Russell Smith

What if you could protect your organization from the latest AD and Entra ID threats without expensive tools or complicated setups? In this interview, I talk to Dmitry Sotnikov and Craig Birch, about how Cayosoft’s free, agentless Guardian Protector tool is changing the game for organizations on a budget. Discover how Guardian Protector provides instant threat and change alerts,…

I asked Merill Fernando, the creator of Graph X-Ray, to talk me through how the tool came to be and some use case scenarios. Microsoft Graph is the unified API that connects data across Microsoft 365, from Entra ID and Teams to Exchange, Intune, and more. It’s the foundation for automation, reporting, and integration across…

This Week in IT, over half of all cyber‑attacks are now ransomware, but an idea called ‘malware vaccines’ could make it harder for hackers. Microsoft is thinking about bringing Copilot to on‑premises Exchange Server, and Windows 11’s Start menu is about to get a major makeover. Links and resources Episode overview The top stories in…

What is Maester? Maester is an open-source framework designed to help Microsoft 365 and Entra administrators continuously validate the security and configuration of their environments, before things break. I spoke with Merill Fernando about how Maester came to be and how it is used today by thousands of enterprises to maintain effective security configurations across…

In this episode, we cover Microsoft’s major update to Copilot for Windows, including a refreshed user interface, new voice activation features, and the rollout of Copilot Vision for enhanced productivity. Discover how Copilot can help with tasks in Excel, explore upcoming integrations like Connectors for Google Drive and Gmail, and learn about new AI-powered tools…

How is AI reshaping the world of data security and compliance? In this episode of Petri Dish, industry experts break down the latest trends from the Kiteworks 2025 Data Security and Compliance Risk Report, revealing why visibility, data sovereignty, and the human factor are now at the heart of enterprise risk. Discover how organizations are…

OpenAI just dropped a toolkit for building AI agents—AgentKit. It promises to revolutionize the use of AI agents in the workplace. Also this week, Microsoft quietly announced it will start moving your oldest emails into the archive but then changed their minds. And a Kubernetes crash knocked out Azure Front Door and Microsoft Entra, leaving…

Quick summary:Microsoft Copilot Studio is a low-code AI platform that lets businesses create and customize copilots — intelligent assistants that integrate with Microsoft 365, Azure, and Power Platform. It helps organizations automate workflows, connect data, and deliver conversational AI experiences for both customers and employees. What is Microsoft Copilot Studio? Microsoft Copilot Studio is an…

In this episode of Petri Dish, I talk to Merill Fernando, Principal Product Manager for Entra at Microsoft, and we discover how his free community tools, like Maester, are helping over 75,000 organizations automate security checks, prevent misconfigurations, and visualize complex policies. Learn insider tips on Zero Trust Security, open source collaboration, and the future…

This article compares Cayosoft Guardian Protector, Semperis Purple Knight and PingCastle, 3 popular free tools that help you reduce risk in Active Directory (AD) and Microsoft Entra ID. While Purple Knight and PingCastle focus on point-in-time assessments, Guardian Protector adds continuous change monitoring and real-time alerting, which changes how you operationalize identity security day to…

This Week in IT, Microsoft launched an AI assistant that lives inside SharePoint that automatically organizes your content. Redmond rolled out agents in preview that write Word reports and analyze spreadsheets. Plus, there’s a new unified Marketplace for AI tools and Windows 11 24H2 is getting enterprise‑grade Wi‑Fi 7. Links and resources Episode overview

Organizations often use Microsoft Power Automate to cut down on repetitive tasks, reduce errors, and save time for more important work. But now, Copilot agents are stepping in with their own way of handling automation. Both are useful, but they work best in different areas. Copilot agents vs Power Automate Power Automate: The reliable, behind-the-scenes…