Kurt Shintaku's Blog

A new post was published on the Microsoft Public Sector Blog that Microsoft Teams administrators should read ASAP. 

In summary:

• As of May 2024, we will end the ability to suspend the automatic deployment of the new Teams client via the Teams Admin Center to GCC tenant users.
• Late May 2024, all GCC users will receive an upgrade to the new Teams client – however users will still be able to toggle back to the classic Teams client.
• Mid June 2024, all remaining classic Teams users in GCC tenants will be updated to the new Teams client, and the toggle switch will be removed.
• End of June 2024, the classic Teams client will be removed from all GCC tenant devices.

There will be a Government Community Teams call to discuss this. Register and attend either::

• East Coast Session 3/20: 8-9:30 AM PST (11-12:30 PM EST)
• West Coast Session 3/26: 2-3:30 PM PST (5-6:30 PM EST)

Read more about this in the full post:

• New Teams rollout schedule for GCC and GCC High customers
  https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/public-sector-blog/new-teams-rollout-schedule-for-gcc-and-gcc-high-customers/ba-p/4084607

Also view the GCC-only Message Center notice MC718238 entitled, “New Teams rollout schedule for GCC and GCC High customers” at:

• https://admin.microsoft.com/Adminportal
  /Home?ref=MessageCenter/:/
  messages/MC718238

Here are 7 free Microsoft courses to master Artificial Intelligence:
(Updated December 2023)

• Microsoft – Artificial Intelligence for Beginners
  12-week, 24-lesson curriculum exploring AI. Topics covered include Symbolic AI, Neural Networks, Computer Vision, NLP, and more. The curriculum includes hands-on lessons, quizzes, and labs.
  https://microsoft.github.io/AI-For-Beginners/
  
• Using Azure OpenAI Service
  Get started with generative AI, copilots, large language models, and Azure OpenAI Service. Improve generative AI responses with prompt engineering, and explore Bing Copilot.
  https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/collections/20mirj4odnj6o
  
• Build apps with Azure AI services and Power Virtual Agents
  Discover a range of tools to help you build AI-powered apps.
  Find resources on Azure OpenAI and learn how to fine-tune advanced language models from OpenAI.
  https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/collections/erkiyp71jpmgp
  
• Create custom Machine Learning models
  Explore the tools available for building and running your own models using your own data.
  Enhance your machine learning skills with the resources provided in this official collection from Microsoft Learn.
  https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/collections/5m3syp2eex2rm
  
• GitHub Copilot for Visual Studio
  Learn how GitHub Copilot can help increase your productivity when you’re developing apps with Visual Studio. This content is recommended for developers.
  https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/collections/nq2b20y286pnj
  
• Master Azure AI fundamentals
  Explore machine learning, computer vision, natural language processing, decision support, and knowledge mining, all while getting ready to earn your next credential.
  https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/collections/zopanqdn7w1p1
  
• Adopting Copilot for Microsoft 365
  Discover the benefits of adopting Copilot for Microsoft 365. Learn about its versatility, streamline communication, and power up content creation.
  https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/collections/0d6so53jrrgpq

We’re thrilled to announce the 1.0 release of the ’Information Assistant’, built with Azure OpenAI Service! Our Industry Accelerator provides an end-to-end baseline custom RAG (Retrieval Augmentation Generation) pattern for public sector customers and partners, to get started with Generative AI. 🧠💡

You can access the “Information Assistant” via Microsoft’s public GitHub repository and deploy it using GitHub Codespaces within your own tenant in under an hour.

• GitHub Repo:
  https://github.com/microsoft/PubSec-Info-Assistant
• Two minute video summary:
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwUhmMexmgw&t=5s

What’s an Industry Accelerator from Microsoft?
It’s a combination of components, provided as sample code and documentation, that can provide a foundational capability aligned to an industry need. They make it easier to use and deploy our software and are provided to customers and partners at no charge. 💼🌐

Got questions or interested in a discussion/demo? We’re here to help!
Click on the link below and let’s get the conversation started. 📝💬

• Information Assistant built with Azure OpenAI Service
  https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=v4j5cvGGr0GRqy180BHbR6o4NZzd2WJFhMOsgKclOl9UOFVXWEMyVERTVkxZTU9SUk5PVTkyUzdDRiQlQCN0PWcu

Are you using Office 365, Microsoft 365, Azure or Power Platform?  If so, you’re using “Entra ID”, formerly Azure Active Directory.

So how are you protecting your organization’s identities?  No, not “multi-factor authentication” & “strong passwords”.  Think about:

• Authentication monitoring
• Identifying risks amongst identities
• Simulating risk like atypical travel, leaked credentials, unfamiliar sign-in properties, anonymous IP addresses
• Automatically escalating authentication requirements

If this is unfamiliar to you, you should investigate Entra ID Protection.

