M365 Weekly Newsletter
Issue #179
☁️Productivity & Modern Workplace
How to use the new Microsoft Teams chat & channels experience. Microsoft Teams now combines chats and teams into one streamlined view, enabling you to access everything in one place and customize your layout with dedicated sections for projects. While the change might initially feel overwhelming, it offers enhanced organization and filtering options. If you prefer the old layout, you can switch back while retaining your customizations.
Compare Lists in Excel and Spot Differences. Comparing two lists in Excel can be streamlined using a simple keyboard shortcut. Short but sweet.
☁️Copilot & AI
Small Business Guide to Set Up Copilot. Wave two of Microsoft 365 Copilot brings generative AI to small businesses, helping you streamline tasks like creating presentations and content, reducing digital debt, and automating routine processes. By securely integrating with your work data, Copilot saves time, enhances productivity, and strengthens customer engagement. The guide offers practical steps for IT professionals to enable Copilot in your organization and provides tips for smooth onboarding.
Notepad.exe, now an actively maintained app, has gotten its inevitable AI update. Notepad’s new “Rewrite” feature uses AI to adjust text length, tone, and phrasing, and the app now launches up to 55% faster. Paint gains AI enhancements like generative fill and erase. Meanwhile, Prism updates improve compatibility for high-end apps on Arm-powered PCs by supporting new CPU instructions.
Microsoft 365 Copilot Just Got a MASSIVE Extensibility Boost! Microsoft 365 Co-pilot is simplifying its extensibility framework by rebranding custom co-pilots and plugins as “agents,” making development easier for both low-code and pro-code users. This change addresses previous complexities, integrating tools like Power Platform to enhance usability and customization. The new model aims to make Co-pilot’s extensibility more practical and accessible for businesses.
☁️Sysadmin Stuff
Require managed devices in Microsoft 365. In Microsoft 365, the default settings allow users to access corporate data from any device, which poses significant security risks. To mitigate these risks, it’s crucial to enforce a managed device policy, starting with Layer 1 protections that block access from devices not Entra Joined or Entra Hybrid Joined. For more mature environments, Layer 2 protections require devices to be compliant, meaning they must meet certain security standards like having active antivirus and being fully patched, ensuring a more secure access framework.
Netsh- Ultimate Guide with Examples. Netsh is a command-line utility for managing and troubleshooting network settings in Windows. It uses contexts like Winsock and WLAN for tasks such as resetting TCP/IP stacks and configuring firewalls. Netsh also offers diagnostic tools for capturing trace logs and generating WLAN reports, with an emphasis on backing up settings before making changes.
Remove remote IP addresses from Exchange receive connector. Use PowerShell to swiftly remove remote IP addresses from an Exchange Server receive connector, saving time compared to manual deletion. Create a CSV file of IPs to remove and use a provided script to automate the process. This method minimizes errors, and once verified, you can finalize changes by removing the script’s -WhatIf parameter.
☁️Security & Data Governance
Leveling up Conditional Access Policy Management. Managing Conditional Access Policies (CAPs) effectively involves defining user personas, renaming policies for clarity, and using tools like flow diagrams and impact matrices for oversight. Start by assessing existing policies, filling gaps, and ensuring they align with organizational needs. Implement change management processes to control modifications and adapt to Microsoft updates, ensuring a streamlined and responsive security posture.
Restricting Admin Access to an Endpoint. When setting up new Windows endpoints, it’s important to manage admin rights effectively to prevent unauthorized access. By using Autopilot, you can assign standard user rights during the initial setup, although this requires a reset to implement. Intune offers more flexibility with options like RestrictedGroup CSP and Account Protection policies, allowing you to audit and control local administrator memberships proactively.
Microsoft Copilot in Azure – Securing Storage Accounts. You’re diving into using Azure Co-pilot to enhance your storage security. When your company faced storage shortages for backups, you quickly set up a storage account using blob storage. Co-pilot helps secure it by suggesting steps like disabling public network access and setting up private endpoints. It offers scripts and step-by-step instructions, simplifying storage management and security.
☁️Noteworthy (long)reads
Is Microsoft Sway Dead? Microsoft Sway, launched in 2015, offers a unique approach to creating interactive presentations with automatic design and multimedia integration. Despite its innovative features, Sway struggled with limited marketing, overlap with PowerPoint, and a learning curve. Competing tools like Canva and Google Slides further overshadowed it.
☁️Classifieds
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☁️On a Less Serious Note
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