Kurt Shintaku's Blog

[UPDATE December 21, 2024]
Copilot – We just published a blog article that lists the differences between Microsoft 365 Copilot Commercial & GCC. Here’s a general overview:

• Microsoft 365 Copilot GCC is built on the secure foundation of Microsoft 365 Government GCC
  • Microsoft 365 Copilot GCC operates within your Microsoft 365 GCC tenant compliance boundary
  • Microsoft 365 Copilot GCC is in compliance with FedRAMP, CJIS, IRS 1075 and other key regulatory frameworks
• Microsoft 365 Copilot GCC will be delivered with web grounding OFF by default
• Microsoft 365 Copilot GCC functionality is delivered in 2 phases & not all at once (see article for details)

[UPDATE October 25, 2024]
Purview – It looks like we published a document that lists many if not all of the differences between Commercial & GCC cloud instances of Microsoft 365 for Microsoft Purview Compliance.

[ORIGINAL February 16, 2024]
I’m frequently asked for the differences between Microsoft 365 Government Community Cloud & Microsoft 365 Commercial.

The differences are documented generally on the service description for each service or product.  Here’s a list of those services descriptions for GCC:

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN GCC/COMMERCIAL MICROSOFT 365

1. Microsoft 365
   1. Microsoft 365 Apps – Office application and feature availability in Government plans
   2. Forms – Microsoft Forms features for U.S. Government Community Cloud (GCC) (aka Features missing from Microsoft Forms)
   3. Microsoft Teams – Microsoft Teams service description – Service Descriptions
   4. OneDrive for Business – OneDrive for US government environments – Service Description
   5. SharePoint Online – SharePoint service description – Service Descriptions | Microsoft Learn
   6. Exchange Online – Exchange Online for US government environments – Service Descriptions
   7. Bookings – Microsoft Bookings service description – Service Descriptions
   8. Planner – Microsoft Planner service description – Service Descriptions | Microsoft Learn
   9. Project
      1. 1. Project for the Web – Microsoft Project for the web service description – Service Descriptions | Microsoft Learn
         2. Project Online Desktop – Microsoft Project Online desktop client service description – Service Descriptions | Microsoft Learn
         3. Project Online Service – Microsoft Project Online service description – Service Descriptions | Microsoft Learn
   10. SharePoint Syntex – SharePoint Syntex service description – Service Descriptions | Microsoft Learn
   11. Stream – Microsoft Stream service description – Service Descriptions | Microsoft Learn
   12. Purview – Plan for Microsoft Purview Compliance and Risk Management Solutions – GCC Deployments
2. Windows 365
   1. 1. Windows 365 service description – Service Descriptions | Microsoft Learn
      2. Windows 365 Government – how to buy – Service Descriptions | Microsoft Learn
3. Power Platform
   1. 1. Power BI – Power BI for US government customers
      2. Power Apps – Power Apps US Government
      3. Power Automate – Power Automate US Government
4. Dynamics 365
   1. 1. Dynamics 365 – Dynamics 365 US Government
      2. Dynamics 365 Customer Voice (Forms Pro) – Get started | Microsoft Learn
5. Azure Information Protection, Defender for Cloud, Microsoft Sentinel, Defender for IoT, Azure Attestation – Cloud feature availability for commercial and US Government customers

Office 365 GCC Additional Details

1. GCC Compliance – https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/office365/servicedescriptions/office-365-platform-service-description/office-365-us-government/gcc#us-government-community-compliance
2. Viva Engage – https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/office365/servicedescriptions/office-365-platform-service-description/office-365-us-government/gcc#office-365-government-gcc-and-viva-engage
3. Customer Support – https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/office365/servicedescriptions/office-365-platform-service-description/office-365-us-government/gcc#office-365-government-gcc-customer-support

(You can download a full government plan comparison table for Office 365 GCC here.)