What is Entra ID Protection?
“Microsoft Entra ID Protection helps organizations detect, investigate, and remediate identity-based risks.” https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/entra/id-protection/overview-identity-protection

• Detect risks
  ➡ Anonymous IP address usage
  ➡ Password spray attacks
  ➡ Leaked credentials
• Investigate
  ➡ Risk detections
  ➡ Risky sign-ins
  ➡ Risky users
• Remediate risks
  ➡ Automatic remediation
  ➡ Manual remediation

Documentation:

• Plan an Identity Protection deployment 
  https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/entra/id-protection/how-to-deploy-identity-protection
• Configure and enable risk policies  https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/entra/id-protection/howto-identity-protection-configure-risk-policies
• What are risk detections?    
  https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/entra/id-protection/concept-identity-protection-risks
• Simulating risk detections
  https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/entra/id-protection/howto-identity-protection-simulate-risk

Is there training or deployment planning?
Entra ID Protection has self-paced training available here:
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/training/modules/protect-identities-with-aad-idp/

It also has instructor-led training available in the SC-300 Identity & Access Administrator course:
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/credentials/certifications/identity-and-access-administrator/?source=recommendations

If you would like guidance around deployment planning:
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/entra/id-protection/how-to-deploy-identity-protection

How do I license Entra ID Protection?
Entra ID Protection is available to license (subscribe to) in several ways. Technically, a small amount of Entra ID Protection’s security reporting is available via “Entra ID Premium P1” licenses (which you can see here) however the only way to get full functionality is by obtaining “Entra ID Premium P2” licenses for all your users in Entra ID:

1. Entra ID Premium P2
2. Enterprise Mobility & Security E5/G5 (which includes Entra ID Premium P2)
3. Microsoft 365 E5/G5 (which includes Enterprise Mobility & Security E5/G5)

#microsoft #security #identityprotection #entraid

As a governance leader, your role in the incident response process is pivotal. Gain a comprehensive understanding of your responsibilities and the crucial steps to guide your team effectively.

From the introduction of “Navigating the Maze of Incident Response“:

Cyber security incidents are an inevitability. It’s important to start an incident response (IR) the right way, with a thorough understanding of what to do, when to do it, and who needs to be involved. Beyond the obvious questions about the scope of the compromise and how to regain control, it’s important to preserve evidence, as well as understand your compliance and regulatory obligations.

This guide explains how to structure an incident response, with recommendations and best practices to help navigate those crucial initial hours after a breach is detected.

While a wealth of material on IR best practices already exists, this document focuses first and foremost on the people and processes involved in effectively responding to an incident—the roles required to respond to incidents, how to manage your response in way that is efficient and people-centric, how to avoid burnout and ensure all requirements and obligations are met at every level, and how to ensure everyone’s roles and responsibilities are clear, so the incident response is effective overall.

Get the complete interactive guide here: 

• DOWNLOAD: Navigating the Maze of Incident Response (74pgs, .PDF)
  https://www.microsoft.com/content/dam/microsoft/final/en-us/microsoft-brand/documents/Navigating-the-Maze-of-Incident-Response.pdf

Did you know Microsoft offers complete certification training courses online 100% FREE for over 28+ technologies?

• Automating Administration w/ PowerShell (5 day)
• Fabric Analytics Engineer (4 day)
• Administering Windows Server Hybrid Core Infrastructure (4 day)
• Configuring & Operating Microsoft Azure Virtual Desktop (4 day)
• Azure Administrator (4 day)
• Microsoft 365 Endpoint Administrator (5 day)
• Microsoft 365 Administrator (5 day)
• Data Engineering on Microsoft Azure (4 day)
• Administering Information Protection and Compliance in Microsoft 365 (4 day)
• Designing and implementing a data science solution on Azure (4 day)
• Managing Microsoft Teams (4 day)
• Collaboration Communications Systems Engineer (4 day)
• Configuring Windows Server Hybrid Advanced Services (4 day)

…and many more shorter, 1 day courses like:

• Microsoft 365 Fundamentals (1 day)
• Microsoft Azure Fundamentals (1 day)
• Microsoft Azure Data Fundamentals (1 day)
• Microsoft Azure AI Fundamentals (1 day)
• Implementing a Lakehouse with Microsoft Fabric (1 day)
• Implementing a Data Analytics Solution with Azure Synapse Analytics (1 day)
• Empower your workforce with Copilot for Microsoft 365 Use Cases (1 day)
• Copilot for Microsoft 365 for Administrators (1 day)

…and more!

