Microsoft Azure, the computer giant’s cloud services platform, has started 2019 with some new features. The usability of the platform and some features underwent major updates in January. Here we review Azure’s three major updates so far this year.
What is Microsoft Azure?
Before going into more detail, it is worth explaining what the Microsoft Azure cloud consists of. Azure is the brand used by Microsoft for a broad set of cloud-based services aimed at companies. The cloud platform’s products, services and applications range from business analysis to Internet of things (IoT) platforms. The technology of cloud computing providers such as Altura Cloud is based on these public cloud services. Let’s look at the latest updates to the Microsoft cloud.
New features of Azure Portal
Microsoft Azure’s landing page has changed. According to those in charge of the cloud service, the update was designed to make Azure Portal an easy entry point into all the platform’s tools. The new Azure Portal now features, among other things, shortcuts to the most recently used tools and the most popular services. Users can always return to their customized dashboard if they are unconvinced by the new features in Azure Portal.
- Get access to all services with one click. The most popular services are listed at the top to encourage users to discover new services. However, they are all accessible from a single list.
- Take full advantage of the resources. The “Make the most out of Azure” section includes functions that are free or include a free trial. Microsoft’s goal was to allow users to become familiar with the tools without having to pay for them. A new platform introduction window.
- Get instant access to important information. Technical documents and product information and updates are now available in Azure Portal to keep users informed about news.
Access to the Azure application for smartphones has also been improved to include all these new developments and give users control over what happens in the cloud while allowing them to move around freely.
Shared time range for a number of tiles
The Microsoft Azure dashboards are organized into tiles, in line with the style Microsoft launched with Windows 8. Any of the functions of the cloud service can be represented in these tiles. Prior to this update, the time range had to be set individually for each tile. Now, many tiles support a shared time range.
So, for example, if a user wants to work with several Log Analytics tiles and Azure Monitor metrics at the same time, there is no need to set an action range for each one. It simply needs to be set globally. If one of the tiles is changed, then the time range for the other active tiles will be modified automatically, as long as they support the new update.
Launch Azure Container Instances with a single click
Azure Container Instances (ACI) offers a way to develop applications quickly, within a container that runs in the Microsoft Azure cloud. This removes the need to manage and administer virtual machines and servers. The latest ACI update includes a new start and restart functionality built into the main Azure Container Instances portal. If any of the containers have stopped, a new “Start” command will appear and, with a single click, all your containers will restart.
