It's 2023 - are you able to keep your systems patched? Richard talks to Sami Laiho about the emerging patching crisis. Sami talks about how MFA and user security have improved enough that they are no longer the primary path of exploitation for ransomware. Today, the main way to get breached is through unpatched computers. But patches are risky and can occasionally cause downtime - so we control when patches are installed and (hopefully) test extensively. Is it worth it? Is it better to be down for an hour due to a lousy patch versus down for months due to a breach? It's time to talk to leadership about a change of tone around patches - and get moving faster!

Links:

• Microsoft Authenticator
• Windows Autopatch
• Center for Internet Security
• Sami Laiho Website

Recorded May 10, 2023

Should you use Windows Server Update Services or Windows Update for Business? Richard talks to Aria Carley about the different update mechanisms available today - and some new ones that are coming! Aria talks about how Windows is evolving to routine, incremental feature updates - but that can be challenging for managed workstations. The conversation explores the roles of Configuration Manager, WSUS, WSUB, Group Policy, Intune, and the new Azure Update Management tools. Plus, a hint of what is to come - could there be an Update Copilot in our future?

Links:

• Configuration Manager
• Azure Update Management
• Microsoft Intune
• Windows Server Update Services
• Windows Update for Business
• Widows Client Roadmap Update
• Windows Autopatch

Recording May 4. 2023

What does high availability look like in 2023? Richard chats with Allan Hirt about his work with high-availability solutions today - not just on-premises but also in the cloud. Allan talks about the frustration folks had with moving workloads in the cloud during the pandemic panic, lift-and-shifting workloads focusing on getting things working quickly rather than cost-effectively. The results can be costly, to the point where some folks considering moving back off the cloud again - but does that make sense? Allan talks about creating high availability efficiently wherever you want to run your workloads!

Links:

• Always On on SQL Server with Azure VMs
• SQL Server 2022
• Azure Regions and Availability Zones
• Operations Manager

Recorded May 11, 2023

Are you using Microsoft Sentinel? Richard talks to Cloud Security Advocate Sarah Young about Sentinel, Microsoft's Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) solution. Sarah talks about the role of the SIEM in creating a common place for all security-related data to arrive. She mentions some of the many tools in the Microsoft suite to feed into Sentinel - Defender for Endpoints, Identity, and Cloud as examples. Specialized analysis tools send summaries to Sentinel, but Sentinel can also process raw logs as well - make sure you need the data because billing for Sentinel is connected to the number of ingress sources. There's a lot to learn, but also a lot of great documentation and information to work from. Check the show notes for links!

Links:

• Microsoft Sentinel
• ArcSight
• Defender Security Alerts
• Defender for Endpoint
• Defender for Identity
• Microsoft Digital Defense Report 2022
• Defender for Cloud
• What is CSPM?
• Security Baselines Blog
• Microsoft Security Copilot

Recorded April 6, 2023

Are your finance people suffering from Azure sticker shock? Richard talks to Aidan Finn about his experiences with organizations discovering they spend far more on Azure than expected. Aidan talks about designing systems based on on-premises requirements where hardware is over-provisioned, and new features in Azure are added without a thought to cost. Getting finance involved in an Azure migration from the beginning can help mitigate the shock and balance features and costs. Plus, there are great tools for cost management in Azure that can allow for budget projections, catch unusual spending early, and point out opportunities to save money with specific services available today!

Links:

• Azure Firewall Premium
• Azure Advisor
• Cloud Adoption Framework
• Azure Pricing Calculator
• Microsoft Cost Management
• Azure Monitor
• Azure Reservations
• Azure Hybrid Benefit

Recorded April 6, 2023

Is your organization ready to respond to a security incident? Richard talks to Paula Januszkiewicz about her experience helping organizations respond effectively when a security incident occurs. Paula talks about detection - attackers often have breached your infrastructure months before their attacks become visible. Once you've detected a potential breach, the next steps are to determine where the breach comes from, or as Paula says, who is patient zero? And what are the indicators of compromise? It's not enough to slam the door shut on an attack - how do you keep it from happening again? The conversation explores the idea of threat hunting, of understanding what the black hats are doing by being able to respond effectively to isolate exploited machines but not necessarily shut them down. An attack is an opportunity - seize it!
Links:

• Cqure
• Attack Surface Reduction Rules
• Local Administrator Password Solution
• Security Information and Event Management
• Azure Sentinel

Recorded April 4, 2023

Is your Exchange server one of the vulnerable ones? Richard talks to Gareth Gudger about the ongoing security concerns around on-premises Exchange servers. The conversation addresses a blog post by the Exchange server team about restricting access of potentially vulnerable Exchange servers to Exchange Online. But, as Gareth explains, this has to do with hybrid Exchange, where your on-premises server can access Exchange Online in a privileged state. What is the right thing to do to limit exploits in Exchange? Keeping up with the latest versions, patching, and ultimately maintaining your entire infrastructure, especially Active Directory - all play a role in securing on-premises infrastructure. Stay vigilant!

Links:

• Blocking Email from Vulnerable Exchange Servers
• Tony Redmond's Comment on the Blog Post
• Deprecation of Remote PowerShell
• Re-enabling or Extending RPS
• Exchange Online PowerShell v3
• Exchange Server 2013 End of Support
• Turning off your Last Exchange Server
• Office 365 for IT Pros

Recorded April 4, 2023

Moving to Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) has never been easier! Richard talks to Jen Sheerin about her work with the Azure Virtual Desktop Accelerator tools. Jen describes how moving workloads to AVD is part of the Cloud Adoption Framework that helps you integrate virtual desktop workloads with standard security and licensing practices. The conversation explores the different folks who use the accelerator - even for greenfield implementations of new virtual desktops! There are more great tools to help you optimize your AVD implementation. Check the links in the show notes!

Links:

• Azure Virtual Desktop
• Remote Desktop Services
• Microsoft Cloud Adoption Framework
• AVD Remote Desktop Web Client
• Bicep
• Azure Virtual Desktop Accelerator
• Virtual Desktop Optimization Tool
• Windows 10 vs Windows 11 Benchmark
• License Universal Print

Recorded April 7, 2023

Large Language Models like ChatGPT are all the rage, but how will they impact work going forward? Richard chats with Paul Thurrott about the role of LLMs in the Windows ecosystem. Paul digs into the history of ChatGPT and how this whole wave of technology started more or less by accident until Microsoft grabbed on and created BingAI. Now with announcements for Copilot for security and M365, where else can the technology go? The conversation digs into the power of having a tool that can help you make sense of all the products you own and to go down the checklist of the right things to do when taking on a new task. We're still in the early days for large language models - the next version of Windows should be interesting!

Links:

• OpenAI
• Microsoft Security Copilot
• Microsoft Viva
• Microsoft 365 Copilot
• Removing the Bing Button from Microsoft Edge 111

Recorded April 3, 2023

The demand for effective data analytics within organizations continues to grow – how do you build your analytics team? While at SQLBits in Wales, panelists Maria Zakourdaev, Falek Miah, and Anupama Natarajan discussed their experiences with building teams - from recruiting to training, up-skilling, and retention. The discussion spans the different roles, including architects and data modelers, that help to provide the data sets analysts need. Do you train from within, hire into the role, or use consultants? There are many choices for growing your data analytics team!

Links:

• SQLBits

Recorded March 18, 2023