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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…

How do you add a new domain controller (DC) to your existing Active Directory (AD) domain? In this post, I will show you how to quickly add a new DC to AD. This article applies to: Windows Server 2025, Windows Server 2019, Windows Server 2022, and Windows Server 2016 Check the domain and forest functional…

In this guide, I’ll show you how to add a new forest to your existing Active Directory environment. There may be compliance or security requirements dictating you add a new forest. This article applies to: Windows Server 2016, Windows Server 2019, Windows Server 2022, and Windows Server 2025. However, just a note, you can add…

In this guide I’ll show you how to add a child domain to an existing forest. If you have, for example, contoso.com as your single Active Directory forest domain, you may want to add some logical separation. You can add a child domain, corp.contoso.com, to your forest during the DC promotion wizard. This article applies…

Microsoft has introduced in-app notifications to inform users when they’re using an outdated version of the Microsoft Teams desktop client. Starting this week, these alerts will encourage users to update to the latest version for improved performance and security. In December, Microsoft Teams desktop clients that haven’t been updated in 90 days will display a…

Microsoft is getting ready to raise prices on Teams Phone and Power BI subscriptions. The company is also introducing a new monthly billing option for commercial customers with annual Microsoft 365 Copilot contracts. Starting April 1, 2025, Microsoft will raise the price of Teams Phone subscriptions for both new and existing commercial customers. The Teams…

This guide explores the PowerShell Trim methods in detail, with real-world examples and practical tips on how to use each method effectively in PowerShell scripts. Effective string handling in PowerShell is a cornerstone of clean, efficient scripting, especially when handling user input, log data, or file paths. In PowerShell scripting, precision in string manipulation is vital for cross-platform efficiency, making methods like Trim, TrimStart, and TrimEnd indispensable tools for…