Azure Automation 2020 recap and what’s new | Azure Blog and Updates

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This weblog submit was co-authored by Sanjay Satheesh, Product Advertising Supervisor for Azure Automation.

If you’re like lots of our clients working a mixture of machines and purposes in your on-premises datacenters or within the cloud, be it Azure or another platform of your alternative, constant administration of those assets is prone to be high of thoughts for you. Infrastructure Automation was one of many main funding areas for a lot of firms in 2020 and with the worldwide pandemic impacting each group—massive or small—their workers, and the shoppers they serve. We’ve seen the essential position infrastructure automation performs in sustaining and working operations effectively throughout the board, by providing you with the power to automate your day-to-day mundane IT duties and different mission-critical operations.

Azure Automation brings in a wealthy characteristic set and integration functionality with different platforms to configure infrastructure and orchestrate workflows within the cloud or on-premises via the hybrid employee position. Our group continues to broaden this ecosystem providing extra options and enhancements. Buyer suggestions has been instrumental in shaping these options, and we hope you will maintain the suggestions coming.

On this weblog submit, let’s return on a retrospective journey and see the enhancements launched in Azure Automation in 2020, an announcement from Forrester declaring Microsoft as a frontrunner within the Infrastructure Automation Platform, and a sneak peek into our focus areas and initiatives within the coming years.

Course of automation and state configuration

Azure Automation integration with GitHub. As TechNet Script Heart is retiring and to allow crowdsourcing of runbooks, all runbooks hosted within the Runbook gallery have been moved to our Automation GitHub group.

Assist for course of automation and state configuration declared normal availability in Japan West, Switzerland West, UAE North, Germany West Central, Switzerland North, Brazil South East, and US Gov Arizona.

Azure Automation and Replace Administration Non-public Hyperlink introduced normal availability. Azure Automation enabled non-public hyperlink assist to safe execution of a runbook on a hybrid employee position, utilizing Azure Replace Administration to patch machines, invoking a runbook via a webhook, and utilizing State Configuration service to maintain your machines grievance.

Azure Automation categorized as Grade-C licensed on accessibility. Accessibility options of Microsoft merchandise assist businesses handle world accessibility necessities.

On the weblog announcement web page, seek for Azure Automation to learn the accessibility conformance report for the Automation service.

Desired State Configuration (DSC) assist introduced for Oracle 6,7, and Ubuntu 18.04.

Preview for Python3 runbooks in Automation. Azure Automation now helps Python three cloud and hybrid runbook execution in preview in all areas in Azure world cloud.

Revealed the DSC extension to assist Azure Arc. Use Azure Automation State Configuration to take care of the specified state of hybrid linked machines enabled via the Azure Arc enabled servers DSC Digital Machine (VM) extension.

Begin and Cease digital machines throughout off-hours runbooks up to date to make use of Azure Az modules. Begin and Cease digital machine runbooks have been up to date to make use of Azure Az modules instead of Azure Useful resource Supervisor modules.

Hybrid Runbook Employee assist for Home windows Server 2008 R2 added to assist automation eventualities on Server 2008 R2.

Automation diagnostic logs schema replace. Launched change within the schema of Azure Automation log information within the Log Analytics service.

Hybrid Runbook Employee onboarding script up to date to make use of Azure Az modules. The New-OnPremiseHybridWorker runbook has been up to date to assist Azure Az modules.

Up to date Automation service DNS information from region-specific to Automation account-specific URLs. Azure Automation DNS information have been up to date to assist Non-public Hyperlinks.

Added functionality to maintain Automation runbooks and DSC scripts encrypted by default. Along with bettering the safety of belongings, runbooks and DSC scripts are additionally encrypted to boost Azure Automation safety.

Retirement of the Automation watcher activity. Azure Logic Apps is now the advisable and supported approach to monitor for occasions, schedule recurring duties, and set off actions.

Assist for Impression Stage 5 (IL5) compute isolation in Azure business and Azure Authorities cloud. Azure Automation Hybrid Runbook Employee can be utilized in Azure Authorities to assist Impression Stage 5 workloads.

Launched assist for Azure digital community service tags. Automation assist of service tags enable or deny the visitors for the Automation service, for a subset of eventualities.

Allow TLS 1.2 assist for Azure Automation service. Azure Automation totally helps TLS 1.2 and all shopper calls (via webhooks, DSC nodes, and hybrid employee).

Launched preview of customer-managed keys for Azure Automation. Prospects can now handle and safe encryption of Azure Automation belongings utilizing their very own managed keys.

Retirement of Azure Service Administration (ASM) REST APIs for Azure Automation. Azure Service Administration (ASM) REST APIs for Azure Automation can be retired and not supported after January 30, 2020.

Azure replace administration

Replace Administration availability in South Central US, China East 2, and US Gov Arizona area. Azure Automation area mapping up to date to assist Replace Administration characteristic within the stated areas.

Replace Administration assist for Home windows Server 2008 R2. Replace Administration now helps assessing and patching the Home windows Server 2008 R2 working system.

Azure Lighthouse helps Automation Replace Administration. Azure Lighthouse permits delegated useful resource administration with Replace Administration for service suppliers and clients.

Change monitoring

Assist for Change Monitoring declared normal availability in Switzerland North.

Microsoft has been named as a frontrunner in The Forrester Wave(TM): Infrastructure Automation Platforms, Q3 2020

In a 26-criterion analysis grouped into three excessive stage classes; Present Providing, Technique, and Market Presence. Forrester’s analysis uncovered a market of high distributors during which Microsoft is a chief.

The report states:

“Microsoft continues to iterate at a swift tempo, and its growing adoption of open supply has paid dividends. Microsoft is best than most of its rivals at DevOps integration, neighborhood engagement, and assist of its services and products. Reference clients lauded Microsoft’s engagement mannequin and end-to-end ecosystem however raised issues about visibility of prices and the place clients might in the end get monetary savings. Microsoft’s answer is an efficient match for companies that desire a swiftly up to date automation stack or for these with a longtime relationship with Microsoft.”

Learn the full report to study extra.

What’s coming in subsequent

We’re dedicated to delivering what you’ve got requested for. Our investments for this yr and subsequent can be focused in the direction of making Azure Automation even higher by providing you a dependable platform in your mission-critical orchestration wants. Integration with Azure companies like Coverage for imposing safety, Azure Monitor for enhanced monitoring capabilities, making service extra resilient—to failure via Availability Zone functionality providing zone stage redundancy. Additionally bringing in additional areas to assist Azure Automation and Replace Administration or change monitoring. New options and platform stage enhancements for ease of use can be our focus areas. Along with this, we’re additionally dedicated to contribute and develop our GitHub library of scripts with new pattern runbooks which you’ll tweak to your wants and use in your surroundings.