Azure Update - 13th June 2025

Azure Update - June 13th

Key Concepts:

• Entra Resiliency
• AKS Container Network Logs
• SAP HANA Large Instances Migration
• Azure Command Launcher for Java
• LV4 Series VMs (Storage Optimized)
• Azure Front Door WAF Policies (Profile-Based & Route-Based)
• Azure Virtual Network Manager (AVNM)
• Azure Blob Storage Archive Tier
• Premium SSD v2 & Ultra Disks (Cross-Tenant CMK)
• Azure Data Explorer (Persistent Graph Semantics)
• Data Bricks Connector for Power Platform
• Azure Site Recovery (Trusted Launch VM Support)

Entra Resiliency

• Main Point: Entra ID is a critical component for accessing Microsoft cloud solutions and other SaaS providers. Its resilience is paramount.
• Details: The video emphasizes the importance of trust in Entra's resilience due to the limited backup options available to users.
• Mechanism: Entra has a multi-layered (Plan A, B, C, D, E) approach to handle various failure scenarios, ensuring high availability even during Azure infrastructure-wide issues.
• Actionable Insight: Understanding Entra's resilience mechanisms can increase confidence in its reliability as a core identity provider.

Compute Updates

AKS Container Network Logs (Preview)

• Functionality: Captures network traffic metadata within an AKS cluster for analysis.
• Data Captured: Source/Destination IP, Pods, Service Names, Ports, Protocols, Traffic Direction (Layer 3 to Layer 7). Note: Does not capture packet payload.
• Features:
  • Customizable filters to control captured traffic.
  • Two modes: Data storage for later analysis and on-demand real-time visibility.
• Benefit: Enhanced network visibility for troubleshooting and security analysis within AKS.

SAP HANA Large Instances

• Change: Retirement date extended from end of June 2025 to end of December 2025.
• Recommendation: Prioritize migration to SAP-certified regular Azure VM sizes due to the availability of massive VM SKUs.
• Reasoning: Regular Azure VMs offer comparable performance and scalability without the need for specialized HANA instances.

Azure Command Launcher for Java (Private Preview)

• Functionality: A JVM launcher for configuring resources used by Java applications.
• Scope: Works across VMs, containers (AKS, Container Apps), and more.
• Configuration Options: Heap size, garbage collection strategies, and other JVM parameters.
• Benefit: Optimizes Java runtime resource utilization, preventing waste and improving performance compared to default settings.

LV4 Series VMs (GA)

• Type: Storage-optimized VMs available in Intel and AMD variants.
• AMD Variant (LAo V4):
  • 2-32 vCPUs
  • 8 GB memory per vCPU
  • 720 GB local NVMe storage
• Intel Variant (LA V4):
  • 2-96 vCPUs
  • 8 GB memory per vCPU
  • 240 GB local NVMe storage
• Use Cases: Caching layers, Elasticsearch implementations, databases with local storage and replication.
• Key Feature: Massive amount of local, super-fast NVMe storage.

Networking Updates

Azure Front Door WAF Policies (Private Preview)

• Enhancement: Profile-based and route-based WAF policies for Azure Front Door.
• Flexibility: Policies can be applied to all domains or specific routes (e.g., payment page).
• Benefit: Granular security control, allowing different WAF policies for different parts of an application.
• Example: Applying a stricter WAF policy to a payment page route compared to other parts of the application.

Azure Virtual Network Manager (AVNM) - China Cloud

• Availability: Now available in the China cloud.
• Functionality: Centralized management of virtual networks at scale.
• Features:
  • Connectivity management (full mesh, hub-and-spoke).
  • Security admin rules (applied before NSGs).
  • Routing and IP management.
• Key Benefit: Simplified and scalable management of complex virtual network environments.

Storage Updates

Azure Blob Storage Archive Tier (GA - Italy North)

• Availability: Now generally available in Italy North.
• Tier Characteristics: Offline storage, lowest storage cost, highest transaction cost, requires rehydration to access data.
• Use Case: Long-term data retention for compliance or regulatory requirements where infrequent access is expected.
• Example: Storing data for a seven-year regulatory requirement.

Premium SSD v2 & Ultra Disks (Cross-Tenant CMK)

• Feature: Support for cross-tenant customer-managed keys (CMK).
• Functionality: The key and key vault used for encryption can reside in a different tenant than the disks.
• Use Case: SaaS providers allowing customers to control the encryption keys for their data.
• Benefit: Enhanced data sovereignty and control for SaaS customers.

Database Updates

Azure Data Explorer (Persistent Graph Semantics)

• Enhancement: Ability to create durable graph data structures that persist beyond query sessions.
• Graph Semantics: Models data based on relationships between entities (nodes and edges).
• Use Case: Applications that rely on relationships between data points (e.g., people working for a manager, devices used in a building).
• Benefit: Faster interactions based on data relationships due to persistent graph models.

Data Bricks Connector for Power Platform (Preview)

• Functionality: Integrates Azure Databricks data with Power Apps.
• Benefit: Easy access to real-time data and large datasets from Databricks within Power Apps.

Miscellaneous Updates

Azure Site Recovery (Trusted Launch VM Support)

• Enhancement: Support for trusted launch VMs (Gen 2, UEFI-based) running Linux operating systems.
• Trusted Launch: Uses virtual TPM for secure boot and attestation, ensuring no boot kits or rootkits are injected.
• Supported Distributions: Ubuntu, Red Hat, SUSE, AlmaLinux, Debian (specific kernel requirements may apply).
• Benefit: Enhanced security and protection for VMs during disaster recovery.

Conclusion

The Azure update for June 13th includes a range of enhancements across compute, networking, storage, and database services. Key highlights include the focus on Entra ID resilience, new storage-optimized VM options, enhanced WAF policies for Azure Front Door, and cross-tenant CMK support for managed disks. These updates provide users with greater flexibility, control, and security for their Azure deployments.