Microsoft Azure

The Microsoft Ignite 2024 conference kicks off next week and I’ve analyzed the full session list to gleam insights into the company’s strategic roadmap for 2025 and beyond. This years conference has an unmistakable emphasis on artificial intelligence, security, and multicloud innovation. The 1,846 sessions hosted at the conference spanning a vast array of tech […] The article Microsoft’s Vision for 2025 and Beyond: Copilot, Responsible AI, Security and Multicloud was originally published on Build5Nines. To stay up-to-date, Subscribe to the Build5Nines Newsletter. View the full article

Securing network environments in Microsoft Azure is paramount when organizations migrate their infrastructure and applications to the cloud. Azure, as one of the leading cloud service providers, offers a broad spectrum of security tools and best practices designed to protect resources against a multitude of network threats. Azure network security plays a critical role in […] The article Azure Network Security Best Practices to Protect Your Cloud Infrastructure was originally published on Build5Nines. To stay up-to-date, Subscribe to the Build5Nines Newsletter. View the full article

Azure Cosmos DB is Microsoft’s globally distributed, multi-model database service designed to meet the demands of large-scale, low-latency applications. One of the most critical design choices when using Azure Cosmos DB is understanding and effectively using Partition Keys. These keys impact how your data is stored, accessed, and managed across physical servers, directly affecting performance, […] The article Azure Cosmos DB: Understanding Partition Keys was originally published on Build5Nines. To stay up-to-date, Subscribe to the Build5Nines Newsletter. View the full article

Whether you’re a Site Reliability Engineer (SRE), Cloud Engineer, or IT Admin, you will be required to spin up, configure, and manage all sorts of cloud resources. A code-first approach to Infrastructure as Code (IaC) when deploying and managing cloud resources will offer you and your team many benefits over the long term when it […] The article Benefits of Code-First Infrastructure Deployments with HashiCorp Terraform and Azure Bicep was originally published on Build5Nines. To stay up-to-date, Subscribe to the Build5Nines Newsletter. View the full article

The adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Large Language Models (LLMs) is rapidly increasing, and these technologies are being harnessed across various sectors to drive innovation, streamline operations, and enhance productivity. Generative AI, in particular, has emerged as a transformative technology, capable of creating new content, making predictions, and providing insights that were once the […] The article How is AI Trained? Is My Data Safe with Generative AI, Copilot and OpenAI Solutions? was originally published on Build5Nines. To stay up-to-date, Subscribe to the Build5Nines Newsletter. View the full article

Functions in HashiCorp Terraform are integral to making your configurations flexible, efficient, and maintainable. They are pre-defined operations that can be used within expressions to transform and combine values. These functions can manipulate strings, perform mathematical calculations, and handle complex data structures like maps and lists, among other tasks. These functions can also be combined […] The article Terraform Functions and Expressions Explained was originally published on Build5Nines. To stay up-to-date, Subscribe to the Build5Nines Newsletter. View the full article

What’s the difference between HashiCorp’s Terraform and OpenTofu? This is a tale that starts with HashiCorp first developing Terraform, the popular open source, multi-cloud, Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tool, and then eventually close sourcing it. As a result, the community forked the most recent open source Terraform version and spun it off into OpenTofu. Let’s […] The article Terraform vs OpenTofu: What’s the difference? was originally published on Build5Nines. To stay up-to-date, Subscribe to the Build5Nines Newsletter. View the full article

Generative AI has emerged as a groundbreaking technology, transforming how we create content. From text and images to music and software code, generative AI models can produce original outputs that often resemble human creativity. For newcomers to the topic, understanding the fundamentals, applications, and implications of generative AI is crucial. Imagine a world where a […] The article What is Generative AI? was originally published on Build5Nines. To stay up-to-date, Subscribe to the Build5Nines Newsletter. View the full article

Chances are you or your manager thinks you’re doing DevOps. But what if you’re doing it wrong? Do you really know what DevOps is? After all, you have a DevOps team, or DevOps tools, right? DevOps is more than a buzzword or a trendy methodology. It’s a fundamental shift in how organizations approach software development […] The article Top 7 Signs You’re Doing DevOps Wrong was originally published on Build5Nines. To stay up-to-date, Subscribe to the Build5Nines Newsletter. View the full article

