Cale and Sujit discuss their current projects in Azure as 2024 comes to a close. They also cover a ton of AKS updates.

Semantic Kernel makes it easier for developers to build Azure Open AI applications that can also include SLMs like Phi-4. 

Azure has many options to use File Shares and Volumes, and we walk through the process of figuring out which one is right for your needs.

Media file: https://azpodcast.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/Episode511.mp3

YouTube: https://youtu.be/dLfCJ6btKng

Resources:

Semantic Kernel - https://github.com/microsoft/semantic-kernel

File Shares: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/storage/common/storage-introduction 

Other updates:

Lots of AKS updates!

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/aks/concepts-network-isolated

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/troubleshoot/azure/azure-kubernetes/availability-performance/container-image-pull-performance

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/aks/imds-restriction

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/aks/use-windows-gpu

https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/updates/?id=471295

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/backup/tutorial-restore-aks-backups-across-regions

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/aks/app-routing-nginx-configuration?tabs=azurecli#control-the-default-nginx-ingress-controller-configuration-preview

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/aks/automated-deployments

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/aks/aks-extension-ghcopilot-plugins

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-monitor/containers/container-insights-logs-schema#kubernetes-metadata-and-logs-filtering

The team meets with Stephane Erbrech to talk about Azure Kubernetes Fleet and learns why it is necessary and also why it isn't the same thing as Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS).

Media file: https://azpodcast.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/Episode510.mp3

YouTube: https://youtu.be/h9rJNihhZPM

Resources:

The OSS bits powering Fleet Manager dataplane: https://github.com/Azure/fleet

The service doc: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-gb/azure/kubernetes-fleet/

Other updates:

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/cynthiakreng_nbafoundation-nbaallstar-nbafpitch-activity-7269908869684830209-MJlS

In this episode of the Azure Podcast, co-hosts, Sujit D'Mello, Evan Basalik, Russell Young, Cynthia Kreng, and Cale Teeter welcome special guest Thiago Almeida from the Azure Functions team. They dive into the details of the new Azure Functions Flex Consumption Plan, discussing its features, benefits, and how it fits into the broader landscape of Azure's compute options. Thiago shares insights on the programming model, pricing, and the improvements in cold start times, as well as the integration with networking features. This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in serverless computing and Azure Functions.

Media file: https://azpodcast.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/Episode509.mp3

YouTube: https://youtu.be/WMdzxYy_tQ4

Resources:

Ignite news from Functions https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/appsonazureblog/azure-functions-ignite-2024-update/4298757

Flex Consumption GA announcement https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/appsonazureblog/azure-functions-flex-consumption-is-now-generally-available/4298778

Azure Functions cold start improvements https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/appsonazureblog/our-latest-work-to-improve-azure-functions-cold-starts/4164500

Cale, Evan, Russell and Sujit discuss the recent updates in Azure and specially cover the Azure-related announcements in the recent Ignite 2024 conference.

Media file: https://azpodcast.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/Episode508.mp3

YouTube: https://youtu.be/DwSqEMjmcn0

Resources:

https://news.microsoft.com/ignite-2024-book-of-news/

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/mysql/flexible-server/concepts-business-continuity

https://aka.ms/configure-pon

olling upgrades with MaxSurge for Virtual Machine Scale Sets - Azure Virtual Machine Scale Sets | Microsoft Learn

https://aka.ms/vmss-zonal-expansion

Azure Container Apps planned maintenance (preview) | Microsoft Learn

Release ProcDump-for-Mac 1.0 · microsoft/ProcDump-for-Mac

Workspaces in Azure API Management | Microsoft Learn

Protect APIs in API Management with Defender for APIs | Microsoft Learn

Gabriel Monteiro Nepomuceno, a Software Engineer and Cloud architect in Microsoft's ISE team, explains the concept of Azure Verified Modules (AVM). These include both resource and pattern modules. These modules ensure consistency and compliance with best practices, making it easier for users to deploy secure and well-architected solutions. They are also supported by Microsoft, so customers get long-term stability for their deployments.

