Thursday, January 15, 2025
2pm EST / 11am PST
Azure Local was one of the most popular topics at Microsoft Ignite 2025.
It’s Microsoft’s answer to the hybrid cloud challenge: how to deliver cloud innovation while still being on-premises. And it’s becoming clear that Azure Local is now a strategic pillar for industries like healthcare, finance, and government.
In this interactive webinar, Microsoft’s Ellen Kirby (Principal Program Manager) will take us through what’s new in Azure Local from Microsoft Ignite 2025..
TL/DR
Azure Local is accelerating fast: more features have moved to GA, Hyper‑V Replica is fully supported, and Microsoft is simplifying the resource bridge and hydration process to remove operational pain points. Major improvements to failover/failback, ASR integration, and Azure portal management are coming mid‑year (preview) and late‑year (GA). Partner DR solutions like Veeam, Rubrik, and Commvault will offer smoother failback experiences as these updates land.
Summary
Key Updates Now Available
Faster Innovation & More Features in GA
Azure Local has seen a rapid pace of feature releases since late last year. Many capabilities that were previously in preview are now generally available, giving customers a more complete and production‑ready hybrid platform.
Improved High Availability with Hyper‑V Replica
Hyper‑V Replica is fully GA and plays a central role in Azure Local’s rack‑aware clustering. This provides:
- Better VM protection
- More predictable failover behavior
- Stronger resilience for mission‑critical workloads
For customers using SAN‑attached storage, Azure Local integrates cleanly with the replication technologies provided by storage vendors.
Enhancements Coming Soon
Simplified Resource Bridge Experience
Microsoft is significantly reducing complexity around the Azure Local resource bridge. This includes improvements to:
- Host restart behavior
- VM lifecycle operations
- Dependency management
Public preview is expected mid‑year, with general availability targeted for late 2025.
Better Azure Portal Integration
Customers have asked for richer management experiences directly in the Azure portal — including Hyper‑V Replica visibility. Microsoft confirmed that foundational work is already underway to enable more portal‑based management in future releases.
Disaster Recovery & Failback Improvements
Azure Site Recovery (ASR) works today with Azure Local, but Microsoft acknowledged that the current experience can feel complex. Major improvements are in progress, including:
- Cleaner failover and failback workflows
- Automatic Arc agent state awareness
- Better integration with Azure portal experiences
Microsoft is also partnering with Veeam, Rubrik, Commvault, and others to deliver smooth failover to Azure and failback to the same or different Azure Local clusters.
What This Means for Customers
Azure Local continues to mature quickly, with Microsoft investing heavily in:
- Operational simplicity
- High availability
- Disaster recovery
- Azure‑consistent management
- Partner ecosystem integration
Organizations can expect a more streamlined, resilient, and cloud‑connected on‑premises platform — with significant improvements arriving throughout the year.