Build Your Microsoft Ignite Schedule: Top Sessions for IT Pros
Get Ready for Microsoft Ignite Welcome back to our Azure Tech Community Microsoft Ignite 2025 series! If you joined us for Your Guide to Azure Community Activations at Microsoft Ignite 2025, you already know that Ignite isn’t just about product updates, it’s where ideas, innovation, and community come together. With hundreds of sessions across every area of Azure, it can be hard to know where to focus. That’s why we’ve curated a list of sessions tailored specifically for IT Pros to help you make the most of your time, strengthen your technical strategy, and get inspired for the year ahead. Use the Ignite session scheduler feature in the session catalog to personalize your agenda, save your favorites, and organize your time at Ignite. Make Every Minute Count: Top Recommended Sessions for IT Pros Microsoft Ignite moves fast, so it pays to plan your path before you arrive. By organizing your schedule around your interests and goals, you’ll be able to maximize learning opportunities, connect with peers, and leave with actionable insights. The recommendations below highlight our top picks for IT Pros looking to streamline operations, strengthen security, and stay ahead in an evolving cloud landscape. End-to-End migration of applications with AI Agents to IaaS and PaaS (BRK140) See how Azure’s new AI-powered migration agents can simplify and accelerate every stage of your migration journey—from assessment to deployment. Architecting for resiliency on Azure Infrastructure (BRK178) Discover how to build resilient cloud solutions on Azure by leveraging availability zones, multi-region deployments, and fungible products. This session explores architectural patterns, platform capabilities, and best practices. Migrate and Modernize Windows and SQL Server Workloads with Azure (LAB506-R1) Get hands-on with practical approaches to moving core enterprise workloads to Azure, improving reliability, and optimizing costs. Govern your estate using PowerShell and the CLI with AI (BRK170) Discover how you can use AI for PowerShell and Azure CLI to boost automation and simplify complex commands. Turning Compliance Burden into Competitive Advantage with RegScale (THR820) Explore how to use Microsoft’s compliance and governance frameworks to drive efficiency and differentiation. Before diving into your targeted sessions, make time for these essential moments that set the stage for everything happening at Ignite. Opening Keynote (KEY01) Hear from Microsoft leaders as they unveil the latest innovations shaping the future of AI, cloud, and the developer ecosystem. This is the session that sets the tone for the entire event. Innovation Session: Security in the Agentic Era – the Core Primitive (BRK1712) Gain a forward-looking perspective on how the rise of Agentic AI will reshape the security landscape for IT operations and enterprise systems. Innovation Session: Scale Smarter: Infrastructure for the Agentic Era (BRK1704) Dive into what’s new in Azure Infrastructure—from compute and networking to hybrid management and scalability. Hear from Azure engineering experts on best practices and innovations for modern cloud operations. Plan Smarter with the Session Scheduler With the “add to schedule” feature in the session catalog you’ll be able to: Browse and filter all Ignite sessions by topic, product, or persona. Save your favorite sessions to build a personalized schedule. Set reminders and block time for networking, community booths, and demos. Stay Connected with the Azure Tech Community Your Microsoft Ignite journey doesn’t stop when the sessions end, the conversation continues across the Azure Tech Community. Share the sessions you’re most excited about using #MSIgnite #AzureTechCommunity, tag azure, and connect with other IT Pros exploring the future of cloud management and security. Follow the Azure Tech Community for real-time updates, announcements, and product news throughout Ignite. See You at Microsoft Ignite 2025 With the right plan in place, every session becomes an opportunity to learn, grow, and connect. Explore these recommendations, save your favorites, and get ready for an unforgettable Microsoft Ignite 2025 experience.Announcing General Availability of Software Defined Networking (SDN) on Azure Local
Starting in Azure Local version 2510, we’re excited to announce the General Availability of Software Defined Networking (SDN) on Azure Local enabled by Azure Arc. This release introduces cloud-native networking capabilities for access control at the network layer, utilizing Network Security Groups (NSGs) on Azure Local. Key highlights in this release are: 1- Centralized network management: Manage Logical networks, network interfaces, and NSGs through the Azure control plane – whether your preference is the Azure Portal, Azure Command-Line Interface (CLI), or Azure Resource Manager templates. 2- Fine-grained traffic control: Safeguard your edge workloads with policy-driven access controls by applying inbound and outbound allow/deny rules on NSGs, just as you would in Azure. 3- Seamless hybrid consistency: Reduce operational friction and accelerate your IT staff’s ramp-up on advanced networking skills by using the same familiar tools and constructs across both Azure public cloud and Azure Local. Software Defined Networking (SDN) forms the backbone of delivering Azure-style networking on-premises. Whether you’re securing enterprise applications or extending cloud-scale agility to your on-premises infrastructure, Azure Local, combined with SDN enabled by Azure Arc, offers a unified and scalable solution. Try this feature today and let us know how it transforms your networking operations! Feature Capabilities Here’s what you can do today with SDN enabled by Azure Arc: ✅ Run SDN control plane (Network Controller) as a Failover Cluster service on the Azure Local physical hosts — no VMs required! ✅ Deploy logical networks — use VLAN-backed networks in your datacenter that integrate with SDN enabled by Azure Arc. ✅ Attach VM Network Interfaces — assign static or DHCP IPs to VMs from logical networks. ✅ Apply NSGs - create, attach, and manage NSGs directly from Azure on your logical networks (VLANs in your datacenter) and/or on the VM network interface. This enables a generic rule set for VLANs, with a crisper rule set for individual Azure Local VM network interface