My Key Takeaways from Microsoft Build 2025
Written By: Drew Grubb, Senior Consultant, Modern Infrastructure
I recently had the chance to attend Microsoft Build 2025, and wow—there was a lot to take in. Between the product announcements, breakout sessions, and conversations with fellow tech enthusiasts, I came away with a ton of new insights.
To save you from the information overload, I’ve pulled together the highlights that I think are most relevant, especially if you’re in the trenches with infrastructure, AI, or app modernization like I am. Here’s my take on what’s new, what’s cool, and what might actually change the way we work.
AI Development & Agentic Frameworks
1) AI Dev Gallery
This one’s a playground for developers. The AI Dev Gallery is an open-source tool that lets you test over 25 on-device AI samples—everything from text and image recognition to video and audio. Super useful if you’re looking to keep AI local for privacy or performance reasons. More info >
2) Multi-Agent Orchestration in Copilot Studio
Microsoft’s making serious moves here. Now, Copilot Studio supports multi-agent orchestration. Basically, this means multiple AI agents that can talk to each other, divide up tasks, and actually collaborate to solve problems. It’s like giving your copilots coworkers. More info >
3) Foundry Agent Service + MCP
Foundry is becoming the new backbone for running secure, modular AI agents. The MCP protocol (Model Context Protocol) is the glue that ties it all together… kind of like APIs, but for AI agents. It makes everything more flexible, interoperable, and scalable. More info >
4) AutoGen + Semantic Kernel
If you’ve played with either of these frameworks, good news: they’re converging. AutoGen is great for quick experiments, while Semantic Kernel is built for production. Now you can prototype fast and scale with confidence. More info >
Specialized Agents That Stood Out:
SRE Agent: Helps with cloud incident detection and remediation. Think of it as your AI ops partner.
GitHub Copilot Coding Agent: Assign it an issue, and it spins up a secure dev environment to start working. Like hiring a junior dev that never sleeps.
Microsoft Discovery: Built for R&D teams. Already helped Microsoft design a new data centre coolant in just 200 hours.
Copilot Studio & Customization
1) Bring Your Own Model (BYOM)
You can now integrate your own models—open-source or custom—into Copilot Studio. This is huge for teams working in regulated or niche domains. More info >
2) Copilot Tuning
Low-code fine-tuning is now a thing. Use your company’s internal data to make Copilot feel more like... well, your Copilot. It’s smart, secure, and surprisingly simple. More info >
3) Source Control Integration
Finally, Copilot Studio plays nicely with Azure DevOps. No more duct-taping workflows together. Version control is built-in and works how you’d expect. More info >
4) Computer Use Agents
These agents can navigate UIs and adapt as screens change. Great for automating repetitive browser or desktop workflows. Think data entry, research, and form-filling tasks. More info >
Data & Analytics Integration
1) Copilot in Power BI
You can literally type what you want, and Copilot will build your visuals or write your DAX for you. This makes data more approachable for non-technical folks, without sidelining the pros. More info >
2) Cosmos DB in Fabric
Now you can mirror Cosmos DB into Fabric for real-time analytics without touching your production system. It's a nice bridge between operational data and reporting. More info >
3) NLWeb
This was a fun one. NLWeb brings conversational AI directly to websites, helping users navigate content by just asking questions. It’s intuitive and feels like a step toward a smarter web. More info >
Security, Governance & Observability
1) Integrated Security with Defender, Purview & Entra
Microsoft is baking security into every layer of the AI lifecycle. From data ingestion to deployment, it’s all monitored and protected. This is the kind of integration we’ve been waiting for. More info >
2) Observability in Foundry
Real-time monitoring, logging, and performance tracing built right into Foundry. It’s a full-stack view for anyone managing AI applications at scale. More info >
3) Entra Agent ID
This gives AI agents their own identity credentials. So you can manage, audit, and control access just like you would for a human user. Super important as agents take on more autonomy. More info >
Infrastructure & Performance
1) Azure Boost
This might be my favourite performance update. Azure Boost offloads networking and storage to dedicated hardware, so your VMs run faster. We’re talking up to 200 Gbps and serious IOPS improvements. More info >
2) Azure Verified Modules (AVMs)
Want to deploy infrastructure fast and right the first time? AVMs are pre-vetted, production-ready IaC templates maintained by Microsoft. Saves a ton of time and reduces errors. More info >
3) Foundry Local
Need to run AI in an air-gapped or high-security environment? Foundry Local gives you all the AI tools, minus the cloud dependency. Perfect for sectors like healthcare or defense. More info >
4) Developer Tier for Fine-Tuned Models
Testing custom models just got cheaper. The Developer Tier lets you experiment and validate fine-tuned models before going full production. A nice balance of control and cost. More info >
.NET & App Modernization
1) CSnakes
Python in .NET? Yes, really. CSnakes lets you embed Python libraries right into your C# apps. Ideal for combining AI or data science tools with your existing stack. More info >
2) dotnet run app.cs
Skip the project scaffolding. Just write a C# script and run it. It’s a small thing that makes experimenting and prototyping feel way more fluid. More info >
3) App Modernization with GitHub Copilot
Using GitHub Copilot to refactor .NET Framework apps is now faster and smarter. Think real-time suggestions, guided upgrades, and less grunt work. More info >
Wrapping it up...
Microsoft Build 2025 confirmed what a lot of us have been feeling: the future of work is smarter, more collaborative, and way more agentic. If you want to dive into any of these tools or ideas—or just want to talk through what they mean for your team—I’m always happy to chat.
Shoot me a note directly or connect with me on LinkedIn.
— Drew