Russell Smith

One of the most interesting and important things coming in Windows 11 25H2 is the way Microsoft is rethinking how security tools interact with the operating system—especially antivirus and Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) software. The current problem: Security tools get deep Windows kernel access Right now, most security tools—think CrowdStrike, Bitdefender, and others—need to…

This Week in IT, the next version of Windows is now in testing and is more an enablement package than a significant feature upgrade. Third-party passkey provider integration comes to Windows 11 in the Dev Channel, Exchange Server SE is finally here but will cost you more, and Microsoft sets a date for Azure AD…

There’s been a lot of chatter this week about Microsoft struggling to get businesses on board with Microsoft 365 Copilot. Now, it’s not that big enterprises aren’t buying it—many of them are. But here’s the twist: actual adoption inside those organizations is sluggish. Wait—Why is that? Well, here’s the kicker. Users are choosing ChatGPT instead….

This Week in IT, Microsoft announces changes to Windows 11 recovery, Windows 10 users get a respite but there’s a catch, a compact AI model is driving changes to the Settings app in Windows 11, and Microsoft is struggling to sell Copilot to business. Links and resources Episode overview This Week in IT, Russell discusses…

“I ate lunch five times this week for the first time in two years.” This unlikely customer quote captures what makes Reclaim AI feel revolutionary. It isn’t that it adds something new to your calendar — it’s that it makes your existing one finally work the way it should. Reclaim, founded by Henry Shapiro and…

This Week in IT, Microsoft 365 services are coming to local datacenters, Windows 365 Reserve promises continuity in the event of physical device issues, and Amazon CEO warns on AI adoption. Episode overview This Week in IT:

Microsoft’s June 2025 Patch Tuesday update introduced a bug that can break the DHCP service on Windows Server versions 2016, 2019, 2022, and 2025. On the support page for KB5060842 (OS Build 26100.4349), Microsoft notes as a known issue: The DHCP Server service might intermittently stop responding after installing this security update. This issue affects…

This Week in IT, Insiders can now test Microsoft’s updated Start menu for Windows 11 but will the changes be enough to convince Windows 10 users to migrate? Plus, Microsoft stalls on Patch Tuesday updates and releases a fix for Windows Server 2025 domain controller network connectivity issues. Links and resources Episode overview This week…

This Week in IT, a new report says UK government employees only saved 26 minutes a day with Copilot, AI could mean you get a pay rise while others lose their jobs, and organizations are looking to repatriate certain cloud workloads. Links and resources Episode overview This episode focuses on AI’s impact on productivity and…

In this episode of Petri Dish, Russell interviews Henry Shapiro, co-founder of ‪Reclaim AI. Reclaim AI helps users manage their schedules in Google Calendar and Outlook by synchronizing multiple calendars and automating tasks like scheduling, rescheduling, and prioritizing events to improve productivity and work-life balance. Henry also discusses the challenges faced developing features for Outlook…

Microsoft wants organizations to migrate to Windows 11 before October 2025. And to help things along, they have released a new backup tool, called Windows Backup for Organizations, that aims to smoothly migrate user settings for devices not connected to a corporate intranet. What is Windows Backup for Organizations (WBfO)? Microsoft announced this week that…

This Week in IT, Microsoft is releasing a new backup tool for Windows ahead of Windows 10 end of life later this year, updating apps could be set to become a whole lot easier, and there’s some important updates for orgs using Microsoft Intune. Links and resources Episode overview This Week in IT, Russell discusses…