RunAs Radio

Windows Admin Center in Azure? Richard talks to Prasidh Arora about the preview of WAC in Azure - giving admins that familiar Windows Admin Center view of Azure Virtual Machines running Windows Server 2016 or later. Prasidh talks about creating a unified view and admin access to your servers, whether they are running on-premises, in Azure, or even on other cloud infrastructures. Installing Azure Arc on a server makes it available from WAC in Azure. The conversation also digs into the privileges challenges - making sure you have rights on the server for WAC's different capabilities. But with WAC for Azure, we're one step closer to a unified view and control of infrastructure. Links:Windows Admin CenterAzure ArcManage Azure Arc-enabled Servers with WACAzure Stack HCIAzure RBACRecorded June 3, 2022

How do you keep Windows devices updated? Richard talks to Aria Carley about Microsoft's array of update services, including Windows Update for Business, Windows Server Update Services, Intune, Configuration Manager, and more! The host of products can be intimidating, but Aria lays out their role in your organization in a triangle of cost, time, and risk. The options range from allowing consumer-style automatic updates to controlling every install and the order they take place. Where is your comfort level on the triangle?Links:Windows Update for BusinessWindows Server Update ServicesMicrosoft IntuneConfiguration ManagerUpdate Management in AzureWindows Update for Business Deployment ServiceRecorded Wednesday, June 8, 2022

Does your organization have a data culture? Richard talks with Microsoft CVP Rohan Kumar, and Mars VP Santosh Jamadagni about building organizations focused on data rather than opinion to drive the company forward. Rohan talks about getting data out of silos and into the hands of folks that can act on the information to make better business decisions. Santosh discusses how Mars has empowered workers throughout the Mars organization with real-time information. The conversation digs into the need to apply security rules to data as it enters the organization so that it is immediately available to the right people at the right time. Data availability is the key to a data culture!Links:Microsoft Data PlatformAzure Synapse LinkAzure PurviewRecorded May 4, 2022

How can Viva Insights improve personal productivity and the productivity of the team? Richard talks to Karoliina Kettukari about the role of Viva Insights - starting with that daily email you likely already get. Karoliina talks about folks using M365 leaving traces of their work and how Insights puts that information to work. Insights help you be more productive by helping you block out time for meaningful work, make sure you follow through on commitments you make, and even identify when you may be working too much. The conversation also explores the management tooling for Insights to help leaders see their team's productivity in the aggregate!Links:Microsoft VivaViva InsightsGoverance for TeamsRecorded May 4, 2022

Are you ready to turn off your last exchange server? Richard talks with Tony Redmond about the recent announcement by Microsoft around management tools for Exchange Hybrid. Tony discusses how organizations that migrated Exchange to Office 365 are stuck with one last server: The server that hosts management tools. The management tools move to a workstation, but they are PowerShell only. And the process of shutting down your last Exchange Server is very much a one-way trip, at least for now. Should you do it? Tony says it's time to get started!Links:Office 365 for IT ProsRetiring Your Last Exchange ServerProject MonadFastTrack EligibityMicrosoft Replication ServiceRecorded May 2, 2022

How does healthcare function in the cloud? Richard talks to Lynn Langit about her work helping healthcare-related workloads move into the cloud. Lynn talks about how lift-and-shift is a great starting point - it stops analysis-paralysis and gets a baseline on costs in the cloud, which helps plan high return-on-investment activities around workloads. The conversation digs into the visualization challenge: It is hard to see what is being moved into the cloud and how it is operating there. Lynn digs into the cloud-as-architecture side of things since most customers do not know how working in the cloud is supposed to look, and there are distinct differences from on-premises operations!Links:Lynn's WebsiteAzure FastTrackMicrosoft R Application NetworkRecorded May 2, 2022

What happens when your neighbor starts a war? Richard chats with Sami Laiho about how his work has changed since the conflict between Russia and Ukraine began. Sami talks about splitting the active directory infrastructure of companies that have offices in both Finland and Russia. The conversation dives into the complexities of making two AD solutions from one - splitting admins, FSMO roles, etc. Then there is the cyber warfare problem - countries bordering Russia have dealt with many cyber attacks over the years and have some excellent practices. Do you?Links:Sami's BlogRecorded May 2, 2022