Click here for the catalog:

• Browse Microsoft Training Courses for All IT Professional Roles
  https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/training/browse/?resource_type=course&products=azure%2Cm365%2Cfabric%2Cwindows&roles=administrator%2Cai-engineer%2Cbusiness-analyst%2Cbusiness-user%2Cdata-analyst%2Cdata-engineer%2Cdata-scientist%2Cfunctional-consultant

Explore ways to use Azure AI tools to build cloud-native apps that elevate customer experiences and drive business growth.

Get the e-book Using AI to Build Intelligent Apps that Delight Customers to read how four enterprise companies are using Azure AI to deepen customer satisfaction, drive immediate business results, and position themselves for long-term success.

Read the e-book to:

• See how to accelerate innovation by streamlining development and offering intelligent services that work across data types, environments, and skill levels.
• Discover why intelligent apps are beloved by customers and why they outperform traditional apps in flexibility, scalability, and cost efficiency.
• Explore case studies from Microsoft customers and see the Azure solutions they’re using to gain a competitive edge.

Download the eBook here:

• DOWNLOAD: eBook, “Using AI to Build Intelligent Apps that Delight Customers” (.PDF)
  https://info.microsoft.com/ww-landing-using-ai-to-build-apps-that-delight-customers.html?lcid=en-us

Are you using Microsoft Defender for Office 365? Hopefully, you’re aware of the “Configuration Analyzer”.

Configuration analyzer in Microsoft Defender for Office 365 helps you find and fix security policies that are less secure than the recommended settings. It allows you to compare your current policies with the standard or strict preset policies, lets you apply recommendations to improve your security posture, and view historical changes to your policies. 

There are 3 new improvements made to the Configuration Analyzer:

New Recommendations:

1. Safe links Policy: Create Custom safe links policy.
2. Outlook: Configure External tag in Outlook.
3. Anti Phishing Policy: Enable First contact safety tips.
4. DKIM: Configure DKIM and SPF for your domains.
5. Built-in Protection Policy: Remove Built-in protection exclusions.

New Flyout Experience:

• Clicking on a recommendation will now open a flyout that has brief detail about why we are making the recommendation as well as targeted links to documentation to learn more about.

Exporting the Recommendations:

• A new Export button should appear when you select one or multiple recommendations. Clicking on the Export button will download the selected recommendations as a CSV file which can be shared with your external partners who might not have access to your environment.

View the announcement post here:

• BLOG: Updates to Configuration Analyzer in Microsoft defender for Office 365
  https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/microsoft-defender-for-office/updates-to-configuration-analyzer-in-microsoft-defender-for/ba-p/4043087

Some folks have heard me use the generic term, “AI Czar”, as in an individual designated as the point of contact for knowledge, strategy & guidance around the use of artificial intelligence within a municipal entity.

Well, many organizations are taking this to a leadership level with a CxO title: The “Chief AI Officer”.

A quote for Jared Spataro, Microsoft’s Corporate VP of Modern Work & Business Applications:

In the midst of the #AI boom, a new leadership role is emerging: the rise of senior executives devoted to AI. This piece from The New York Times showcases Mayo Clinic‘s pioneering decision to appoint a Chief AI Officer, Dr. Bhavik Patel. Leading groundbreaking AI initiatives at Mayo Clinic, Patel is spearheading efforts to revolutionize healthcare. This move mirrors a trend seen across various sectors, with companies like Florida Blue and Accenture also appointing executives to spearhead AI endeavors.

From hospitals to law firms, the rise of #AILeadership positions signals a new era of innovation. As industries race to the potential of AI, executive roles such as Patel’s become crucial in navigating the transformative power of this technology. Dive into the full article to explore how companies worldwide are embracing AI leadership to shape the future of their respective industries.

Read the New York Times article Jared is referencing here:

• Hottest Job in Corporate America? The Executive in Charge of A.I.
  Many feared that artificial intelligence would kill jobs. But hospitals, insurance companies and others are creating roles to navigate and harness the disruptive technology.
  https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/29/technology/us-jobs-ai-chatgpt-tech.html
  (https://archive.ph/FCHZ2)

Customers must migrate off the legacy Log Analytics agents (Microsoft Monitoring Agent (MMA), Operations Management Suite (OMS)) by August 31st, 2024 to remain supported.

Action required
Please be sure to plan appropriately to ensure you have ample time to complete the migration. All legacy agents need to migrated to Azure Monitor Agent (AMA) by August 31, 2024.

Resources to help you:

• Learn about Azure Monitor Agent (AMA) migration:
  Migrate to Azure Monitor Agent from Log Analytics agent
  https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-monitor/agents/azure-monitor-agent-migration
• Migrate using migration tools:
  Tools for migrating to Azure Monitor Agent from legacy agents
  https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-monitor/agents/azure-monitor-agent-migration-tools
• Ask your Unified Enterprise CSAM about the “Proof of Concept for Monitoring Workloads” value-based delivery (Datasheet Page 1 image to the left)