Azure Updates: CASINO; Static Web Apps; VPN Client; SUSECon

Microsoft CVP Tom Keane offered a retrospective look, one year in, at the capabilities surrounding the Microsoft-Ball Aerospace collaboration to create a prototype for the Commercially Augmented Space Inter Networked Operations Program Office. Better known as CASINO, the project has involved Azure as a way to handle large datasets generated by low-Earth orbit satellites and meet the needs of the US Space Force.

For simulation purposes, the Azure-Ball team transmitted simulated overhead persistent infrared data with Telesat satellites to an Azure datacenter. The same transmissions were also sent to a tactical vehicle equipped with Azure Stack Edge. ML algorithms processed satellite images, generating messages which were distributed across multiple endpoints.

"Our tests showed that the cloud is, in fact, a viable solution for data processing, exploitation, and dissemination of data that is not only fast but also flexible, secure, scalable, and resilient. For years, the military has envisioned an agile and connected force structure. During the demonstration, the CASINO team proved that we are ready to field low-latency links today, which moves this vision much closer to reality," stated Steve Smith, Vice President and General Manager, Systems Engineering Solutions, Ball Aerospace.

Principal program manager Daria Grigoriu highlighted Azure Static Web Apps, which is now generally available a year on from its public preview in May 2020. Microsoft is providing a free plan as well as a standard plan backed by an enterprise SLA. Static Web Apps provides global distribution for production apps, CI/CD workflows, auto-provisioning, route-based authorization, custom routing and integrations with serverless APIs using Functions, among other capabilities.