What are the technical skills that the modern IT Pro needs? Richard chats with Sonia Cuff about a recent blog post that digs into the array of technical skills she sees today. Many are old standbys, like networking and server configuration. And the cloud is undoubtedly an essential part of the current skill set. But there are newer aspects to explore, like source control for scripts and Infrastructure-as-Code. While you don't have to have every skill, it's worth thinking about how you're expanding your skill set and what new things you can add to be more effective!Links:Sonia's Blog PostsAzure MonitorDynamic ThresholdsAzure BicepSetting up Windows TerminalRecorded April 21, 2022

In Las Vegas, once again, this is the Q&A session from the SQL Server & Azure SQL Conference in April 2022. Richard moderated questions and answers from SQL luminaries, including Bob Ward, Buck Woody, Pam Lahoud, Bradley Ball, Des Fitzgerald, Davide Mauri, Rie Merritt, and Kevin Farlee. The conversation ranges over Azure SQL migration, new features in SQL Server 2022, challenges in scaling, reliability, disaster recovery, and more!Links:SQL Server and Azure SQL ConferenceRecorded April 7, 2022

How can backups protect you from ransomware? Richard chats with Karinne Bessette about how backup technology has responded to the need for ransomware protection. Whether it's intelligent backup tape systems that automatically pop out tapes so they won't overwrite or other air-gap strategies for backups, you need to have a backup you can rely on to recover from a ransomware attack without paying the ransom. Backups can also be a part of the requirements for ransomware insurance - and if your backups aren't sufficient, they can void the insurance! It is also crucial to know what it takes to restore from backup, how long it takes, and the order of things when recovering, even from the ground up. Backups aren't going away any time soon!Links:Malware and Ransomware Protection in Microsoft 365Veeam Disaster Recovery OrchestratorBusiness Continuity and Disaster RecoveryMicrosoft SentinelRecorded March 25, 2022

Can we move away from Active Directory? Richard talks to Travis Roberts about the prospect of moving organizations off of Windows Active Directory and solely onto Azure Active Directory with Microsoft Intune. Travis talks about the critical aspects of Windows Active Directory - NTLM and Kerberos. Can your organization live without them? That means file shares and printing for most places. Microsoft has recommended that hybrid AD is the long-term solution, and for most sites, that's probably right. But how can you depend on Windows AD less? Can new machines coming into the organization avoid being AD-joined? Lots of great thinking about moving forward with Active Directory!Links:Azure Active DirectoryAzure Active Directory Domain ServicesActive DirectoryAzure Universal PrintWindows 365 BusinessMicrosoft IntuneHybrid Azure ADTravis' BlogTravis' YouTubeRecorded March 3, 2022

How do you manage the sprawl of Teams? Richard chats with Erica Toelle and John Gruszczyk about the governance of Teams, starting with allowing a bit of sprawl in the first place - people give up on tools that are too locked down. You have to leave room to explore! But once folks engage with Teams and the sprawl gets a bit out of control, there are tools to help you protect people and information shared there. John talks about controlling access to different parts of Teams, depending on your role in the organization and external guests. Erica dives into labeling data as sensitive and how the Data Loss Prevention tooling can help protect data and indicate where it might be exposed inappropriately. There are many approaches to controlling sprawl. You can choose what is best for your organization!Links:Microsoft TeamsMultifactor AuthenticationAccess Governance in TeamsData Loss Prevention PolicyPower AutomateVirtual AgentsTeams and SharePoint IntegrationRecorded March 3, 2022

We all have those problem WiFi devices - how do you fix them? Richard chats with Ryan Woodings about Tonic, the latest product from MetaGeek that helps you analyze WiFi traffic by the device to understand its problems. Ryan talks about tracking WiFi-specific information, including what AP a client is connecting to and all the intimate details of WiFi connection negotiating. Tools like Tonic can identify a broken antenna in a device based on that traffic or just poor decision-making by the WiFi chipset - and what you can do about it!Links:Signifi for BusinessWireSharkRecording March 3, 2022

