[m365weekly] #198

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Issue #198

☁️Productivity & Modern Workplace

How to Do a Mail Merge in the New Outlook. The new Outlook now includes a built-in mail merge feature, simplifying bulk email communication. You can now send 1-on-1 bulk emails directly from Outlook without external tools, ensuring privacy and ease of use. While it lacks personalization fields and Excel integration for now, it’s great for sending generic messages efficiently. Future updates promise enhanced capabilities like personalized fields and list imports.

Amazing Spinning Circular Text in PowerPoint. You can create a spinning circular text effect in PowerPoint that appears to rotate around an image, like a person or object.

How to add a Countdown Timer for Microsoft Teams meetings? Microsoft Teams now features a meeting timer, letting you set durations from 1 to 100 minutes directly within the meeting interface. Participants can view, pause, extend, or stop the timer, and its visual cues adjust as time elapses. While it lacks sound alerts, its color changes signal the countdown’s progress. This tool is accessible via both desktop and web platforms.

[FEATURED STORY] Send Email Alert for Break Glass Account Activity

Source: Send Email Alert for Break Glass Account Activity

The big picture. Break glass accounts in Microsoft 365 are emergency global admin accounts used when regular admin access is unavailable, such as during account lockouts or MFA outages. Because they hold high privileges with minimal controls, they are prime targets for attackers and pose significant security risks if compromised, including account takeover and lateral movement. To mitigate these risks, organizations must tightly control, regularly test, and monitor break glass accounts. However, native Microsoft Defender alert policies don’t support monitoring specific account sign-ins, and Azure Log Analytics, while useful, incurs extra costs. To address this gap, a PowerShell script can be scheduled via Windows Task Scheduler to automatically detect and send email alerts on break glass account sign-ins every two hours, providing a simple, cost-effective monitoring solution without additional overhead.

Why is it important? These accounts are critical for disaster recovery and continuity but represent a high-risk attack vector due to their elevated privileges and bypass of usual security controls. Without vigilant monitoring, unauthorized use can go unnoticed, leading to severe breaches. Automated alerts enable security teams to respond quickly to suspicious activity, reducing the window of exposure. The PowerShell-based alerting solution empowers organizations to maintain continuous oversight of these sensitive accounts without incurring extra licensing or subscription costs.

☁️Copilot & AI

Does a M365 Copilot license include message quotas? Each Microsoft 365 Copilot license provides 25,000 messages per month for Copilot Studio agents. This allowance resets monthly and applies to all interactions, including internal and external users. When the quota is exceeded, responses stop unless you enable Pay-As-You-Go billing or purchase message packs. Multiple licenses combine their quotas, offering greater flexibility for larger setups.

Report: Critical Agentic AI Protocol Is Ripe for Security Attacks. The Model Context Protocol (MCP) faces critical security flaws, exposing AI systems to attacks. Vulnerabilities like “NeighborJack” and OS injection allow unauthorized access and control over host machines. Backslash Security launched the MCP Server Security Hub to help mitigate risks, offering tools to assess MCP servers and coding environments.

☁️Sysadmin Stuff

Exchange Online Email Flow: End-to-End Process and Security Measures. Exchange Online ensures secure and efficient email delivery through a detailed process of transport pipelines, policy enforcement, and multi-layered security. Emails undergo sender authentication, malware scans, spam/phishing detection, and advanced protections like Safe Attachments and Safe Links.

Set up a connector to archive WhatsApp data in Microsoft 365. You can archive WhatsApp data in Microsoft 365 using the TeleMessage connector, which imports calls, chats, attachments, and more daily into user mailboxes. This enables applying compliance tools like Litigation Hold and eDiscovery.

☁️Security & Data Governance

Shadow IT Isn’t Your Enemy. It’s Your Secret Weapon. Shadow IT and shadow AI are reshaping the workplace, creating risks for security and compliance while also highlighting gaps in organizational systems. Instead of outright elimination, experts suggest embracing these tools through risk assessment, formalization, and monitoring.

Attack Simulation Training with Dynamic Groups. Microsoft Defender for Office 365 offers dynamic attack simulation training to help users identify and respond to phishing threats effectively. Using automated dynamic groups in Entra ID, you can tailor simulations based on user attributes like roles or hire dates, streamlining targeted training. This approach enhances phishing awareness, reduces risks, and simplifies group management for administrators.

How to Offboard Employee in Microsoft 365. When offboarding an employee in Microsoft 365, ensure their account is properly handled by securing access, managing their mailbox, and addressing licenses and data retention. Focus on safeguarding company information while maintaining continuity for ongoing workflows, and consider automating repetitive tasks to save time. Tailor the process to your organization’s policies and keep a clear checklist to stay organized.

☁️Noteworthy (long)reads

Microsoft Cuts 9,000 Workers in Second Wave of Major Layoffs. Microsoft is cutting around 9,000 jobs, less than 4% of its workforce, as part of efforts to reduce costs and simplify operations. These layoffs come amid increased spending on artificial intelligence infrastructure and tools. The cuts span various roles and regions, reflecting the company’s focus on balancing AI investments with financial discipline in a competitive market.

The Green Cloud: Pipe Dream or Within Reach? The tech industry’s reliance on energy-intensive data centers, largely powered by fossil fuels, is creating a growing environmental concern. While major players like Microsoft and Google are committing to renewable energy and carbon-negative goals, challenges like intermittent energy supply and complex infrastructure remain. Strategic innovation, regulation, and shifting consumer expectations are key to transforming the cloud into a sustainable reality.

DATES TO KEEP IN MIND

October 14, 2025 – Windows 10 (Home, Pro, Enterprise, Education, IoT Enterprise) end of support – source

October 14, 2025 – Office 2016, Office 2019, Exchange Server 2016, Exchange Server 2019 end of support – source

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

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☁️On a Less Serious Note

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