S5E35 - Microsoft updates September - new products and features released
Oct 4, 2024
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This week features exciting updates on Microsoft Entra, Intune, and Defender, emphasizing enhancements like global search and co-pilot functionalities. Discover the new enterprise tier for Azure Redis Cache, designed to make budgeting easier for organizations. Microsoft Edge also gets a security boost, positioning it as the go-to corporate browser. Plus, find out about the end of support for older TLS versions and the public preview of .NET 9 for Azure Functions. Tune in for insights on the upcoming Ignite event and more!
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Quick takeaways
Microsoft Defender's new global search feature improves user experience by providing easy access to detected entities, enhancing security management.
Intune's app protection policies enforce work hours for application access, ensuring compliance with local labor laws and improving employee productivity.
Deep dives
Key Enhancements in Microsoft Defender
Significant updates have been made to Microsoft Defender, particularly with the introduction of a global search feature that allows users to easily find entities detected within the Defender XDR and Sentinel environments. This feature enhances the user experience by providing easy access to information about assets, addressing a previously existing challenge. Additionally, the integration of Copilot in Defender now offers identity summary capabilities, which give instant insights into user risk levels and activities through natural language queries. These advancements streamline security management and improve situational awareness for IT professionals.
Microsoft Sentinel Updates
Microsoft Sentinel has seen important updates including schema mapping for seamless migration from Splunk, enhancing the user experience for those transitioning to Sentinel. The introduction of importing and exporting automation rules using ARM templates is particularly valuable, as it aids Managed Security Service Providers (MSSPs) in deploying automation rules effectively. Another notable enhancement is the pre-purchase plan for Microsoft Sentinel, which allows organizations to reserve the commitment units on a subscription basis, effectively reducing costs associated with data ingestion. This strategic move provides users greater flexibility and potential savings, particularly for large-scale data environments.
Intune and Azure Function Enhancements
Updates to Intune include the introduction of app protection policies that enforce work hours, limiting application access outside of designated times, which addresses regulatory compliance in various countries. This feature aids organizations in managing employee productivity while adhering to local labor laws, ensuring employees cannot access work applications outside of set hours. Furthermore, Azure Functions has rolled out support for PowerShell 7.4, enhancing automation capabilities and bringing the tool up to date with current technologies. Additionally, the ability to dynamically resize Azure Premium SSD V2s and Ultra Disks without downtime is an exciting development, allowing organizations to manage storage costs more effectively while ensuring application continuity.
This week, Alan and Sam talk about new features and services that have gone into Public Preview or General Available status in the last month. We dive into a couple of these updates that peaked our interest.
Some of the Microsoft product features and update we covered:
Key Microsoft Entra, Intune and Defender features and updates
Lots of Azure changes and new features
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