One of the core strengths of Terraform is its rich set of built-in functions, which empower users to create flexible and reusable configurations. Among these functions, the Terraform merge function is particularly powerful, enabling the seamless combination of multiple maps or objects into a single, cohesive unit. This chapter delves into the nuances of the […] The article Using the Terraform ‘merge’ Function was originally published on Build5Nines. To stay up-to-date, Subscribe to the Build5Nines Newsletter. View the full article

Building Microservice and Serverless architectures demand different design patterns to be used that other traditional application architectures. Even the older SOA (Service Oriented Architecture) design has different demands than the newer Microservices and Serverless solutions do today. Due to these differences, there are different things to keep in mind when building Microservice and Serverless architectures […] The article Azure Functions Best Practices for Performance, Reliability and Security was originally published on Build5Nines. To stay up-to-date, Subscribe to the Build5Nines Newsletter. View the full article

The automotive industry is constantly advancing with new technology integrations, and Audi is taking a significant leap forward with the utilization of ChatGPT, an advanced generative AI developed by OpenAI, into its vehicles. This move not only promises to enhance the user experience but also showcases the potential of AI in transforming the automotive industry. […] The article Revolutionizing the Drive: Audi’s ChatGPT Automotive Integration was originally published on Build5Nines. To stay up-to-date, Subscribe to the Build5Nines Newsletter. View the full article

OpenAI’s GPT-4o Mini represents a significant advancement in the field of artificial intelligence, combining high performance with cost efficiency. This model is designed to make advanced AI capabilities more accessible to a broader audience, addressing the needs of businesses, developers, and researchers who require powerful AI tools without the high cost typically associated with such […] The article GPT-4o Mini: Advancing Cost-Efficient AI was originally published on Build5Nines. To stay up-to-date, Subscribe to the Build5Nines Newsletter. View the full article

CrowdStrike, in an effort to mitigate the widespread disruption caused by the recent CrowdStrike content bug, they have launched a comprehensive “Remediation and Guidance Hub.” This initiative comes in response to the catastrophic crash of approximately 8.5 million Windows computers globally, attributed to a problematic update from CrowdStrike’s Falcon platform. The hub aims to provide […] The article CrowdStrike Launches Guidance Hub for Dealing with Windows Outage was originally published on Build5Nines. To stay up-to-date, Subscribe to the Build5Nines Newsletter. View the full article

Microsoft has released a recovery tool designed to aid IT administrators in fixing Windows machines affected by the recent CrowdStrike Falcon agent issue. This problem led to widespread Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) errors, impacting approximately 1% of Windows machines globally! What is the Recovery Tool? The recovery tool creates a bootable USB drive, enabling […] The article Microsoft Released CrowdStrike Recovery Tool to Help Repair Affected Windows Machines was originally published on Build5Nines. To stay up-to-date, Subscribe to the Build5Nines Newsletter. View the full article

The world of cybersecurity faced a catastrophic event recently when a CrowdStrike bug led to the crashing of 8.5 million PCs, approximately 1% of all Windows machines. The incident affected many industries, including: airlines, hospitals, governments, 911 operators, and more! The fallout from this incident has left tech experts and businesses scrambling to understand the […] The article CrowdStrike Crashed 8.5 Million Windows PCs Globally, estimated by Microsoft was originally published on Build5Nines. To stay up-to-date, Subscribe to the Build5Nines Newsletter. View the full article

The recent CrowdStrike bug that took out 1% of Windows machines (approx. 8.5 million PCs) globally, the question of why Antivirus apps use Kernel Mode has come up for many. This article sheds some light into the reasoning behind why these programs need to operate at the Kernel Mode level within the Windows operating system. […] The article Why Antivirus Uses Kernel Mode in Windows was originally published on Build5Nines. To stay up-to-date, Subscribe to the Build5Nines Newsletter. View the full article

On July 18, 2024, CrowdStrike released a update with a bug that significantly impacted Windows machines globally, including virtual machines (VMs) running on multiple cloud platforms, such as Microsoft Azure, AWS, and Google Cloud. The problem originated from an update to the CrowdStrike Falcon agent, which led to unresponsiveness, blue screens (BSOD) and startup failures […] The article Understanding the CrowdStrike Bug, Impact on Microsoft Azure, and Global Windows Outage was originally published on Build5Nines. To stay up-to-date, Subscribe to the Build5Nines Newsletter. View the full article