Media file: https://azpodcast.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/Episode507.mp3

YouTube: https://youtu.be/BB5HQ_VkHG0

Resources:

https://azure.github.io/Azure-Verified-Modules/

Other updates:

Empower innovation and transformation through AI and data-driven insights on Azure

https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/empower-innovation-and-transformation-through-ai-and-data-driven-insights-on-azure/

How higher education is reimagining student experiences with Azure OpenAI Service

https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/how-higher-education-is-reimagining-student-experiences-with-azure-openai-service/

https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/updates/v2/Azure-Cobalt-100-Arm-based-Virtual-Machines

https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/updates/v2/VM-watch-on-Azure-VMs

https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/updates/v2/Ermetro-ga-announcement

https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/updates/v2/ExpressRoute-guided-configuration-experience

https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/updates/v2/Simulate-everyday-interactions-with-your-GenAI-App-Public-Preview

The team meets up with Vaclav Jirovsky and Cody Hosterman from Pure Storage to learn about Pure's CBS solution and why Azure customers should consider using it.

Media file: https://azpodcast.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/Episode506.mp3

YouTube: https://youtu.be/wCbd5vdcBPQ

Resources: 

https://www.purestorage.com/products/cloud-block-storage/cbs.html

https://support.purestorage.com/bundle/m_cbs_for_azure/page/Pure_Cloud_Block_Store/CBS_for_Azure/topics/topic/t_cbs_for_azure_overview.html

Other updates:
https://powerplatformconf.com/

Willie Ahlers, Principal Architect, joins Cale, Cynthia and Russell to discuss the challenges and processes to get value from AI projects and make them successful in a live environment.

Media file: https://azpodcast.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/Episode505.mp3

YouTube: https://youtu.be/1GsuH-YylP0

Other updates:

Sadaf Khan joins Evan and Russell to explain and talk about Service Reliability Engineering in the Azure engineering group.

Media file: https://azpodcast.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/Episode504.mp3

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNGdTnb1W90&t=1684s

Key Topics:

In this episode of the Azure Podcast, Cale, Evan, and Sujit engage in a comprehensive discussion about the Secure Future Initiative at Microsoft. They explore how this initiative influences our use of Azure and why it's beneficial for customers to consider implementing similar strategies in their own Azure environments.

Media file: https://azpodcast.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/Episode503.mp3

YouTube: https://youtu.be/TyvkKhdRR5k

Resources:

https://www.microsoft.com/en/microsoft-cloud/resources/secure-future-initiative#tabx6a6ce2c0327741938ac10b008d5cff64

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/well-architected/security/design-patterns

SFI Updates

Other resources:

https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/updates/v2/Volume-enhancements

https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/updates/v2/Dedicated-log-analytics-tables-in-Application-Gateway

https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/updates/v2/ANF-Double-Encryption-at-rest

https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/updates/v2/FIPS-mutability-support-in-AKS

https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/updates/v2/CNI-Powered-by-Cilium-Azure-CNI-Overlay-support-AKS

https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/updates/v2/New-features-in-AKS-extension-for-Visual-Studio-Code

https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/updates/v2/Enable-multifactor-authentication-for-your-tenant-by-15-October-2024  (also below)

https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/updates/v2/generally-available-azure-chaos-studio-supports-a-new-network-isolation-fault-for-virtual-machines

https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/updates/v2/High-Scale-mode-Container-Insights

Azure Open AI is widely used in industry but there are number of security aspects that must be taken into account when using the technology. Luckily for us, Audrey Long, a Software Engineer at Microsoft, security expert and renowned conference speaker, gives us insights into securing LLMs and provides various tips, tricks and tools to help developers use these models safely in their applications.

Media file: https://azpodcast.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/Episode502.mp3

YouTube: https://youtu.be/64Achcz97PI

Resources:

AI Tooling:

AI Development Considerations:

Other updates: