Managed PostgreSQL vs. self-hosted PostgreSQL: Key benefits and trade-offs

By Dustin Ward

Summary This post is for technical decision makers evaluating where to run production PostgreSQL workloads. It compares two valid operating models—self-managed PostgreSQL and a managed database service—through business and operational outcomes: control, engineering capacity, resilience, security, cost predictability, risk tolerance, and access to specialist expertise. The right choice depends on which responsibilities the organization needs…

The Economics of Agent Optimization: Four ways to lower the cost

By Dustin Ward

This blog post is the second of a four-part series called The Economics of Agent Optimization which shares the strategies, capabilities, and proof points to help you optimize agent costs and run AI as a managed investment system on Microsoft Foundry. The first post set out the three decisions that system rests on: optimize each…

The patch window is collapsing: Why security needs a new control plane

By Dustin Ward

For decades, cybersecurity defenders have relied on a relatively straightforward model: a vulnerability is disclosed, security teams assess exposure, test available fixes, deploy patches into production, and ultimately close the risk before attackers can exploit it at scale.  That model increasingly reflects a world that no longer exists. Today’s enterprises operate thousands of interconnected workloads…

The Economics of Agent Optimization: From pilots to measurable returns

By Dustin Ward

This blog post is the first of a four-part series called The Economics of Agent Optimization which shares the strategies, capabilities, and proof points to help you optimize agent costs and run AI as a managed investment system on Microsoft Foundry. The AI conversation in most enterprises has moved from the whiteboard to the budget…