Kategorie: Microsoft Azure

Azure OpenAI Service: Transforming legal practices with generative AI solutions

In today’s fast-paced legal environment, the ability to efficiently manage and analyze vast amounts of data is crucial. And the field of law is no exception. In fact, a 2023 research paper claimed that of all the industries affected by new AI, the legal field was most exposed.1 AI is increasingly being leveraged to meet this need, enhancing the capabilities of legal professionals, and improving outcomes for clients. A recent Thomson Reuters survey reported that 82% of law firm lawyers said they believe that ChatGPT and generative AI could be readily applied to legal work.2 Another research report, by economists at Goldman Sachs, estimated that 44% of legal work could be automated.3

Over the past several years, the data landscape has exploded, presenting legal teams with the challenge of managing not only increasing volumes of data but also a variety of new data types. Traditional sources like emails and documents are now accompanied by more complex sources such as collaboration platforms, chat data, text messages, and video recordings. Given the potential relevance of all this information in legal matters, modern legal teams must be prepared to identify, collect, and analyze vast amounts of data—often under tight deadlines. A number of law firms and legal service providers are using AI to streamline processes, reduce risks, and increase efficiency. Notably, companies like Icertis, Relativity, and Clifford Chance are pioneering the integration of AI into their workflows, demonstrating the transformative power of Azure AI Services in the legal field.

Azure OpenAI Service

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Key benefits and applications at work

The following AI applications can help teams throughout the legal field manage contracts more efficiently, reduce risk, ensure compliance, and drive better legal business:

Enhanced document review: Uses natural language processing to analyze documents, providing relevant insights for legal cases.

Accelerated e-discovery: Quickly identifies, collects, and analyzes large volumes of data from various sources.

Improved efficiency: Reduces the time and resources needed for document review. 

Identification of key information: Uncovers critical terms and conditions buried within documents.

Risk management: Assist legal users to consider problematic terms and ensure compliance.

Cognitive translation: Implements AI-driven translation to improve communication across languages.

Accessible contracts: Natural language processing capabilities help users navigate and understand complex legal language.

Enhanced decision-making: Provides insights for more informed strategic decisions.

Below we look at three companies who have adopted Azure OpenAI Service to support their legal practices, illustrating the profound impact and potential of these technologies in reshaping the industry.

Revolutionizing contract life cycle management with generative AI and AzureContracts can be crucial in business, but managing them often remains disjointed across departments, and may lead to inefficiencies and risks. Icertis, used by 30% of Fortune 100 companies, has partnered with Microsoft to enhance contract management using AI. Their platform, Icertis Contract Intelligence (ICI), now incorporates generative AI through ICI Copilots, which streamlines contract reviews and uncovers hidden terms, thereby reducing risks and increasing efficiency. Icertis natively interoperates with Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, and Azure AI to empower users to create, view, manage, and collaborate on contracts in the tools and applications they use every day. This collaboration helps customers achieve considerable time savings and better risk management. The partnership emphasizes continuous innovation and customer value, enhancing contract management capabilities and solidifying both companies’ market positions.

Relativity and Microsoft partner to deliver generative AI to litigatorsIn the realm of e-discovery, efficiently organizing and analyzing vast amounts of unstructured data is critical. Relativity, partnering with Microsoft, provides AI-powered solutions to address this challenge. Relativity leverages Microsoft Azure and GPT-4 to enhance document review processes. They developed Relativity aiR for Review on top of Azure OpenAI Service to deliver a streamlined experience directly in RelativityOne. Relativity aiR for Review, uses natural language processing to analyze documents and assists with legal reviews and investigations. This partnership promotes security, interoperability, and global reach—enabling legal teams to manage growing data volumes and diverse data types effectively.The collaboration focuses on responsible AI, aiming to deliver innovative, secure, and efficient tools for legal professionals. Relativity and Microsoft’s joint efforts aim to continue advancing AI capabilities in e-discovery and offer tools to assist with complex data challenges.

Clifford Chance trailblazes Microsoft responsible AI to improve services for its legal clientsClifford Chance, a leading British multinational law firm, leveraged advanced technologies like Azure, Azure OpenAI Service, and Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365 to enhance their legal services. Early implementations, such as cognitive translation, have quickly become some of their fastest-growing products, significantly improving their ability to handle sensitive, text-based information efficiently. Additionally, the firm benefits from intelligent recap and enhanced data security features through Microsoft Teams Premium, resulting in substantial cost savings and improved protection of client data. By integrating AI-powered solutions, Clifford Chance aims to free up their professionals’ time for strategic tasks and provide innovative, efficient services to their clients. The firm is excited about the potential of large language models (LLMs) and other AI tools to further transform their operations, making them more responsive and effective in a highly competitive and time-pressured environment.

Azure OpenAI Service: Impact

The integration of Azure AI Services is assisting legal professionals in managing data, conducting reviews, and offering services. Companies like Icertis, Relativity, and Clifford Chance are leveraging AI to boost operational efficiency and foster a more innovative and responsive legal system. As AI technologies continue to advance, their impact on the legal industry will grow, driving greater efficiencies and yielding better outcomes for all stakeholders.