using a complete 5-tuple control: source and destination IP, port, and protocol. ✅ Use Default Network Policies — apply baseline security policies during VM creation for your primary NIC. Select well-known inbound ports such as HTTP (while we block everything else for you), while still allowing outbound traffic. Or select an existing NSG you already have! ✅ Azure Arc Resource Bridge (ARB) Disaster Recovery capable - In case ARB on the cluster needs to be recovered, NSGs and its rules can be recovered along with VMs and its associated resources. SDN enabled by Azure Arc vs. SDN managed by on-premises tools Choosing Your Path: Some SDN features like virtual networks (vNETs), Load Balancers (SLBs), and Gateways are not yet supported in SDN enabled by Azure Arc. But good news: you’ve still got options. If your workloads need those features today, you can leverage SDN managed by on-premises tools: - SDN Express (PowerShell) - Windows Admin Center (WAC) The SDN managed by on-premises tools continues to provide full-stack SDN capabilities, including SLBs, Gateways, and VNET peering, while we actively work on bringing this additional value to complete SDN enabled by Azure Arc feature set. You must choose one of the modes of SDN management and cannot run in a hybrid management mode, mixing the two. Please read this important consideration section before getting started! Thank You to Our Community This milestone was only possible because of your input, your use cases, and your edge innovation. We're beyond excited to see what you build next with SDN enabled by Azure Arc. To try it out, head to the Azure Local documentation Let’s keep pushing the edge forward. Together!Your Guide to Azure Community Activations at Microsoft Ignite 2025
Microsoft Ignite 2025 is right around the corner! From November 18–21 in San Francisco, we’re excited to bring the Azure community together for four days of learning, connection, and fun! Whether you’re joining us onsite at the Moscone Center or tuning in online, the Community Space will be buzzing with MVP meetups, interactive theater sessions, and plenty of opportunities to network. This is the first in a series of posts highlighting what you can expect at Microsoft Ignite. Today, we’re spotlighting Azure Community activations across Infrastructure, AI, Data, and MVP programs. In upcoming posts, we’ll dive deeper into sessions tailored for IT professionals, developers, and even first-time attendees. Azure Infrastructure Microsoft Ignite is packed with practical insights to help you migrate, modernize, and secure workloads. Learn how to Troubleshoot AKS networking with Agentic AI and strengthen your AI workload resiliency with Azure’s networking stack. Dive into migration best practices with sessions on moving data for analytics, lessons from Azure MVPs, and community insights from real-world projects. And don’t miss the fan favorite: Learn Infrastructure-as-Code through Minecraft —where cloud automation meets creativity. AI & Agents If you’re passionate about AI, the community sessions will put you at the center of what’s next. Connect with peers at the Global AI Community meetup. Get a sneak peek at what’s coming with Azure AI Insiders. Hear directly from MVPs and Microsoft leaders on shaping the future of Azure AI Foundry and how AI is transforming customer innovation. Azure Data For those focused on data, Microsoft Ignite is your chance to learn, influence, and connect. Share your feedback on SQL Server Management Studio and Copilot in SSMS. Bring your toughest questions to a Q&A with Azure Data Leadership. And join the community to explore real-world data intelligence solutions and career-building opportunities across the data ecosystem. MVP Program Interested in becoming a Microsoft MVP or expanding your community impact? Learn how to get nominated and grow your influence in So you want to become an MVP? Join program leads and MVPs to hear their stories in Becoming an MVP in Azure, AI, or the Data Platform. These sessions are the perfect place to start if you’re looking to give back and level up your community journey. Stay Connected Year-Round The conversations doesn't stop after Microsoft Ignite. Join the communities that keep the learning going: AKS Community (Infrastructure) Azure AI Foundry (AI) Global AI Community (AI) Fabric Community (Data) Azure Data Community (Data) Fellow Developers And this is just the beginning. Microsoft Ignite is packed with opportunities to learn from experts, connect with peers, and explore what’s next with Azure. Stay tuned for our upcoming posts, where we’ll share curated session highlights designed for different audiences to help you make the most of your Microsoft Ignite experience. 👉 Be sure to mark your calendar, start building your schedule, and get ready to be inspired at Microsoft Ignite 2025NEW Podcast Microsoft Ignite E04: AI & Copilot – The Biggest Talk at MSIgnite!
Podcast Microsoft Ignite E04: AI & Copilot – The Biggest Talk at MSIgnite! AI is transforming the way we work, and Copilot is leading the charge! To break it all down and get expert insights, I’m joined by Jannik Reinhard and Fabio Bonolo to discuss: Key AI takeaways from Microsoft Ignite How companies & admins can benefit The future of AI-powered productivity Youtube: https://youtu.be/uD5V5a2Ldqg?si=u3R8fSndeW6wCruI🎙️Podcast: Microsoft Ignite E03
🎙️#Podcast: Microsoft Ignite E03 I had an incredible time chatting with @liorbela.bsky.social in my latest #MSignite podcast episode, where we delved into key highlights from Microsoft Ignite 2024 and exciting developments in the Intune world #msintune Youtube: https://youtu.be/mnxHRLz3EMg?si=pab6wByZpQ2tnf5P🎙️Podcast: Microsoft Ignite E03
🎙️#Podcast: Microsoft Ignite E03 I had an incredible time chatting with @liorbela.bsky.social in my latest #MSignite podcast episode, where we delved into key highlights from Microsoft Ignite 2024 and exciting developments in the Intune world #msintune Youtube: https://youtu.be/mnxHRLz3EMg?si=pab6wByZpQ2tnf5PTo-Do at Ignite 2018
🔥 It's almost time for Ignite! Come to BRK1042 to learn about how your organization can be completing more tasks with Microsoft To-Do and 📣 our new time-saving Microsoft 365 integrations. Add BRK1042 to your schedule now: https://myignite.techcommunity.microsoft.com/sessions/6469 P.S. We'll also be doing a shorter Theater Session on the Expo floor: THR1022.
