Some Copilot and Security updates this week as well as some handy information about Microsoft OneNote and Loop, plus a whole lot more. Listen for all the latest cloud news from Microsoft.
The reason for it taking this long was that Spotify only accepts audio only podcasts and while back I did a number of episodes that included video. Thus, MP4 vs MP3 versions prevented them being available on Spotify.
No longer. Subscribe and listen in to all the latest news from the Microsoft Cloud with a focus on SMB.
You are going to need to update any global administrator account that doesn’t have MFA enabled soon. Failing to do so will cause you some pain when you visit the Azure, EntraID or Intune portal. See the included article for more details. This and lots of Microsoft cloud news in this episode including some great improvements to Microsoft Teams.
Mandatory Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): Robert discussed the recent announcement by Microsoft regarding mandatory MFA for Azure sign-ins, affecting Azure portal and dependencies like Intune. He emphasized the need for configuring MFA for break glass accounts without it, suggesting options like Microsoft Authenticator, passkey, or Fido key hardware token. The deadline for compliance is mid-October. 1:16
OneNote on Windows Update: Robert shared updates on OneNote for Windows, indicating a shift from the Windows 10 standalone version to a continued development of the desktop edition, incorporating features from the Windows 10 edition. He recommended reviewing a specific Microsoft article for more details. 3:24
Microsoft Defender for Endpoint: Robert highlighted the importance of safe deployment practices for Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, referencing a Microsoft article that provides guidance on staged rollouts and managing engine updates. 4:15
Enterprise Data Protection: Robert mentioned updates to Copilot aimed at bringing enterprise data protection to more organizations. He noted some confusion between commercial and enterprise data protection but underscored the importance of securing Microsoft 365 accounts. 4:48
SharePoint Premium: Robert discussed the rebranding of SharePoint syntax to SharePoint Premium, detailing new features like autofill columns, document processing, and OCR. He also mentioned the cost-effective aspect of tying syntax usage to an Azure subscription for SMBs. 5:53
Custom Naming for General Channel in Teams: Robert shared a new feature in Microsoft Teams allowing users to give custom names to the general channel, addressing a long-standing request from users for more descriptive channel naming. 7:18
Enhanced Presenter and Attendee Experience in Teams: Robert praised the enhanced presenter and attendee experience in Teams, highlighting the ability for presenters to see what their screen is displaying to the audience. 7:47
Face Check Availability: Robert announced the general availability of Face Check, a facial recognition feature for secure app sign-ins. He speculated on its potential as an MFA replacement and encouraged exploring its integration with apps. 8:26
AI Enhancements in ClipChamp: Robert discussed new AI features in ClipChamp, such as background removal, enhancing the tool’s viability for users working with images and videos within Microsoft 365 subscriptions. 10:07
Planner Updates: Robert touched on updates to Planner, including a new interface and integration with Copilot for Microsoft 365, suggesting it as a useful tool for project management within teams. 10:39
Collaboration on Zero Trust Implementations: Robert mentioned a blog post detailing collaboration between Microsoft and NIST on advancing Zero Trust implementations, emphasizing the “trust no one” approach to security. 11:23
Detecting Compromised RDP Sessions: Robert highlighted Defender for Endpoint’s capability to detect compromised RDP sessions, sharing suggestions and KQL queries for identifying such sessions. 12:05
Along with all the news and updates from the Microsoft Cloud I muse on the fact that the new Microsoft 365 Backup service may have been partially created to solve the storage issues of deleted data in Microsoft 365 environments. Just a theory, but listen along if you like to hear my thoughts.
The Crowdstrike issue has been the dominant news item recently and I have some information as well as my own thoughts on this which I share. As always the news and updates from Microsoft continue and I share with you what I feel is most relevant including a number of handy videos on various Copilots, so listen along and enjoy. As always love to hear your thoughts and feedback.
Latest news and updates from the Microsoft Cloud. Global Secure Access pricing has been announced but not a lot of details published on this as yet, hopefully soon. Updates for both Entra and Copilot that you should take a look at. Also a great video demonstrating the use of Microsoft technology in a modern classroom. Thanks again for listening.
Summary of podcast episode straight from Copilot for Microsoft 365:
Key Topics:
Introduction and podcast details: Robert Crane welcomes listeners to episode 322 of the Need to Know Podcast, a podcast with news and information on Microsoft Cloud for the SMB. He also shares how to contact him and support the podcast. 0:05
Global secure access pricing: Robert Crane informs listeners about the new pricing for global secure access, a feature of Microsoft Entra that allows private tunnelling for traffic to Microsoft 365, internet and on-premises resources. He also explains how it works and what benefits it provides. 1:47
Entra certificate based authentication enhancements: Robert Crane highlights a new article that explains the enhancements made to Entra certificate based authentication, a way to add additional security when logging in with or without MFA. 7:13
OneNote copilot linked notes support: Robert Crane announces that OneNote copilot now supports linked notes, a feature that allows users to link notes across different pages and notebooks. 7:35
What’s new in Entra June 2024: Robert Crane directs listeners to a detailed post that summarizes the updates and improvements made to Entra in June 2024, such as config refresh, user insights, PowerShell module and more. 7:54
AI security attacks: Robert Crane shares his interest in some attacks or threats that can be launched against AI, such as crescendo and skeleton key. He also provides links to videos and articles that explain how they work and how to defend against them. 9:56
Copilot for security TI embedded experiences: Robert Crane informs listeners that copilot for security TI embedded experiences is now generally available, a feature that allows users to use security copilot to query and analyze threat intelligence data. 12:57
Transforming your business with Microsoft technologies: Robert Crane recommends listeners to watch a short video by Jared Spataro, a Microsoft executive, that shows how to start transforming your business with Microsoft technologies, such as Viva, Teams, Stream and more. 14:21
UNSW digital teaching studio: Robert Crane praises a video that showcases the state of the art digital teaching studio at UNSW, a university in Australia, that uses Microsoft technologies to create a modern and engaging digital classroom. 14:36
Lots of news an updates after being a few weeks since last episode. Fear not however, they are all linked below. Plenty of really detailed and helpful articles from Microsoft of late, especially around security. All of which I highly recommend you spend time working through and implementing the recommendations. Also plenty of new features and products to cover so dive in and take a look.
I’ve now had a chance to play with Copilot for Security and can recommend it but to ensure that costs don’t spiral out of control for SMB, it needs to used in an ad hoc manner. Listen along for my thoughts and a walk through of resources available for you. Also news of updates of Exchange email threshold limits being changed as well as improvements for Microsoft Mesh, Loop and more. Listen in for the latest updates.
Summary of podcast episode straight from Copilot for Microsoft 365:
Key Topics:
Microsoft Build 2024: Robert highlighted the new AI features and capabilities announced at the developer conference, such as Copilot Studio, Teams Copilot, and GPT-4O. 2:23
Windows 11 security updates: Robert explained some of the new security features in Windows 11, such as Smart App Control, Vulnerability Driver Protection, and Credential Guard. 9:39
Copilot Plus PCs: Robert shared his thoughts on the new PC form factor with an NPU and Windows Recall, and asked for feedback from anyone who has bought or considered buying one. 13:38
Edge browser: Robert recommended using Edge for better security and productivity, and pointed out some of the AI features in the browser. 15:56
Azure tenants and subscriptions: Robert suggested reading a blog post that clarifies the concepts of Azure tenants, Entra ID, and subscriptions. 16:41
Windows Autopilot: Robert mentioned the benefits of using Windows Autopilot for hands-off deployment of Windows devices, and shared a link to an article that details the new features in the next generation of Autopilot. 17:28
CIAOPS 