The Azure Podcast

Final Episode of the Azure Podcast: A Journey of 12 Years In this special final episode of the Azure Podcast, hosts Cale, Evan, Sujit, Russell, Cynthia, and Kendall come together to reflect on the incredible journey of the podcast over the past 12 years. They share personal anecdotes, discuss the evolution of Azure services, and reminisce about the early days of podcasting. Key highlights include: Origins and Growth: Cale and Sujit recount how the podcast started in 2013 to keep up with the rapidly expanding Azure services. Technical Challenges: The hosts discuss the technical challenges faced in the early days, including using Skype for recording and the evolution of podcasting platforms. Guest Contributions: Evan and Sujit highlight the transition from hosts discussing topics to inviting guests, starting with Ryan Barry in episode 18. Personal Reflections: Russell shares his experience joining the podcast in episode 113 and his upcoming departure from Microsoft. Impact on Careers: Cynthia and Kendall reflect on how the podcast helped them grow in their careers and build valuable connections. Technical Reliability: Sujit emphasizes the reliability of Azure services that have hosted the podcast platform for 13 years without major issues. Community Engagement: The hosts share stories of meeting listeners and the impact of the podcast on the Azure community. Join us in celebrating the legacy of the Azure Podcast and the contributions of its hosts and guests. Thank you for being part of this journey! Media file: https://azpodcast.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/Episode521.mp3 YouTube: https://youtu.be/EJGvLLA4lpY Azure OpenAI-based app to look through the transcripts of all 520 episodes: https://chat.azpodcast.com Note: All 520 episodes will remain online.

Evan and Russell host David Stamen and Vaclav Jirovsky from Pure Storage, diving into how they've integrated their Pure Storage solution as an Azure native service. Media file: https://azpodcast.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/Episode520.mp3 YouTube:  https://youtu.be/rok60ox6oDc Resources: Azure Marketplace – Pure Storage Cloud Contact Me : A fully managed, Azure-native block storage-as-a-service offering from Pure Storage designed to simplify and optimize VMware migrations to Azure. YouTube Playlist – Pure Storage Cloud for Azure VMware Solution : A video series showcasing technical overviews, deployment guides, and use cases for Pure Storage Cloud integrated with Azure VMware Solution. Pure Storage Blog – Pure Storage Cloud for Azure VMware Solution : A deep dive into the architecture, benefits, and deployment of the Azure-native Pure Storage Cloud service for VMware workloads. Microsoft Tech Community – Public Preview Announcement : Announcement of the public preview of Pure Storage Cloud for Azure VMware, highlighting its native integration, scalability, and enterprise-grade storage capabilities. Microsoft Tech Community – Azure Storage Blog : Overview of Pure Storage Cloud’s public preview, emphasizing its VMware vVols support, native Azure experience, and simplified storage management. Microsoft Learn – Configuration Guide : Step-by-step guidance on configuring Azure Native Pure Storage Cloud for Azure VMware Solution, including deployment and integration details.   Other updates: General Availability: Instance Mix for Virtual Machine Scale Sets : Azure now supports deploying up to five VM sizes in a single scale set using Flexible Orchestration Mode, improving capacity, cost-efficiency, and deployment simplicity. Azure SQL Trigger for Azure Functions : This documentation explains how to use Azure SQL triggers in Functions to respond to database changes using change tracking and managed identities for secure integration. O3 and O4 Mini Unlock Enterprise Agent Workflows : Microsoft introduces O3 and O4 Mini models to enhance enterprise agent workflows with advanced reasoning via Azure AI Foundry and GitHub integration. Public Preview - Azure Logic Apps now available as Agent tool in Azure AI Foundry Generally Available: Azure Storage Actions – Serverless storage data management

