Azure Updates: Environmental impact reduction ; Traffic Manager; New exploit

Microsoft general manager for Automotive, Mobility & Transportation Industry Sanjay Ravi revisited Microsoft’s carbon emissions goals. Microsoft released a Value Framework on Sustainable Charging Infrastructure, and is working with Etihad to measure its environmental impact and improve efficiency. Data Share and Purview are being used to track sustainability data. Mitsubishi Fuso Truck, for instance, is using Data Explorer for efficiency. Ravi touted the Microsoft partnership with GM and Cruise on self-driving vehicles, its work on the Arrival Open Data Platform, and a new partnership with ZF around digital transformation.

Microsoft highlighted Traffic Manager changes. Starting on January 21, Microsoft will begin adding more health probes to Traffic Manager which will continue over the next few years. Customers that use Firewall or NSGs are advised to regularly check a list of approved IP addresses to prevent health probes from failing.

Prior to 2019, the Middle East was seen as a “laggard” region for cloud services, with few datacenters serving Middle Eastern countries. All of that changed two and a half years ago as Microsoft opened new datacenters in the United Arab Emirates. Now, the UAE market is back in the news again with new service offerings from Sitecore and Nintex. Kerzner International, which owns multiple high-end luxury hotels in UAE is one customer that has pivoted to Microsoft datacenters in the region. Although the Covid-19 omicron variant has created uncertainty, it is possible that the announcements hint at increased travel business or technology business in the UAE, driving investments in the cloud.