Azure Private Link offers several benefits, including enhanced security, simplified network architecture, and improved performance. It supports various Azure services like Azure Storage and Azure SQL Database, allowing organizations to maintain the privacy and integrity of their data. Moreover, Azure Private Link seamlessly integrates with Azure Virtual Networks (VNets), on-premises networks and supports global connectivity, […] The article What is Azure Private Link and How to Deploy with Terraform was originally published on Build5Nines. To stay up-to-date, Subscribe to the Build5Nines Newsletter. View the full article

Choosing the right database solution is critical for the performance and scalability of your applications. When working with NoSQL, Table data and Microsoft Azure, two prominent options for table storage are Azure Cosmos DB for Table and Azure Table Storage (aka Azure Storage Tables). Both services provide robust solutions for storing semi-structured table data, but […] The article How to Choose Between Azure Cosmos DB for Table and Azure Table Storage was originally published on Build5Nines. To stay up-to-date, Subscribe to the Build5Nines Newsletter. View the full article

The cloud is the standard for hosting applications and workloads. However, only a small percentage of organizations realize the full benefits such as cost reduction, enhanced resilience, and new revenue streams. Often, this is due to the complex nature of cloud environments. The HashiCorp Infrastructure Cloud aims to address these challenges, providing a unified platform […] The article What is The HashiCorp Infrastructure Cloud? was originally published on Build5Nines. To stay up-to-date, Subscribe to the Build5Nines Newsletter. View the full article

Phidata is a Python framework designed for creating AI assistants that leverage Large Language Models (LLMs), memory, knowledge, and tools. If you’ve ever wanted to create intelligent assistants capable of performing a range of tasks autonomously, you’re in the right place. This article walks through the process of setting up your environment for using Phidata, […] The article Introduction to Building AI Agents with Phidata and Python was originally published on Build5Nines. To stay up-to-date, Subscribe to the Build5Nines Newsletter. View the full article

Topic was moved to forum Artificial Intelligence (AI)

LangChain is a tool for more easily creating AI agents that can autonomously perform tasks. These agents can streamline operations, enhance user experiences, and handle complex processes with minimal human intervention. Building these AI agents can be difficult and this is the reason for why LangChain exists. LangChain is a cutting-edge framework designed to simplify […] The article Introduction to Building AI Agents with LangChain and Python was originally published on Build5Nines. To stay up-to-date, Subscribe to the Build5Nines Newsletter. View the full article

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the use of Large Language Models (LLMs) has transformed numerous fields, from healthcare to entertainment, by enabling machines to understand and generate human-like text. However, one significant challenge in deploying AI, especially LLMs, is the phenomenon of AI “hallucinations.” These are instances where the AI generates plausible-sounding but factually incorrect or […] The article Detecting AI Hallucinations using Semantic Entropy was originally published on Build5Nines. To stay up-to-date, Subscribe to the Build5Nines Newsletter. View the full article

AI Agents are more advanced implementations of artificial intelligence (AI) built to more autonomously perform tasks, make decisions, and interact with users or other systems. These agents are designed to simulate human-like “cognitive” functions, enabling them to process information, learn from interactions, and adapt to new scenarios without direct human intervention. Where’s the AI intelligence […] The article What are AI Agents and Agentic AI? was originally published on Build5Nines. To stay up-to-date, Subscribe to the Build5Nines Newsletter. View the full article

Microsoft Semantic Kernel is an innovative, open-source SDK designed to seamlessly integrate Large Language Models (LLMs) with conventional programming languages like C#, Python, and Java. By utilizing Semantic Kernel, developers can create powerful, AI-driven applications without needing to become AI experts. This introduction will guide you through the fundamental concepts, features, and benefits of using […] The article Introduction to Building AI Agents with Microsoft Semantic Kernel was originally published on Build5Nines. To stay up-to-date, Subscribe to the Build5Nines Newsletter. View the full article

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming the landscape of modern enterprises, driving innovation, enhancing operational efficiency, and unlocking new avenues for growth. As businesses strive to harness the full potential of AI, having an AI-ready infrastructure becomes paramount. Microsoft Azure stands out as a leader in this domain, offering a comprehensive suite of tools and services […] The article Build an AI-Ready Infrastructure in Microsoft Azure was originally published on Build5Nines. To stay up-to-date, Subscribe to the Build5Nines Newsletter. View the full article

Cloud computing has revolutionized how organizations manage and deploy their IT resources, offering unparalleled scalability, flexibility, and cost-efficiency. As businesses increasingly migrate their applications and data to the cloud, understanding the best migration strategies becomes crucial. This article introduces the 7 Rs of cloud migration, a comprehensive framework designed to guide organizations through the complexities […] The article The 7Rs of Cloud Migration: Guide to a Seamless Migration Strategy was originally published on Build5Nines. To stay up-to-date, Subscribe to the Build5Nines Newsletter. View the full article

