Microsoft Azure Boost Launches to Offload Virtualization Processes

Microsoft Azure

Microsoft has announced a public preview of Azure Boost for enterprise customers this week. The new offering is designed to offload virtualization processes onto dedicated hardware and software.

The new Azure Boost service enables customers to access experimental SKUs. This release should make it easier to test integrations with their existing virtual machines (VMs) ahead of the general availability in the coming months.

“By separating hypervisor and host OS functions from the host infrastructure, Azure Boost enables greater network and storage performance at scale, improves security by adding another layer of logical isolation, and reduces the maintenance impact for future Azure software and hardware upgrades,” Microsoft explained.

Microsoft’s new Azure Boost service offers various benefits to meet the specific needs of customers. Azure Boost virtual machines provide significant performance improvements over existing Azure VMs with up to 200 Gbps networking throughput. It’s powered by the Microsoft Azure Network Adapter (MANA) to ensure stability, higher network availability, and faster data transfers.

According to Microsoft, Azure Boost brings improved storage performance similar to Ev5 and Dv5 virtual machines. The service also brings enhancements to existing storage capabilities, including disk caching support for Azure Premium SSDs.

Azure Boost improves protection against cyberattacks

Microsoft mentioned that Azure Boost runs storage and networking processes on dedicated hardware to boost security for organizations. It comes with robust hardware-based secure boot and attestation features to reduce the potential attack surface. Moreover, the new offering reduces maintenance downtime in enterprise environments.

Microsoft notes that Azure Boost should be a welcome addition for businesses with high-performance network and storage requirements. “Azure Boost marks a significant leap forward in Azure infrastructure innovation, paving the way for accelerated improvements in performance, security, and reliability.” Microsoft added. If you’re interested, you can sign up for the preview of Azure Boost on this page.