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Discover the latest in cloud technology: AWS X-Ray SDKs maintenance, Amazon S3 conditional copy, AWS Backup enhancements, Google Cloud's Bigtable tiered storage, GKE DRANET preview, Vertex AI updates, Azure Front Door signed requests, and Azure WAF CAPTCHA.
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📰 Top picks of the week
AWS X-Ray SDKs Transitioning to OpenTelemetry; Maintenance Mode Begins in 2026
AWS X-Ray SDKs and Daemon will enter maintenance mode on February 25, 2026, and reach end-of-support on February 25, 2027, with only critical updates provided during this period. Users are encouraged to migrate to OpenTelemetry-based instrumentation solutions for application tracing, which offer enhanced features and broader support. Migration guidance is available in the AWS X-Ray Documentation, and transitioning to AWS Distro for OpenTelemetry will unlock additional monitoring tools like CloudWatch Application Signals and Transaction Search.
Amazon S3 Enhances Copy Operations with Conditional Write Functionality
Amazon S3 has introduced conditional copy functionality, allowing users to verify if an object exists or has been modified in the destination bucket before copying. This feature uses HTTP headers like if-none-match and if-match, as well as S3 bucket policy condition keys, to prevent unintentional overwrites during simultaneous writes. Conditional copy is available at no extra charge across all AWS Regions and can be accessed via the AWS SDK, API, or CLI.
AWS Backup Introduces Single-Step Cross-Region and Cross-Account Snapshot Copying
AWS Backup now enables the copying of database snapshots across AWS Regions and accounts in a single action, supporting Amazon RDS, Amazon Aurora, Amazon Neptune, and Amazon DocumentDB. This feature simplifies the process, enhances recovery point objectives (RPOs), and reduces costs by eliminating the need for intermediate copies. Users can access this functionality via the AWS Management Console, CLI, or SDKs.
Amazon Cognito Introduces Resource Indicators for Access Tokens
Amazon Cognito now allows app clients to specify resource indicators during access token requests in OAuth 2.0 flows. This enhancement enables the issuance of access tokens for specific resources, improving security by limiting access to individual items like bank records. This feature is available for Cognito Managed Login customers using Essentials or Plus tiers in supported AWS Regions.
Azure Front Door Launches Signed Requests for Enhanced Content Access Control
Azure Front Door has introduced a public preview of signed requests, enabling organizations to enhance access control for content delivery. This feature allows for restrictions based on user authentication, geolocation, and time constraints. Users can configure keys and rules through the Azure portal, ensuring only authorized users can access protected content, making it ideal for subscription services and geo-restricted scenarios.
Azure WAF Introduces CAPTCHA for Enhanced Bot Protection
Azure Web Application Firewall (WAF) with Azure Front Door now offers CAPTCHA as a general availability feature. This addition provides an interactive challenge to verify human users in real time, enhancing bot mitigation strategies and protecting web applications from automated threats like bots and brute-force attacks.
Azure Functions Introduces Zero-Downtime Rolling Updates in Flex Consumption Plan
Azure Functions now offers rolling updates in the Flex Consumption plan, allowing for zero-downtime deployments. This feature enables live instance replacement during updates without restarting all instances, ensuring continuous execution across various workloads. To enable this, users must update their ARM/Bicep template and configure orchestration match strategies for Durable Functions. Limitations include potential scale-out issues with low HTTP concurrency and the lack of real-time rollout monitoring or automatic rollback.
GCP Bigtable Launches Tiered Storage for Cost-Effective Data Management
Google Cloud has introduced a new tiered storage feature for Bigtable, allowing users to efficiently manage large datasets by automatically moving infrequently accessed data from high-performance SSDs to a less expensive storage tier. This feature enables unified management of both hot and cold data within a single Bigtable instance, optimizing resource utilization and reducing storage costs by up to 85%. Users can set age-based policies for automatic tiering, ensuring compliance while maintaining data accessibility.
Google Cloud Launches Managed DRANET for Enhanced AI Workloads on GKE
Google Cloud has introduced a preview of managed Dynamic Resource Allocation for Networking (DRANET) in Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE), specifically designed for AI workloads on the new A4X Max instances. This integration allows for intelligent allocation of high-performance network interfaces alongside GPUs, addressing issues of topology awareness and operational performance that typically hinder resource utilization in Kubernetes.
Vertex AI Training Enhancements Simplify Large-Scale Model Development
Google Cloud has enhanced Vertex AI Training with new managed training features that streamline the development of large generative AI models. Key updates include a fully managed Slurm environment via Cluster Director, automated resiliency for infrastructure, comprehensive data science tools for hyperparameter tuning and model evaluation, and optimized recipes integrated with frameworks like NVIDIA NeMo. These improvements aim to simplify and accelerate the path to production-grade model training.
❤️ You might also like
OpenAI is reportedly preparing for an IPO that could value the company at up to $1 trillion by 2026–2027 to fund massive AI infrastructure expansion. LINK
GitHub introduces Agent HQ, a new hub to manage multiple AI coding agents like Copilot, Claude, and Devin within a single control interface. LINK
Google and NextEra Energy are reopening Iowa’s Duane Arnold nuclear facility to provide 24/7 carbon-free electricity for its expanding cloud and AI data centers. LINK
PayPal and OpenAI partner to embed “Buy with PayPal” directly in ChatGPT, allowing users to shop and pay through the chatbot. LINK
OpenAI introduces Aardvark, an autonomous GPT-5-based agent that conducts cybersecurity research and vulnerability testing. LINK
Samsung teams up with Nvidia to build a massive AI Megafactory powered by 50,000 GPUs for chip manufacturing, robotics, and Omniverse simulations. LINK
Perplexity AI and Getty Images enter a long-term licensing deal to improve AI-driven visual search and image attribution. LINK
Claude AI now works directly inside Microsoft Excel, helping analysts automate financial modeling and reporting. LINK
Canva unveils a proprietary AI design model that generates layouts, visual recommendations, and smart resizing for creators. LINK
A new SQLite Graph Extension enables Cypher-style graph queries, bringing lightweight graph-database capabilities to embedded systems. LINK
📜 Historical fact - Same week, years ago.
On October 29, 1969, researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, successfully send the Stanford Research Institute a first-of-its-kind electronic message on ARPANET, the forerunner of the modern internet.
At the time, what we now call the internet began as a rudimentary experimental computer network, commissioned and funded by the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) of the U.S. Department of Defense. After Russia launched its space satellite Sputnik, President Dwight D. Eisenhower created ARPA in 1958 to step up scientific research and aid in the development of technologies with possible national defense applications.
🎁 This week hidden gem
Cisco “Introduction to Modern AI” — free beginner course, approx 6 hours, updated Oct 2025 LINK
Google Skills — nearly 3,000 courses, labs and credentials in AI, data analytics and security LINK
IBM SkillsBuild — free global education platform with courses and digital credentials in AI, data, cloud and cybersecurity LINK
Get Tech Certified (UK Public Sector) — over 200 free learning & certification pathways in digital & technology (Oct–Dec 2025) LINK
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