This year saw Microsoft Inspire delivered as a virtual event for the second year running. But as always, this information-packed two days.
To support this year’s, Inspire Microsoft launched the Inspire Book of News. It is a guide to all the announcements that were made, as well as news from across the commercial marketplaces, Teams, Dynamics 365, and Azure.
The Inspire Book of News covers the big topic areas including Azure, Business Applications, Microsoft 365, and Sustainability Initiatives. Here are some highlights in a quick round-up. You can find the full Inspire Book of News here>
Azure
Azure App Dev
Azure API Management integration with Azure Event Grid is now in preview. Event Grid is a single service for managing routing of events from source to destination.
Also in preview is Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) as an event source for Azure Event Grid. Azure Event Grid is a single service for managing the routing of events from source to destination.
Smart defaults for Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) are a set of scenario-specific cluster configurations and are now in preview.
Azure Data
Partners in the Azure Synapse ecosystem can now include their solution directly in the new Browse partners page in Synapse Studio.
Azure Hybrid & Multicloud
Microsoft Azure Stack HCI partners now have access to new programmes that will show customers the technical capabilities and value of Microsoft’s cloud HCI operating system – Azure Stack HCI.
On 30 July, Azure SQL will join Windows Server, Linux, and Kubernetes as Azure Arc-enabled resources that are generally available to be managed with Azure Lighthouse.
Azure Infra
A new monthly per-user pricing option for Azure Virtual Desktop will be effective 1 January 2022.
Azure Migration
The Azure Migration and Modernisation Programme covers a wider breadth of migration and modernisation offerings across apps, infrastructure and data, including support for Azure Arc.
Azure Migrate App Containerisation now supports deploying containerised apps to the Azure App Service — Web App for Containers tool.
On-premises Windows Server and SQL Server customers who want to migrate to Azure can take advantage of the extension to the free Extended Security Updates for Windows Server 2012/R2 and SQL Server 2012. Windows Server 2012 and 2012 R2 Extended Support will end on 10 October 2023. SQL Server 2012 Extended Support ends 12 July 2022. Windows Server and SQL Server 2008 and 2008 R2 three-year ESUs are coming to an end on 10 January 2023, and 12 July 2022, respectively.
Business Applications
Dynamics 365
Microsoft Teams customers can now view and edit Microsoft Dynamics 365 data via Teams at no extra cost, even if they don’t have a Dynamics 365 license. To ensure only the appropriate users can access customer record data, permissions and access rules can be configured.
Microsoft 365
Cloud PC
Windows 365 is a new way to experience Windows 10 or Windows 11 as a cloud service, streaming the full Windows experience to any device, including apps, data and settings from the Microsoft Cloud. Windows 365 creates a new hybrid personal computing category called Cloud PC.
Microsoft Teams
New and enhanced Collaborative apps are coming to Microsoft Teams in partnership with independent software vendors and include Atlassian Confluence, Salesforce, SAP Cloud for Customer (C4C), ServiceNow and Workday.
Microsoft Viva
The employee experience platform, Microsoft Viva, which brings together employee engagement, learning, wellbeing and knowledge tools, will be adding integrations with more than 20 partners in the autumn.
Security
In preview is a new paid add-in capability for app governance in Microsoft Cloud App Security (MCAS). It can be used to monitor, protect and govern Microsoft 365 apps. It quickly identifies, alerts and prevents risky behaviors directly from the compliance centre.
MCAS helps gain visibility across multi-cloud apps, discover shadow IT, protect sensitive information anywhere in the cloud, enable protection against cyber threats, assess compliance and manage security posture across clouds.
Sustainability Initiatives
Using technologies including Azure, Microsoft Dataverse, Power Platform and Power BI, Microsoft launch their Microsoft Cloud for Sustainability. This will help Microsoft, and all its customers, meet their carbon reduction and sustainability goals by allowing them to record, report, and reduce their emissions.
This new offering acknowledges carbon reduction as one of the most urgent crises facing the planet. In January 2020, Microsoft made a commitment to have a 100% renewable energy supply for all operations by 2025, inclusive of datacentres, buildings, and campuses. In the future, Microsoft will match 100% of all energy used with zero-carbon sources by 2030, in addition to procuring its own 100% renewable energy supply by 2025.
