Russell Smith

This Week in IT, Microsoft changes its support policy for Microsoft 365 Apps on Windows 10, Windows 11 version 24H2 is now broadly available — but not without issues, and I look at the updates to Teams in the May update. Links and resources

In this episode of Petri Dish, Russell talks to Brad Sams, General Manager at Stardock, about Windows 11, its initial challenges, and the solutions offered by Stardock’s software products to enhance user experience. The conversation touches on the evolution of Windows 11 and the role of Stardock in addressing user needs. Episode overview

This Week in IT, Microsoft teases putting one of the best features of Windows Server behind a paywall, Arch Linux is now officially supported in Windows, and Windows Recall and improved search finally get launched on ARM Copilot+ PCs. Links and resources Episode overview This Week in IT, Russell discusses:

In this episode of Petri Dish, Russell welcomes Stephen Rose, a modern work and AI consultant formerly with Microsoft. They discuss Microsoft’s recent announcement regarding Copilot and the Spring Wave 2 features. Episode overview Microsoft Copilot overview Copilot aims to integrate AI tools into everyday work processes, allowing users to search using natural language. The…

Microsoft released its annual Work Trend Index Report this week and it concluded: ‘‘The question isn’t if AI will reshape work – it’s how fast we’re willing to move with it’’. And they have data that shows how AI is being used more frequently in organizations. AI might be reshaping the future of work but…

This Week in IT, I look at the Wave 2 Spring releases for Microsoft 365 Copilot, including new agents and search experience, and at whether data in Microsoft’s 2025 Work Trend Index, which Microsoft says indicates AI is reshaping the future of work, stacks up. Links and resources Episode overview In this week’s episode, Russell…

Microsoft talked a lot about Copilot Vision at its ‘Windows 50 Years’ event a couple of weeks ago. In case you’re not familiar with the technology, Vision allows Copilot to see exactly what you can see on your screen. If you’re thinking “what could possibly go wrong with that?” – considering the controversy over Windows Recall, I…

In this episode of Petri Dish, Petri’s Editorial Director, Russell Smith, talks to Cayosoft CEO and founder Bob Bobel about managing complexity in Identity and Access Management (IAM) and the future of the IAM space.

This Week in IT, a legacy authentication protocol is still causing woes for many organizations this week as hackers continue to exploit it, Copilot Vision is coming to Edge users in the US for free, and Windows 11 gets offered to some corporate users despite Intune policies to block it. Links and resources Episode overview…

Cayosoft started life as a license management solution for Microsoft 365 and it gradually evolved into a comprehensive backup, protection, and administration product for Active Directory (AD) and Microsoft Entra ID. In this episode of Petri Dish, Petri’s Editorial Director, Russell Smith, talks to Cayosoft CEO and founder Bob Bobel about managing complexity in Identity…

If you’re a Power BI user, when your contract is next due for renewal, you’re going to be in for a surprise. Power BI Pro licenses are increasing from $10 to $14 per user per month and Power BI Premium is going up from $20 to $24 per user per month, that’s a 40% and…

Old habits die hard and Microsoft’s efforts to get users and organizations to adopt passwordless authentication has been a slow burn. At last week’s Secure 2025 event, Microsoft announced that it’s hoping to encourage more users to choose passwordless authentication by improving the Microsoft Account login experience. Here’s what we found out. Microsoft and other…