What's new in Azure Advisor - Azure Advisor | Microsoft Learn   Engage with Microsoft for a Resiliency Review: Azure Advisor resiliency reviews - Azure Advisor | Microsoft Learn

Evan and Sujit catch up on a number of recent news items in the Azure space spanning Networking, Open AI and IBM Mainframes??? Media file: https://azpodcast.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/Episode492.mp3 YouTube: https://youtu.be/WslylOKwXDM   Resources: https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/apps-on-azure-blog/announcing-app-service-multi-plan-subnet-join/ba-p/3971493 https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/updates/general-availability-of-azure-logic-apps-connectors-for-ibm-mainframe-and-midranges/ https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/updates/public-preview-of-azure-openai-and-ai-search-inapp-connectors-for-logic-apps-standard/   https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/updates/alt-fairfax/ https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/updates/azure-backup-vm-disk-access-public-preview/ https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/stream-analytics/write-to-delta-lake   https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/azure-high-performance-computing-leads-to-developing-amazing-products-at-microsoft-surface/ General availability: Azure Virtual Network encryption availability in all regions | Azure updates | Microsoft Azure Azure Data Box Disk is now available with hardware encryption | Azure updates | Microsoft Azure General availability: HBv4-series & HX-series VMs are now available in Sweden Central. | Azure updates | Microsoft Azure https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/updates/expressroutemetro/   Public Preview – DR for Shared Disks – Azure Site Recovery | Azure updates | Microsoft Azure Using Azure OpenAI speech to create our intro/exit segments in the podcast https://speech.microsoft.com/portal

The team talks with Amit Bajaj about the new Retirement Workbook customers can use to keep track of services they are using that are being retired.   Media file: https://azpodcast.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/Episode491.mp3 YouTube: https://youtu.be/Z83s9lhOUTg Resources: Prepare migration of your workloads impacted by service retirements. - Azure Advisor | Microsoft Learn Azure Service Retirement Workbook (microsoft.com)  Visualize Azure Service Retirements (microsoft.com)  3-Year Notification Subset - Microsoft Lifecycle | Microsoft Learn   Other updates: Public preview: Public IP Domain Name Label Scope | Azure updates | Microsoft Azure Public preview: Database watcher for Azure SQL | Azure updates | Microsoft Azure Public Preview: Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) on VMware | Azure updates | Microsoft Azure

Russell and Evan discuss the preview Azure API Center with Julia Kasper, Microsoft's Product Manager.   Media file: https://azpodcast.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/Episode490.mp3 YouTube: https://youtu.be/mJnaCqgnPSg Resources: Request features/raise issues on API Center functionality: Issues · Azure/api-center-preview (github.com)Video on API governance with APIC: Mastering API Governance with Azure API Center (youtube.com) Sign up for updates and news: Stay in touch with Azure API Center! (office.com) Other updates: Public Preview: Modernizing Azure Resource Manager ThrottlingMicrosoft open sources Retina: A cloud-native container networking observability platformGenerally Available: Cost analysis add-on for AKS

In this episode, we delve into a cornerstone service within Azure that is sometimes underestimated or missed in design discussions: the Azure Storage service. Our guest, Ben Hummerstone, a seasoned Cloud Solution Architect based in the UK, brings his expertise in storage and other infrastructure services to the forefront. Ben shares a valuable set of guiding principles to assist you in crafting the optimal storage architecture for your application.   Media file: https://azpodcast.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/Episode489.mp3 YouTube: https://youtu.be/XIKxPRI1G-Y Resources: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-government/azure-secure-isolation-guidance#high-level-azure-storage-architecture https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/storage/common/storage-redundancy https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/storage/blobs/scalability-targets https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/storage/blobs/access-tiers-overview   Other updates: https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/updates/public-preview-azure-functions-support-for-http-streams-in-nodejs/ https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/updates/public-preview-kubernetes-129-support-in-aks/ https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/updates/cloud-services-classic-retirement-announcement-feb2024/ https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/updates/public-preview-azure-netapp-files-volume-enhancement-allow-the-same-file-path-for-volumes-in-different-availability-zones/ https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/updates/public-preview-os-sku-inplace-migration-for-linux-nodes/ https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/updates/ga-istiobased-service-mesh-addon-for-azure-kubernetes-service/ https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/updates/public-preview-disable-network-policy-for-migration-in-aks/  https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/updates/generally-available-capacity-reservations-support-in-aks/