Here’s a summary of what exactly Office 365 Government Community Cloud (GCC) is:

• ONLY ELIGIBLE CUSTOMERS: GCC cloud instances require passing a qualification process & are only available to eligible customers which include United States Federal, State, Local, and Tribal governments, as well as contractors holding or processing data on behalf of the US Government.

• FEDRAMP: Designed to support Federal Risk & Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) “High” accreditation

• Some US organizations are required to comply with FedRAMP for government community compliance)

• SCREENED PERSONNEL: Anyone needing temporary permissions elevation to access must pass a dizzying array of background checks as illustrated in the table to the right.
• NO VIVA ENGAGE: By default, Viva Engage is not available to GCC customer.  They can obtain Viva Engage (with a contract addendum) but must understand & “sign off” that Viva Engage is not operated in the GCC enclave & is not FedRAMP compliant.
• SUPPORT: Office 365 support personnel are not included in the service accreditation boundary for FedRAMP, IRS 1075 or CJIS data handling compliance assurances.

KEY REFERENCES FOR OFFICE 365 GCC:

• Office 365 GCC – Service Descriptions
• Download a full government plan comparison table for Office 365 GCC here

Discover the latest updates and best practices for a seamless transition to the new Microsoft Teams.

Join us for an informative webinar with Teams Engineering, designed to provide you with firsthand knowledge. Ensure a successful migration as we approach the upcoming deadlines:

• 3.31.2024 (for Desktop, Web)
• 6.30.2024 (for VDI)

Session Agenda:

• New Teams App Considerations for GCC  (Mac/Web/Windows/VDI)
• Migration Approaches
• Known Limitations
• Recent Service Updates
• Q&A – extended for an additional 30 minutes (attending during this extra time is optional)

On-demand:
(These are recordings from the earlier this month)

• Option #1
  When: February 07, 2024 9:00 AM-10:30 AM EST
  Duration: 90 minutes
  Registration URL:  New Teams in GCC Registration Page (eventbuilder.com)
• Option #2
  When: February 12, 2024 2:30 PM-4:00 PM PST
  Duration: 90 minutes
  Registration URL: New Teams in GCC (West Coast friendly) Registration Page (eventbuilder.com)

Don’t miss this opportunity to stay informed and make the transition to the new Teams smooth. Reserve your spot now by viewing the on-demand webinar. We look forward to your participation and addressing any questions you have, ensuring a successful migration process.

• New Teams for US Government (GCC) Webinars
  https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/public-sector-blog/new-teams-for-us-government-gcc-webinars/ba-p/4049612

Announcing a NEW eBook on Private Wireless Network (PWN). Airports can now explore the transformative potential of 5G connectivity.

This complimentary resource will help you:

• Understand PWN fundamentals and its benefits
• Optimize operations and boost security with AI-powered automation
• Start the conversation with your industry peers
• Understand PWN technology and its benefits

Grab the free ebook here:

• DOWNLOAD: eBook “Private Wireless Networks – eBook for airport operators”
  https://store.aci.aero/product/private-wireless-networks-ebook-for-airport-operators/

Are you wondering how to implement AI and have it "make sense (cents)" for your business?

The Microsoft AI Value Accelerator (MAIVA) Playbook aims to address this critical business problem by offering best practices and strategies to toward successful implementation and scaling of AI initiatives, ensuring they realize expected investment returns. What you get with this playbook:

Context for industrializing AI within the enterprise

• A framework that covers key structures to industrialize AI
• The technical architecture(s) that serve the framework
• Economic considerations of the framework and various technologies
• Guidelines for resourcing the initial creation of the framework as well as resourcing for the on-going process
• Recommendations for managing change: change in the operating processes, change in skills, change in decision governance
• Resources that may provide additional help

#Microsoft #ROIofAI #AzureOpenAI #github

• Microsoft AI Value Accelerator (MAIVA) Playbook
  https://www.ds-toolkit.com/assets/4e1a66f9-59c2-43a8-884a-e4f8eef6cfde

