Microsoft reveals slew of Azure enhancements ahead of Build 2019

Microsoft's Build 2019 developer conference doesn't kick off until next week, but the company is getting things started a little early by revealing some enhancements coming to Azure. All told, developers will have new cognitive services to look forward to, along with AI and machine learning enhancements, and more.

In the cognitive services category, Microsoft has revealed a new service category called "Decision." The category is intended to bring new reasoning services for developers to take advantage of, enabling better decision-making. Included in this new category is a service called "Personalizer," for example, which can give users customized recommendations through reinforcement learning.

Additionally, Azure Search is picking up new AI capabilities through the general availability of cognitive search. The new feature allows developers to use cognitive service algorithms in search to give their customers access to "new insights from their structured and unstructured content," Microsoft said in a blog post announcing the feature.

Azure Machine Learning is also getting a boost through integration with Azure DevOps, automation advancements to make developing models easier, and a visual machine learning interface allows for no-code model creation.

Finally, IoT Plug and Play is a new open language that allows IoT devices to be easily connected to the cloud. "Previously, software had to be written specifically for the connected device it supported, limiting the scale of IoT deployments," Microsoft says. "IoT Plug and Play will offer customers a large ecosystem of partner-certified devices that can connect quickly."

This is just a small part of what Microsoft has planned for Build 2019. We'll get a better look at what Microsoft has in store when Build 2019 starts in full on May 6.

Microsoft Build 2019: The sessions to watch out for

Cheap PC accessories we love

Take a gander at these awesome PC accessories, all of which will enhance your Windows experience.

Anker 4 port USB 3.0 hub ($10 at Amazon)

Whether on a desktop or laptop PC, you always need more ports to connect things to. This hub gives you an additional four USB 3.0 Type A ports.

Ikea Fixa Cable Management System ($11 at Amazon)

This IKEA cable management kit is your ticket to a clean setup. It's simple and functional.

NZXT Puck ($20 at Amazon)

This clever little accessory has powerful magnets on the rear to make it stick to any of the metal panels on your PC case or anything else. It's great for hanging accessories like headsets.

CATEGORIES
Dan Thorp-Lancaster

Dan Thorp-Lancaster is the former Editor-in-Chief of Windows Central. He began working with Windows Central, Android Central, and iMore as a news writer in 2014 and is obsessed with tech of all sorts. You can follow Dan on Twitter @DthorpL and Instagram @heyitsdtl

Latest in Microsoft
Cloud servers
Microsoft has killed "several" data center projects in the U.S. and Europe, according to reports — Microsoft responds (Updated)
Steve Ballmer and Bill Gates, former CEOs of Microsoft.
Bill Gates says Satya Nadella almost missed the cut for CEO of Microsoft — Even with Steve Ballmer's support
HP Reverb G2 VR headset
Was Windows Mixed Reality as bad as I remember? I look back at the failed VR platform that was ahead of its time.
Microsoft Majorana 1 chip designed for quantum computing
Microsoft dismisses quantum computing skepticism: "There is a century-old scientific process established by the American Physical Society for resolving disputes"
The Microsoft logo on a smartphone and laptop arranged in Crockett, California, US, on Friday, Dec. 29, 2023.
"Would you say there is a reasonable balance between what you contribute to Microsoft and what you get in return?" Two-thirds of Microsoft employees say YES — as AI engineers get preferential compensation packages.
Like a Dragon Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii screenshot
Microsoft blocks (some) Windows 11 pirates while Lenovo steals the show at Mobile World Congress
Latest in News
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Zombies mode screenshots for Shattered Veil map.
The next Call of Duty Zombies map, "Shattered Veil", is dropping earlier than expected
Helldivers 2
The new Helldivers 2 Illuminate Major Order is so important that we got a new stratagem for it
Hogwarts Legacy troll hero image
Hogwarts Legacy DLC reportedly canceled by WB Games
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege
Rumored Ubisoft and Tencent agreement comes to fruition with 25% stake and new division for the Assassin's Creed developer
In-game screenshot of the player consuming an enemy in Shadow Labyrinth
This isn't your grandpa's Pac-Man — Bandai Namco's iconic character gets a gritty new action game this Summer
Key art for Dragon Quest 1 and 2 HD-2D remake
Every PC and Xbox game shown off during Nintendo Direct March 2025