Need to Know podcast–Episode 360

In this episode I’m joined by Shervin Shaffie from Microsoft to do a deep dive into Copilot Studio. That’s the service from Microsoft that allows you to create agents in a ‘low-code’ manner right inside the M365 environment. Shervin has some great Youtube content I highly recommend and provides some great insights and tips and tricks in this episode when working with agents in Microsoft 365. I’ll also brin you up to date with the latest Microsoft Cloud news. Listen along.

Brought to you by www.ciaopspatron.com

you can listen directly to this episode at:

https://ciaops.podbean.com/e/episode-360-shervin-shaffie/

Subscribe via iTunes at:

https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/ciaops-need-to-know-podcasts/id406891445?mt=2

or Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/show/7ejj00cOuw8977GnnE2lPb

Don’t forget to give the show a rating as well as send me any feedback or suggestions you may have for the show.

Resources

Explore the tools, communities, and content mentioned in this episode:

CIAOPS Need to Know Podcast: https://ciaops.podbean.com/
CIAOPS Blog: https://blog.ciaops.com/
CIAOPS Labs: https://blog.ciaopslabs.com/
CIAOPS Brief: https://blog.ciaops.com/tag/cia-brief/
Join the Teams Shared Channel: https://blog.ciaops.com/2022/07/29/join-my-teams-shared-channel/
CIAOPS Merch Store: https://my-store-c5d877-2.creator-spring.com/
CIAOPS Publications: https://directorcia.gumroad.com
Become a Patron: https://www.ciaopspatron.com/
Direct Support: https://ko-fi.com/ciaops
Get Your M365 Questions Answered: https://blog.ciaops.com/2025/06/11/get-your-m365-questions-answered-via-email-2/
Test Your Microsoft 365 Speed: https://blog.ciaops.com/2025/07/21/test-your-microsoft-365-speed-in-seconds-for-free/
CIAOPS Email list – https://bit.ly/cia-email

Show Notes

Shervin Shaffie – https://www.linkedin.com/in/sherv/
Principal Copilot Engineer at Microsoft
Collaboration Simplified YouTube: https://youtube.com/@collaborationsimplified
All About AI Podcast: https://cosi.pro/aipodcast

FY26 Q2 – Press Releases – Investor Relations – Microsoft

The Microsoft Copilot Data Connector for Microsoft Sentinel is Now in Public Preview | Microsoft Community Hub

Secure Boot playbook for certificates expiring in 2026

SharePoint Showcase highlights: Copilot and agents governance and security essentials for admins

What’s New in Microsoft 365 Copilot | January 2026 | Microsoft Community Hub

Upcoming Conditional Access change: Improved enforcement for policies with resource exclusions

CIAOPS Need to Know Microsoft 365 Webinar – February

laptop-eyes-technology-computer_thumb

Now in our tenth year!

Join me for the free monthly CIAOPS Need to Know webinar. Along with all the Microsoft Cloud news we’ll be taking a look at the new Baseline Security Mode.

Shortly after registering you should receive an automated email from Microsoft Teams confirming your registration, including all the event details as well as a calendar invite.

You can register for the regular monthly webinar here:

February Registrations

(If you are having issues with the above link copy and paste – https://bit.ly/n2k2602 )

The details are:

CIAOPS Need to Know Webinar – February 2026
Friday 20th of February 2026
11.00am – 12.00am Sydney Time

All sessions are recorded and posted to the CIAOPS Youtube channel.

Also feel free at any stage to email me directly via director@ciaops.com with your webinar topic suggestions.

I’d also appreciate you sharing information about this webinar with anyone you feel may benefit from the session and I look forward to seeing you there.

CIA Brief 20260131

Splitting single-tenant Microsoft Defender XDR Sentinel logs in multiple company scenarios –

https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/coreinfrastructureandsecurityblog/splitting-single-tenant-…

SharePoint Showcase highlights: Copilot and agents governance and security essentials for admins –

https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/microsoft365insiderblog/sharepoint-showcase-highlights-cop…

What’s New in Microsoft 365 Copilot | January 2026 –

https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/microsoft365copilotblog/what%E2%80%99s-new-in-microsoft-36…

Turning threat reports into detection insights with AI –

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/security/blog/2026/01/29/turning-threat-reports-detection-insights-…

Silicon to Systems: What powers Microsoft’s AI Infrastructure –

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFqxwv-fiWI

Microsoft Azure Maia 200: Scott Guthrie EVP –

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGecvPR2QWo

Upcoming Conditional Access change: Improved enforcement for policies with resource exclusions –

https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/microsoft-entra-blog/upcoming-conditional-access-change-im…

Microsoft Purview | Data Security Triage Agent in DLP –

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZQKnvSV3B0

Microsoft Defender for Office 365 | Mail Bombing and Mixed-Mode Attack Protection –

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXGsQpqCWD4

The 6 pillars that will define agent readiness in 2026 –

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-copilot/blog/copilot-studio/the-6-pillars-that-will-defin…

UPDATE: New timeline for transitioning Sentinel experience to Defender portal –

https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/microsoftsentinelblog/update-new-timeline-for-transitionin…