Other resources:

• Data Science Toolkit
• Microsoft AI MVP Book
• Azure Data and AI Architect Handbook: Adopt a structured approach to designing data and AI solutions at scale on Microsoft Azure
• Microsoft Solutions Playbook (internal)
• GenAI Customer Investigation Tutorial_Sept2023.pptx
• The new era of AI
• Empowering Responsible AI Practices
• Microsoft-RAI-Impact-Assessment-Template.pdf
• Responsible AI BDM_EBC FY23 Dec 2023 final.pptx (sharepoint.com)
• Microsoft Security
• Security development lifecycle guide

A program run by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) aims to determine the feasibility of constructing and operating a utility-scale quantum computer, which would be capable of reliably and accurately solving meaningful problems that are prohibitive on classical computers. This program, known as the Underexplored Systems for Utility-Scale Quantum Computing (US2QC), invests in companies that are using promising, innovative approaches in their efforts to design and build a functional, scalable quantum computer. Recently, Microsoft Azure Quantum was selected by DARPA for continued support in the development of a utility-scale quantum computer based on topological qubits. 

“We are looking forward to extending our collaboration with DARPA as we continue to make progress in the design and validation of a scalable quantum computer. Having successfully completed the first phase, which involved providing a detailed explanation of Microsoft Azure Quantum’s technology to DARPA, we will now focus our efforts on designing a prototype of a topological quantum computer.”

—Dr. Chetan Nayak, Technical Fellow and Distinguished Engineer, Microsoft Azure Quantum hardware team.

Read the announcement here:

• DARPA selects Microsoft to continue the development of a utility-scale quantum computer
  https://cloudblogs.microsoft.com/quantum/2024/02/08/darpa-selects-microsoft-to-continue-the-development-of-a-utility-scale-quantum-computer/

Cloud Policy service for Microsoft 365 lets you enforce policy settings for Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise on a user’s device, even if the device isn’t domain joined or otherwise managed.

When a user signs into Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise on a device, the policy settings roam to that device. Policy settings are available for devices running Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android, although not all policy settings are available for all operating systems. You can also enforce some policy settings for Office for the web, both for users who are signed in and for users who access documents anonymously.

Cloud Policy is part of the Microsoft 365 Apps admin center. The service includes many of the same user-based policy settings that are available in Group Policy. You can also use Cloud Policy directly in the Microsoft Intune admin center, under Apps > Policy > Policies for Office apps.

Note:

• Cloud Policy isn’t available to customers who have the following plans: Office 365 operated by 21Vianet, Office 365 GCC, or Office 365 GCC High and DoD.
• A policy configuration can’t be applied to volume licensed versions of Office that use Click-to-Run, such as Office LTSC Professional Plus 2021 or Office Standard 2019.

Read more about Cloud Policy here:

• Overview of Cloud Policy service for Microsoft 365 – Deploy Office
  https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/deployoffice/admincenter/overview-cloud-policy#requirements-for-using-cloud-policy

Conditional Access Policies in Microsoft Entra ID are super important because they allow granular control of who can access what and under what conditions.

But those policies need to be properly configured and tested. And one almost always see gaps in coverage of conditional access policies.

Microsoft Cybersecurity consultant, Lukas Beran, put together a list of conditional access policies that he recommends along with how to manage break-glass accounts in Microsoft Entra ID.

Read his specific direction for each of his recommendations below:

• Recommended Conditional Access Policies in Microsoft Entra ID
  https://www.cswrld.com/2024/02/recommended-conditional-access-policies-in-microsoft-entra-id/

Microsoft is Offering FREE Certification Courses.  No Fee, No Subscription, No Registration Required, Just Start Learning. These Courses Includes Video Lectures, Tutorial and Easy Notes.

