Top 5 Azure Predictions for 2023

By now cloud computing isn't a shiny thing, or a constant stream of new products, and it certainly isn’t niche. However, there are still some things that change and adapt. So let's dive in and explore what I think is next for Azure in 2023!

Many organizations are expected to continue to adopt a hybrid cloud model, which allows them to use a mix of on-premises, private, and public cloud services to meet their specific needs. This can provide greater flexibility and scalability, as well as the ability to choose the most appropriate platform for different workloads and data. Hybrid is becoming more and more important as companies moved gradually to the cloud, either with an aim to do it 100% or just have certain services on it.  

Azure will continue to invest in hybrid cloud services and products to make it as seamless as possible to move your "Llama Party Planner" app to the cloud!

With the proliferation of connected devices and the increasing amount of data being generated, there is a growing need for edge computing, which involves bringing computing power and storage closer to the data source. Think fruit quality data for each tree in an orchard, weather station observation data, live video streaming processing and much more.

Azure will create more hardware for running Azure services on the edge, and there will be more focus on moving data processing to the device that is collecting the data, such as an autonomous vehicle. It needs to know immediately what to do in any given scenario, as it is driving along and evaluating and reacting to the real world.  

If you want to know more about autonomous vehicles and edge computing, check out the first episode of my new podcast TECHnically Possible.

Cloud computing has made it easier for organizations to access and utilize advanced AI and ML technologies, and this trend is going to continue. These technologies can be used for a wide range of applications, including image and speech recognition, predictive maintenance, and personalized recommendations. Or what about AI chat services, like ChatGPT, which wrote this joke. 

A cloud, a news show host, and a llama walk into a bar. The cloud starts to pour rain, and the bartender says, "Hey, we don't want any of that bad weather in here!" The news show host says, "Don't worry, I'll just turn on the lights and we'll have a special report on it." The llama looks at them and says, "I'm just here for the alpaca-ccino." 

Okay, that might need some work…

Containers are a lightweight, portable way to package and deploy applications, and they have become increasingly popular in the cloud. They allow developers to easily move applications between different environments and can help to improve the efficiency and scalability of cloud-based applications. 

We are going to see more focus on making containerising your apps even easier and integrate the services with other Azure products. Perhaps AI in containers? 🤔

And finally...

Ensuring the security of cloud-based systems and data is a top priority for many organizations, and Azure will continue to invest in and improve their security measures. We will see much more investment in protecting against data breaches, such as securing the use of storage and VMs.  

Compliance with even more stringent regulations will make sure us cloud consumers feel even safer using the services, and I would personally love to see something that monitors access and permissions to Azure resources even more. Maybe AI again can help out here? 

Azure This Week is your weekly news roundup for all things Azure. Join our expert hosts as they cover everything you need to know about the past week’s developments, keeping it short, fun and informative. 

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