How do you keep your SQL queries fast? Richard chats with Monica Rathbun about her approaches to SQL Server query tuning. Monica starts with defining the problem - how do we know that the database is the performance bottleneck? The conversation dives into measuring query performance and the power of Query Store, but only on SQL Server 2016 and above, so get upgrading! Entity Framework is a standard tool for developers to automate access to SQL. Still, it can generate some pretty ugly queries, and Monica talks about different ways to improve them, including the old standby of writing a stored procedure. Lots of ideas for folks struggling to make their databases go fast!Links:Monitoring Performance with Query StoreCommon Table ExpressionsCursors in SQL ServerSQL Server ProfilerGlenn's SQL Server Performance BlogRecorded February 22, 2022

Ready to flex your Bicep? Richard talks to John Downs from Azure Fast Track about configuring Azure resources using Bicep. John talks about Azure Resource Manager (ARM) being the under-the-hood way to create Azure Infrastructure-as-a-Service, but folks don't enjoy working directly in the JSON that makes up an ARM template. Enter Bicep, a domain-specific language that generates the JSON for you. Today Bicep is Microsoft's recommended way to build Azure resources, offering access to source control, testing, and automation that makes your Azure site more reliable and easier to maintain!Links:Bicep DocsAzure Resource ManagerBicep ModulesBicep RegistryTesting BicepAzure AD Privileged Identity ManagementLearn BicepRecorded March 3, 2022

What's coming in the next version of PowerShellGet? Richard chats with Sydney Smith about PowerShellGet in general and version 3 specifically. Sydney talks about how PowerShellGet appears like a command in PowerShell but is a separate module installed by default with PowerShell and is getting more features and some breaking changes. But version 3 also includes some compatibility features so that you can use your scripts dependent on PowerShellGet 2 within PowerShellGet 3. While there are some breaking changes, they make it easier to find and install the packages you need from the PowerShell Gallery or any other PowerShell repository you want to access.Links:The PowerShell GalleryMyGetPowerShell GalleryPowerShellGet Preview 12Desired State ConfigurationPowerShellGet vNext on GitHubRecorded February 17, 2022

What can Chocolatey do for you? Richard talks to Gary Ewan Park about the latest version of Chocolatey, including Chocolatey for Business. Originally a free, open-source product for application management primarily targeted at software developers, Chocolatey has evolved into a modern software automation product for managing software deployment on workstations and servers. Gary talks about keeping deployments self-contained and straightforward - use the Internet if you want to, but you can also do all deployments from a local package manager as well. With self-service and central management tools, you should look at the latest version of Chocolatey for Business!Links:ChocolateyChocolatey for BusinessPuppetChefBoxstarterChocolatey Community RepositoryWindows AutopilotRecording February 17, 2022

Is Azure Arc a crucial part of bringing the cloud into your organization? Richard talks with Microsoft CVP Erin Chapple about how Arc helps with digital transformation. Erin discusses the challenges of adding the cloud into an organization from a governance, regulatory, and security perspective, how Azure Arc provides oversight and control for those issues, and more. The conversation also gets into a survey done by Harris Polls for Microsoft that showed how the digital transformation process continues in most organizations, with hybrid and multi-cloud infrastructure being a common outcome. All the more reason to use Azure Arc to manage it all!Links:Arc at FergusonArc at NokiaArc at Siemens HealthineersHybrid & Multicloud Perceptions SurveyMultiCloud and Hybrid Using Azure Arc with Jeremy WinterInside Azure for ITRecorded February 17, 2022

How do you secure your email transport? Richard talks to Gareth Gudger about the various additional protocols and approaches essential to transporting email. Gareth reminds us that SMTP, like the Internet, was not designed with security in mind, so we have to add layers to try and improve things. It is an acronym soup of SPF, DKIM, DMARC, MTA-STS, and DANE - but every acronym gets a definition! Sure, there is more to email security than just transport, but arguably, this is the place to start. And after that - focus on identity security!Links:Office 365 for IT ProsHAFNIUM ExploitMTA-STS for Exchange OnlineEmail Encryption in M365Advanced Message EncryptionM365 MapsSPF in M365Gareth's BlogRecorded February 15, 2022

