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Microsoft has warned that Exchange Online will begin throttling and eventually blocking email from Exchange Server 2016 and 2019 systems that are not updated to the final public security update baseline released in October 2025. This change will begin rolling out in the second week of September 2026 and primarily affects hybrid environments that send…

In this episode of First Ring Daily, Brad Sams and Paul Thurrott discuss Project Zenith, the just-announced pre-configured Windows experience for developers that will first become available on PCs with AMD’s Ryzen AI Halo.

Organizations that manage multiple tenants, subsidiaries, regional environments, or recently acquired businesses often struggle to consolidate security data into Microsoft Sentinel. Until now, connecting several accounts from the same security platform could require duplicate connector deployments, separate configurations, or custom integrations, which adds operational complexity and creates potential visibility gaps. Microsoft has announced multi-account support…

Microsoft plans to automatically enable Memory Integrity protection on more eligible Windows 11 devices. This security feature, which is designed to strengthen defenses against attacks, will begin rolling out in October 2026. Memory Integrity is designed to strengthen defenses against attacks that target the Windows kernel by ensuring that only trusted drivers and kernel-level code…

A new voice phishing campaign called Spring Ring is exploiting Microsoft Teams to trick employees into granting attackers access to corporate systems. Researchers observed the campaign targeting more than 150 employees across at least 10 organizations between January and April 2026. Unlike traditional phishing attacks that rely on emails and malicious links, the Spring Ring…

Organizations have spent years navigating complex configurations to connect Microsoft Azure and AWS networks, despite cloud providers downplaying the technical barriers to multicloud adoption. Now, as AI workloads and distributed applications increase the need for fast, reliable cross-cloud connectivity, Microsoft and AWS are introducing a new service to reduce much of that networking complexity. Microsoft…

Many organizations are excited about Microsoft 365 Copilot and all that it offers, but Copilot readiness is not mainly a licensing or rollout problem; it is a data exposure problem. Data exposure may include sensitive files that have been overshared or permissions that have accumulated over time. These shortcomings can be difficult to fix, because…

Organizations managing identities across Microsoft environments are getting new tools to tighten access controls, govern shadow IT, and prepare for the growing security challenges of AI adoption. Microsoft’s latest Entra updates introduce several governance and lifecycle management capabilities while also warning administrators about upcoming changes that could require action before existing configurations lose support. Microsoft…

Microsoft is temporarily pausing the reboot-free Hotpatch experience for the next two monthly security updates. The September 2026 security release will require Hotpatch-enabled Windows 11 and Windows Server devices to restart, with another reboot expected in October. Hotpatch updates are a Windows updating technology that allows eligible security fixes to be installed directly into a…

Microsoft Intune’s 2608 service release brings various management and security updates for enterprise customers. The update also gives administrators more control over device views, OS-based policy assignments, Windows configuration settings, and protected apps across managed environments. One of the most notable additions is unattended Remote Help for Windows. This feature allows authorized IT staff to…

An employee calls the service desk. They’ve replaced their phone, they explain, and can’t access Microsoft Authenticator. They know their employee number and their manager’s name, and just need to access their account before an important meeting. They even sound like the employee. So how does the service desk know who is actually calling? Generative…

For most cloud-native Microsoft Intune environments, Autopilot Device Preparation should now be the default starting point. Original Windows Autopilot still matters, but mainly for organizations that depend on pre-provisioning, self-deploying devices, hardware hash workflows, or hybrid Active Directory (AD) join. Microsoft’s device deployment landscape is evolving, and IT administrators face an important decision: should you…