Weekly Cloud Info #W49 - 2024

Author

Walid LARABI
December 06, 2024

Hi!

This week in cloud and tech: AWS re:Invent 2024 brought exciting updates like Aurora DSQL, Glue 5.0, and Amazon S3 Tables to improve performance, scalability, and analytics. Microsoft introduced Azure AI Foundry and Neon Serverless Postgres integration, making it easier to work with AI and databases. Heroku now supports .NET and launched its Next-Gen platform for cloud-native apps. Plus, the CNCF Annual Survey is open, offering a 35% discount on Linux Foundation courses for participants.

Have a great read. ☕

📰 Top picks of the week

AWS re:Invent 2024: Major Announcements and Innovations Unveiled

AWS re:Invent 2024 is happening from December 2-6 in Las Vegas, featuring major product announcements and innovations in cloud computing. Key highlights include Amazon SageMaker Lakehouse, new scenario analysis in QuickSight, and enhanced AWS Clean Rooms for data collaboration. Expansion of PrivateLink and VPC Lattice simplifies resource sharing. The conference offers keynotes, technical sessions, and networking opportunities for the global cloud community.

AWS Unveils Aurora DSQL: Serverless Database with 99.999% Availability in Preview

AWS has announced the preview of Amazon Aurora DSQL, a new serverless, distributed SQL database offering high availability and unlimited scalability. It features an active-active architecture with 99.99% availability in single Regions and 99.999% in multi-Regions, with automatic scaling and no infrastructure management. Compatible with PostgreSQL, Aurora DSQL is available at no charge during the preview phase in select AWS Regions. Users can start quickly via the Aurora DSQL console or API.

AWS Glue 5.0 Launch: Boosted Performance & Security with New Features

AWS Glue 5.0 is now available, offering improved performance, enhanced security, and support for Amazon SageMaker services. The update includes upgrades to Apache Spark 3.5.2, Python 3.11, and Java 17, as well as support for advanced data formats like Apache Hudi and Delta Lake. Additionally, it features fine-grained access control through AWS Lake Formation. The service is accessible in various global regions.

AWS Introduces Declarative Policies for Enhanced Service Management and Compliance

AWS has launched declarative policies for AWS Organizations, allowing customers to enforce consistent configurations across services like EC2, EBS, and VPC. These policies help prevent non-compliant actions and maintain configurations even with new updates. Administrators can also create custom error messages for better user guidance. Declarative policies simplify management with tools like AWS Control Tower and the CLI.

AWS Launches Amazon S3 Tables: Boost Analytics with 3x Faster Queries and 10x Higher Transactions

Amazon S3 Tables introduces fully managed Apache Iceberg tables, enhancing analytics workloads with up to 3x faster query speed and 10x higher transactions. Optimized for large datasets, these tables support SQL queries and integrate with AWS Glue Data Catalog for analytics. New table buckets enable easier management and maintenance of tabular data. Currently available in select AWS regions, with more regions to come.

Microsoft Unveils Magentic-One: A New Multi-Agent System for Complex Task Management

Microsoft has launched Magentic-One, a generalist multi-agent system designed to handle complex web and file tasks. Built on the AutoGen framework, it includes a lead agent, the Orchestrator, that coordinates four specialized agents. While it shows strong performance, it still has limitations and risks. The system is open-source, allowing for further development and research.

Microsoft Unveils Azure AI Foundry: Transform Multimodal Data into Insights

Microsoft has launched Azure AI Foundry, a comprehensive toolkit for developing AI applications. The tool allows enterprises to transform unstructured multimodal data, such as text, audio, images, and video, into valuable insights. It features customizable output schemas, confidence scores for accuracy, and supports automated workflows to enhance efficiency. With a major investment in cybersecurity, Microsoft aims to ensure secure and compliant use of its services.

Microsoft Azure Launches Neon Serverless Postgres Integration

Microsoft has announced the preview of Neon Serverless Postgres as an Azure Native Integration. This integration allows developers to easily manage Neon databases directly from the Azure portal, enhancing scalability and efficiency. Key features include instant provisioning, automated scaling, and integrated workflows. This collaboration aims to empower developers in building intelligent and scalable applications on Azure.

Heroku Expands with Official .NET Support and Next Generation Platform Pilot

Heroku has officially added support for .NET development, allowing developers to build applications in C#, F#, and Visual Basic using frameworks like ASP.NET Core. The company also launched a pilot version of its Next Generation platform, designed for cloud-native and AI applications. This new platform integrates AWS services to enhance the developer experience. Comprehensive tutorials and documentation for .NET on Heroku are now available.

Participate in the 2024 CNCF Annual Survey and a 35% Course Discount!

The CNCF is conducting its annual survey to gather insights on cloud-native technologies like containers and Kubernetes. The survey will take about 15 to 20 minutes to complete. Participants will remain anonymous and receive a 35% discount on a Linux Foundation Education course. A report summarizing the findings will be published on the Linux Foundation website.

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Participate in the 2024 CNCF Annual Survey and a 35% Course Discount! LINK

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