Our commitment to responsible AI

Organizations across industries are leveraging Azure OpenAI Service and copilot services and capabilities to drive growth, increase productivity, and create value-added experiences. From advancing medical breakthroughs to streamlining manufacturing operations, our customers trust that their data is protected by robust privacy protections and data governance practices. As our customers continue to expand their use of our AI solutions, they can be confident that their valuable data is safeguarded by industry-leading data governance and privacy practices in the most trusted cloud on the market today.  

At Microsoft, we have a long-standing practice of protecting our customers’ information. Our approach to responsible AI is built on a foundation of privacy, and we remain dedicated to upholding core values of privacy, security, and safety in all our generative AI products and solutions.

Get started with Azure OpenAI Service 

Apply for access to Azure OpenAI Service by completing this form. 

Learn about Azure OpenAI Service and the latest enhancements. 

Get started with GPT-4 in Azure OpenAI Service in Microsoft Learn. 

Read our partner announcement blog, empowering partners to develop AI-powered apps and experiences with ChatGPT in Azure OpenAI Service. 

Learn how to use the new Chat Completions API (in preview) and model versions for ChatGPT and GPT-4 models in Azure OpenAI Service.

Learn more about Microsoft Azure AI Content Safety.

1 How will Language Modelers like ChatGPT Affect Occupations and Industries? Ed Felten, Manav Raj, and Robert Seamans, March 18, 2023.

2 Thomson Reuters, ChatGPT & Generative AI in Law Firms: New Report Shows Opportunities Abound, April 19, 2023.

3 Goldman Sachs, Global Economics Analyst: The Potentially Large Effects of Artificial Intelligence on Economic Growth, Jan Hatzius, Joseph Briggs, Devesh Kodnani, and Giovanni Pierdomenico, March 26, 2023.
The post Azure OpenAI Service: Transforming legal practices with generative AI solutions appeared first on Azure Blog.
Quelle: Azure

Unlock new potential for your SAP workloads on Azure with these learning paths

SAP, a leading provider of enterprise resource planning (ERP) software, is a mission-critical consideration for companies migrating to Azure. Microsoft and SAP have a strong partnership centered on helping customers successfully migrate their SAP workloads to Azure, offering solutions that can be seamlessly integrated with Azure’s cloud infrastructure:

Accelerated cloud savings: As the leading provider for SAP workloads, let us manage your infrastructure as you streamline your cloud spending. 

AI intelligence built-in: Harness the power of AI-powered insights to make data-driven decisions that drive your business forward. 

Boost productivity and innovation: Integrated apps streamline your team’s workflow and automate repetitive business processes.

Enhanced protection: Our multi-layered cloud security ensures your SAP workloads run smoothly, backed by integrated Azure recovery services.

Together, SAP and Microsoft are not just providing tools and services but are also creating ecosystems that foster innovation and transformation, enabling businesses to stay competitive in a rapidly evolving digital landscape. To help you and your team better take advantage of these benefits, we’ve created an array of learning materials and interactive events—from self-guided courses to Virtual Training Days, certifications to conferences—that build your cloud expertise.

Chart your course to expertise with personalized Learning Paths 

Our Microsoft Learn Learning Paths are curated collections of free, online modules and resources designed to help you build specific skills or gain knowledge in a particular technology or subject area. We have a full range of paths related to migrating SAP workloads, including:

Explore Azure for SAP Workloads: Streamline your SAP operations and maximize ROI with our comprehensive Azure training. Empower your team to seamlessly migrate, manage, and optimize SAP workloads on Azure, leveraging its robust infrastructure and specialized tools. This comprehensive training will enhance your SAP performance, drive efficiency, and unlock innovation within your existing environment. 

Deploy SAP on Azure: To boost your SAP efficiency and reliability, your team will master the deployment of SAP solutions on Azure, including single-instance SAP HANA and SAP NetWeaver high availability configurations. This expertise will streamline migrations, optimize performance, and ensure smooth operations, ultimately reducing costs and maximizing the value of your SAP investment. 

Explore the foundations of IaaS for SAP on Azure: Unlock the power of Azure’s Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) for your SAP workloads. Our comprehensive training equips your team with the expertise to design and deploy scalable, high-performing SAP solutions on Azure. By mastering essential Azure resources like virtual machines, virtual networks, storage accounts, and Microsoft Entra ID, you’ll optimize your infrastructure for efficiency and resilience, ultimately driving business growth. 

Explore SAP HANA on Azure (Large Instances): Optimize your SAP HANA investment as this program equips your team with the expertise to architect, deploy, and manage SAP HANA on Azure (Large Instances) effectively. By mastering key concepts like high availability, disaster recovery, security, and cost optimization, your business can ensure a resilient, secure, and cost-effective SAP HANA environment in the cloud. 