Microsoft Learn Applied Skills credentials are not replacing Microsoft Certifications. Microsoft is expanding their credentialing portfolio to cater better to learners and customers, allowing validation of specific skill sets with this new offering. Microsoft Certifications are continuing to be role-based, and still assess a broad range of skills essential for success in key roles within […] The article Are Applied Skills Replacing Microsoft Certifications? was originally published on Build5Nines. To stay up-to-date, Subscribe to the Build5Nines Newsletter. View the full article

Diagram: How Does RAG Work? The article What is Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG)? was originally published on Build5Nines. To stay up-to-date, Subscribe to the Build5Nines Newsletter. View the full article

Running jobs on specific branches with GitHub Actions is a common scenario implemented by DevOps and SRE professionals. This allows you to control which branches trigger specific jobs within your workflows. This can be important for maintaining efficient CI/CD processes, especially if you want tests to run on every branch while restricting deployment actions to […] The article Configuring GitHub Actions to Run Jobs on Specific Branches was originally published on Build5Nines. To stay up-to-date, Subscribe to the Build5Nines Newsletter. View the full article

How to get the current branch name in GitHub Actions can be useful for workflows that trigger off of multiple branches of a GitHub repository. The reason this can be useful is that the branch name may be important to mark or tag the code release in some way (i.e. tag a docker image), or […] The article GitHub Actions: Get Current Branch Name for Git Repo was originally published on Build5Nines. To stay up-to-date, Subscribe to the Build5Nines Newsletter. View the full article

A few times I’ve found the need to setup a GitHub Actions workflow that downloads a file and commits that file back to the repository. I had a need to pull in a JSON file and update it periodically to a GitHub repository. There are other scenarios where this may be needed. This article will […] The article GitHub Actions: Download File and Commit to Repository was originally published on Build5Nines. To stay up-to-date, Subscribe to the Build5Nines Newsletter. View the full article

Terraform provides functions to manage and manipulate IP addresses and CIDR blocks. These functions are crucial for network automation and orchestration in cloud environments, enabling users to create, manage, and allocate network resources efficiently. This article shows how to use the Terraform IP functions, along with some practical examples to help you get the most […] The article Terraform IP Functions for Managing IP Addresses, CIDR Blocks, and Subnets was originally published on Build5Nines. To stay up-to-date, Subscribe to the Build5Nines Newsletter. View the full article

The Terraform lookup() function provides a powerful feature that can be used to implement more flexible and easily configurable infrastructure configurations. The lookup() function is essential for retrieving values from maps dynamically. This article explains Terraform maps, in case you’re not familiar yet, and the explores the Terraform lookup() function with usage examples and a […] The article Terraform Lookup Function – Usage and Examples was originally published on Build5Nines. To stay up-to-date, Subscribe to the Build5Nines Newsletter. View the full article

While HashiCorp Terraform is a single executable, it’s really useful to install it on the local machine so the terraform.exe executable can be run from anywhere. To do this, Terraform needs to be downloaded, placed somewhere on the local machine, and then that path must be added to the system PATH environment variable. I’ve done […] The article PowerShell: Automate Terraform Install on Windows was originally published on Build5Nines. To stay up-to-date, Subscribe to the Build5Nines Newsletter. View the full article

The ability to efficiently search and retrieve documents based on their semantic content has become increasingly important; especially when it comes to building Generative AI systems that implement the Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) design pattern. One powerful approach to achieving this is through the use of vector representations of text data, which enables similarity search […] The article Perform Vector Database Similarity Search in .NET Apps using Build5Nines.SharpVector appeared first on Build5Nines. View the full article

The Internet of Things (IoT) industry has continued to grow and become more pervasive in people’s everyday lives these last few years. There are MANY useful applications for IoT devices and solutions in both the consumer and industrial space. Some of the solutions we’ve become accustomed to are smart speakers, cameras, Amazon Alexa, and many […] The article Administrator’s Introduction to Azure IoT appeared first on Build5Nines. View the full article

The functions built into and supported by HashiCorp Terraform include the yamldecode and yamlencode functions for working with YAML data. These functions enable seamless integration and manipulation of YAML within Terraform configurations, enhancing the flexibility and manageability of infrastructure setups. This article explains their usage, and provides some practical applications. Decoding YAML with yamldecode Function […] The article Working with YAML in Terraform using the `yamldecode` and `yamlencode` Functions appeared first on Build5Nines. View the full article