Windows Virtual Desktop is now Azure Virtual Desktop! Richard chats with Jen Sheerin about how Windows Virtual Desktop has evolved to become Azure Virtual Desktop - it's much more than a name change! Jen talks about how AVD is fully integrated into Azure, using ARM for configuration, tied in with Insights, and all the other Azure products you count on to manage, monitor, and maintain infrastructure. The conversation also dives into the Azure Fast Track program to help you get started with AVD and the kind of proof-of-concept projects you can build. There are many choices, but the best time to start is now!Links:Windows Virtual Desktop QuickStartAutoscale Preview for Azure Virtual Desktop Host PoolsWhat is Azure Virtual Desktop?Windows Enterprise Multi-session Remote DesktopAzure Virtual desktop for on-premises Azure StackFastTrack for AzureAzure Active Directory Domain ServicesUS Azure Virtual Desktop User GroupAzure MigrateAzure ExpressRouteAzure Data BoxRecorded February 15, 2022

It's 2022, time for a new version of SQL Server! Richard chats with Bob Ward about Microsoft's latest release of their ubiquitous database. The conversation starts out with a little bit of history of how SQL Server has evolved over the decades - and how there's still a need for a database in organizations, but the feature set has changed. Bob talks about making hybrid really work, whether it's an on-premises database that backs up and fails over to the cloud, or how tools like Azure Purview can live in the cloud and help monitor and govern on-premises databases. And if you do choose to migrate to the cloud, these hybrid options make life easier - especially with SQL 2022!Links:Azure SQL RevealedSQL Server 2022Azure SQL Managed InstanceAzure Synapse AnalyticsSQL Query Store with Erin StellatoAzure PurviewAzure ArcRecorded January 13, 2022

How does Microsoft Viva work alongside your Intranet? Richard talks to Tracy van der Schyff about her recent projects integrating Viva into existing intranet infrastructures. Tracy explains that Viva, specifically Viva Connections, does not change your Intranet but does assist in organizing access to various aspects of your Intranet with dashboards and the SharePoint App Bar. This leads to a conversation about managing both curation and customization of views of an organization to its employees. A single view doesn't work for everyone, and uncontrolled customization leads to chaos - where is the balance? The new tools in Viva can help!Links:Microsoft VivaViva ConnectionsViva LearningSharePoint App BarMicrosoft YammerMicrosoft Viva in DocsMicrosoft Viva Essential TrainingMicrosoft Viva RoadmapMicrosoft Viva BlogMicrosoft Viva at IgniteTracy's BlogRecorded January 17, 2022

The Internet Explorer 11 desktop application retires and goes out of support on June 15, 2022. Are you ready? Richard talks to Joel Hawks about what retirement actually means - the IE11 icon disappears, and only the Edge browser remains. But IE is not gone, it runs inside of Edge instead. Joel talks about getting away from depending on IE at all, by going through an evaluation process of web applications to see whether or not they actually depend on IE, or can run properly using the Edge rendering engine. There are a number of tools to help with this migration, including the Microsoft FastTrack service - give them a call!Links:Enterprise Mode Site ListSite Discovery with SCOMDisable Internet Explorer 11 PolicyCloud Site ListAzure AD Application ProxyEdge Setup GuideEdge PoliciesMicrosoft FastTrackRecorded January 13, 2022

It's 2022, how do you manage your client machines? Richard chats with Julie Andreacola about modern client management. Julie talks about how the pandemic accelerated the need for modern client technologies, including being able to provision and configure computers that will never be in the office. The conversation digs into Windows Autopilot and Microsoft Intune compared with more traditional deployment and configuration approaches. While the new approaches are broader and don't have as many detailed options as the old approaches, security is a key strength in modern client architecture - and that could be the key driver to change up your client management approach!Links:Microsoft FastTrackWindows AutopilotMicrosoft IntuneAzure AD Joined DevicesWindows 11DFCI on Surface DevicesDeploying Win32 Apps via IntuneWindows 365 Cloud PCAzure Virtual DesktopM365 Data Loss PreventionRecorded December 27, 2021

