Kurt Shintaku's Blog

Processing Big data in real-time is an operational necessity for many businesses. Azure Stream Analytics is Microsoft’s serverless real-time analytics offering for complex event processing.

We are excited and humbled to announce that Microsoft has been named a leader in The Forrester Wave™: Streaming Analytics, Q3 2019. Microsoft believes this report truly reflects the market momentum of Azure Stream Analytics, satisfied customers, a growing partner ecosystem and the overall strength of our Azure cloud platform. You can access the full report here.

Read the announcement here:

• Microsoft is a leader in The Forrester Wave™: Streaming Analytics, Q3 2019
  https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/microsoft-is-a-leader-in-the-forrester-wave-streaming-analytics-q3-2019

UPDATE 5/12/23:
We’ve documented this more thoroughly at:
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/active-directory/authentication/concept-mfa-licensing#available-versions-of-azure-ad-multi-factor-authentication

ORIGINAL 12/26/2019:
At Ignite 2019, we announced free Azure Active Directory Multi-factor Authentication for all customers using the Microsoft Authenticator app – including those using Azure Active Directory Free.

Our top priority is to make it super easy for you to secure your Azure AD accounts. It’s the main reason we’ve invested so much in building our passwordless sign-in options like Windows Hello and the Microsoft Authenticator app.

To make it easy for everyone to adopt more secure and phishing-resistant authentication, today we announced that all customers can now enable MFA for free with the Microsoft Authenticator app. Starting later this month, MFA will be enabled as a security default in all new Azure Active Directory tenants for Microsoft 365, Office 365, Dynamics, and Azure. These news defaults will be rolling out gradually to new tenants over the next few months. Customers with more than 150 seats can also now contact Microsoft to set up MFA and security capabilities via FastTrack.

• SITE: Enable multi-factor authentication for free
  https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/security/business/identity/mfa?rtc=1
• ANNOUNCEMENT: What’s new in Azure Active Directory at Microsoft Ignite 2019
  https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/Azure-Active-Directory-Identity/What-s-new-in-Azure-Active-Directory-at-Microsoft-Ignite-2019/ba-p/827831

Improve the agility, reliability, and efficiency of your distributed systems by using Kubernetes. Get the practical Kubernetes deployment skills you need in this O’Reilly e-book. You’ll learn how to:

• Develop and deploy real-world applications.
• Create and run a simple cluster.
• Integrate storage into containerized microservices.
• Use Kubernetes concepts and specialized objects like DaemonSet jobs, ConfigMaps, and secrets.

Learn how to use tools and APIs to automate scalable distributed systems for online services, machine learning applications, or even a cluster of Raspberry Pi computers.

• DOWNLOAD: Free eBook, “Kubernetes: Up and Running, Second Edition”
  https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/resources/kubernetes-up-and-running/

Microsoft Stream builds on learnings from Office 365 Video to bring intelligence and deeper integration into Office 365 and beyond. Since the launch of Microsoft Stream, we’ve been busy improving the platform in preparation for Office 365 Video migrations. Check out what’s new in the Stream release notes or what’s coming next on the Stream roadmap.

Customers who are currently using Office 365 Video should begin planning their migration to Microsoft Stream. Office 365 Video and the associated iOS app will eventually be retired, all timelines and details can be found below.

• BLOG: Office 365 Video Retirement & Migration Timelines
  https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/Microsoft-Stream-Blog/Office-365-Video-Retirement-amp-Migration-Timelines/ba-p/1072819

Learn how to improve and optimize the performance of SharePoint sites and portals, directly from the Microsoft SharePoint engineering team.

Explore new ways to drive information architecture and navigation, and how to avoid common pitfalls that impact end user experience.

• RECORDING: Best practices for optimizing performance of SharePoint sites and portals in Microsoft 365
  https://myignite.techcommunity.microsoft.com/sessions/81512
• DOWNLOAD: Presentation/PPT
  https://medius.studios.ms/video/asset/PPT/IG19-BRK4005

Learn about administration and governance of the Microsoft Power Platform by reading our updated Power Apps and Power Automate Governance and Deployment Whitepaper.

The whitepaper, first released in Aug 2018, has been updated to include latest features as well as best practices for planning, securing, deploying, and supporting applications built on the Power Platform.

The whitepaper is covering the following sections:

• Platform Architecture
• Secure
• Monitor
• Alert & Act
• Deploy, ALM and Azure DevOps
• Educate and Support

Download the whitepaper here:

• WHITEPAPER: Administering a low-code development platform – Power Apps and Power Automate Enterprise Deployment (.PDF, 114pgs)
  https://aka.ms/powerappsadminwhitepaper

Since announcing our new product, Microsoft Endpoint Manager – which includes System Center Configuration Manager & Microsoft Intune – there’s been a lot of questions.

These are answered in this whitepaper, “Microsoft Endpoint Manager FAQ”.  Find the answers to questions such as:

• Does this mean we don’t need to buy Intune or Autopilot licenses anymore?
• Is there any change in licensing for Microsoft Endpoint Manager? We are licensed for ConfigMgr already, but not Intune. Do we have to buy Intune to enable Microsoft Endpoint Manager?
• We are licensed for Intune. Do we have to buy ConfigMgr to enable Microsoft Endpoint Manager?
• Is ConfigMgr going away? Can I still use the ConfigMgr console?
• Is Intune going away?
• Do we need to buy anything additional to get Productivity Score/Technology Experience analytics?
• I thought co-management was supposed to a “bridge” to modern management. Now you’re saying it’s a “destination”. Which is it?
• Will traditional ConfigMgr management for PCs now go away?
• Do we need to have Azure Active Directory (AAD) deployed to move to Microsoft Endpoint Manager?
• I currently use Microsoft BitLocker Administration and Monitoring (MBAM) to manage BitLocker across my enterprise. Can I move my BitLocker management to Microsoft Endpoint Manager?