New Microsoft Data Security Index report explores secure AI adoption to protect sensitive data –

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/security/blog/2026/01/29/new-microsoft-data-security-index-report-e…

General availability of source specific filters in Copilot Search –

https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/microsoft365copilotblog/general-availability-of-source-spe…

Trust DigiCert Global Root G2 Certificate Authority to Avoid Exchange Online Email Disruption –

https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/exchange/trust-digicert-global-root-g2-certificate-authori…

Voice in Microsoft 365 Copilot – Hands-Free Productivity –

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aeFpj-Ea3iY

Conditional Access for Agent Identities in Microsoft Entra –

https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/coreinfrastructureandsecurityblog/conditional-access-for-a…

More control over proofing language in OneNote on Windows –

https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/microsoft365insiderblog/more-control-over-proofing-languag…

Agent Mode is Here: Build & Edit Spreadsheets with Copilot in Excel –

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDv8B_N_V1A

Advance Your SOC Skills with the Power of Microsoft Sentinel data lake and graph –

https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/microsoft-security-blog/advance-your-soc-skills-with-the-p…

Updated Exchange Online SMTP AUTH Basic Authentication Deprecation Timeline –

https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/exchange/updated-exchange-online-smtp-auth-basic-authentic…

St. Luke’s saves nearly 200 hours monthly with AI-powered Security Copilot agents –

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGsZWFMsS_g

Microsoft 365 Accessibility, a year in review: Building accessible experiences with support from AI –

https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/microsoft365insiderblog/microsoft-365-accessibility-a-year…

Accelerating Microsoft 365 Copilot Adoption with Automated Readiness Assessment –

https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/microsoft365copilotblog/accelerating-microsoft-365-copilot…

From runtime risk to real‑time defense: Securing AI agents –

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/security/blog/2026/01/23/runtime-risk-realtime-defense-securing-ai-…

After hours

Alex Honnold BEST MOMENTS Free Soloing Taipei 101 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkVZm5UuXIs

Editorial

If you found this valuable, the I’d appreciate a ‘like’ or perhaps a donation at https://ko-fi.com/ciaops. This helps me know that people enjoy what I have created and provides resources to allow me to create more content. If you have any feedback or suggestions around this, I’m all ears. You can also find me via email director@ciaops.com and on X (Twitter) at https://www.twitter.com/directorcia.

If you want to be part of a dedicated Microsoft Cloud community with information and interactions daily, then consider becoming a CIAOPS Patron – www.ciaopspatron.com.

Watch out for the next CIA Brief next week

January Microsoft 365 Webinar resources

The slides from this month’s webinar are available at:

https://github.com/directorcia/general/blob/master/Presentations/Need%20to%20Know%20Webinars/202601.pdf

and the video recording is also up on Youtube here:

Video URL – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5dXVGbfcXE

Watch out for next month’s webinar.

Need to Know podcast–Episode 359

I am joined by Andrew and Tim from Sherpatech to discuss updates and new challenges in the insurance market. If you missed last year’s episode you’ll find it here Episode 338 – Ensure to Insure. We discuss what impact AI is likely to have and how the insurance market is shaping up for 2026. I also have a few interesting updates and information from the Microsoft cloud for this first episode of 2026. So listen along and enjoy!

Brought to you by www.ciaopspatron.com

you can listen directly to this episode at:

https://ciaops.podbean.com/e/episode-359-reinsurance/

Subscribe via iTunes at:

https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/ciaops-need-to-know-podcasts/id406891445?mt=2

or Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/show/7ejj00cOuw8977GnnE2lPb

Don’t forget to give the show a rating as well as send me any feedback or suggestions you may have for the show.

Resources

Explore the tools, communities, and content mentioned in this episode:

CIAOPS Need to Know Podcast: https://ciaops.podbean.com/
CIAOPS Blog: https://blog.ciaops.com/
CIAOPS Labs: https://blog.ciaopslabs.com/
CIAOPS Brief: https://blog.ciaops.com/tag/cia-brief/
Join the Teams Shared Channel: https://blog.ciaops.com/2022/07/29/join-my-teams-shared-channel/
CIAOPS Merch Store: https://my-store-c5d877-2.creator-spring.com/
CIAOPS Publications: https://directorcia.gumroad.com
Become a Patron: https://www.ciaopspatron.com/
Direct Support: https://ko-fi.com/ciaops
Get Your M365 Questions Answered: https://blog.ciaops.com/2025/06/11/get-your-m365-questions-answered-via-email-2/
Test Your Microsoft 365 Speed: https://blog.ciaops.com/2025/07/21/test-your-microsoft-365-speed-in-seconds-for-free/
CIAOPS Email list – https://bit.ly/cia-email

Show Notes

‘AI adoption is accelerating, but confidence is collapsing’: The more workers use AI, the less they trust it. Baby boomers show a 35% drop

Data Security Posture Management for AI | Microsoft Community Hub

GitHub Copilot CLI

Bringing work context to your code in GitHub Copilot – Microsoft for Developers

PowerShell script to extract M365 security data for your own AI analysis – CIAOPS