Back in Las Vegas and in person, this is the Q&A session from the SQL Server & Azure SQL Conference in December 2021.Bob Ward, Anna Hoffman, Buck Woody, Bradley Ball, Tim Chapman, Pedro Lopes, and a host of other great SQL speakers fielded questions from an audience of database professionals and developers - and the questions are wide-ranging! Links:SQL Server and Azure SQL Conference

What's a security audit, and why do you need one? Richard talks to Paula Januszkiewicz about auditing security, technical reviews, and so-called penetration testing. Paula talks about needing outside experts who focus on the scope of exploits out in the world today to help make sure all aspects of your company's systems are reasonably secure - there is no such thing as perfect security! The conversation gets into the details around finding a good auditor, what to expect from them, and what they will expect from you - a good security audit takes time, and is a conversation!Recorded December 21, 2021

Getting your Public Key Infrastructure right can be tricky - and getting wrong can be very bad. Richard talks to Richard Hicks about the right way to go about setting up and operating a PKI infrastructure in your organization. Different from the public certificates you use for websites and servers, Richard focuses on how to use certificates to authenticate and authorize users and devices. Tools like Intune and Autopilot can help you get certificates out to devices and users, as well as bootstrap new equipment security into your infrastructure. There's a lot to learn!Links:Server Certificate DeploymentActive Directory Auto-EnrollmentCertificates in IntuneWindows AutopilotCertificate Connector for Microsoft IntuneHybrid Azure AD Joined DevicesAzure AD Kerberos AuthenticationRichard Hicks BlogImplementing Always On VPNRecorded December 13, 2021

2021 was a tough year for security - how can we do better in 2022? Richard chats with Jess Dodson about working to get better at information security in your organization. Jess talks about the log4j exploit as a great example of "what don't we know" - and the need for a software bill of materials as part of your configuration management database. Having a list of the libraries that internal applications depend on helps you respond in a time of crisis, being able to answer the question "where are we vulnerable?" This leads to a conversation about better DevSecOps - where development, security, and operations all take security seriously and help each other to help the organization succeed!Links:Power AppsAzure SentinelSoftware Bill of MaterialsConfiguration Management DatabaseRecorded December 20, 2021

Happy holidays! Another year, another set of predictions around the life of IT Pros – now in 2022! The pandemic continues to evolve, with new variants appearing and vaccination levels getting high. Will the pandemic still be a significant factor next year? What about back-to-work plans? Or is working-from-home the new normal? The past year was tough on the security side of things with notable ransomware and business-email-compromise attacks – are you prepared? What will we be doing differently in the next year? And how did Richard's predictions from last year stand up to reality? Thanks again for listening!Recorded December 2021

Does your organization need hybrid identities? Richard talks to Sonia Cuff about Hybrid Active Directory, connecting your on-premises Active Directory infrastructure to M365 and Azure. There's essentially no choice in larger organizations - too many identities and applications exist that replicating identities would be a huge problem. But what about a small organization? Sonia talks about folks living in the Small Business Server and Windows Essential worlds that really could make a go of moving entirely in the cloud without hybrid - but it all comes down to applications that the organization needs. The conversation also digs into modern identity using password managers and authenticators - even going passwordless!Links:Azure AD ConnectMicrosoft IntuneAzure ArcMicrosoft AuthenticatorPasswordless IdentityRecorded November 25, 2021

Basic authentication is going away in Exchange Online - how will it impact you? Richard talks to Greg Taylor about the long-planned end of basic authentication support in Exchange Online. Greg talks about the fundamental vulnerability of basic authentication systems like POP and IMAP - and how many systems still use them by default. Too many business email compromise and ransomware attacks happen through an email hack, and getting rid of basic authentication will help. Basic auth goes away in October of 2022, and Greg discusses the many ways that Microsoft is assisting IT Pros to get to secure email protocols running before that happens!Links:iOS 11 Supports OAuth 2Exchange Web ServicesRecorded October 25, 2021

