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Last year, Microsoft detailed plans to phase out NT LAN Manager (NTLM) user authentication to promote the adoption of the more robust Kerberos protocol. Now, the company has taken a definitive step by officially deprecating NTLM authentication in both Windows and Windows Server environments. NTLM is an authentication protocol that enables a client to connect…

Microsoft is getting ready to roll out new offline capabilities for the new Outlook for Windows client later this month. This new Offline mode was first announced in November 2023, and it will allow users to access emails, calendar events, and contacts without needing an internet connection. With Offline mode, the new Outlook for Windows…

Last week, Microsoft announced an expansion of its partnership with Broadcom, poised to bring significant benefits to VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) customers. This new collaboration will enable seamless migration and flexibility by allowing VCF license holders to use their licenses on Azure VMware Solution. Understanding Azure VMware Solution and VMware Cloud Foundation Microsoft launched Azure…

Learn about the new version of Microsoft Office 2024 on the Long Term Service Channel (LTSC). We’ll dive into new features, pricing, expected availability, and the main reasons you should choose this perpetual version vs the hyped Microsoft 365 subscription model. Stay up to date and make informed decisions with this guide. What is Office…

Microsoft has announced the public preview of Windows Server 2025, including a host of new features and enhancements to optimize server performance and security. The major highlights of this release include Active Directory updates, hotpatching capabilities to minimize downtime, and GPU partitioning for Hyper-V. Hotpatching Microsoft has introduced Arc-enabled hotpatching support in Windows Server 2025….

In this episode of First Ring Daily, Brad Sams and Paul Thurrott discuss the impact of a possible Apple/OpenAI partnership on Microsoft, which invested billions of dollars into the ChatGPT maker and obtained an exclusive license on GPT-4 and all other OpenAI models. Apple starting to use OpenAI technology on its products could also have big implications for Azure, which is now OpenAI’s main cloud provider.

Microsoft is adding a highly anticipated “Notify when available” feature to the new Teams desktop app, enhancing real-time communication among colleagues. This update intends to streamline connectivity by notifying users when team members become available. The “Notify when available” feature in Microsoft Teams helps users stay informed about their colleagues’ availability. This feature is handy…

Microsoft has announced a new converged platform to enhance risk management within enterprise environments. This new platform aims to streamline risk discovery and remediation, offering administrators insights and control over identities and permissions. This new converged platform will be built on Microsoft’s existing Entra ID products, including Privileged Identity Management (PAM), Permissions Management (CIEM), ID…

Microsoft is backtracking on its plans to retire Teams Live Events in September 2024. Last year, the company warned commercial customers that this feature would be deprecated by September 30, but those plans unexpectedly changed this week. Microsoft Teams introduced the town hall experience in Fall 2023. It allows organizations to host different types of…

In this guide, Bharat Bhushan shows you how to diagnose and resolve an Exchange dirty shutdown error and help you to bring the Exchange database back to a clean shutdown state. Thanks to Stellar Info for sponsoring this post. The Exchange Server logs serve as the backbone of data integrity and disaster recovery in Exchange…

Microsoft has recently announced a new Windows Autopilot device preparation experience for commercial customers. Built on a re-engineered architecture, this new solution delivers enhanced scalability, accelerated deployments, and support for cloud-based instances such as Windows 365 and Azure Virtual Desktops. What is Windows Autopilot? Microsoft first launched Windows Autopilot back in June 2017. It’s a…

Microsoft is set to enhance its Intune solution with a suite of new capabilities designed to optimize both administrative and user experiences across various platforms. Key features include the next-generation Windows Autopilot experience, advanced management tools for shared devices, improved security baselines, and streamlined device enrollment processes. Windows Autopilot device preparation Microsoft has launched the…