M365 Weekly Newsletter
Issue #149
☁️What’s on my mind
Almost exactly ten years ago, I complained rather bitterly about OneDrive’s teething troubles in a magazine I was writing for at the time.
Ten years on, of course, things have improved dramatically. But it’s still not entirely trouble-free.
I am helping a micro-business implement OneDrive and Sharepoint.
This should have been a no-brainer because they have everything very one-dimensional and straightforward. Murphy’s Rule says that if something can go wrong, it will go wrong. And in my case, this rule is true.
SharePoint document library synchronization is stuck.
OK, that’s a problem for next week.
Have a nice weekend,
Matic Z.
☁️Productivity & Modern Workplace
Change Default Font in Outlook: From Aptos to Your choice. Aptos, the new default font in Outlook, might not be everyone’s cup of tea due to its blocky appearance and poor bold text differentiation. To switch to a more readable font, follow the steps in this guide.
Best Free PST Viewers to read PST Files. Are you looking for a way to open PST files without Outlook? Several free PST viewers are available, but most have limitations like not allowing you to search or view attachments. But here is one that is truly free.
10 Best Practices for Sharing Files and Folders with Unauthenticated Users. Sharing files securely with anonymous users in SharePoint and OneDrive is essential to maintaining data security while fostering collaboration. To do this, enable the ‘Anyone’ sharing setting in Microsoft 365 and follow security best practices such as setting expiration dates for Anyone links, setting view-only permissions, and using Data Loss Prevention.
☁️Sysadmin Stuff
3 Ways to Change Microsoft 365 Organization Name. Changing your Microsoft 365 organization name is a simple process that can be done in the M365 admin center or Entra ID (Azure AD). As a global admin, you can easily update your organization’s profile, such as the name, address, phone number, and technical contact. Additionally, you can modify your organization’s contact details, including the street address, city, state, ZIP code, and phone number, ensuring your information stays up-to-date.
Microsoft 365 Backup pricing. Microsoft 365 Backup offers a unique billing model based on storage rather than users, costing $0.15 per GB per month. This service protects your data across SharePoint, Exchange, and OneDrive for Business, including deleted and versioned content. While determining the cost can be challenging due to variable factors, it appears to be price-competitive in SMB environments. Keep in mind that Microsoft 365 Backup is still in preview, and a feature comparison with third-party services is forthcoming.
☁️Security & Data Governance
Microsoft to Enable Conditional Access Policies for Entra ID Customers. Microsoft is rolling out automatic Conditional Access policies for Entra ID customers in February and March 2024 to boost Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) adoption. Currently, in report-only mode, these policies target Microsoft admin portals, legacy per-user MFA implementation, and mandatory MFA for high-risk sign-ins. The aim is to reduce the risk of account takeover and phishing attacks significantly.
Exploring Microsoft Defender for Cloud: A Guide to Defender Plans. With the free plan, you’ll get essential security features like vulnerability assessments, while the Defender for Servers plan provides advanced protection for VMs and servers. The Defender for Kubernetes plan focuses on securing your containerized applications, and the Defender for SQL plan shields your databases. Choose the right plan to safeguard your cloud environment effectively.
☁️Noteworthy (long)reads
What’s the Difference Between Microsoft Copilot and ChatGPT? Microsoft 365 Copilots aren’t all the same, as each is tailored to respond in a context that makes sense for the specific application you’re using. With different responses to the same prompt in applications such as Bing Chat, M365 Chat, Microsoft Word, and PowerPoint, employees need to understand these differences when using Copilot to maximize its potential and choose the right one for their needs.
The Davos Elite Embraced AI in 2023. Now They Fear It. At the 2024 World Economic Forum, leaders balance AI’s economic potential with concerns over misinformation and job displacement. Calls for global AI governance face economic and geopolitical challenges. Tech giants promote trustworthy AI while AI’s influence is predicted to grow significantly in 2024.
☁️Classifieds
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☁️On a Less Serious Note
☁️ Last but not least …
Here are a few things you can do if you enjoyed reading this newsletter:
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- Get in touch / Share cool M365 or other stuff: matic@m365weekly.com