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At their Ignite 2024 tech conference this week, Microsoft announced a restructuring of sorts for Windows Server Management features and SKUs and brought them under Azure Arc. They are advertising the features as a ‘free add-on’ bundle for companies utilizing Windows Server Pay as you Go, or active Software Assurance (SA) agreements. This is why…

At Microsoft’s Ignite 2024 tech conference this week in Chicago, Redmond announced the first ‘Cloud PC’ device—a purpose-built solution called Windows 365 Link. With a public preview starting now, they are expected to be shipping or generally available in April 2025. “…a small Windows-based OS designed to connect you to Windows 365 in seconds” –…

Microsoft has announced new security features coming to Windows 11 Enterprise at Ignite 2024. The company has also introduced the Windows Resiliency Initiative to make Windows more robust and secure for enterprise customers. Windows 11 Enterprise gets hotpatching support and PDE Microsoft has announced Hotpatch support for Windows 11 Enterprise 24H2 and Windows 365. This…

Microsoft has announced plans to use AI models to enhance Windows search on its new Copilot+ PCs. These search improvements are coming to File Explorer, Windows Search, and Settings. The improved Windows Search experience is designed to make it easier for users to find files, including documents and photos. This feature will eliminate the need…

Microsoft has announced new updates for Microsoft 365 Copilot at its Ignite conference this morning. With Copilot Actions, organizations can streamline workflows by automating repetitive tasks with simple, customizable prompts. “For example, you can automatically receive a summary of your most important action items at the end of each workday; create an action to gather…

Microsoft announced today several updates coming to Microsoft Teams at its Ignite 2024 conference. The company detailed new meetings features to enhance collaboration and the integration of Storyline in Microsoft Teams. Starting this month, the meeting transcription feature in Teams will add support for multilingual meetings to facilitate collaboration among global teams. Once enabled, the…

Managing hybrid cloud environments can feel like taming a multi-headed beast. With diverse management tools, inconsistent security policies, and resources spread across on-premises, public clouds, and edge environments, the complexity is daunting. Azure Arc rises to this challenge, bringing together centralized governance, automation, and a single control plane for seamless management of your hybrid infrastructure….

Microsoft will add support for background calendar notifications to its new Outlook for Windows client this month. The company announced on the Microsoft 365 admin center that this new feature will let users receive desktop alerts for upcoming events, even when the app is closed. Currently, Microsoft Teams users must keep the new Outlook for…

In this episode of First Ring Daily, Brad Sams and Paul Thurrott discuss Microsoft finally releasing a Windows 11 ISO for ARM-based PCs and the various caveats that come with it.

Microsoft has paused the roll out of a security update that was released for Exchange Server 2016 and Exchange Server 2019 on November 12. The company has warned that the patch could break transport rules for select customers. “We are aware of customers having an issue with the Transport rules stopping periodically after this update…

The types of cyberattacks bad actors gravitate to haven’t changed – only their sophistication. Phishing attacks are more popular than they’ve ever been. Chiefly, because of how accessible they’ve become through AI and machine learning. Staying ahead of modern-day cyber attacks will require organizations to fight fire with fire. This means adopting an AI-driven strategy…

Cybersecurity researchers have discovered a new data exposure issue in Microsoft Power Pages, stemming from misconfigured access controls in websites built with the platform. This flaw exposed millions of sensitive business records to unauthorized users, posing a serious security risk for affected organizations. Microsoft Power Pages is a low-code software as a service (SaaS) platform…