Russell Smith

In this episode, Russell sits down with Ramiro Calderon, Principal Product Manager at Microsoft, Jef Kazimer, Principal Product Manager on the Microsoft Security Entra Identity Platform, and Tee Earls, Product Area Lead for Entra ID Governance, to unpack why identity governance is no longer just about compliance but it’s foundational to Zero Trust and modern…

This Week in IT, what if Microsoft’s email system suddenly categorized genuine emails as phishing attempts? It happened this week, disrupting businesses. Plus, 4,000 Microsoft accounts got hacked through a genuine Outlook add-in from the official Store, and we’ll reveal how attackers pulled that off. And Microsoft’s building a brand-new mini-OS in Rust to keep…

Microsoft has begun refreshing the Secure Boot root of trust across the Windows ecosystem. The move is driven by the upcoming expiration of Secure Boot certificates first issued in 2011, which begin reaching end of life in late June 2026. Secure Boot is a foundational security feature in Windows and Windows Server. It runs before…

Microsoft’s February 2026 Patch Tuesday has arrived with a familiar-looking headline and an unusually urgent subtext. While the overall volume of fixes is typical for a February release, the number of actively exploited zero-day vulnerabilities stands out sharply this month, making this a high-priority update for enterprise environments. February 2026 Patch Tuesday at a glance…

Microsoft has officially started the clock on the retirement of Exchange Web Services (EWS) in Exchange Online, with a phased shutdown beginning in October 2026 and a hard stop scheduled for April 1, 2027. While EWS has been deprecated for years, this is the clearest signal yet that organizations still relying on it need to…

Microsoft is continuing its multi‑year effort to modernize Windows by ending distribution of legacy V3 and V4 printer drivers through Windows Update. Starting in January 2026, new third‑party V3 and V4 printer drivers will no longer be published automatically, marking a significant shift in how older printers are supported on Windows 11 and Windows Server…

Businesses everywhere are scrutinizing every new tech expense and Microsoft’s AI-powered Copilot is no exception. Despite the hype around artificial intelligence transforming the workplace, many organizations are pressing pause on rolling out Microsoft 365 Copilot to all their employees. In fact, Microsoft recently revealed that only about 3% of Microsoft 365 users have chosen to…

This Week in IT, Windows 11 adoption just jumped past 62 percent after months of going nowhere. At the same time, Microsoft admits that barely 3 percent of Microsoft 365 users are paying for Copilot. And Redmond has reassigned senior leadership to focus on quality and security. Thanks to Cayosoft for sponsoring this episode! Links and resources…

Designing a sound Organizational Unit (OU) structure in Active Directory is crucial for an efficient and secure IT environment. A well-planned OU hierarchy makes it easier to find objects, assign administrative permissions, and apply Group Policy Objects (GPOs) consistently. But there’s no one-size-fits-all design. Following best practices from Microsoft and experienced Active Directory admins will…

In this episode of Petri Dish, Russell Smith sits down with Principal Technologist Craig Birch to break down several major Active Directory changes that every IT administrator needs to know right now. We cover three big topics shaking up the identity and Windows Server world: 1. Kerberos RC4 Deprecation Microsoft is enforcing the removal of…

Windows 11’s Administrator Protection, which is meant to lock down elevation, was hacked in testing and forced Microsoft to rethink the design. At the same time, Kerberos is finally saying goodbye to RC4, with enforcement deadlines that could break Active Directory legacy authentication if you don’t prepare. And Microsoft just gave admins a first‑party way…

The rise of AI agents is forcing a fundamental rethink of enterprise security. Agents are autonomous, task-oriented digital workers that are no longer confined to experimental labs or niche use cases. Agents are being embedded into Microsoft 365, Windows, and Azure, where they draft emails, summarize meetings, automate reports, and interact with data on behalf…