Azure Updates: Generative AI; ISO/IEC 42001; Databricks

General manager Maria Bledsoe looked into ways to scale AI in the cloud. Microsoft recently released a new technical guide for cloud migrations. 

According to Bledsoe, one of the biggest challenges in AI projects is disconnected or outdated data. Retrieval-augmented generation can help to automate live data retrieval and make more informed decisions. 

“Cloud-based RAG apps help businesses move beyond static AI by enabling more adaptive, intelligent solutions. When RAG runs in the cloud, enterprises can benefit from reduced latency, high-speed data transfers, built-in security controls, and simplified data governance,” she wrote.

Bledsoe also encouraged customers to embed generative AI into their enterprise workflows. Services like OpenAI Service, Logic Apps, API Management, and integrations with SAP support overall integration for ERP and CRM systems.

Microsoft partner group program manager Molly Bostic highlighted that AI Foundry and Microsoft Security Copilot recently achieved ISO/IEC 42001:2023 certification. The new certification is for Artificial Intelligence Management Systems and comes out of the International Organization for Standardization and the International Electrotechnical Commission. According to Bostic, the certification helps customers to accelerate their compliance, build trust, and improve transparency over AI risks. She highlighted Microsoft’s AI Customer Commitments, the Responsible AI Transparency Report, Transparency Notes, and the Responsible AI resources site.

“ISO/IEC 42001:2023 joins Microsoft’s extensive portfolio of compliance certifications, reflecting our dedication to operational rigor and transparency, helping customers build responsibly on a cloud platform designed for trust. From a healthcare organization striving for fairness to a financial institution overseeing AI risk, or a government agency advancing ethical AI practices, Microsoft’s certifications enable the adoption of AI at scale while aligning compliance with evolving global standards for security, privacy, and responsible AI governance,” Bostic wrote.

Senior product marketing lead Jason Pereira joined forces with principal program manager Anavi Nahar to explore the ways that customers can run Databricks on Azure. Many organizations are seeking analytics platforms that offer simplified management and scalability. Azure Databricks is a first-party Microsoft offering built in coordination with Databricks. It supports decision support systems and integrates with other Microsoft capabilities like AI Foundry, Power BI, Purview, Power Platform, Copilot Studio, or Entra ID. 

“If cost is a top priority, we recommend autoscaling your Azure Databricks cluster. When certain parts of your data pipeline are more computationally intensive, autoscale enables Azure Databricks to add compute resources and then remove them when the intensity cools down. This can help reduce your costs compared to static compute sizing,” the two authors wrote. “Considering the total cost of ownership (TCO) for data and AI platforms is essential, in addition to their integration and optimization capabilities combined with data gravity. An autoscaling cluster is often the most cost-effective option, though it may not be the fastest. If consistent performance is a top priority, consider disabling autoScale,” they added.

General availability announcements include Azure File Sync Arc extension, agentless multi-disk crash consistent backup for VMs, live resize for Premium SSD v2 and Ultra NVMe disks, and log or block shared access signature tokens for Azure Storage. Public previews include new tagging features for Azure confidential ledger, Database for PostgreSQL cascading read replica, new SQL Server database migration in Arc, and ARM throttling for sovereign clouds. The Azure team highlighted multiple upcoming retirements such as Front Door classic and CDN from Classic SKU.