Expert insights on Microsoft Azure, Cloud Architecture, and Enterprise Technology
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Reaching for the Cloud is a fortnightly newsletter for architects, technical leads, and IT decision-makers working in the Microsoft cloud. Each issue takes one topic, develops an argument, and gives you an honest view of where things actually stand, without the marketing gloss.
The Microsoft cloud moves fast. Not everything that gets announced matters. Not everything that matters gets announced. This newsletter tries to tell the difference.
Written by Richard Hogan, Global Chief Architect in IBM's Microsoft Practice, with over two decades of enterprise technology experience across Financial Services, public sector, and beyond.
Published every two weeks. No spam. No sponsored content.
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During the most recent podcast recording I made an offhand remark about feeling surrounded by agents. It was not a planned insight. It was just a moment of noticing how routine the whole thing has become. Agents now appear everywhere without invitation. They sit inside Microsoft 365. They assist in GitHub. They pop up in… Continue Reading →
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Introduction, and the source of the uncomfortable truth This week, I have been revisiting the IBM Institute for Business Value research, Secure by design, smarter with AI. One finding should make every leadership team pause: 42 percent of executives rank their own operational shortcomings among their top cybersecurity threats, ahead of nation states and just… Continue Reading →
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Last month, I took you on a little journey into “vibe coding”—building apps and tools without writing a single line of code, thanks to the magic of AI assistants. If you missed it, you can catch up here: https://themicrosoftcloudblog.com/2025/11/21/adventures-in-vibe-coding-building-apps-and-tools-without-writing-a-single-line-of-code-introduction/. This week, I want to dig deeper. Not into the “no-code” hype, but into the real,… Continue Reading →
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For the past month, I’ve been running an experiment: could I build multiple full-stack applications and supporting tools—without writing any code myself? Not a single line. Instead, I relied on natural language instructions, documented protocols, and a conversational workflow with my AI assistant. The result? Two apps, two MCP servers, and a mountain of lessons… Continue Reading →
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If any of you are like me, you’ll have seen Microsoft’s recent piece detailing SesameOp—a novel backdoor that exploits the OpenAI Assistants API for command-and-control in cloud environments. There’s something deeply unsettling about attackers co-opting our most advanced tools against us. This isn’t just another run-of-the-mill malware story; it’s a wake-up call about how generative… Continue Reading →
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In this week’s newsletter: a deep dive into the recent AWS and Microsoft cloud outages, what caused them, their ripple effects on businesses, and how (theoretically) to keep the lights on next time. As usual I also attempt to cover key Microsoft product updates (Azure, M365, Copilot) and a brief recap on our fortnightly (or… Continue Reading →
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