New features in Microsoft Azure do not come available as a beta. Microsoft adds new features in an extremely rapid pace of about every three weeks. Most new features are first being made available as a Preview. Sometimes, the Preview is open to the public and sometimes usage of the Preview is limited. An example of a limited Preview was Azure Site Recovery.

Like in a beta of any Microsoft software, you should not use Preview features in any production environment. The Preview is meant to do research on the new feature before it eventually becomes generally available. It is also much appreciated when Preview users provide their feedback to Microsoft.

Azure Previews are likely to become generally available at some time. However, there is no guarantee.

An overview of Azure Preview features can be found at http://www.windowsazure.com/en-us/services/preview/.