2026-03 - 8

2026 (12)

March (12)

security: New tools and guidance: Announcing Zero Trust for AI

Microsoft Security Blog

2026-03-19

Microsoft added a new AI pillar to its Zero Trust materials, including an updated workshop, reference architecture, guidance, and a new assessment tool. The announcement focuses on applying Zero Trust principles to AI systems.

github: Codespaces with data residency now available in Japan

GitHub

2026-03-19

GitHub Codespaces with data residency now supports Japan as a region. This adds Japan to the existing EU and Australia data residency regions.

azure: [In preview] Public Preview: Azure Databricks OneLake Catalog Federation

Azure Updates

2026-03-19

Azure Databricks now supports OneLake catalog federation in public preview. It lets Unity Catalog query Microsoft Fabric OneLake data without copying it, while automatically syncing schemas and tables from the connected OneLake catalog.

azure: Retirement: NP-series Azure Virtual Machines will be retired on May 31, 2027

Azure Updates

2026-03-19

Microsoft Azure will retire NP-series VM sizes Standard_NP10s, Standard_NP20s, and Standard_NP40s on May 31, 2027. Users should migrate workloads to alternative Azure GPU VM sizes before that date to avoid service disruption.

azure: Retirement: HC-series Azure Virtual Machines will be retired on May 31, 2027

Azure Updates

2026-03-19

Microsoft Azure will retire HC-series VM sizes Standard_HC44rs, Standard_HC44-16rs, and Standard_HC44-32rs on May 31, 2027. Users should plan to migrate to a current supported VM size before the retirement date.

azure: Retirement: HBv2-series Azure Virtual Machines will be retired on May 31, 2027

Azure Updates

2026-03-19

Microsoft Azure will retire HBv2-series VM sizes on May 31, 2027. The affected sizes are Standard_HB120rs_v2, Standard_HB120-96rs_v2, Standard_HB120-64rs_v2, Standard_HB120-32rs_v2, and Standard_HB120-16rs_v2.

github: View code and comments side-by-side in pull request Files changed page

GitHub

2026-03-19

GitHub is rolling out docked panels on pull request "Files changed" pages so reviewers can keep pull request context open side-by-side while reviewing code. The panels include overview, comments, and merge status.

github: Hierarchy view in GitHub Projects is now generally available

GitHub

2026-03-19

Hierarchy view in GitHub Projects is now generally available. It is enabled by default for all new project views, and existing views can be updated to use it.

security: When tax season becomes cyberattack season: Phishing and malware campaigns using tax-related lures

Microsoft Security Blog

2026-03-19

Microsoft says threat actors are using tax-season urgency to deliver phishing and malware via refund notices, payroll forms, filing reminders, and fake tax-professional requests. The lures can include malicious attachments, links, and QR codes.

github: Configure Copilot coding agent’s validation tools

GitHub

2026-03-18

GitHub says Copilot coding agent now automatically runs project tests and linting, plus GitHub validation tools such as CodeQL, advisory database checks, and secret scanning. The new update lets you configure which validation tools the agent uses.

azure: Retirement: Emissions Impact Dashboard for Azure

Azure Updates

2026-03-18

The Emissions Impact Dashboard for Azure, hosted by Power BI, will be retired on March 31, 2027. After that date, it will no longer be accessible and technical support will end.

azure: [Launched] Generally Available: Azure Red Hat OpenShift Managed Identity and Workload Identity

Azure Updates

2026-03-18

Azure Red Hat OpenShift now generally supports managed identities and workload identities. This lets clusters and applications run on Azure without long-lived service principal credentials.