M365 Weekly Newsletter
Issue #112
☁️What’s on my mind
A colleague called me to tell me that he was having a big problem installing Office 365 applications. Outlook is reporting some “unexpected error” and won’t start. And this is on a completely freshly installed operating system. Needless to say, the hardware is quite old.
At times like this, I am immensely grateful that I do not have to deal with the hardware.
Sometimes I joke that selling cloud computing services is like selling fog. Both are quite intangible.
Despite the fact that the cloud is just somebody else’s physical server, it makes me feel immeasurably lighter-hearted when a cloud service fails and I can blame it on the service provider.
Matic Z.
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☁️Productivity & Modern Workplace
What’s New in Microsoft Teams for Education. In February 2023, Microsoft Teams for Education released a variety of new features and updates to enhance the virtual classroom experience. Among the latest updates are the Classwork app, allowing educators to organize class content more efficiently, and grading improvements such as weighted grading categories and average grades for students. More on what’s new in the article.
How to create flowcharts with Microsoft Visio. Microsoft Visio is a powerful tool that allows users to easily create professional flowcharts. Whether you are designing a new process, creating an organizational chart, or mapping out a network topology, Visio provides a range of templates and tools to help you visualize and communicate complex information effectively. Creating flowcharts is only one of the things you can do in Visio.
Document Storage: OneDrive, SharePoint, or Microsoft Teams. Are you using Microsoft 365 for email, file storage, and collaboration but confused about where to store your data? It’s not uncommon. Many people are unsure about the differences between OneDrive, SharePoint, and Teams. The good news is, in this video, the presenter will show you exactly where you should be storing your files and folders. Let’s clear up the confusion once and for all.
Microsoft Retires Teams Free (Classic) in April 2023. On April 12, 2023, Microsoft will retire the original version of Teams free introduced in 2018. The new free version is based on Teams for Home.
☁️Sysadmin Stuff
Azure AD Cross-Tenant Synchronization is now in Public Preview. Managing multiple Azure AD tenants and their user data used to be a pain, requiring manual or scripted methods for access. However, cross-tenant synchronization has now made this process much easier. This will be a huge time saver when it reaches general availability.
Remove user from all Microsoft 365 Groups. An updated version of a script that removes a user or set of users from all groups they are currently a member of has been released. The new version uses the ExO V3 PowerShell module and the latest Graph API SDK for PowerShell, replacing the old Remote PowerShell cmdlets and Azure AD module, to avoid potential issues due to the deprecation of older PowerShell modules and connectivity methods across the service.
Consolidating services into Azure. A great testimonial where the author shares their experience with an external DNS provider and how it led them to re-evaluate their external services and consider moving them into Azure. All from DNS to static web pages or WordPress …
M365 Admin Training Day 29 – Microsoft Partner relationships. A crucial part of the information to understand how Microsoft partners and distributors can deliver licenses and offer support for a tenant.
Enable and Configure BitLocker using Intune: A Step-by-Step Guide. Learn how to configure BitLocker drive encryption using Microsoft Intune to protect your data from theft or exposure on Windows 10 or 11 devices. This guide covers the prerequisites for enabling BitLocker on Intune, the methods to configure and deploy BitLocker policy, and the required settings to silently enable BitLocker using Intune.
☁️Security & Data Governance
How to enable Alert Policies to monitor for unusual activities in SharePoint Online. The article explains how to create custom alert policies in Microsoft Purview Compliance Center, which can notify you when there is a bulk deletion or external sharing of files and folders, so you can take action immediately to prevent data loss.
Duplicate Azure Active Directory Conditional Access policies. Discover two different methods, using the new Conditional Access controls or Graph API, to duplicate policies for troubleshooting, ring-based approaches, or creating new policies based on JSON templates. With an updated interface, Microsoft makes it even easier to duplicate policies in the Azure portal.
Security tips for leaders from Difenda and Microsoft. Despite the increasing impact of cyberattacks on businesses, many organizations still fail to prioritize cybersecurity at the board level. This article explores the organizational risks of cyber breaches, what board directors should focus on when it comes to security, the questions directors should be asking, and how Difenda and Microsoft Security can help establish important visibility for board leaders.
Is Microsoft 365 Wiper Malware a Real Threat. Could someone get into your tenant and delete all your Sharepoint data? Yes with the right attack vector – a registered app that has enough permissions. Is Tony Redmond underestimating the threat? Read on.
☁️Noteworthy (long)reads
Microsoft was named Best Email Security Service of 2023 by SE Labs. The advanced machine learning technology used by Microsoft Defender for Office 365 provides comprehensive email protection against credential phishing, business email compromise, and ransomware, with built-in phishing simulation training to educate employees and powerful tools for SecOps teams. Probably that’s why Microsoft Defender for Office 365 has been named the Best Email Security Service of 2023 by SE Labs.
Saving money and the environment with home automation. I didn’t know we had an ultra-smart iron at home. I was unable to iron my shirt efficiently with it at a critical moment because of this smartness. Well, what do I know, maybe the iron is broken. I am avoiding the idea of a smart home. But I know that there are smart-home enthusiasts out there.
Information Management: Why It’s Time to Change Your Approach. What does an effective approach to information management look like? Here’s how it can deliver significant results to the organization.
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☁️On a Less Serious Note
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