• Microsoft Azure Fundamentals
  – Course AZ-900T00
  – 24-Hour Course
  – Course Link:
  https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/training/courses/az-900t00
• Developing Solutions for Microsoft Azure
  – Course AZ-204T00
  – 120-Hour Course
  – Course Link:
  https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/training/courses/az-204t00
• Microsoft Azure Administrator
  – Course AZ-104T00
  – 96-Hour Course
  – Course Link:
  https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/training/courses/az-104t00
• Configuring and Operating Microsoft Azure Virtual Desktop
  – Course AZ-140
  – 96-Hour Course
  – Course Link:
  https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/training/courses/az-140t00
• Designing Microsoft Azure Infrastructure Solutions
  – Course AZ-305T00
  – 96-Hour Course
  – Course Link:
  https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/training/courses/az-305t00
• Microsoft Azure Data Fundamentals
  – Course DP-900T00
  – 24-Hour Course
  – Course Link:
  https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/training/courses/dp-900t00
• Microsoft Azure AI Fundamentals
  – Course AI-900T00
  – 24-Hour Course
  – Course Link
  https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/training/courses/ai-900t00
• Designing and Implementing a Microsoft Azure AI Solution
  – Course AI-102T00
  – 96-Hour Course
  – Course Link:
  https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/training/courses/ai-102t00
• Develop Generative AI Solutions with Azure OpenAI Service
  – Course AI-050T00
  – 24-Hour Course
  – Course Link:
  https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/training/courses/ai-050t00
• Microsoft Security, Compliance, and Identity Fundamentals
  – Course SC-900T00
  – 24-Hour Course
  – Course Link:
  https://lnkd.in/dVWxqa_E
• Data Engineering on Microsoft Azure
  – Course DP-203T00
  – 96-Hour Course
  – Course Link:
  https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/training/courses/dp-203t00
• Microsoft Security Operations Analyst
  – Course SC-200T00
  – 96-Hour Course
  – Course Link:
  https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/training/courses/sc-200t00
• Designing and Implementing Microsoft Azure Networking Solutions
  – Course AZ-700T00
  – 72-Hour Course
  – Course Link:
  https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/training/courses/az-700t00
• Designing and implementing a data science solution on Azure
  – Course DP-100T01
  – 96-Hour Course
  – Course Link:
  https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/training/courses/dp-100t01
• Microsoft Power BI Data Analyst
  – Course PL-300T00
  – 72-Hour Course
  – Course link:
  https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/training/courses/pl-300t00

Additional courses are listed at:

• https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/training/browse/?resource_type=course

In its early stages as an autocomplete function offered in the IDE, GitHub Copilot was already making developers 55% faster. But developers often write code only around 2 hours a day, and are bogged down with mundane tasks across the software development lifecycle. What’s more, developers spend more time deciphering rather than shipping when they can’t pinpoint and solve the issues, bugs, or vulnerabilities that are unique to an organization’s codebase.

For your team of developers to deploy at the speed and scale that you need to lead in the market, your developers must be empowered with AI at every step of the software development life cycle, customized and fine-tuned to your codebase.

We’re not only sailing past the editor, we are now culminating the entirety of our Copilot offerings and personalizing them with the full context of your entire codebase with GitHub Copilot Enterprise. With Copilot Chat connected to your repositories on github.com, Copilot Enterprise allows your teams of developers to quickly get up to speed on your codebase, search through and build documentation, get suggestions based on internal and private code, and quickly review pull requests. Additionally, smart actions, such as the ability to generate pull request summaries, will be available throughout GitHub helping developers stay in their flow state with the click of a button. And of course, this all comes with enterprise-grade security, safety and privacy.

By placing the collective knowledge of your organization’s codebase at their fingertips, your developers will not only write code faster, but deploy your next application, feature, or update ahead of the curve of your competition.

We are thrilled to share that GitHub Copilot Enterprise will be generally available in February 2024 for $39 USD per user per month.

For more information, go to:

• About GitHub Copilot Enterprise:
  https://docs.github.com/en/copilot/github-copilot-enterprise/overview/about-github-copilot-enterprise