Essential 8 AI report via PowerShell – CIAOPS

Unlocking Microsoft 365 Security: How I Automated AI-Powered Risk Analysis with PowerShell

YouTube

Microsoft and Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team unite to drive innovation from factory to circuit – Source

Microsoft OneDrive, a year in review: AI-powered file management and smarter collaboration

Demystifying Exchange Online Mailbox Quotas | Microsoft Community Hub

SherpaTech

Insurance Health Check

MSP/ IT Professional Insurance Quote and Policy portal

Insurance Checklists

CIA Brief 20260124

Exchange Online Public Folder Data and Retention Questions –

https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/exchange/exchange-online-public-folder-data-and-retention-…

Inside the takedown of RaccoonO365: How Phishing-as-a-Service fuels ransomware’s engine –

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/corporate-responsibility/topics/cybersecurity/stories/raccoono365/

Inside the takedown of RaccoonO365: How Phishing-as-a-Service fuels ransomware’s engine –

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/corporate-responsibility/topics/cybersecurity/stories/raccoono365/

Ford builds trust across global operations with Microsoft Defender –

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55tcTDO1Sbw

Microsoft and Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team unite to drive innovation from factory to circuit –

https://news.microsoft.com/source/2026/01/22/microsoft-and-mercedes-amg-petronas-f1-team-unite-to-d…

Microsoft Security success stories: Why integrated security is the foundation of AI transformation –

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/security/blog/2026/01/22/microsoft-security-success-stories-why-int…

Message Trace Support Using Graph API is now in Public Preview –

https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/exchange/message-trace-support-using-graph-api-is-now-in-p…

Automating Microsoft Sentinel: A blog series on enabling Smart Security –

https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/microsoftsentinelblog/automating-microsoft-sentinel-a-blog…

Microsoft OneDrive, a year in review: AI-powered file management and smarter collaboration –

https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/microsoft365insiderblog/microsoft-onedrive-a-year-in-revie…

After hours

Free climbing in Greenland – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ep-xRQDTiOg

Editorial

If you want to be part of a dedicated Microsoft Cloud community with information and interactions daily, then consider becoming a CIAOPS Patron – www.ciaopspatron.com.

Watch out for the next CIA Brief next week

CIA Brief 20260118

Demystifying Exchange Online Mailbox Quotas –

https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/exchange/demystifying-exchange-online-mailbox-quotas/44864…

Inside RedVDS: How a single virtual desktop provider fueled worldwide cybercriminal operations –

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/security/blog/2026/01/14/inside-redvds-how-a-single-virtual-desktop-provider-fueled-worldwide-cybercriminal-operations/

Turn Complexity into Clarity: Introducing the New UEBA Behaviors Layer in Microsoft Sentinel –

https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/microsoftsentinelblog/turn-complexity-into-clarity-introdu…

After hours

The AI coding boom hits software – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkmuyUTZvXU

Editorial

If you want to be part of a dedicated Microsoft Cloud community with information and interactions daily, then consider becoming a CIAOPS Patron – www.ciaopspatron.com.

Watch out for the next CIA Brief next week

CIA Brief 20260112

Microsoft OneDrive, a year in review: AI-powered file management and smarter collaboration –

https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/microsoft365insiderblog/microsoft-onedrive-a-year-in-revie…

Add links to text faster in Word –

https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/microsoft365insiderblog/add-links-to-text-faster-in-word/4…

Determine Defender for Endpoint offboarding state of Windows machines using PowerShell –

https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/coreinfrastructureandsecurityblog/determine-defender-for-e…

From awareness to action: Building a security-first culture for the agentic AI era –

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-cloud/blog/2025/12/10/from-awareness-to-action-building-a…

Always‑on Diagnostics for Purview Endpoint DLP: Effortless, Zero‑Friction troubleshooting for admins –

https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/microsoft-security-blog/always%E2%80%91on-diagnostics-for-…

Explore the latest Microsoft Incident Response proactive services for enhanced resilience –

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/security/blog/2026/01/07/explore-the-latest-microsoft-incident-resp…

Exchange Online canceling the Mailbox External Recipient Rate Limit –

https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/exchange/exchange-online-canceling-the-mailbox-external-re…

Introducing the Microsoft Defender Experts Suite: Elevate your security with expert-led services –

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/security/blog/2026/01/06/introducing-the-microsoft-defender-experts…

Phishing actors exploit complex routing and misconfigurations to spoof domains –

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/security/blog/2026/01/06/phishing-actors-exploit-complex-routing-an…

Announcing public preview: Uncovering hidden threats with the Dynamic Threat Detection Agent –

https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/microsoftthreatprotectionblog/announcing-public-preview-un…

After hours

Dawn of Cyberwarfare | Full Award-Winning Documentary – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIEOB2jIr_o

Editorial

If you want to be part of a dedicated Microsoft Cloud community with information and interactions daily, then consider becoming a CIAOPS Patron – www.ciaopspatron.com.

Watch out for the next CIA Brief next week