AWS Strands harness on Azure: five defaults to change first
AWS released Strands harness on 21 September 2026, an open-source Python and TypeScript agent harness that AWS says cuts token cost by 28% and that can run on Azure Container Apps. Out of the box it calls Amazon Bedrock, approves every tool call and keeps memory in a local folder, so Swedish and EU Azure teams need to change five defaults before any company data goes near it.
Agent Framework Harness GA: build or buy your agent loop
Microsoft's Agent Framework Harness and Foundry Hosted Agents reached general availability in early August 2026, wrapping models with function invocation, context compaction, planning, memory, tool approvals and OpenTelemetry in a runtime that runs locally, in containers, or consumption-billed on Foundry. A decision framework for Azure teams weighing the GA runtime against a hand-rolled agent loop, with cost levers and the Swedish compliance picture.