Azure Update - 15th August 2025

Key Concepts

• IPv6 support for App Service
• Fully private App Gateway v2
• Azure Data Factory upsert and script activities
• Azure Managed Cassandra v5 support
• Cosmos DB for MongoDB customer-managed keys
• Azure PostgreSQL Flexible in Malaysia West
• Power Platform DataBricks connector
• Azure App Testing (Preview)
• Azure Monitor tenant-level health alerts (Preview)
• Azure Automation limit update
• Windows 365 Reserve (Gated Public Preview)

Compute Updates

• IPv6 Support for App Service: Multi-tenant public App Service (Basic, Standard, Premium SKUs), Functions (Consumption, Elastic Premium), and Logic App Standard now support inbound IPv6. IPv6 is the successor to IPv4, offering a larger address space.
• Fully Private App Gateway v2: App Gateway v2, a regional Layer 7 solution, can now be deployed without a public IP address. This private solution offers better control over Network Security Groups (NSGs) and route tables, including overriding the default internet route. It supports DNS resolution via the virtual network, leveraging private DNS zones. It deploys into the App Gateway subnet for its front-end private IP and can use Private Link for additional private connectivity from non-peered V-Nets.

Database Updates

• Azure Data Factory Upsert and Script Activities: Azure Data Factory (and Synapse Pipelines) now generally available (GA) with upsert and script activities when interacting with Azure Managed PostgreSQL Flexible. Upsert combines update and insert operations, simplifying data merging when the existence of a record is uncertain. Script activity allows executing custom SQL scripts as part of the data flow.
• Azure Managed Cassandra v5 Support: Azure Managed Instance for Apache Cassandra now supports Cassandra 5.0, offering improved performance, new indexing capabilities, dynamic data masking, ACID transactions, vector search, and other features.
• Cosmos DB for MongoDB Customer-Managed Keys: Cosmos DB for MongoDB now supports encryption using customer-managed keys (CMK) stored in Azure Key Vault. This is in addition to Microsoft-managed service-managed key encryption, providing an extra layer of security. CMK is configured at the cluster level, encrypting all data, backups, logs, and temporary files on disk. Customers manage the lifecycle and rotation of the key.
• Azure PostgreSQL Flexible in Malaysia West: Azure PostgreSQL Flexible Server is now available in the Malaysia West region. Flexible Server offers VM-based control, parameter customization, more SKU options, and improved resiliency.

Power Platform

• Power Platform DataBricks Connector: Power Platform now has a connector for Azure Databricks, enabling real-time data access without data copying. Power Platform apps can leverage large Databricks datasets, visualize data, use the Power Fx formula language, and use Databricks as a data source for Copilot Studio to add AI insights.

Miscellaneous

• Azure App Testing (Preview): Azure App Testing provides end-to-end validation for application functionality and performance. It uses Playwright, JMeter, and Locus frameworks. It leverages Azure Load Testing for performance testing and Playwright workspaces for functional testing, all accessible from a single hub.
• Azure Monitor Tenant-Level Health Alerts (Preview): Azure Monitor now supports tenant-level health alerts, allowing alert rules to be scoped at the directory level instead of subscription, resource group, or resource. This simplifies the maintenance of health alert rules across an entire tenant.
• Azure Automation Limit Update: The rollout of the Azure Automation limit update has resumed. The update lowers the limits for the maximum number of automation accounts in a subscription in a region and the maximum number of concurrent running jobs at the same instance of time per automation account. Users should check the documentation for specific limits in their region. Existing usage exceeding the new limits will be honored, and quota increases can be requested.
• Windows 365 Reserve (Gated Public Preview): Windows 365 Reserve provides a cloud-based desktop as a backup device when a primary device is unavailable. It offers 10 days of usage per year at a reduced cost. It provides a Windows 11 experience, is quick to provision, simple to manage, and integrates with Intune. Access requires applying for the gated public preview.

Conclusion

This week's Azure updates cover a range of improvements and new features across compute, database, power platform, and miscellaneous services. Key highlights include the general availability of fully private App Gateway v2, upsert and script activities in Azure Data Factory, customer-managed keys for Cosmos DB for MongoDB, and the introduction of Windows 365 Reserve for backup devices. These updates aim to enhance security, simplify data management, improve application testing, and provide cost-effective solutions for various scenarios.