Microsoft Copilot for Azure is an AI-powered tool designed to enhance your efficiency and productivity when working with Azure. Leveraging advanced Large Language Models (LLMs) and the Azure control plane, Copilot for Azure provides deep insights and simplifies the management of Azure services and resources. It aims to streamline operations across both cloud and edge […] The article Introducing Microsoft Copilot for Azure appeared first on Build5Nines. View the full article

When managing a website, it’s crucial to ensure a seamless user experience, even when things go wrong. One common scenario is the 404 Not Found error when a visitor tries to access a page that doesn’t exist. Instead of having your visitor see the default Azure Static Web App “not found” page, you can configure […] The article Configure Custom 404 Not Found Page with Azure Static Web Apps appeared first on Build5Nines. View the full article

Scott Guthrie’s talk, “Next Generation AI for Developers with the Microsoft Cloud,” highlighted significant advancements and tools for developers leveraging AI and the Microsoft Cloud. Here’s a TLDR to give you a quicker way to stay updated on all the key announcements. Notable Moments from Scott Guthries Talk Here’s are several notable moments from Scott […] The article TLDR: Next Gen AI for Developers with Microsoft Cloud by Scott Guthrie at Microsoft Build 2024 appeared first on Build5Nines. View the full article

During the Microsoft Build 2024 keynote, CEO Satya Nadella delivered a comprehensive overview of Microsoft’s vision and advancements in artificial intelligence (AI). Addressing a global audience, Nadella emphasized how AI is set to transform every aspect of our digital and physical lives, making technology more accessible, efficient, and integrated into daily activities. The presentation covered […] The article TLDR: Microsoft Build 2024 Keynote with Satya Nadella appeared first on Build5Nines. View the full article

HashiCorp Terraform is an extremely powerful IaC tool for managing Microsoft Azure infrastructure through code, from the command-line, and from CI/CD tools like GitHub Actions or Terraform Cloud. Terraform is great for managing and deploying the configurations for Microsoft Azure resources, but tools like the Azure Portal are still needed to view the real Azure […] The article Terraform: Output URL to Azure Portal for Azure Resources appeared first on Build5Nines. View the full article

In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, enterprises face a constant barrage of cybersecurity threats. As organizations increasingly turn to cutting-edge technologies like Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Large Language Models (LLMs) to drive innovation and efficiency, it’s crucial to ensure that robust security measures are in place. By applying the principles of Zero Trust, enterprises […] The article Zero Trust Security Principles for Generative AI & LLMs in the Enterprise appeared first on Build5Nines. View the full article

Keeping up with GitHub requires lots of skill mastery. GitHub is a platform used by over 100 million developers worldwide and offers a suite of certifications designed to elevate your development prowess and demonstrate your mastery of its powerful tools. Whether you’re a software developer, DevOps Engineer, SRE, security specialist, or IT professional, GitHub’s certifications […] The article GitHub Certifications – Prove Your Expertise appeared first on Build5Nines. View the full article

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is all the buzz today! But, what does LLM, SLM, Copilot, GPT, ML, NLP and all the other acronyms and terms in the AI space really mean? AI tools are quickly becoming an integral part of every Developers, DevOps Engineers, and Site Reliability Engineers (SREs) daily workflow. AI literacy and understanding key […] The article Top 10 Must-Know AI Terms for Developers, SREs, and DevOps Engineers appeared first on Build5Nines. View the full article

Microsoft recently released the new Phi-3-mini SLM (small language model), and I previously wrote about running Phi3 locally using Ollama. I’ve been exploring the world of hosting AI models in code lately, and this stuff is getting really interested. It turns out that among the tools to run AI models locally, there are developer tools […] The article Build a Generative AI App in C# with Phi-3-mini LLM and ONNX appeared first on Build5Nines. View the full article

A hub-and-spoke network topology is a popular design pattern used to manage and control network traffic when deploying enterprise workloads to Microsoft Azure. This article will guide you through deploying a hub-and-spoke network in Microsoft Azure using HashiCorp Terraform. We will cover the basic concepts, provide sample Terraform code, discuss security best practices to ensure […] The article Deploying Hub-and-Spoke Network Topology in Microsoft Azure using Terraform appeared first on Build5Nines. View the full article