Microsoft Sentinelu003cbru003e

Build next-generation security operations powered by the cloud and AI

Plan to deploy the Microsoft Sentinel solution for SAP: This standalone learning module provides an overview of Microsoft Sentinel’s comprehensive security solution for SAP environments. It outlines the roles and responsibilities of the team members involved in designing, deploying, and implementing this solution.

Improve SAP seller productivity with Microsoft Teams and Power Platform: Streamline your sales and service processes with our SAP and Microsoft 365 integration training. Your team will master integrating Teams with SAP Sales and Service Core, enabling seamless collaboration. Additionally, they’ll learn to automate tasks using Power Automate, enhancing productivity and efficiency for your SAP sellers. 

Planning and deploying SAP on Azure: Unlock the power of Azure to optimize your SAP operations. Our comprehensive course teaches you to efficiently deploy, configure, and manage SAP workloads in the cloud. Gain expertise in migrating and operating SAP solutions, mastering essential Azure resources like VMs, storage, and networking. Enhance scalability, performance, and security while reducing costs.

Migrate and Modernize SAP in the Microsoft Cloud: Accelerate your SAP deployment on Azure with our one-day course for experienced SAP professionals. Gain hands-on expertise in setting up Azure infrastructure specifically for SAP, including virtual machines, networking, storage, and identity management. Learn best practices for backup, disaster recovery, and monitoring to ensure optimal performance and reliability of your SAP environment in the cloud. 

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Learn from the pros with live, interactive Virtual Training Days 

Virtual Training Days are instructor-led classes designed to equip individuals and teams with in-demand skills related to cloud migration, AI, and other cutting-edge technologies. We offer Virtual Training Days to help you migrate SAP to Azure, optimizing your performance, reliability, and scalability while reducing costs. In this session, Migrate and Modernize SAP on the Microsoft Cloud, you’ll find out how to secure and monitor SAP workloads on Azure. Come explore how this move enhances productivity, fosters secure collaboration, and gives you AI-powered insights for greater efficiency. Register for our next session here.

Showcase your accomplishments with Certifications 

Microsoft Certifications are the official badges that prove you’ve got the skills, whether it’s Azure, Microsoft 365, or other technologies. Getting certified isn’t just a pat on the back; it’s a ticket to career opportunities and industry recognition. Plus, it keeps you on top of the latest tech trends. So, if you want your IT game strong, Microsoft Certifications are the way to go.

Planning and Administering Microsoft Azure for SAP Workloads: To qualify for this certification, you need in-depth knowledge of SAP systems and industry standards for migration, integration, and long-term operation on Azure. Professionals in this career collaborate with cloud administrators, database administrators, and clients to implement solutions, recommending services and adjusting resources for optimal performance and resilience.

Connect and learn: Network with industry leaders at the SAP Sapphire conference 

SAP Sapphire 2024 was a series of global events that brought together SAP experts, partners, and customers to explore the latest innovations and strategies in business technology. With a focus on empowering businesses to turn their visions into reality, SAP Sapphire blended in-person and virtual experiences to share valuable insights, practical knowledge, and networking opportunities to help you drive digital transformation and achieve your business goals. 

Azure experts were on hand to share their expertise and discuss developments related to the cloud and AI. Both sessions are available on-demand for viewing:

Unlock innovation with AI on the Microsoft Cloud: We discussed how integrating AI with Azure and SAP solutions can help your organization learn valuable insights, automate processes, and optimize efficiency for your most critical business operations. This session showed participants how to make AI a reality for their organizations, boosting productivity and creating new opportunities for growth. 

Accenture’s RISE with SAP journey with Microsoft and generative AI: Discover how Accenture, a global IT services and consulting firm, successfully migrated to the RISE with SAP solution on Microsoft Cloud, leveraging Microsoft AI solutions for enhanced innovation and efficiency. This collaborative effort among Accenture, Microsoft, and SAP resulted in a transformed enterprise system, delivering greater insights, agility, and operational efficiency.

Explore more SAP sessions delivered at Sapphire here.
The post Unlock new potential for your SAP workloads on Azure with these learning paths appeared first on Azure Blog.
Quelle: Azure

Get the best value in your cloud journey with Azure pricing offers and resources

A guide for businesses to align their pricing needs with their cloud journey 

Cloud computing continues to transform the way businesses operate, innovate, and compete. And whether you’re just moving to the cloud or already have an established cloud footprint, you may have questions about how to pay for the services you need, estimate your costs, or optimize your spending. To help answer these questions, Azure provides a variety of resources and offers to help you get the best value at every stage of your cloud journey.  

This blog post will show you how to approach and think about pricing throughout your cloud adoption journey. We will also give an example of how a hypothetical digital media company would approach their Azure pricing needs as they transition from evaluating and planning to setting up and running their cloud solutions. After reading this post, you will know more about how to select the best Azure pricing option for your business objectives and cloud needs.

