[m365weekly] #154

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Issue #154

☁️What’s on my mind

Over the past year, I have seen several cases of abuse of the global administrator credentials.

The consequences can be quite serious, as in the worst case a company will not be able to send any email at all until they have sorted out the security situation in their company.

I am always surprised when asked where the ‘security defaults’ can be turned off because the customer does not want them enabled. Seems life is just too short to play it safe.

After the 1st of April, when Microsoft will offer Copilot for Security worldwide, I fully expect it to answer questions like this in the style of HAL-9000:

“I’m afraid I can’t do that, Dave!”

Have a nice week,
Matic Z.


[FEATURED STORY] AI for security professionals – not an April day’s fool joke

Microsoft is set to launch Copilot for Security on April 1st, a new AI-driven tool that aims to enhance your security measures by ingesting signals from other Microsoft security products and providing analytics and insights. This technology is designed to aid in incident detection and response, offering faster data analysis and consistent expertise to all users. The pricing model is based on Security Compute Units (SCUs) at $4/hour, allowing for scalability and flexibility. As the release date approaches, the true potential and effectiveness of Copilot for Security will be put to the test.

Official blog post.


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☁️Productivity & Modern Workplace

6 Ways to Create a Task in Microsoft 365. Managing tasks in Microsoft 365 can be done in various ways, depending on your needs and collaboration style.

The good and the bad of using Copilot in the Power Platform. Copilot is becoming a significant presence in Microsoft technology, especially within the Power Platform. It can generate tables and apps by describing your requirements, making the process faster and easier. Yet, software development is still an art, and a skilled developer is crucial in creating truly effective apps.

Word Checklist to Do: A Handy Feature for Tasks in Microsoft Word. You can add a checklist, convert a bulleted list into a checklist, and even create nested or sub-checklists. However, keep in mind that the current checklist feature has some limitations, such as the inability to restyle a ‘checked’ list item or uncheck multiple items at once. Despite these shortcomings, this handy feature can help you track tasks and collaborate with others more efficiently.

How to create a private Planner in Microsoft Teams? Microsoft Teams now allows you to add a new Planner app and create a private plan when you don’t assign it to a group. This feature is perfect for managing personal tasks or projects. If you later decide to involve others, sharing the private plan with additional members is quick and easy. 


☁️Sysadmin Stuff

Rotate Local Admin Password using Intune: 4 Proven Methods. Managing local admin passwords on Windows 10/11 devices is crucial for maintaining security. Windows LAPS makes it easy to rotate these passwords, reducing vulnerability to password-based attacks.

How to Convert External Users to Internal Users. Are you looking to convert Microsoft 365 external users to internal users without losing their permissions and group memberships? The External User Conversion feature in Entra ID simplifies this process, allowing users to maintain their original accounts and access resources as members. This method is particularly useful during reorganizations, mergers, and acquisitions to enhance collaboration between users.

How to fix Microsoft Entra Connect Sync server crash. When dealing with a Microsoft Entra Connect Sync server crash without a backup, it’s crucial to know how to address the issue effectively. By following the right steps, you can check the synchronization status, set up a new server, verify its synchronization, and clean up old servers and accounts.


☁️Security & Data Governance

A new way to tag content within Microsoft 365. Microsoft 365 has introduced a new tagging feature, allowing users to organize various content such as files, Microsoft Lists, Microsoft Forms, and Loop Components.

Lock Down Your Microsoft 365: Your Essential Security Policies. Microsoft 365 offers incredible solutions for businesses, but security is often overlooked. This video highlights 13 essential security settings that you should implement to protect your business.

Control Authentication Flows in Conditional Access Policy. Simplify authentication processes while maintaining security with authentication flows in Conditional Access. Monitor authentication flow events with Azure AD sign-in logs to ensure the proper functioning of these policies.

It’s a Good Idea to Archive Teams Channels. Microsoft 365’s new feature allows team owners to archive unused Teams channels, promoting better collaboration within existing teams. Archiving channels keeps them accessible to owners and administrators, but prevents new messages or edits. This update helps maintain a tidy environment, especially for teams supporting up to 1,000 channels.


☁️Noteworthy (long)reads

Silicon Valley Is Pricing Academics out of AI Research. The growing resource gap between big tech companies and universities is compromising independent AI research. Tech giants are attracting top talent with high salaries and access to costly computing power, pushing scholars to focus on commercial applications.

Can Copilot for Microsoft 365 Save Users 14 Hours a Month? Luka Perne, a Microsoft employee, shares his experience of using Copilot for Microsoft 365, claiming it saves him 14 hours per month.


DATES TO KEEP IN MIND

March 31, 2024 – Classic Teams retirement. You’ll have to deploy the new Teams client.

April 15, 2024 – Microsoft Stream (Classic) retirement. Final stage. All data on Stream Classic will be deleted. Migrate to the new Stream (on Sharepoint).

By September 30, 2024 – Business Connectivity Services (BCS) retirement in Microsoft 365. (Timeline and alternative solution)

December 16, 2024Retiring of Delve application.

End of 2024 – Mail and Calendar Apps in Windows will be retired. The new Outlook will be installed on new Windows 11 devices.

October 2026Retirement of Microsoft Publisher app which has been a part of Office Suite for years.


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☁️On a Less Serious Note


☁️ Last but not least …

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