In this episode of the Azure Podcast, hosts Evan Baslik and Sujit D'Mello are joined by special guests Adam Sandor, Travis Maier, and Leslie Chou to discuss the VM Repair extension. They delve into its capabilities, recent updates, and how it enhances supportability for Azure VMs. The conversation covers practical applications, security considerations, and future improvements, providing valuable insights for Azure users. Tune in to learn how the VM Repair extension can help you efficiently troubleshoot and resolve VM issues. Episode Highlights: Overview of the VM Repair extension and its benefits Recent updates and new supported scenarios Security and customization options Future improvements and AI integration Practical tips for using the extension effectively Don't miss this informative episode to stay updated on the latest Azure support tools and enhancements! Media file: https://azpodcast.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/Episode519.mp3 YouTube: https://youtu.be/IcSAN_BJXWk Resources: Starting point for VM Repair and summary: Repair a Windows VM by using the Azure Virtual Machine repair commands - Virtual Machines | Microsoft Learn Specific VM Repair examples, showcasing how to use the new functionality I called out: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/cli/azure/vm/repair?view=azure-cli-latest#az-vm-repair-create-examples Repair Script Open Source Repo: Open Source repair scripts  Official VM Repair docs: az vm repair | Microsoft Learn  Linux repair script ALAR for some linux love: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/troubleshoot/azure/virtual-machines/linux/repair-linux-vm-using-alar   Other updates: New ExpressRoute Metro locations Azure updates | Microsoft Azure Azure Container Instances now supports larger container size instances in public preview https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/updates/?id=490690 Virtual network TAP https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/updates/?id=490830 CAPTCHA for Azure Web Application Firewall (WAF) with Azure Front Door https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/updates/?id=490854 Multitenant managed logging in Container Insights  https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/updates/?id=488110 MCP with server-sent events (SSE) with Azure Functions https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/updates/?id=489433

Join Cale and Sujit in this exciting episode as they dive into the world of Azure Confidential Ledger with special guests Shubhra Sinha Kamath and Yagnesh Setti Subramanian from the Azure Product Team. Discover the latest updates and features of this auditable, tamper-proof ledger service, and learn how it integrates with Azure SQL and BLOB storage to ensure data integrity and confidentiality. Explore real-world applications in financial services, healthcare, AI, and more. Don't miss out on insights into server-side programming, multi-party capabilities, and upcoming previews. Tune in for a comprehensive look at how Azure Confidential Ledger is revolutionizing data security and compliance.   Media file: https://azpodcast.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/Episode518.mp3 YouTube: https://youtu.be/scWpKSKLsGs Resources: https://aka.ms/ACL-Docs https://aka.ms/ACL2025Preview    Othwr updates: Creating better healthcare outcomes with Azure OpenAI Service and Azure AI Foundry https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/creating-better-healthcare-outcomes-with-azure-openai-service-and-azure-ai-foundry/   Learn more about what’s new with Microsoft Azure Storage at KubeCon Europe 2025 https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/learn-more-about-whats-new-with-microsoft-azure-storage-at-kubecon-europe-2025/ https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-monitor/app/kubernetes-codeless https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/products/copilo

In this episode of the Azure Podcast, host Evan Basalik dives into the world of Azure ExpressRoute with special guest Duong Au. They discuss the benefits of ExpressRoute, its resiliency features, and the new validation tools available to ensure robust connectivity. Tune in to learn about the latest updates, practical applications, and how to optimize your network setup for maximum reliability. Media file: https://azpodcast.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/Episode517.mp3 YouTube: https://youtu.be/o_-NfWnYtxg Resources: Email to sign up for preview of the resiliency validation: [email protected] Resiliency Validation: Azure ExpressRoute Gateway Resiliency Validation (preview) | Microsoft Learn   Resiliency Insights: Resiliency Insights for ExpressRoute virtual network gateway (preview) | Microsoft Learn   Other updates: SQL Server on Azure VM I/O Performance Analysis - Azure updates | Microsoft Azure   Enhancements to Carbon Optimization APIs - Azure updates | Microsoft Azure 

In this episode, Sujit D'Mello and Cynthia Kreng are joined by special guest Mike Becker, an Azure Architect at Microsoft, to discuss how various Azure services can be combined to create a complex solution. Sujit covers the latest enhancements in AKS, including Azure CNI, load balancer support, network isolated clusters, cost recommendations, and GPU driver options. Mike shares insights into a comprehensive Azure cloud solution for collecting and analyzing economic data and media feedback about companies, highlighting the use of Azure Data Factory, Databricks, Power BI, and OpenAI for sentiment analysis. The discussion delves into the architectural decisions, technical challenges, and practical applications of these technologies in delivering robust and secure solutions.   Media file: https://azpodcast.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/Episode516.mp3 YouTube: https://youtu.be/wG12eJymh54 Resources: ADF how it workshttps://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-factory/introduction#how-does-it-work Azure Data Factory- Best Practiceshttps://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/1283307/azure-data-factory-best-practices Azure Data Bricks Medallion architecturehttps://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/databricks/lakehouse/medallion Azure Data Bricks Best Practiceshttps://dzone.com/articles/azure-databricks-best-practices-for-a-developer Sentiment Analysis with Azure AI serviceshttps://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/synapse-analytics/machine-learning/tutorial-cognitive-services-sentiment Power BI recommendationshttps://community.fabric.microsoft.com/t5/Desktop/Power-BI-Development-and-Best-Practices/m-p/4632985/highlight/true#M1386307 Improve Power BI model's performancehttps://powerbi.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/best-practice-rules-to-improve-your-models-performance/ GitLab best practices - if you cannot use Azure DevOpshttps://about.gitlab.com/topics/version-control/what-are-gitlab-flow-best-practices/