Find guidance and resources to navigate Azure pricing options   

If you are new to Azure or cloud computing in general, you may want to learn the basics of how cloud services are priced, and what options you have for paying for them. Azure offers a variety of pricing options to suit different needs and scenarios, from free tier and pay-as-you-go to commitment and benefits. Here’s a brief overview of each option: 

Free tier: You can get started with Azure for free, and access over 25 services for 12 months, plus $200 credit to use in your first 30 days. You can also use some services for free, such as Azure App Service, Azure Functions, and Azure DevOps, with certain limits and conditions. The free tier is a great way to explore Azure and learn how it works, without any upfront costs or commitments. 

Pay-as-you-go: You can pay only for the services you use or consume, based on the measured usage and the unit prices of each service. For example, you can pay for the number of virtual machine (VMs) hours, the amount of storage space, or the volume of data transferred. Pay-as-you-go is a flexible and scalable option that lets you adjust your usage and costs according to your changing needs and demands. 

Read more about how Azure pricing works here. 

Estimate Azure project costs 

If you have a new project to migrate to or build in Azure, you need an accurate and realistic estimate of your project costs to make an informed decision about moving forward. To help with this decision, Azure provides several tools and resources, such as: 

TCO calculator: You can use the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) calculator to estimate how much you can save by migrating your on-premises workloads to Azure. You can input your current infrastructure details, such as servers, storage, and network, and see a detailed comparison of the costs of running them on-premises versus on Azure. 

Azure Migrate: You can use Azure Migrate to assess and plan your migration to Azure. You can discover and evaluate your on-premises servers, databases, and applications, and get recommendations on the best Azure services and sizing options for them. You can also get estimated costs and savings for your migration scenario and track your progress and readiness. 

Azure Architecture Center: You can get guidance for architecting solutions on Azure using established patterns and practices such as OpenAI Chatbots, Windows VM Deployment, and  Analytics end-to-end with Azure Synapse with cost factors included. 

Read more about estimating project costs here. 

Calculate costs of Azure products and services 

If you are ready to deploy specific Azure services and you want to budget for them, you may want to consider the different pricing options and offers that are available for each service. Azure provides resources and guidance on how to budget for specific Azure services, such as: 

Azure pricing calculator: Estimate your monthly costs based on your expected usage and configuration such as region or virtual machine series. 

Product pricing details pages: Find detailed pricing information for each Azure service on its pricing details page. You can see the pricing model, the unit prices, the service tiers, and the regional availability.  

Azure savings plan for compute: An easy and flexible way to save up to 65% on select compute services, compared to pay-as-you-go prices. The savings plan unlocks lower prices on compute services when you commit to spend a fixed hourly amount for one or three years. You choose whether to pay all upfront or monthly at no extra cost. 

Azure reservations: Reserve Azure resources, such as VMs, SQL Database, or Cosmos DB, for one or three years and save up to 72% on your cloud costs. Improve budgeting and forecasting with a single upfront payment that makes it easy to calculate your investments. Or lower your upfront cash outflow with a monthly payment option at no additional cost. 

Azure Hybrid Benefit: Apply your existing Windows Server, SQL Server licenses with active Software Assurance or subscriptions to Azure Hybrid Benefit to achieve cost savings. Save up to 85% compared to standard pay-as-you-go rates and achieve the lowest cost of ownership when you combine Azure Hybrid Benefit, reservations savings, and Extended Security Updates. You can also apply your active Linux subscription to Azure Hybrid Benefit. 

Read more about budgeting for Azure products and services here. 

Manage and optimize your Azure investments 

If you are already using Azure and you want to optimize your spend for your current Azure workloads, you may want to review your usage and costs, and look for ways to enhance your investments. Azure provides several tools and resources to help you with this process, such as: 

Microsoft Cost Management: You can use Microsoft Cost Management with Copilot to monitor and analyze your Azure spending, and to create and manage budgets and alerts. You can see your current and forecasted costs, your cost trends and anomalies, and your cost breakdown by service, resource group, or subscription. You can also get recommendations on how to optimize your costs. 

Azure Advisor: You can use Azure Advisor to get personalized and actionable recommendations on how to improve the performance, security, reliability, and cost-effectiveness of your Azure resources. You can see the potential savings and benefits of each recommendation and apply them with a few clicks. 

FinOps on Azure: You can leverage FinOps best practices on Azure to empower your organization by fostering a culture of data-driven decision-making, accountability, and cross-team collaboration. This approach will help you maximize investments and accelerate business growth through improved organizational alignment 

Read more about managing and optimizing spend here. 

An example of a company’s cloud journey and pricing needs 

To illustrate how a customer can choose the best pricing option and resources for their cloud journey, let’s look at an example. Contoso, a hypothetical digital media company, wants to migrate their infrastructure and build a new OpenAI Chatbot application in Azure. Here’s how they would think about their Azure pricing needs at each stage of their journey: 

Considering Azure: Contoso wants to understand how Azure pricing works. They use the free tier to try out some Azure services to test functionality. They also leverage the pay-as-you-go model to explore how some services are billed. 

