Build 2024: Microsoft Expands Copilot for Azure Preview to All Customers

Key Takeaways:

• Microsoft is expanding the preview of Microsoft Copilot for Azure to all customers.
• Microsoft Copilot for Azure leverages natural language commands to help administrators troubleshoot issues, optimize IT environments, and streamline management tasks.
• Copilot for Azure now supports additional features, including new skills for Azure Kubernetes Service and natural language to SQL conversion for Azure SQL databases.

Microsoft is broadening access to Copilot for Azure preview to all customers, promising enhanced cloud management capabilities. This expansion comes with a host of new features designed to streamline operations, optimize IT environments, and bolster security.

Microsoft Copilot for Azure enables customers to ask questions, write commands, and design and configure services. It leverages data from across Azure services to help administrators troubleshoot problems. Additionally, it provides recommendations for optimizing IT environments, particularly in terms of spending.

“We created Microsoft Copilot in Azure to act as an AI companion, helping your teams manage operations seamlessly across both cloud and edge environments. By using natural language, you can ask Copilot questions and receive personalized recommendations related to Azure services. Simply ask, “Why is my app slow?” or “How do I fix this error?” and Copilot will navigate a customer through potential causes and fixes,” explained Omar Khan, GM of Azure Infrastructure Marketing.

With this release, Microsoft will let administrators provide access to Copilot for Azure to all end users or select users or groups within a tenant. This capability should help IT admins to comply with the operational standards and security policies of their organization.

Microsoft has also announced new features and improvements for Copilot for Azure. The company has added several new skills for Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) to Copilot for Azure. These new skills should help customers streamline common management tasks like configuring AKS backups, constructing kubectl commands, and locating YAML files.

Microsoft Copilot for Azure SQL streamlines database management

Microsoft Copilot for Azure has added natural language to SQL conversion support for Azure SQL database-driven applications. The new Copilot experience converts natural language inquiries into T-SQL commands to help IT admins manage databases, track performance and mitigate issues. The Copilot AI assistant lets administrators use natural language commands to diagnose and resolve app issues.

Last but not least, Microsoft Copilot for Azure has introduced Defender for Cloud prompting capabilities to enhance risk exploration, remediation, and code fixes. Moreover, Microsoft Defender External Attack Surface Management (EASM) now leverages the Copilot AI assistant to identify security risks in order to protect customers against sophisticated cyberattacks.