In this episode of the Azure podcast, Sujit and the team, including Cale, Russell, and Cynthia, are joined by special guest Matteo Pagani, a Cloud Solutions Architect in the Tech Strategy team at Microsoft. Matteo provides insights into the agentic world of Co-pilot, explaining how agents can enhance business processes and improve efficiency. Tune in to learn about the practical applications of these technologies and how they can be integrated into existing workflows.   Media file: https://azpodcast.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/Episode515.mp3 YouTube: https://youtu.be/qMJ88BLbTVo Resources:   Overview of Microsoft 365 Copilot extensibility: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365-copilot/extensibility/ Building declarative agents with Visual Studio Code, Copilot Studio and Agent Builder: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365-copilot/extensibility/overview-declarative-agent Building custom engine agents with Visual Studio Code and Copilot Studio: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365-copilot/extensibility/overview-custom-engine-agent My blog with some fun experiments with multi-agents scenarios: https://www.developerscantina.com/   Other updates: Announcing GA for Azure Container Apps Serverless GPUs | Microsoft Community Hub   https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/introducing-deep-reasoning-agent-flows-copilot-studio-charles-lamanna-n1zxc/   Let's try GitHub Copilot Agent mode in VS Code to build a FULL app!

In this episode of the Azure Podcast, Sujit D'Mello and the team, including Cynthia, Evan, and Cale, are joined by special guest Mario Hewardt, an engineering manager on the Sysinternals team. Mario shares insights into the evolution of Sysinternals tools, their cross-platform journey, and their integration with Azure services. The discussion covers the development process, challenges faced, and the innovative features being added to these essential diagnostic tools. Tune in to learn about the latest updates and how Sysinternals continues to support both Windows and Linux environments.   Media file: https://azpodcast.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/Episode514.mp3 YouTube: https://youtu.be/6TAJfqnScuI   Resources: Sysinternals (/Windows) https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/ https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/ Email: [email protected] ZoomIt is open source as part of PowerToys - https://github.com/microsoft/PowerToys   Sysinternals (/Linux) ProcDump for Linux - https://github.com/microsoft/ProcDump-for-Linux Procmon for Linux - https://github.com/microsoft/ProcMon-for-Linux Sysmon for Linux - https://github.com/microsoft/SysmonForLinux For help with Linux tools, please file issues/discussions on GitHub.   Social media Bluesky: @sysinternals  

Evan, Kendal and Sujit dive into the details of Azure Container Apps sharing thier own experiences designing, supporting and using the service. They share tips and tricks for utilizing the correct ACA options for your workloads.  Media file: https://azpodcast.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/Episode513.mp3 YouTube: https://youtu.be/nuxBz8O05LU Resources: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-apps/overview   Other updates: Next generation Azure Databox - Azure updates | Microsoft Azure Azure HDInsight deprecates TLS1.1 - Azure updates | Microsoft Azure     MySQL Virtual Canary program - Scheduled Maintenance - Azure Database for MySQL - Flexible Server | Microsoft Learn   SQL MI Modernization Assistant - Modernization Advisor (Preview) - SQL Server on Azure VMs | Microsoft Learn   Private DNS Zones Internet fallback - Azure updates | Microsoft Azure   Modern Data Movement library - Azure updates | Microsoft Azure   https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/load-testing/how-to-schedule-tests https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure-data-studio/whats-happening-azure-data-studio https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-monitor/logs/log-analytics-simple-mode https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/databricks/clean-rooms/ https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/api-center/synchronize-aws-gateway-apis?tabs=portal https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-apps/sessions-tutorial-nodejs

Senthuran Sivananthan comes on the show to talk about the Well-Architected Framework (WAF) and Well Architected Resiliency Review (WARA).   Media file: https://azpodcast.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/Episode512.mp3 YouTube: https://youtu.be/xTxG7X9RoWQ   Resources: Azure Pricing Calculator Azure Architecture Review Web Application Firewall Other Updates: Retirement of Azure Automation's Powershell runbooks using AzureRM modules TLS1.0/1.1 retirement for Azure Automation Customer Managed Unplanned Failover for ADLS and Storage+SFTP