Assess and plan Azure projects: Contoso needs to estimate their project costs. To compare the costs of running on-premises versus on Azure they input their on-premises server infrastructure in the TCO calculator. They also use the Azure Architecture Center to learn how to develop an OpenAI chatbot with best practices.  

Deployment in Azure: Contoso is ready to migrate their environment and deploy their company’s chatbot app and wants to budget for the specific Azure services needed. They leverage the product specific pricing pages and the pricing calculator to estimate their monthly costs based on their expected usage and configuration. They purchase Reservations for their stable and predictable VMs and Azure Database usage. They already have on-premise Windows Server licenses, so they enroll in Software Assurance to get a credit for those licenses with the Azure Hybrid Benefit when deploying their VMs to save on operating costs.  

Post-deployment optimization in Azure: After running their environment on Azure for a few months, Contoso wants to review and optimize their workloads. They use Azure Advisor to get personalized and actionable recommendations on how to enhance their cost-effectiveness. Leveraging these recommendations, they purchase Azure savings plan for compute for their dynamic compute workloads that may change regions or scope and right-size their VMs.  

Learn more about Azure pricing

We hope this blog post has helped you understand how to consider Azure pricing in your cloud journey. Whether you are just getting started, ready to deploy, or looking for ways to optimize, Azure has pricing resources that suit your needs and goals. To learn more about Azure pricing, visit the Azure pricing overview page, where you can find more explanatory content, tools, and resources.  

Azure pricing

Get the best value at every stage of your cloud journey

Additional resources: 

Azure Enablement Show | Understand Azure pricing & resources

Azure Enablement Show | Learn to budget & optimize in Azure

Blog: Azure pricing | How to navigate Azure pricing options and resources

Blog: Azure pricing | How to estimate Azure project costs

Blog: Azure pricing | How to calculate costs of Azure products and services

Blog: Azure pricing | How to optimize costs for your Azure workloads

Azure pricing skilling content collection 
The post Get the best value in your cloud journey with Azure pricing offers and resources appeared first on Azure Blog.
Quelle: Azure

Improve cloud performance and reliability with a guided learning plan

Businesses have committed to the cloud for its scalability, agility, and security. As customers continue to deepen their investments in cloud and AI services and environments become more complex, the need for proper cloud management increases. Continuous improvement and careful management through all phases of your cloud journey helps avoid unexpected costs and inefficient resource allocation while improving security and reliability. Strategic optimization delivers the resiliency to efficiently and securely handle fluctuating workloads with ease, ensuring you manage your environment for optimal performance.  

Plans on Microsoft Learn

Increase your skills and optimize your performance

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For cloud professionals looking to systematically upskill and validate their expertise, we’ve created a powerful learning resource called Plans on Microsoft Learn. These customized learning journeys provide a guided, structured approach to mastering specific technical domains and roles with specific learning objectives and milestones. Our official plan, “Improve Reliability, Security and Performance on Azure”, provides learning modules and resources on tools and best practices from Microsoft that can help your business elevate reliability, security, and performance of your cloud and AI investments.

What are Plans on Microsoft Learn?

Plans on Microsoft Learn are hand-crafted curricula that bundle together related Learn modules, learning paths, and certifications into milestones with a logical, end-to-end educational experience. Track progress and percent-completion of each milestone as you work through the plan. Each plan is meticulously designed by Microsoft technical and learning experts to build comprehensive skills for a particular job role or competency area.

Plans offer an efficient, curated approach for learners to navigate Microsoft’s extensive training library. Rather than having to sift through the catalog of individual resources, plans lay out an optimal sequence tailored to each topic and learning objective. They start with fundamentals and progressively advance to more specialized subjects through thoughtful progression.

Beyond just compiling content, plans incorporate hands-on activities, knowledge checks, certifications, and other engagement tools to reinforce practical skills. Up-to-date Microsoft Azure technical content is seamlessly woven in, allowing learners to receive the latest cloud best practices.

What are the benefits of Plans on Microsoft Learn?

While the self-guided flexibility of Microsoft Learn is incredibly empowering, following an official plan yields some distinct benefits:

Comprehensiveness. Plans provide complete coverage of all the concepts and skills required to truly master a domain, leaving no gaps.

Efficiency. The resources within plans are carefully curated, allowing learners to laser-focus their efforts on just what’s needed.

Structure. Clear start-to-finish learning paths prevent knowledge fragmentation and facilitate efficiently building specialized skillsets.

Hands-on. Built-in coding, labs, and other interactive components solidify skills through applied practice.

Validated expertise. Plans can incorporate certifications to formally validate and prove proficiency.

Latest skills. Leveraging Microsoft’s deep technical expertise, plans rapidly integrate the latest cloud service updates and best practices.

What will I learn in the “Improve Reliability, Security and Performance on Azure” Plan?

With cloud spend efficiency becoming an ever-growing priority, these optimization skills are invaluable to organizations seeking to maximize their ROI from Azure. Among our official Learn Plans, the “Improve Reliability, Security, and Performance on Azure” Plan stands out for its immense business value and career impact potential. This comprehensive curriculum is designed to equip learners with deep skills for confidently designing, implementing, and managing cost-optimized Azure architectures at scale.