Download the whitepaper here:

• WHITEPAPER: Microsoft Endpoint Manager FAQ (.PDF, 6 pgs)
  https://query.prod.cms.rt.microsoft.com/cms/api/am/binary/RE453sz

We’re shipping the final stable release of the new Microsoft Edge, based on Chromium, on January 15th, 2020.

WHY SHOULD YOU CARE?
The new Microsoft Edge is a dramatic leap forward in browser technology for both enterprise & consumer users.

1. CHROME PLUG IN SUPPORT
   Nearly all Chrome plug ins work in the new Edge straight from the Chrome store.  You literally visit the store from Edge, select a Chrome plug in, click install, and you’re done.
2. CHROME COMPATIBILITY
   Edge is compatible with virtually every web site that is Chrome compatible by leveraging the Chromium HTML engine.  If Chrome can access it, so can Edge.
3. LEGACY IE COMPATIBILITY
   For Enterprise customers, the new Edge is 100% compatible with sites that require Internet Explorer. Edge can switch seamlessly to the Internet Explorer HTML engine for compatibility.
4. LIGHTER & LESS TRACKING
   180 services, including all the tracking services from Chromium, has been removed from new Edge.
5. ENTERPRISE MANAGEMENT
   New Edge has all the Enterprise manageability, group policies, & security controls IT is familiar with in IE/legacy Edge
6. SPEED & POWER OPTIMIZATION
   New Edge inherits the speed/performance of predecessors & now has Edge’s power optimization, so it won’t kill your laptop’s battery.
7. SECURITY THROUGH HARDWARE ISOLATION
   New Edge security supports Hardware-based isolation of browsing sessions of unknown sites to protect users from malware. (bleepingcomputer.com/news/microsoft…)
8. NO MORE NOTIFICATION REQUESTS
   New Edge has a feature to BLOCK all website requests to "send notifications". (kurtsh.com/2019/10/28/how…)
9. PRIVACY & TRACKING PREVENTION
   New Edge actively shields user’s privacy with "Edge Tracking Prevention" – blocking even Google. (bleepingcomputer.com/news/microsoft…)
10. BLOCK MALWARE SITES
    New Edge inherits SmartScreen technology to proactively prevent users from visiting known bad/malware web sites.
11. STYLUS & DIGITAL INKING
    New Edge inherits all of the digital ink support from past Edge releases, providing tablet & stylus users the best experience available.
12. ACCESSIBILITY BUILT-IN
    New Edge maintains all the Accessibility focus from previous releases and is contributing accessibility improvements to the open source community by submitting them as additions to Chromium’s code base.

…so download the new Edge & give it a try! Releasing this January 15, 2020. Get the beta here:

• DOWNLOAD: Microsoft Edge Insider/Beta Channel
  http://www.microsoftedgeinsider.com

And for you IT professionals, we’re creating a Security Baseline for enterprise deployment of the new Microsoft Edge. Review & submit feedback here:

• BLOG: Security Baseline Draft for Edge 79
  https://blogs.windows.com/msedgedev/2019/12/18/security-baseline-draft-edge-79/

Interested in Edge’s progress?  Check out the Edge Development blog here:

• BLOG: Microsoft Edge Development
  https://blogs.windows.com/msedgedev/

Did you miss Microsoft Ignite this year?

It isn’t too late to save. Purchase the print or eBook format of any of the bestsellers from the show and save 40%* discount using code IGNITE2019 at checkout through the end of 2019.

Receive free ground shipping in the U.S. on every order. eBooks are delivered in three formats—PDF, EPUB, and MOBI—to read on your preferred device.

Check out some of our bestsellers below:

• OFFER: 40% off Microsoft Press bestsellers from Microsoft Ignite 2019
  https://www.microsoftpressstore.com/promotions/save-40-on-favorites-from-microsoft-ignite-2019-142133

Microsoft Community Training supports personalized learning for a large-scale mobile-based community. It is affordable, easy to manage and provides robust security and privacy protection.

Learning made easy
Clean and visual interfaces provide an intuitive and engaging learning experience for learners of all backgrounds.

Anytime, anywhere learning
Supports learning in low bandwidth networks and even offline. Learners can access courses anytime, anywhere from their choice of device.

Enable your grassroots
User management and monitoring tools for your managers, ground staff and facilitators to reach out to your distributed communities and drive adoption and engagement of your learning programs.

Make it your own
Personalize the look and feel of your learning portal. Configure content and users as per your needs. Integrate with your existing systems.

Assess and Measure
Out-of-the-box reports and exhaustive instrumentation. Create rich custom reporting to track progress and measure outcomes.

HOW MUCH IS IT?
There is actually no cost for the Community Training technology.  It’s available exclusively as a hosted solution for Azure users and so the only cost is the use of Azure infrastructure – which is essentially an App Service & a Database. 

This cost will scale depending on the number of users you have & the kind of performance you’d like – so you’re never paying for anything you don’t need. For example, for 1000 users, pricing is roughly ~$180/mo for a basic configuration.  More on pricing is available here & here.

INTERESTED?
For more information, visit:

• PRODUCT PAGE:
  https://communitytraining.microsoft.com/
• DOCUMENTATION:
  https://docs.microsoftcommunitytraining.com/