What's your adaptability quotient? Richard chats with Sara Caldwell and Angela Dugan about the ideas behind the adaptability quotient - the ability to respond to change. The pandemic certainly forced a lot of change on a lot of folks - and different people coped with the changes in different ways. Sara talks about thinking about your ability to adapt and strengthening that ability, starting with asking for help where needed. Angela digs into the changes that have happened for her and Sara just recently with the acquisition of their company - more opportunities to adapt! Change is inevitable. It's just a question of what we keep from the past and what we let go of: How are you adapting?Links:Adaptability QuotientMiro3 Cloud SolutionsRecorded October 25, 2021

Christmas Gifts for IT Pros! Richard chats with Joey Snow and Rick Claus about their favorite gift ideas for your favorite IT Pros. Yeah, IT folks are hard to buy for, but here are some stocking stuffers and other gifts you will be excited to receive. Whether it's items that will help you work more effectively, home automation to make living a little easier, or maybe just something geeky and fun, there are many cool things to choose. And if you're an IT Pro listening to this show, share the list of links with your loved ones - maybe you'll get some good stuff!Links:ROG Strix XG32VQLG 49 inch MonitorDell 43 inch 4K MonitorSmartphone Controlled Paper AirplaneRaspberry Pi Zero WEcho Show 15Echo Show 10Amazon AstroSky Lie Laser Galaxy ProjectorHome Assistant BlueGlencairn Glass Leather Travel SetPolaroid OneStep+Anker Nano ProAnker Portable PowerPureportiFixit Repair KitiFixit Magentic Project MatOculus Quest 2Recorded October 29, 2021

Windows 11 Ships! So now what? Richard chats with Mary Jo Foley about her thoughts around the release of Windows 11. Mary Jo talks about how quiet the conversation has been around Windows 11, other than a few bits of outrage like the TPM requirements - which, as it turns out, aren't actually required. Is there a reason to move to Windows 11? Most IT folks seem happy to wait for further updates - there's nothing wrong with Windows 10. Maybe operating system releases just aren't as exciting as they used to be?Links:Upgrading to Windows 11Windows WeeklyAll About MicrosoftRecorded October 22, 2021

Is the cloud secure? Richard chats with Screaming in the Cloud's Corey Quinn about the latest spate of security issues in AWS and Azure - and the responses to those issues. Corey talks about the risks the cloud providers are creating, not being clear when an exploit is found, to let people know how much visibility they have into the problem. Mitigating an exploit is not enough - you have to be able to answer the question about whether or not the cloud is secure. The alternatives are worse!Links:CosmosDB ExploitInsecure AWS BucketsAzure Container Services ExploitMicrosoft Zero TrustAmazon Zero TrustRecorded September 9, 2021

Should you inject a little chaos into your systems? Julie Gunderson says yes! Richard chats with Julie about how deliberate failing portions of your system teach you more about your dependency and resiliency. But it's not just about breaking things - you need to build a hypothesis around how you see the reliability of the system and then create tests to challenge that reliability - and how to recover quickly if the test does harm to productivity! Julie talks about starting small, maybe just a development pipeline before moving on to more significant systems like production. The goal is to be resilient, but you're only resilient if you test!Links:Chaos MonkeyGremlin BootcampsPage it to the Limit PodcastRecorded October 12, 2021

Episode 800! Richard chats about making 800 episodes of RunAs with Microsoft Technical Fellow Jeffrey Snover. The conversation digs into the state of the IT business today, with the huge role of the cloud and digital transformation, and how it impacts the nature of work. Jeffrey talks about how the artificial intelligence in M365 is emerging as a tool to help people be more productive, by watching what they're working on and helping them to organize their information and efforts better. This leads to a discussion about privacy, understanding objectives and key results, and the ultimate goal of any system - better outcomes. Could this actually be the next generation of Microsoft technology? Hopefully it won't take another 800 shows to find out!Links:The Strength of Weak Ties Recorded October 11, 2021

Is ransomware getting worse? Richard talks to Microsoft VP of Cybersecurity Ann Johnson about the state ransomware today. Ann quotes Sutton's law: "Why do criminals rob banks? Because that's where the money is." An increasing number of cybercriminals have successfully extorted money from companies using ransomware. So yes, ransomware is becoming more popular amongst criminals and will continue to do so until it doesn't pay. Ann explains that the Zero Trust Security Model is essential - as are data backups that you know how to restore! Beyond our efforts at the IT level, Ann talks about ongoing relationships with organizations like the FBI to go after cybercriminals at a higher level, shutting down infrastructure and charging the criminals with crimes. Ransomware is getting worse, and it's up to us to fight back!Links:Cybersecurity During the PandemicRiskIQAfternoon Cyber Tea with Microsoft's Ann JohnsonRecorded August 23, 2021