Jose Moreno a Customer Engineer in the FastTrack for Azure team joins Sujit and Russell to talk about Networking, and more specifically discusses best practices for Express Route configuration and monitoring with an eye on resiliency and performance.   Media file: https://azpodcast.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/Episode488.mp3 YouTube: https://youtu.be/KUhODMaQjEU Resources: FastTrack for Azure: FastTrack for Azure – Technical Enablement FAQ | Microsoft AzureAzure ER Locations (not to confuse with Azure Regions): Locations and connectivity providers for Azure ExpressRoute | Microsoft LearnAzure Connection Monitor: Connection monitor overview - Azure Network Watcher | Microsoft Learn Other updates: GA: Azure API Management Developer Portal Unveils Enhanced Features for Increased Developer ProductivityPublic Preview: Regional Disaster Recovery by Azure Backup for AKSTLS/TCP Proxy Preview

Fabian Gonzalez and Azure escalation engineer and Jack Lichwa, a PM in the Azure Key Vault team, revisit the Key Vault service which forms the backbone of any deployment. They remind us of the features that Key Vault offers and give us valuable tips and tricks to configure and deploy them effectively in your workloads.   Media file: https://azpodcast.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/Episode487.mp3 YouTube: https://youtu.be/Pd5seEyqTzI   Other updates: https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/updates/public-preview-aks-cluster-control-plane-metrics-in-managed-prometheus/ https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/updates/general-availability-improvements-in-azure-key-vault/ https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/azure-developer-community-blog/accelerate-developer-onboarding-with-the-configuration-as-code/ba-p/4062416 https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/updates/generally-available-azure-blob-storage-cold-tier-support-on-change-feed-and-object-replication/   https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/updates/general-availability-customer-managed-key-encryption-for-enterprise-tier-caches/

Technical Program Manager in the Azure Commerce team, Obinna Nwokolo explains exactly what the new Azure Savings Plan is all about and how you can easily take advantage of it via the Portal experience. He digs into the various options for cutting costs in Azure and when the Savings Plan makes sense for you. Media file: https://azpodcast.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/Episode486.mp3 YouTube: https://youtu.be/Qwt728PUz0U Resources: SP product page - Azure Savings Plan for Compute | Microsoft AzureSP Recommendations 101 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HV9GT9kX6A&list=PLlrxD0HtieHjd-zn7u09YoGJY18ZrN1Hq&index=2&t=15s&pp=iAQBSP Benefit application 101 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZOyh1rl3kU&list=PLlrxD0HtieHjd-zn7u09YoGJY18ZrN1Hq&index=3&t=2s&pp=iAQB   Other updates: https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/updates/generalavailabilityofazuremonitormetricsdataplaneapi/

Santosh Somayajula, a Principal Product Manager in Azure, breaks down the new Copilot for Azure service which is currently in Private Preview in the Azure Portal. Using this feature, administrators and management can perform operations in the Portal using simple verbal commands instead of navigating the UI.   Media file: https://azpodcast.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/Episode485.mp3 YouTube: https://youtu.be/Gqv-qOOoK28 Resources: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/copilot/overview  https://aka.ms/MSCopilotforAzurePreviewRequest   Other updates: General Availability: Azure Virtual Network encryption | Azure updates | Microsoft Azure   Public preview: ExpressRoute guided portal experience for multi-site resiliency | Azure updates | Microsoft Azure   General Availability: Azure MySQL Import feature for Azure Database for MySQL Single to Flexible Server migrations | Azure updates | Microsoft Azure    Public Preview: Circuit Breaker in Azure API Management | Azure updates | Microsoft Azure     https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/updates/general-availability-azure-topology/ https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/updates/mount-azure-storage-as-a-local-share-in-app-service-linux-now-supports-nfs/ https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/updates/generally-available-continuous-model-monitoring-in-azure-machine-learning/ https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/updates/public-preview-azure-api-center-features/ https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/updates/public-preview-new-major-version-of-durable-functions-extension/   https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/updates/generally-available-outbound-type-migration-in-aks/

