Networking Foundation

by
Rob Helm

by
Rob Helm

As managing vice president, Rob Helm covers Microsoft collaboration services and client software. His 25-plus years of experience analyzing Microsoft’s... more

Networking foundation services implement virtual networks (often called VNets) for Azure. Azure virtual networks interconnect Azure VMs and other resources with the Internet using standard protocols. They play a role in most projects that use Azure IaaS services, such as Azure VMs, and they implement private connections to PaaS services that support them.

Product: Networking Foundation

Near Term (2026-2027)

Virtual Network: Default outbound access to Internet phased out. New Azure virtual networks are disconnected from the Internet by default as of Mar. 2026. Previously, new virtual networks came with a “default outbound access” component for public Internet connectivity. The change does not yet affect virtual networks created before Mar. 2026. But Microsoft is urging all customers to replace default outbound access, and it could eliminate the component on 12 months’ notice. Customers can replace default outbound access with a separate Internet connectivity component such as Azure NAT Gateway or a public load balancer, which might entail additional costs.