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Microsoft Looks Beyond Its Cloud with Azure Arc for Mixed Workloads

Azure Arc, a tool that lets organizations manage their data on the Microsoft Azure cloud, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud Platform or any combination thereof, debuted on Monday at the 2019 Microsoft Ignite conference in Orlando, Fla.

Now in preview, Azure Arc helps simplify enterprise distributed environments by managing everything via Azure services (like Azure Resource Manager), Microsoft explained. Connecting hybrid infrastructure via Azure Arc also improves security for users via automated patching, as well as improved governance, as everything is now under one roof.

Plus, according to the company, deployments can be set up "in seconds" via Azure data services anywhere, a feature of Azure Arc.

Azure Arc also supports Kubernetes clusters and edge infrastructures, as well as on-premises Windows and Linux servers.

"Today, we take a significant leap forward to enable customers to move from just hybrid cloud to truly deliver innovation anywhere with Azure," commented Azure Corporate Vice President Julia White in a blog post announcing Azure Arc. "With Azure Arc, customers can now realize the benefits of cloud innovation, including always up-to-date data capabilities, deployment in seconds (rather than hours), and dynamic scalability on any infrastructure."

A free preview of Azure Arc can be signed up for here. A final release date was not given. Go here to read more about how Azure Arc specifically works for servers.

About the Author

Becky Nagel serves as vice president of AI for 1105 Media specializing in developing media, events and training for companies around AI and generative AI technology. She also regularly writes and reports on AI news, and is the founding editor of PureAI.com. She's the author of "ChatGPT Prompt 101 Guide for Business Users" and other popular AI resources with a real-world business perspective. She regularly speaks, writes and develops content around AI, generative AI and other business tech. She has a background in Web technology and B2B enterprise technology journalism.

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