Sean Klein joins Evan, Sujit, and Cale to talk about the Production LiveSite Review (PLR) process used by Azure Engineering for modern incident analysis and learnings. Media file: https://azpodcast.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/Episode484.mp3 YouTube: https://youtu.be/EsRrxguRn2Y Resources: How Complex Systems Fail Etsy Engineering | Blameless PostMortems and a Just Culture   Other updates: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/load-testing/quickstart-create-and-run-load-test https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/load-testing/how-to-parameterize-load-tests#secrets

Azure Cloud Solution Architects Elena Krasteva and Sabine Blair help us understand what the Azure VMWare Solution is all about and how the Landing Zone Accelerator helps make it easier for customers looking to migrate VMWare workloads to Azure.     Media file: https://azpodcast.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/Episode483.mp3 YouTube: https://youtu.be/Onj876JxOaw Resources: 1) Product page: https://aka.ms/avs  2) LinkedIn: (20) Azure VMware Solution Pros | Groups | LinkedIn 3) Well Architected Workload Guidance: https://aka.ms/avswafdocs  4) Landing Zone Accelerator: https://aka.ms/avsaccelerator 4) TechCommunity Blog: Azure Migration and Modernization Blog - Microsoft Community Hub 5) Learn Modules: Run VMware resources on Azure VMware Solution - Training | Microsoft Learn 6) Discovery Assessment: Azure VMware Solution assessment calculations in Azure Migrate - Azure Migrate | Microsoft Learn   Other updates: Microsoft puts Azure Quantum Elements to work https://techcrunch.com/2024/01/09/microsoft-puts-azure-quantum-elements-to-work/ https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/apps-on-azure-blog/azure-spring-apps-enterprise-is-now-eligible-for-azure-savings/ba-p/4021532

Cale, Evan and Sujit discuss the often-overlooked Network Watcher service in Azure and how it can be used for monitoring, troubleshooting and logging of network operations in your VNETs.   Media file: https://azpodcast.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/Episode482.mp3 YouTube: https://youtu.be/CYLtFrbXGck Resources: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/network-watcher/network-watcher-overview   Other updates: Application Insights Availability Tests TLS 1.3 Enablement | Azure updates | Microsoft Azure   Standard and High-Performance VPN Gateway SKUs will be retired on 30 September 2025 | Azure updates | Microsoft Azure   Generally Available: Azure Chaos Studio supports new faults for Service Bus | Azure updates | Microsoft Azure Store and manage medical imaging data with Azure Data Lake Storage (Preview) | Azure updates | Microsoft Azure   https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/updates/public-preview-free-sql-managed-instance/

Cale and Sujit discuss the new Fleet Manager service which allows customers to better manage groups of AKS clusters and perform updates, deployments and network access.   Media file: https://azpodcast.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/Episode481.mp3 YouTube: https://youtu.be/mpUfpRtqnEE Resources: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/kubernetes-fleet/overview https://github.com/Azure/fleet   Other updates: Public Preview: Accelerated logs in Azure Database for MySQL - Flexible Server | Azure updates | Microsoft Azure Public Preview: Azure Database for PostgreSQL - Flexible Server, enhanced disaster recovery features | Azure updates | Microsoft Azure Generally Available: Azure Functions support on Apple Silicon Macs | Azure updates | Microsoft Azure   Microsoft and Oracle announce that Oracle Database@Azure is now generally available | Microsoft Azure Blog