Azure Updates
2026-03-24
Azure Container Storage v2.1.0 is generally available and adds Elastic SAN integration. It lets Kubernetes clusters use storage from a shared pool and supports on-demand installation.
Azure Monitor now lets you enable Prometheus recommended alerts with one click in the Azure Portal for Azure Arc-enabled Kubernetes clusters. The alerts are based on enhanced Prometheus community rules and expand monitoring coverage for cluster scenarios.
Microsoft Azure Kubernetes Application Network is in public preview. It targets Kubernetes environments spread across regions and clusters by adding application-layer networking controls and visibility beyond IP-based networking.
Azure AKS preview introduces Application Routing with meshless Istio as a supported ingress migration path after ingress-nginx deprecation, without requiring a full service mesh. It is positioned around Kubernetes Gateway API support and Istio-based routing.
Azure Monitor now has public preview support for native OTLP ingestion. You can send telemetry from OpenTelemetry-instrumented apps and platforms directly to Azure Monitor using the OpenTelemetry Collector.
2026-03-20
Azure SQL preview updates in mid-March 2026 add changes aimed at reducing storage, I/O, and memory use while improving performance without requiring index maintenance jobs. The provided note is truncated and does not include the full list of enhancements.
Azure SQL Elastic Query using the Shard_Map_Manager external data source type reaches end of support on March 31, 2027. Existing workloads can keep running, but this mode will no longer receive updates or support.
Azure Sphere will be retired on July 31, 2031. After that date, Microsoft will stop providing customer application, OS, bug, and security updates, as well as DAA certificate issuance.
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.
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.
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.
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.