Author: Russell Smith

Last week, Microsoft announced that it had bought Clipchamp, a browser-based video creation app. Founded in 2013, Clipchamp's mission is to enable everyone to tell stories using video. Microsoft recognizes video is a powerful medium but that it has been traditionally difficult for most people to produce high quality videos that are worth sharing. Artistic… Read More

When Microsoft announced that it would be rolling out a new taskbar feature called News and Interests in Windows 10 earlier this year, it divided opinion. There were those who felt News and Interests is just another distraction for users. But Microsoft says it adds features like the Your Phone app and News and Interests… Read More

Managing Windows Update with PowerShell has until recently only been possible using a third-party module. But starting in Windows Server 2019, Microsoft's WindowsUpdateProvider PowerShell module is included out-of-the-box and it allows you to perform simple Windows Update management tasks, like starting a scan and installing updates. In this article, I will show you how to… Read More

September 7th, Microsoft released a security advisory for a remote code execution vulnerability (CVE-2021-40444) in Microsoft MSHTML, the rendering engine that Office apps use in Windows to display web content. Microsoft says that it is investigating reports of targeted attacks that try to exploit the MSHTML flaw using specially designed Microsoft Office files. The announcement… Read More

Azure AD Connect is a free tool from Microsoft that's used for synchronizing objects between on-premises Windows Server Active Directory (AD) and Azure Active Directory. Microsoft announced in August the availability of Azure AD Connect V2.0. And in this article, I'm going to discuss the major changes in this new release. Here are the major… Read More

Microsoft announced September 2nd that it is releasing Windows 11 and Windows 10 (version 21H2) commercial previews. Organizations in the Windows Insider Program for Business can access the builds and get free support. The builds are available through the usual channels, like Windows Update, Windows Server Update Services (WSUS), Azure Marketplace, and the Windows Insider… Read More

Microsoft announces Windows 11 release date, tweaks the Windows 11 minimum hardware requirements (but not much), and Windows 365 goes live but free trials are on hold due to demand. Windows 11 release date Top of the list this month is that Microsoft announced Windows 11 will start rolling out to eligible Windows 10 PCs… Read More

WireGuard is a Virtual Private Network (VPN) protocol that was first developed in 2016 by security researcher Jason A. Donenfeld. It was originally conceived for Linux. And as of kernel version 5.6, which was released in March 2020, WireGuard is integrated into Linux. Designed to be a lightweight alternative to VPN protocols like IKEv2, OpenVPN,… Read More

Deploying Windows 11 to hundreds or even thousands of devices can be automated if you have a system image that you can clone. To create an image for cloning, you first install Windows 11 on a device or virtual machine (VM), and then configure the operating system to your requirements. For example, you might decide to… Read More

It has been revealed that Microsoft pulled a component of its Azure Cosmos DB service earlier this month because of a serious security issue uncovered by researchers at Wiz.io. Dubbed #ChaosDB, the flaw was disclosed to Microsoft on August 12, 2021. It gives any Azure user full access to other customers' Cosmos DB instances, without… Read More

If you've been waiting to test out Window 11, now might be the time! After initially making the first preview version of Windows 11 available in July for users in the Windows Insider Program, Insiders now have access to Windows 11 ISOs. Prior to the release of yesterday's new Windows 11 build, Insider Preview build… Read More

Along with the Windows 10 quality updates in August, Microsoft added a new feature to Group Policy which will allow IT to better control which devices can be installed on corporate-owned devices. A release is also planned for Windows Server in the future. Restricting device installation in Windows can be complicated. The new Apply layered… Read More

Microsoft has announced that it will be bringing back its Ignite conference this November, again in virtual form. Running from November 2nd – 4th, Microsoft says that its 'digital experience' will include the latest product demos, Q&A with Microsoft experts, technical deep-dives, and more. Last year's Ignite was the first to be held virtually due… Read More

Back in June this year, Microsoft sent the final Windows Server 2022 bits to OEMs for testing. And without so much as an official announcement, Microsoft has made the next version of its server product available to mainstream users. Windows Server 2022 will only be available on the Long-Term Servicing Channel (LTSC); unlike recent versions… Read More

The LockFile ransomware group has been actively launching attacks against Microsoft Exchange Servers, exploiting three vulnerabilities that were patched by Microsoft in April and May this year. Known as the Exchange Server ProxyShell vulnerabilities, the LockFile group uses them, in conjunction with the Windows PetitPotam vulnerabilities that were partially patched in the round of updates… Read More