Kurt Shintaku's Blog

Hear from Microsoft Chairman & CEO Satya Nadella—in conversation with President of Microsoft US Deb Cupp—about the key challenges & trends impacting the public sector & why the case for digital transformation has never been more urgent.

• Take on today’s challenges with tested solutions
  Empower your organization to achieve more with comprehensive end-to-end cloud capabilities proven with real-life case studies from the public sector.

• Maximize your impact for good
  Get technology and resources to improve social and environmental issues—and the skilling initiatives to empower the workforce.

• Build better experiences for all
  Improve digital services for individuals and organizations by using secure, inclusive, and accessible digital services.

Review the agenda & the speaker list featuring top leaders from both State & Local Government, Education, and Federal organizations as well as Microsoft.

• Date/Time:
  December 2, 2021 | 8:00 AM–9:30 AM Pacific Time
• Registration:
  https://msuspublicsectorsummit.eventcore.com/

We started rolling out a version of the Visio web app with core capabilities to Microsoft 365 commercial subscribers in August. This means that anyone with an Office 365 or Microsoft 365 commercial subscription in your organization can start diagramming with Visio at no additional cost. 

If it’s available in your tenant, users can directly access the new Visio Web App by going to:

• https://www.office.com/launch/visio

Following is a complete list of the Microsoft 365 commercial plans that will include the Visio web app:

• Microsoft 365 Business Basic
• Microsoft 365 Business Standard
• Microsoft 365 Business Premium
• Microsoft 365 Apps for business
• Office 365 E1
• Office 365 E3
• Office 365 E5
• Office 365 F3
• Microsoft 365 F3
• Microsoft 365 E3
• Microsoft 365 E5
• Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise
• Office 365 A1
• Office 365 A3
• Office 365 A5
• Microsoft 365 A1
• Microsoft 365 A3
• Microsoft 365 A5

(We intend to enable Visio in Microsoft 365 for GCC, GCC High, and other sovereign clouds following the worldwide release.)

Read more about this new benefit of Office 365 in the announcement blog post below:

• NEWS: Microsoft Visio is Rolling Out to Microsoft 365 Commercial Subscribers Worldwide
  https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/microsoft-365-blog/microsoft-visio-is-rolling-out-to-microsoft-365-commercial/ba-p/2897903

We have a great guide that was released that provides organizations with guidance around how to go about taking training that they have available through the Enterprise Skills Initiative.

It’s 45 pages that goes over:

1. What a person’s role might be
2. What learning path they should take
3. What classes are available
4. A syllabus for each class delivered in ESI

Here’s an excerpt of the description of this tool:

• A map for the next milestone
  Use this guidebook to discover the recommended journey for your team. The following pages describe the recommended tracks learners can take to receive the maximum benefits of this program.
  
• Master the basics and beyond
  Each journey is designed to help managers and learners identify where to start and where to go based on their specific role or projects.
  
• Everything you need in one place
  After determining which journey is the right fit, find courses, training opportunities, and other important information that sets your team up for success.

Download the training guide below:

• DOWNLOAD: “Azure Training Journey” – The Guide
  http://aka.ms/ESIAzureTrainingJourney

Microsoft just released a paper on the evolution of zero trust covering:

• Five lessons learned over the last two years
• Updated Zero Trust architecture
• What’s next for zero trust

Excerpt:

Looking back at the last two years, to say that our security strategies have evolved would be an understatement. Organizations around the world made overnight transitions to remote work models in response to a global pandemic, forcing them to reassess attack surface areas as they underwent an accelerated digital transformation. Meanwhile, cybercriminals seized new opportunities—introducing COVID-19-themed social engineering campaigns and accelerated ransomware attacks. Nation-state actors launched increasingly bold and sophisticated nation-state attacks.¹

In this environment, security transformation has become key to survival. The mandate to explicitly verify every access request, focus on least privilege access overall, and constantly assume breach to maintain vigilance was made clear, as exemplified by calls from governments and businesses worldwide to accelerate the adoption of Zero Trust strategies.

Announcement blog with summary, insights, & download link:

• WHITEPAPER: Evolving Zero Trust—Lessons learned and emerging trends
  https://www.microsoft.com/security/blog/2021/11/03/evolving-zero-trust-lessons-learned-and-emerging-trends/

Today we are announcing the Public Preview for the new Microsoft Access connector for the Power Platform.  Learn how you can automatically migrate data from Access applications into Power Platform’s Dataverse.

In this interview, we discuss with Judd Gravelle how this feature works and how it is supported in our US Government sovereign clouds as well.

