Azure Updates: New data platform; Smart buildings; Cost Management; Taiwan data center

The Azure team shares updates such as the launch of WANDisco's LiveData platform for Azure, new smart building options, Cost Management changes, a new Taiwan data center and more.  

General manager Jurgen Willis shared tips on migrating Hadoop data lakes with WANDisco LiveData Platform for Azure. The Live Data Platform encompasses two service features: Migrator for Azure and LiveData Plane for Azure. Migrator assists users in migrating existing data sets, conducting continuous replication into a local Hadoop Distributed File System. LiveData Plane offers active-active data and metadata consistency for two or more distributed Hadoop environments.

Principal program manager Matthew Vogel took a look at Microsoft's smart building solutions in conjunction with the Realcomm | IBcon real estate conference. As part of a "flurry of activity," Microsoft has introduced new open modeling for Digital Twins, ingestion of CAD models into Maps Creator, together with specialized tools like Workplace Analytics Business Continuity Dashboard. Partners are stepping in as well. For instance, Bosch Building Technologies uses Digital Twins, while PCL Construction and WZMH Architects are leveraging IoT, Cognitive Services and Machine Learning to create Covid-19 testing units.