The Plan kicks off with fundamental cloud concepts like subscription management and organizational structure. It covers core Azure services like virtual machines, storage, databases, and networking through an optimization lens.

Learners then progress to more advanced cost optimization strategies such as reservation model pricing, Microsoft Azure Hybrid Benefit, and the Microsoft Azure Consumption Commitment. Monitoring, analytics, and automation techniques are explored for proactively identifying inefficiencies and waste.

Throughout, learners get hands-on practice with cost management and optimization tools like Azure Advisor, Azure Pricing Calculator, and Cost Management + Billing. Real-world design scenarios challenge them to apply optimization best practices end-to-end.

For those seeking validation, this Skilling Plan aligns perfectly with the AZ-305: Designing Microsoft Azure Infrastructure Solutions expert-level certification exam.

Upon completing the Plan, learners will have cultivated a comprehensive, job-ready skillset for designing and implementing cost-optimized, high-scale Azure architectures. This turbo-charges their impact across roles like cloud architects, solution engineers, cloud administrators and more.

Who should engage with this Plan?

This Azure Skilling Plan is designed for a broad audience, including:

Cloud architects and engineers. Gain the skills to design and implement optimized Azure solutions from the ground up.

Developers. Learn how to build applications that are inherently cost-efficient and performant.

IT pros. Understand how to manage and optimize your existing Azure resources.

Anyone with a passion for the cloud. Whether you’re new to Azure or an experienced pro, this plan offers valuable insights and practical skills to level up your cloud game.

What can I learn next?

After completing the official plan to “Improve Reliability, Security, and Performance on Azure,” you’ll find there’s lots more to discover on Microsoft Learn.

Our Learn Live sessions deliver technical readiness and skilling programming in a television format, typically broadcasted live with Q&A and available on-demand. 

Azure Optimization Virtual Training Days aim to funnel Microsoft’s know-how into helping you optimize and manage your cloud investment. Guided by a Microsoft Technical Trainer, you’ll discover how Azure guidance, resources, and practices can streamline your cloud spend, enable modernization, and fuel innovation in the cloud.  

How do I get started?

Whether you’re a cloud pro looking to formalize your optimization chops, or just starting to navigate Microsoft’s vast cloud learning ecosystem, the Microsoft official Plan “Improve Reliability, Security, and Performance on Azure” offers a powerful way to accelerate your skilling. By engaging with its learn modules, you’ll be equipped to confidently design, deploy and manage cost-efficient, high-performance Azure architectures that deliver maximum business value.

Getting started is simple. Head over to Microsoft Learn and enroll in the “Improve Reliability, Security, and Performance on Azure” Plan. The content is organized into logical milestones, so you can easily track your progress and pick up where you left off. Take advantage of the hands-on labs and community forums to solidify your understanding and connect with fellow learners.
The post Improve cloud performance and reliability with a guided learning plan appeared first on Azure Blog.
Quelle: Azure

Raise the bar on AI-powered app development with Azure Database for PostgreSQL

Known for its reliability and versatility, PostgreSQL is a popular and powerful open-source database system with a wide array of features. By harnessing the might of PostgreSQL in the cloud—with all the scalability and convenience you expect—comes Microsoft Azure Database for PostgreSQL. This fully managed service takes the hassle out of managing your PostgreSQL instances, allowing you to focus on what really matters: building amazing, AI-powered applications.  

What is postgresql?

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Azure Database for PostgreSQL

Innovate with a fully managed, AI-ready PostgreSQL database

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To better get you acquainted with how Azure Database for PostgreSQL empowers users to migrate their PostgreSQL databases and build intelligent apps, this blog will introduce a roster of new learning paths and events, including a pair of Cloud Skills Challenges. As if that’s not exciting enough, completing one of the challenges automatically enters you in a drawing for a great prize. So, let’s get going!   

Seamless database migration and app creation   

Say goodbye to tedious maintenance tasks and hello to seamless deployments, automated patching, and built-in high availability. Azure Database for PostgreSQL is a fully managed service that simplifies the migration of existing PostgreSQL databases to the cloud. We handle the burdens of patching, backups, and scaling—allowing you to focus on your applications.  

Seamless compatibility with PostgreSQL minimizes code changes during the transition and caters to diverse needs and budgets. With migration tooling in Azure Database for PostgreSQL, transferring data and schemas to the cloud becomes a breeze. 

Beyond migration, Azure Database for PostgreSQL empowers the development of AI-powered applications. Its native support for the pgvector extension allows for efficient storage and querying of vector embeddings, essential for AI and machine learning tasks. The service seamlessly integrates with other Azure AI services, such as Azure Machine Learning, Azure OpenAI Service, Microsoft Azure AI Language, and Microsoft Azure AI Translator, providing developers with a rich toolkit for building intelligent applications.  