• VIDEO: Migrate Access Data to Power Platform in GCC (15min)
  https://youtu.be/11B99ynVwZ4
• BLOG: Announcing: Power Apps + Microsoft Access = Security, Mobility, New Experiences.
  https://powerapps.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/announcing-power-apps-microsoft-access-security-mobility-new-experiences/

This is a random collection of announcement pages that were released as of Microsoft Ignite 2021 which started yesterday:

• Recap: Microsoft Ignite announcements for Microsoft Endpoint Manager – Microsoft Tech Community
  https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/microsoft-endpoint-manager-blog/recap-microsoft-ignite-announcements-for-microsoft-endpoint/ba-p/2866884
• Azure Machine Learning – Ignite, November 2021 public preview announcements
  https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/updates/azure-machine-learning-public-preview-announcement-ignite-november-2021/
• Ignite 2021 Announcements: Accelerate time-to-insight with Azure Synapse Analytics
  https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/azure-synapse-analytics/ignite-2021-announcements-accelerate-time-to-insight-with-azure/ba-p/
• Microsoft Cloud at Ignite 2021: Metaverse, AI and hyperconnectivity in a hybrid world
  https://blogs.microsoft.com/blog/2021/11/02/microsoft-cloud-at-ignite-2021-metaverse-ai-and-hyperconnectivity-in-a-hybrid-world/
• Ignite 2021: Enabling data-driven decisions everywhere collaboration happens with enterprise-grade analytics
  https://powerbi.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/ignite-2021-enabling-data-driven-decisions-everywhere-collaboration-happens-with-enterprise-grade-analytics/
• Windows at Microsoft Ignite: November 2021
  https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/windows-it-pro-blog/windows-at-microsoft-ignite-november-2021/ba-p/2888380
• Surface at Microsoft Ignite: November 2021
  https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/surface-it-pro-blog/surface-at-microsoft-ignite-november-2021/ba-p/1721768
• New Power Platform capabilities announced at Microsoft Ignite
  https://cloudblogs.microsoft.com/powerplatform/2021/11/02/new-power-platform-capabilities-announced-at-microsoft-ignite/
• What’s new for Office Add-ins at Ignite 2021
  https://devblogs.microsoft.com/microsoft365dev/whats-new-for-office-add-ins-at-ignite-2021/
• What’s new with Power Virtual Agents at Ignite 
  https://powervirtualagents.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/whats-new-with-power-virtual-agents-at-ignite/Outlook for Android
• Announcing public preview of Azure Fluid Relay service @ Ignite 2021
  https://devblogs.microsoft.com/microsoft365dev/announcing-public-preview-of-azure-fluid-relay-service-ignite-2021/
• Ignite 2021: Building apps for collaboration in a hybrid world
  https://devblogs.microsoft.com/microsoft365dev/ignite-2021-building-apps-for-collaboration-in-a-hybrid-world/
• Microsoft Graph @ Ignite 2021 
  https://devblogs.microsoft.com/microsoft365dev/microsoft-graph-ignite-2021/
• What’s new and coming to files experiences in Microsoft 365 at Microsoft Ignite
  https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/microsoft-onedrive-blog/what-s-new-and-coming-to-files-experiences-in-microsoft-365-at/ba-p/2902614
• Microsoft Lists announcements – Ignite 2021 (Nov.2-4)
  https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/microsoft-sharepoint-blog/microsoft-lists-announcements-ignite-2021-nov-2-4/ba-p/2909696
• Creating a Hub for Your Content with Office.com
  https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/microsoft-365-blog/creating-a-hub-for-your-content-with-office-com/ba-p/2911368
• What’s new in Security and Compliance in SharePoint, OneDrive, and Teams – Ignite 2021 Announcements
  https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/microsoft-sharepoint-blog/what-s-new-in-security-and-compliance-in-sharepoint-onedrive-and/ba-p/2910640
• Rich, secure content and collaboration for hybrid work – Ignite 2021 announcements
  https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/microsoft-sharepoint-blog/rich-secure-content-and-collaboration-for-hybrid-work-ignite/ba-p/2892338
• What’s new in Microsoft 365—How we’re empowering everyone for a new world of hybrid work
  https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/blog/2021/11/02/whats-new-in-microsoft-365how-were-empowering-everyone-for-a-new-world-of-hybrid-work/
• New additions to the Windows Update for Business deployment service
  https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/windows-it-pro-blog/new-additions-to-the-windows-update-for-business-deployment/ba-p/2913718
• Microsoft Viva is now generally available to help transform your hybrid work experience
  https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/blog/2021/11/02/microsoft-viva-is-now-generally-available-to-help-transform-your-hybrid-work-experience/
• Mesh for Microsoft Teams aims to make collaboration in the ‘metaverse’ personal and fun
  https://news.microsoft.com/innovation-stories/mesh-for-microsoft-teams/
• Test Base for Microsoft 365 has reached general availability
  https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/test-base-blog/test-base-for-microsoft-365-has-reached-general-availability/ba-p/2893854
• There is more to Universal Print
  https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/universal-print-blog/there-is-more-to-universal-print/ba-p/2898166
• What’s happening? Windows 365 at Microsoft Ignite
  https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/windows-it-pro-blog/what-s-happening-windows-365-at-microsoft-ignite/ba-p/2912555
• Introducing Microsoft Defender for Business
  https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/small-and-medium-business-blog/introducing-microsoft-defender-for-business/ba-p/2898701
• Microsoft Office—Transforming for the hybrid world
  https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/blog/2021/11/02/microsoft-office-transforming-for-the-hybrid-world/
• Announcing SQL Server 2022 preview: Azure-enabled with continued performance and security innovation
  https://cloudblogs.microsoft.com/sqlserver/2021/11/02/announcing-sql-server-2022-preview-azure-enabled-with-continued-performance-and-security-innovation/
• Microsoft Ignite Fall 2021: Innovations coming to Microsoft Teams
  https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/microsoft-teams-blog/microsoft-ignite-fall-2021-innovations-coming-to-microsoft-teams/ba-p/2824127
• Learn about the future of SharePoint Syntex at Microsoft Ignite
  https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/sharepoint-syntex/learn-about-the-future-of-sharepoint-syntex-at-microsoft-ignite/ba-p/2912168
• Microsoft Planner and Project: a look at what’s to come
  https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/planner-blog/microsoft-planner-and-project-a-look-at-what-s-to-come/ba-p/2875083#.YYGSHn3v_pc.linkedin
• Microsoft Sentinel introduces enhancements in machine learning and productivity at Ignite 2021
  https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/microsoft-sentinel-blog/microsoft-sentinel-introduces-enhancements-in-machine-learning/ba-p/2897871?WT.mc_id=m365-0000-rotrent

