Microsoft Azure Updates: Skills initiative; Firewall Manager; Security Center; Virtual WAN

As lockdowns ease in some places and new Covid-19 cases flare in others, many in the Northern Hemisphere are taking the opportunity to enjoy summer weather. The Azure team in the US marked Independence Day and issued fewer updates over the past week.

Citing research about the quickening pace toward digital transformation and the "Fourth Industrial Revolution" in the wake of the pandemic, Microsoft is launching a skills initiative to help workers adapt to a changing economy. Part of this will include low-cost access to Microsoft Certifications, including six exams focused on Azure.

Senior program manager Gopikrishna Kannan announced the general availability of Azure Firewall Manager. New features include threat intelligence-based filtering, multi-IP address support, forced tunneling, DNS proxy support and capabilities around Zscaler and third-party security as a service providers.