What's the right way to have virtual desktops in the cloud? Richard talks to Aidan Finn about a virtualization project he was involved with that started with Citrix Cloud, which runs in Azure. Aidan talks about the number of virtual machines involved in a large-scale VDI implementation, many of which are infrastructure and plumbing. Why own the plumbing when you can get it as a service? The conversation then digs into Azure Virtual Desktop, which doesn't have all the bells and whistles of Citrix Cloud, but does simplify implementation a great deal. No virtualization implementation is ever simple, but working at the platform level can make it easier!Links:Citrix CloudRemote Desktop ServicesAzure Virtual DesktopPackerAzure MonitorAzure VM Image BuilderMSIXRecorded September 9, 2021

How do you add custom audio, video, and text communications into your organization? Richard chats with Mary Anne Noskowski about Azure Communications Services (ACS), a set of APIs and tooling that brings the features of Teams communications into custom applications and more. Mary Anne talks about Teams integration, providing a means to customize the guest access features into Teams via ACS. The conversation also digs into a few different scenarios for optimizing customer, vendor, and employee experience in communications. It's early days for ACS, but they are taking the reins from the Skype for Business APIs - and it's the same APIs that Teams depend on, so you know they will scale!Links:Azure Communication ServicesAzure Active DirectoryACS on Microsoft MechanicsACS Health Care Demo AppACS Retail Demo AppRecorded August 5, 2021

Are you stuck in the print nightmare? Richard talks to Jeremy Moskowitz about the ongoing battle over potential exploits through the point-and-print system in Windows. Jeremy talks about the discovery of the vulnerability in July 2021 and how it has led to a series of patches and registry key changes to resist a potential exploit. Meantime, people need to print! There are several workarounds with Group Policy, and Jeremy's own PolicyPak has some practical solutions. If you put some time into thinking through how your organization prints, you can find a solution that works and is secure!Links:July Windows Print Spooler Remote Code Execution VulnerabilityAugust Windows Print Spooler Remote Code Execution VulnerabilityRestrictDriverInstallationToAdministratorGroup Policy Settings for Controlling PrintersUltimate Guide to PrintNightmarePDQ DeployRecorded September 9, 2021

Making mistakes with reporting or analytics can lead to mistakes in business and a loss of trust - now what? Richard chats with Melissa Coates about building mechanisms in tools like PowerBI to make it easier to get correct results. Melissa talks about having a diligent core of analytics and a flexible edge - making sure the expert data stewards and building data flows and repositories for accurate analytics, allowing the self-service PowerBI users to explore. Sure, everyone needs some guard rails, but over-governance leads to tools going unused. Let them experiment and find value, then look at how to keep things under control!Links:Coates Data StrategiesPowerBIAzure PurviewAzure Data CatalogPowerBI Adoption RoadmapRecorded August 5, 2021

How does your organization work with files in Microsoft 365? Richard chats with Jason Moore about the role of OneDrive for Business, SharePoint, and the many tools available for files, folders, and lists in the M365 world. Jason talks about how under the hood, every file ends up in some pretty standard spots, like Azure Blob Storage - so you know that compliance, governance, and policy are consistent. The conversation also ranges over how different organizations come to different solutions based on their past experiences and skill sets - there's a lot of choice for a reason!Links:One Drive for BusinessM365 To Do AppM365 ListsRansomware Detection and Recovery in OneDriveM365 and Microsoft DefenderOneDrive Personal VaultOneDrive Photo StorageSharing OneDrive Files and FoldersRecorded August 6, 2021