Discover the core security principles to guide cloud adoption

Many organizations have adopted a multi-cloud strategy that blends public clouds with existing on-premises datacenters to address the rapidly evolving demands of modernization, competition, and compliance. This enables organizations to improve their IT agility and maximize efficiency, but also increases the security challenges you face. You must consistently protect business assets wherever they go, but now must do that on a much more complex estate.

Organizations need to protect resources across multiple clouds and on-premises that simplifies the practice of managing and securing a multi-cloud architecture.

In this webinar, we will discuss core security principles to guide cloud adoption, key success factors like visibility into health of apps and infrastructure, consistent governance policies, and interoperability between cloud and on-premises processes. We will also discuss how Microsoft’s multi-cloud technologies can help you successfully secure and manage these challenges.

Join this webinar to discuss challenges and solutions in these areas:

• Cloud migration and digital transformation
• Protecting infrastructure spanning on-premises and one to multiple clouds
• Simplifying management for the entire customer platform

Register below:

• Date/Time:
  Thursday, October 28, 2021
  11:00 AM Pacific Time
• Registration:
  https://mktoevents.com/Microsoft+Event/297078/157-GQE-382

We’re honored to be recognized as the highest placed leader in Gartner®’s 2021 Magic Quadrant™ for Industrial IoT Platforms.

Gartner has positioned Microsoft as a Leader in the 2021 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Industrial IoT Platforms¹ for the second year in a row and placed Microsoft furthest on Completeness of Vision and highest on Ability to Execute. Microsoft also shares the Leaders quadrant in this report with key Azure partners like PTC and Hitachi. Together, we are in a unique position to support industrial customers around the world to achieve their goals.

…

Download the report here:

• Microsoft named a Leader in the 2021 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Industrial IoT Platforms
  https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/microsoft-named-a-leader-in-the-2021-gartner-magic-quadrant-for-industrial-iot-platforms/

Discover how to modernize application delivery and simplify IT management in the Azure Virtual Desktop Handbook: Application Management. In this free handbook, learn how to streamline app management in Azure Virtual Desktop (formerly Windows Virtual Desktop) through a new application layering solution called MSIX app attach.

Download this handbook to:

• Learn about app management fundamentals and technologies, including MSIX, MSIX app attach, and MSIX packages.
• Get technical, step-by-step guidance on how to centralize app delivery and management.
• Explore best practices and troubleshooting tips to optimize your app management.

Register to get the eBook below:

• eBook: Azure Virtual Desktop Handbook: App Management
  https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/resources/azure-virtual-desktop-handbook-application-management/

If you’re looking to learn about Azure Government, Microsoft 365 GCC, & what each contains, Richard Wakeman, famed Azure Program Manager, published an updated version of his “history of Microsoft Cloud offerings” blog post.

This is a primer on what each offering has, what the differences are, and" “why they are the way they are”.  Richard, more importantly, breaks down this diagram of his, and explains our evolutionary path to today:

This is excellent reading for anyone in a regulated industry like:

• Aerospace
• Law enforcement
• Finance
• Federal government

Check it out.

• History of Microsoft Cloud Offerings leading to the US Sovereign Cloud – February 2021 Update
  https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/public-sector-blog/history-of-microsoft-cloud-offerings-leading-to-the-us-sovereign/ba-p/2157821