Blog

Hyperscalers like Microsoft, Google and Amazon Web Services must manage and maintain millions of servers and datacenter equipment. In this article, I look at why hyperscalers use AI and predictive maintenance to improve uptime and reduce staffing costs. Managing large-scale datacenter environments with predictive maintenance In environments with thousands of servers and complex infrastructure, traditional…

Microsoft has broadened its Sovereign Cloud portfolio to enable governments and highly regulated industries to operate securely, even in completely disconnected environments. Azure Local and Microsoft 365 Local disconnected are now generally available for organizations. Microsoft Sovereign Cloud is a specialized cloud offering designed to enable governments, regulated industries, and organizations operating under strict data‑control…

SolarWinds’ Serv‑U 15.5.4 update fixes multiple high‑risk vulnerabilities that could have allowed attackers to gain full system control. The patches close critical security gaps that previously enabled root‑level remote code execution. Serv‑U is a secure, multi‑protocol file transfer server that enables organizations to send, receive, and manage data efficiently across internal and external networks. It…

Microsoft has rolled out a new set of features and enhancements for Microsoft Defender for Endpoint this month. These updates expand its security, visibility, and management capabilities across enterprise environments. Microsoft has introduced a new Library management experience in preview in the Defender portal. This new feature allows security analysts to view and manage files…

Microsoft’s newly announced end-of-support deadlines for several legacy Windows platforms have triggered heightened urgency across enterprise IT environments. As security patches and technical support near expiration, organizations are under increasing pressure to remediate risk exposure before unpatched vulnerabilities create operational and compliance liabilities. The Windows 10 Extended Security Updates (ESU) program gives organizations a simple…

When a user account becomes locked, account lockout event id 4740 is logged on your domain controllers. It is the primary signal administrators rely on to begin troubleshooting. While the event itself is straightforward, interpreting it correctly and using it effectively to identify the true source of a lockout is not always obvious. What is…

Threat actors are actively abusing Microsoft’s OAuth 2.0 Device Authorization flow to compromise Microsoft Entra (formerly Azure AD) accounts without triggering traditional phishing red flags. The attackers leverage social engineering techniques to trick victims into entering attacker-generated device codes on legitimate Microsoft login pages to obtain valid access and refresh tokens. According to a new…

In this episode of First Ring Daily, Brad Sams and Paul Thurrott discuss recent comments from software engineers Mark Russinovich and Linus Torvalds on how they use AI for coding. 

In this article, I look at Personally Identifiable Information (PII) and why it’s important to identity and protect it in your organization. What is PII data? Personally Identifiable Information (PII) refers to any information that can be used to identify a specific individual. Types of PII Although all personally identifiable information is linked to a…

Chinese state-sponsored hackers have quietly leveraged a hard-coded credential flaw in Dell RecoverPoint for Virtual Machines for nearly two years, weaponizing it as a powerful zero-day entry point. The vulnerability grants attackers deep, persistent access to compromised environments, which enables long-term lateral movement and covert control over virtualized infrastructure. RecoverPoint for Virtual Machines (RP4VM) is…

Microsoft has announced a public preview of automatic zone balance for Azure Virtual Machine Scale Sets, expanding its resiliency toolkit for enterprise cloud deployments. The capability is built to proactively safeguard workloads by maintaining balanced VM distribution and minimizing the impact of unexpected availability zone failures. Azure Virtual Machine Scale Sets (VMSS) provide a way…

Microsoft has acknowledged a newly discovered bug that allowed Microsoft 365 Copilot to summarize confidential emails without proper authorization. The flaw effectively bypassed data loss prevention (DLP) policies, compromising safeguards designed to prevent sensitive information from being accessed or processed by automated systems. Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat is an AI‑powered, enterprise‑ready chat experience that lets…