Does Windows need a package manager? Richard talks to Sarah Lean about Windows Package Manager, aka winget. Of course, there have been package managers for Windows before winget, and Sarah talks about her favorite, Chocolatey. But winget is destined to be a part of Windows itself and opens the door to some great deployment automation. The conversation also dives into exporting - making a copy of the manifest of applications currently on a workstation. Could we get to full local workstation localization, where you could build and re-build workstations on demand? Maybe some next-level hot-desk workstations are possible!Links:Windows Package Manager on GitHubChocolateyInTune, aka Microsoft Endpoint ManagerAZCopyTechielass - Blog of Sarah LeanRecorded August 13, 2021

It's a hybrid and multi-cloud world - how do you manage it? Richard talks to Microsoft VP Jeremy Winter about Azure Arc and its ability to work across on-premises and multiple clouds to give you a view of your whole infrastructure - and ways to govern, manage and secure it! Jeremy talks about the role that Kubernetes plays in the hybrid world to help manage applications and how Azure Arc helps you manage Kubernetes itself with consistent security and implementation policies. It takes some training, but Azure Arc can play a key role in your infrastructure and application modernization!Links:Azure ArcAzure Arc Enabled Data ServicesAzure Kubernetes ServiceAzure FastTrackContainerizing Java ApplicationsAzure StackAzure Security Center Azure Stack HCIRecorded August 5, 2021

There's value in the data your organization has gathered - do you know how to use it to help your company succeed? Richard chats with Jen Stirrup about the new tools and techniques for data analytics. Jen talks about how cloud-based tools like PowerBI and Power Automate open the door to rapid interaction of analytics so that folks can get value in a short amount of time, and you can bring new capabilities quickly. The conversation digs into getting beyond data-driven reporting into more insight-inspired: That good analytics can help you understand the true value of different customers, even to the point of recognizing that some customers are actually costing you money!Links:Power AutomateMicrosoft Forms/a>PowerBIJen's Blog Recorded July 8, 2021

How do you respond to a ransomware attack? Richard talks to Dana Epp about dealing with a ransomware attack. Dana discusses making a plan - if you don't have a plan already, dealing with an attack is very difficult. And make sure your plan exists outside of your regular network since one of the first things you're going to do during an attack is shut down the network. The conversation focuses on how ransomware attacks are a crime and need to be treated accordingly - it's a business problem, not just a technical problem.Links:Canadian Center for CyberSecurityCybersecurity and Infrastructure Security AgencyRansomware Detection and Recovery in OneDriveAzure BackupTwilio Recorded July 19, 2021

How can Azure AD Conditional Access help to protect your organization? Richard chats with Nitika Gupta about the tooling available to detect and react to unusual sign-ins and access to data. Nitika talks about how Conditional Access lets you set policies in place to require additional authentication and even lockout an account when certain things happen - like a change in device, application, location, and more. The conversation also digs into providing additional security requirements for company leadership and admin accounts - the kinds of accounts that, when exploited, can do significant harm to the company. Links:Azure AD Conditional AccessMicrosoft Cloud App SecurityMicrosoft Endpoint ManagerPasswordless Authentication for Azure ADMicrosoft Zero TrustAzure AD Privileged Identity ManagementAzure AD Identity Protection Recorded July 9, 2021

Paul is back! Richard chats with Paul about the recently released preview of Windows 11. Paul talks about being a bit surprised by the timing of Windows 11, and how it looks an awful lot like an update to Windows 10, with a UX refresh. The conversation digs into the current controversy around the Trusted Platform Module requirement in the hardware for Windows 11, while also discussing what should be controversial - requiring a Microsoft account to log into Windows 11. The controversy is helping to shape the product, you should be a part of the discussion!Links:Windows 11 Preview 1 Recorded July 19, 2021

As the pandemic starts to wind down in some parts of the world, the conversation is turning to - do we go back to the office? Richard talks to Martina Grom about how some of her customers are responding to a need for hybrid workspaces, with some mixture of working from home and in the office. Martina also digs into the governance challenges of M365 with hybrid workers, and how folks who moved quickly to the cloud during the pandemic are still struggling to use their tools in a sustainable way. There's lots to learn still!Links:Microsoft 365Microsoft Defender for Office 365Guest Access to Azure Active DirectoryGovernance Toolkit 365 Recorded June 30, 2021