Additionally, the service’s scalability ensures optimal performance as AI workloads grow, maintaining cost efficiency throughout the development process. Overall, Azure Database for PostgreSQL provides a comprehensive solution for both migrating to the cloud and building powerful AI applications. 

Here are some key features: 

High availability: Up to 99.99% uptime guaranteed with zone-redundant high availability, automated maintenance, patching, and updates.

Performance automation: Get analysis of your database workloads to identify opportunities to improve query performance with query store and index recommendations.

Security: Includes Microsoft Defender for open-source relational databases to protect your data, and Azure IP Advantage, which is designed to protect businesses and developers who build on Azure from intellectual property risks.

Azure AI extension: Generate and store vector embeddings, call Azure AI services, and build AI-powered apps directly within the database.

Migration support: Tools to migrate Oracle Database to Azure Database for PostgreSQL are available, making the transition smoother.

Cost-effective: Provides operational savings—up to 62% compared with on-premises—with comprehensive database monitoring and optimization tools, which can lead to a lower total cost of ownership. 

Learn at your own pace with curated lessons 

Now that you’ve gotten a primer on Azure Database for PostgreSQL, the next step is engaging with our curated learning paths. The collected modules in these two courses include readings, exercises, and knowledge checks.

Build AI Apps with Azure Database for PostgreSQLDesigned for developers interested in harnessing AI within their PostgreSQL applications on Azure, this learning path explores how the Azure AI extension for Azure Database for PostgreSQL can be leveraged to incorporate AI capabilities into your apps.By completing this learning path, you’ll gain a solid understanding of the Azure AI extension and its various functionalities. Discover how to evaluate different summarization techniques available through Azure AI services and the azure_ai extension, explore the differences between extractive, abstractive, and query-focused summarization, and apply generative AI summarization techniques to data within a PostgreSQL database. This hands-on experience will empower you to leverage Azure AI services and the azure_ai extension to build intelligent applications that can summarize complex content into concise and informative summaries. 

Configure and migrate to Azure Database for PostgreSQLThis learning path supplies you with the essential skills needed to effectively work with Azure Database for PostgreSQL. It begins with a foundational understanding of PostgreSQL architecture and core concepts, before delving into practical aspects such as connecting to the database, executing queries, and ensuring robust security measures.You’ll also learn how to create and manage databases, schemas, and tables, and how to leverage stored procedures and functions for code reusability. With insights into how Azure Database for PostgreSQL implements ACID transactions and write-ahead logging for data integrity and durability, you’ll gain confidence in configuring, managing, and migrating existing PostgreSQL databases to Azure.

Complete timed challenges to win Azure prizes 

To go along with these learning paths, we’ve also assembled a pair of corresponding Azure Database for PostgreSQL Cloud Skills Challenges. While learning paths are usually self-paced, solitary activities, Cloud Skills Challenges are part interactive learning sprint, part good-natured tournament between you and thousands of your peers around the globe. They’re immersive, gamified learning experiences blending hands-on exercises, tutorials, and assessments to ensure a well-rounded learning experience. 

Complete at least one of these challenges before time runs out and you’ll be automatically entered into a drawing to win one of 20 awesome Azure prizes. Sign up when these challenges kick off on June 11, 2024, and start competing! 

Cloud Skills Challenge: Configure and migrate to Azure Database for PostgreSQL

Cloud Skills Challenge: Build AI Apps with Azure Database for PostgreSQL 

Connect with PostgreSQL experts at POSETTE 2024 conference 

Hosted by Microsoft, POSETTE 2024 (formerly Citus Con), is an exciting developer event dedicated to all things PostgreSQL. The event is a unique opportunity to learn from experts, network with fellow Postgres enthusiasts, and delve into the latest innovations in database technology. 

As a key player in the PostgreSQL community, we’ll be showcasing our commitment to the open-source database system. Attendees can look forward to a session on the future of Azure Database for PostgreSQL, where our experts will share our vision for the service and its integration with other Azure offerings.  

Running June 11 to 13, 2024, POSETTE—which stands for Postgres Open Source Ecosystem Talks, Training, and Education—is a free, virtual event featuring four unique livestreams. Registration is optional, and all scheduled talks will be online to watch immediately after the event ends. Don’t miss out on this chance to connect with the Microsoft team and learn how we’re advancing PostgreSQL in the cloud.

Take the next step on your Azure Database for PostgreSQL journey 

Whether you’re a seasoned developer or just starting out, PostgreSQL and Azure Database for PostgreSQL is a dream team for building modern, scalable, and AI-powered apps. By offering robust migration tools and seamless integration with AI and machine learning services, Azure Database for PostgreSQL helps users efficiently migrate to the cloud and build sophisticated AI applications.  

