Microsoft has recently issued some retirement notices that impact VM default internet access on Azure and Basic Public SKUs. While there is runway on both of these notices, Microsoft recommends planning all new deployments with these changes in mind. We at Daymark agree. Here’s a quick summary of the announcements:
Default Internet Access Retirement
Microsoft is planning to retire default outbound access for VMs in September of 2025. This means you will need to explicitly setup a NAT Gateway, Load Balancer with outbound rules, or a Public IP for all new VMs.
Gone will be the days of turning on a VM with an internal IP and internet access. Although this is two years out, it’s best to start planning new deployments with this in mind.
Basic Public IP Retirement
Also in September of 2025, Microsoft will completely retire Basic Public IP SKUs and new deployments of the Basic SKU will be blocked starting March 31, 2025.
Since Public IPs can be an effort to change, we highly recommend using Standard instead of Basic Public IPs whenever possible from this point on.
Summary
Both of these actions by Microsoft are a continuing effort to enable more secure internet access. As you plan your next deployments, please avoid Basic SKUs and start using NATs for internet access for future environments without firewalls or NATs for internet access. The links below provide more detailed information.
For more information on the Default Outbound Access
For more information on the Basic SKU retirement
For more information on transitioning to explicit public connectivity