M365 Weekly Newsletter
Issue #192
☁️Productivity & Modern Workplace
PivotTable Timeline in Excel. Simple, efficient, short, and sweet.
How To Mail Merge in New Outlook (2025) SO EASY NOW! The new Outlook app simplifies mail merges, making it quicker than the traditional desktop version. With just a few steps, you can send personalized emails to multiple recipients without them seeing others on the list.
Word Master Documents: Tips for Effective Use. Master Documents in Microsoft Word let you manage large projects by linking smaller, editable sub-documents. While useful for books or reports, they can be unstable.
☁️Copilot & AI
How Much Does Your Chatbot Cost? Microsoft Copilot Studio enables you to create custom chatbots using natural language or a visual interface. To get started, your organization needs a tenant license ($200/month for 25,000 messages).
Artificial Intelligence and PowerShell for Tenant Management. AI-powered tools like Lokka, paired with PowerShell, are changing Microsoft 365 administration by generating Graph API queries based on prompts. While AI tools simplify certain tasks, they lack the precision and creativity of manual scripting.
☁️Sysadmin Stuff
Easily Check Microsoft Entra Connect version. Keeping Microsoft Entra Connect Sync updated is important for seamless synchronization and avoiding compatibility issues. You can check your version using PowerShell or the Microsoft Entra Admin Center, and upgrade if necessary.
How to set up Windows 365 (2025 tutorial). Windows 365 lets you set up cloud-based PCs accessible from anywhere. You can manage devices via Intune, utilize built-in backup and restore features, and tailor security settings for managed or unmanaged devices. With options for disaster recovery, performance optimization, and device compatibility, it’s a resilient and scalable solution for modern organizations.
The Jurassic Park of Intune. This deep dive into Intune’s Windows client technologies frames its components as Jurassic Park dinosaurs, each with unique roles. 🙂
☁️Security & Data Governance
Auditing Guest Access in your Microsoft 365 Tenant. Managing Microsoft 365 guest accounts requires a systematic approach to ensure security and efficiency.
Microsoft Defender Email Preview Enables Malicious Links. A recent change in Microsoft Defender for Office 365’s Threat Explorer now allows clickable malicious links in email previews. While this aids skilled investigators, it poses risks for less experienced users, potentially exposing workstations to threats. Previously static or hover-only links are now active, raising concerns about security gaps despite Microsoft’s reliance on Safe Links for protection.
Security Implications of Low-Code/No-Code Platforms. Low-code/no-code platforms speed up development and reduce coding needs, but their security implications are mixed. Prebuilt modules often enhance baseline security compared to traditional or AI-assisted coding. However, risks arise from reliance on vendor patches, user inexperience, and insecure integrations.
Microsoft 365 E5 versus Business Premium with E5 Security Add-on: A Comparative Analysis for Small Businesses. Small businesses face escalating cyber threats like ransomware and phishing, compounded by limited budgets and expertise. Comparing Microsoft 365 E5 and Business Premium with the E5 security add-on, the latter emerges as a cost-effective choice for under-300-user businesses.
☁️Noteworthy (long)reads
Microsoft bumps prices for Exchange Server SE and other servers on July 1. Microsoft will raise prices for on-premises Office server products by 10% and client license suites by 15–20%, starting July 2025. This aligns with the release of Exchange Server Subscription Edition, which transitions to subscription-based pricing. As on-premises customer numbers shrink, higher costs reflect increased engineering expenses. Moving to Exchange Online offers more features but less operational flexibility.
Microsoft turns 50 today, and it made me think about MS-DOS 5.0. Microsoft’s journey began in 1975 when Bill Gates and Paul Allen founded “Micro-Soft” in Albuquerque, later transforming personal computing with innovations like MS-DOS and Windows.
The Productivity Paradox: Why Workplace Tech Is Failing Workers. Outdated workplace technology is frustrating employees, limiting creativity, and driving them toward personal devices, which raises cybersecurity concerns. Hybrid work demands smarter, AI-powered collaboration tools and IT strategies that align with employee needs. Without addressing these gaps, companies risk stifling productivity, innovation, and engagement while facing increased security vulnerabilities.
☁️Classifieds
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☁️On a Less Serious Note
☁️ Last but not least …
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