Get started today with our pair of learning paths and their respective Cloud Skills Challenges to be entered into a drawing for cool Azure prizes, then check out the POSETTE 2024 livestreams to learn more about everything you can do with the world’s most advanced open-source database.  
The post Raise the bar on AI-powered app development with Azure Database for PostgreSQL appeared first on Azure Blog.
Quelle: Azure

Azure Maps: Reimagining location services with cloud and AI innovation

I’m thrilled to share news about the evolution of our enterprise mapping software development kit (SDK) and API offerings. Today, we’re announcing the unification of our enterprise maps offerings under Microsoft Azure Maps.1 We are combining the technologies and data in Bing Maps for Enterprise with Azure Maps and retiring Bing Maps for Enterprise. This marks a significant milestone as we transform our enterprise maps offerings to focus on creating a platform that empowers our customers to innovate and bring their ideas to life using cutting-edge innovations in AI and cloud—all on a trusted platform.  

This unification enables our customers to accelerate innovation by leveraging other Microsoft Azure cloud services while retaining many familiar features from Bing Maps for Enterprise within Azure Maps. Moreover, Azure Maps introduces several features not found in Bing Maps for Enterprise, including advanced service authentication methods, data residency compliance, geolocation, weather information, and custom indoor maps. Unifying our enterprise maps offerings under Azure Maps will greatly simplify our enterprise mapping offerings making it easier for customers to buy and use our services in a way that is consistent with other services at Microsoft.

Microsoft Azure Maps

Transform your business operations with location data

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The concept of “where” has become integral to the decision-making and how organizations navigate through the complex business environment. While the demand for geospatial information continues to grow, the context of “when” and “how” we utilize this information is evolving. At Microsoft, we have observed how technologies in cloud and AI are reshaping how our customers engage with the services we offer. 

Making the transition to Azure Maps

Bing Maps for Enterprise customers will have ample time under their existing and renewed contracts to transition to Azure Maps. Bing Maps for Enterprise will be retired on June 30, 2028, existing Bing Maps for Enterprise customers can continue to license Bing Maps for Enterprise APIs and services until then. We will however no longer be accepting new Bing Maps for Enterprise customers from June 30, 2024. Customers with an enterprise license have until June 30, 2028, to transition to Azure Maps, while customers on the free and basic license for Bing Maps for Enterprise have until June 30, 2025. We are committed to facilitating this transition and look forward to having you join us on this journey.  

Simplifying and enhancing through Microsoft products

Currently, millions of developers and businesses have access to geospatial information through a range of Microsoft products—Excel, Power BI in Microsoft Fabric, and Dynamics 365. Customers use our geospatial services to manage wildfires, respond to public emergencies, deliver products to consumers doorsteps, and so much more.  

IT managers and developers are increasingly seeking tools that help them adapt to the growing demands for more data and greater agility in the business-critical solutions they build. These demands extend beyond the solutions themselves; they also apply to the building blocks used to construct those solutions. As application complexity rises, our customers are increasingly requesting ways to simplify development, enhance collaboration, and create robust solutions with fewer integration points. By unifying our offerings, we can prioritize investments in supporting the ways that developers are building enterprise applications today.  

Integrating with Azure solutions

Our customers seek to deliver business impact by leveraging AI services and tools within their solutions. The inclusion of Azure Maps in the Azure platform brings geospatial data closer to other Azure services, facilitating seamless integration. Azure Maps customers already benefit from AI deeply embedded in industry-leading functions like geocoding. Being part of the Azure ecosystem also streamlines access to complementary services from the Azure Marketplace. At Microsoft Build 2024, we announced the availability of NVIDIA’s cuOpt service within the Azure Marketplace. NVIDIA cuOpt, a world-record holding graphics processing unit (GPU)-accelerated optimization AI microservice, assists teams in solving complex routing problems with multiple constraints. By combining cuOpt with Azure Maps, customers can achieve dynamic routing and real-time re-optimization at scale, driving efficiencies and revenue growth. Azure Maps, alongside the Azure Marketplace, opens up new avenues for innovation, enabling businesses to tackle diverse challenges.    

The aggregation of geospatial information with additional data unlocks new insights for businesses, enabling them to reduce operating costs, generate new revenue, and deliver better services to their customers. Azure Maps provides a holistic view, allowing you to understand not only what happened but also where it happened. By leveraging Azure Maps, you can make intelligent decisions and pivot faster by correlating the location of your business elements with your overall business goals. This orientation empowers your team to comprehend the situation and chart a path forward.

Start enhancing your location data today

Understanding “where” translates to knowing how to improve and move ahead. With Azure Maps, your organization gains easier access to, utilization of, and insights from location data. By combining our industry-leading cloud infrastructure with accurate, reliable location data and Microsoft applications like Power BI, you can generate predictive insights for your business. 

Explore our new Azure Maps solutions. 

1 Azure Maps is the next generation geospatial cloud service offered by Microsoft Maps. It has been created specifically, with Microsoft Developers and Enterprise Customers in mind, to provide scalable location capabilities and relevant geographical data. 

Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT” @microsoft) enables digital transformation for the era of an intelligent cloud and an intelligent edge. Its mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.
The post Azure Maps: Reimagining location services with cloud and AI innovation appeared first on Azure Blog.
Quelle: Azure