Blog

At its Build conference this morning, Microsoft unveiled new security features coming to its Edge for Business experience that launched in August 2023. These new capabilities are designed to protect organizations against data leaks and security vulnerabilities. Microsoft Edge for Business is a new dedicated work experience that allows users to better separate their better…

Microsoft announced this morning the public preview of the Cobalt 100 Arm-based virtual machine (VM). The company has also announced the general availability of the new Azure ND MI300X v5 VM series. Microsoft first unveiled its Arm-powered chip Cobalt 100 chip for general-purpose and cloud-native workloads in November last year. The Azure Cobalt CPU is…

Microsoft is broadening access to Copilot for Azure preview to all customers, promising enhanced cloud management capabilities. This expansion comes with a host of new features designed to streamline operations, optimize IT environments, and bolster security. Microsoft Copilot for Azure enables customers to ask questions, write commands, and design and configure services. It leverages data…

Microsoft has just unveiled its new Copilot+ PCs, a new category of devices powered by Snapdragon X Elite and X Plus chips optimized for AI workloads. The company also announced several new AI-powered experiences set to debut with these Copilot+ PCs this summer. “Copilot+ PCs are the fastest, most intelligent Windows PCs ever built,” said…

Microsoft is stepping up its security game for Azure customers by mandating multi-factor authentication (MFA) starting in July 2024. This move aims to bolster account protection by requiring users to verify their identity through multiple methods, significantly reducing the risk of unauthorized access and data breaches. Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is a security feature that requires…

In this episode of First Ring Daily, Brad Sams and Paul Thurrott discuss Microsoft’s upcoming Build developer conference starting next week, as well as the various Windows on ARM announcements from Microsoft and other PC manufacturers that are expected on Monday.

Microsoft has warned customers about a new wave of social engineering attacks where cybercriminals exploit its Quick Assist app. The company acknowledged that a financially motivated threat actor (tracked as Storm-1811) has been deploying Black Basta ransomware since mid-April, posing a significant threat to users. Quick Assist is a remote assistance tool that helps to…

Microsoft has announced a slew of updates to streamline channel management in its Teams collaboration service. The company has reduced the number of steps that were previously required to create and join teams and channels in Microsoft Teams. Microsoft mentioned that “create a team from scratch” is now the default experience in Microsoft Teams. Users…

VMware announced yesterday that its Workstation Pro and Fusion Pro desktop hypervisor products are now free for personal use. Starting this week, VMware will offer two license models for its Pro apps: a Free Personal Use or a Paid Commercial Use subscription for organizations. According to VMware, customers should notice consistent functionality across both free…

Microsoft has released the May 2024 Patch Tuesday updates for Windows 11 and Windows 10. This month, Microsoft fixed a total of 59 security vulnerabilities in Windows and other components, and there are two zero-day flaws that are already being exploited by attackers. On the quality and experience updates front, Microsoft has released some changes…

Microsoft is warning customers still using Windows 10 version 21H2 that it will soon reach end of support. The consumer editions of Windows 10 version 21H2 already reached end of servicing last year, and June 2024 will mark the end of support for enterprise and education customers for the operating system. Microsoft plans to release…

Microsoft has announced the public preview of a new application called Microsoft Places. This new AI-powered app leverages insights from Microsoft Teams and Outlook to help employees synchronize their in-office time. Microsoft first unveiled the new Places app during its Ignite conference in October 2022. With Microsoft Places, users can specify their office hours and…