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Microsoft has introduced a new PowerShell setting within Tenant Federation Configuration, offering administrators enhanced flexibility to tailor their federation posture. The company announced on the Micrososoft 365 admin center that this setting is now available to commercial users through Microsoft Teams PowerShell. Last year, Microsoft added a new PowerShell setting (called -ExternalAccessWithTrialTenants) to the Set-CsTenantFederationConfiguration…

Group Policy WMI Filtering is a powerful feature that allows administrators to apply Group Policy Objects (GPOs) and Group Policy preferences based on specific attributes of target computers, servers, and users. By leveraging Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) queries, IT professionals can create highly targeted and dynamic GPOs that respond to the unique needs of their…

Security researchers have discovered a sophisticated phishing campaign targeting organizations that rely on Active Directory Federation Services (ADFS) for secure access. This attack has already compromised over 150 organizations across critical sectors, including healthcare, education, government, and technology. Active Directory Federation Services (ADFS) is a software component that gives users sign-on (SSO) access to systems…

Microsoft has recently rolled out a new update (version 2.4.129.0) of its Entra Connect Sync service. The latest release brings new auditing capabilities, enhancements, as well as bug fixes to improve user experience and boost the overall stability of the system. What is Microsoft Entra Connect Sync? Microsoft Entra Connect Sync enables organizations to synchronize…

SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) is a set of on-premises tools and services that enable you to create, deploy, and manage printed, web, email and mobile reports from SQL Server databases. Let’s look at its evolution and capabilities in more detail. When SQL Server was first released it was a simple relational database but as…

Microsoft is about to add a new People administrator role in Microsoft Entra, allowing organizations to securely delegate people-related tasks. This update helps streamline user management while minimizing security risks associated with high-level admin roles. In Microsoft Entra ID, built-in roles offer pre-defined permissions for efficient access control, but they don’t always match common user…

Microsoft published its monthly roundup of all the new capabilities added to its Teams collaboration platform in January. The latest update brings a new message forwarding experience, stronger security controls, advanced admin tools, and upgrades for Teams Phones. New chat features Microsoft has added a new feature that allows users to seamlessly insert hyperlink into…

[Update] February 7, 2025, 8:32 AM PT: The “Think Deeper” feature is currently only available for consumers, and commercial customers won’t be able to access it in Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat. Microsoft is now offering its “Think Deeper” feature to all free Copilot users, removing the previous paywall. Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman announced on…

On this episode of First Ring Daily, Brad Sams and Paul Thurrott discuss Microsoft’s FY2025 Q2 earnings and whether the company’s massive investments in AI are starting to pay off.

Microsoft has announced that it’s bringing NPU-optimized versions of DeepSeek R1 to Copilot+ PCs. The company will also integrate the DeepSeek-R1-Distill-Qwen-1.5B model into its Microsoft AI Toolkit for developers, with the 7B and 14B versions set to follow. In a recent blog post, Microsoft announced that DeepSeek R1 models will first be available on Qualcomm…

Microsoft announced today new business editions of its Surface Pro 11 and Surface Laptop 7 Copilot+ PCs with Intel x86 Core Ultra processors (Series 2). Additionally, a 5G-enabled variant of the Surface Laptop for Business is set to launch later this year. In September 2023, Microsoft introduced business editions of the Surface Pro 11 and…

Microsoft has announced the upcoming integration of its Security Copilot into the Surface Management Portal, offering customers access to the AI-powered chatbot in public preview starting on February 24. This new feature aims to enhance device management with advanced AI capabilities for IT administrators. The Surface Management Portal is a centralized platform integrated into the…