What does it mean to be secure by design? Richard chats with Karinne Bessette about the scope of the problem around making more secure software. Karinne talks about the US government's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) push to promote more secure software products. The conversation digs into some of the more famous exploits in recent years and some of the challenges of dealing with development tools that require super-user privileges, getting security testing done promptly and responding to exploits effectively when they happen.LinksWomen in TeamsCISA Secure by DesignAzure Kubernetes ServiceMicrosoft Security Response CenterRecorded February 21, 2025

What is it like to take care of an Exchange Server in 2025? Richard chats with Michel de Rooij about his work with Exchange, including the many scripts he has written and published over the years to help sysadmins solve problems. Michel discusses how staying on-premises with Exchange is getting harder - the new version will be subscription-based! The conversation also digs into the new version of Outlook, the challenges of securing email, and Michel's latest book Pro Exchange Administration.LinksRemove DuplicateItems ScriptUnarchive ScriptPro Exchange AdministrationOffice 365 for IT ProsMicrosoft Defender for Office 365Recorded January 9, 2025

How do you manage your CI/CD pipeline resources? Richard chats with Eliza Tarasila about Managed DevOps Pools in Azure DevOps. Eliza tells the story of discovering that teams were using Azure DevOps internally at Microsoft but would need to build their tooling to stand up the resources for testing and deployment. Managed DevOps Pools became the standard way to specify resources like virtual machines and assign them to projects so that they would start up automatically. The resources in the pool can be custom resources in Azure or even on-premises servers! And, more importantly, you don't need to care and feed for the infrastructure used in the pipelines, Azure DevOps will do it for you.LinksAzure DevOpsCreate and Manage PoolsManaged DevOps Pool Origin StoryAzure DevOps PricingAzure Spot Virtual MachinesManaged DevOps Pools DocumentationRecorded January 6, 2025

Ready to upgrade to Windows Server 2025? Richard talks to Robert Smit about his experiences doing an upgrade—with a few important dos and don'ts! Robert talks about dusting off your Active Directory setup and ensuring you're at the Server 2016 functional level. The conversation also dives into the new-build-versus-upgrade options, taking advantage of SMB over QUIC and SMB Compression, and much more!LinksWindows Server 2025Upgrading to Windows Server 2025Azure ArcWindows Admin CenterSMB CompressionWindows ToolsRemote Server Administration ToolsConfiguration ManagerAzure Arc-enabled System Center Virtual Machine ManagerLive Migration with Workgroup ClusterRecorded January 7, 2025

How can Entra ID Protection help keep your organization resist security breaches? Richard talks to Corissa Koopmans about thinking beyond authentication and authorization and into conditional access - knowing what is normal and abnormal behavior for your users. Corissa recommends looking at the Entra ID Protection Dashboard - whether you have configured anything or not - to see what potential risks you have today. Whether it's logins from places where you have no workers or some "impossible travel" or weird browser connections, ID Protection detects and identifies those events. When combined with conditional access, Defender for Cloud, or even Microsoft Intune - you get a "better together" effect that makes it easier to know when something bad is happening!LinksMicrosoft Entra ID ProtectionAzure Active Directory Conditional AccessEntra ID Protection DashboardLog Analytics AgentMicrosoft IntuneMicrosoft Defender for CloudMicrosoft SentinelRecorded December 10, 2024

Mark Morowczynski, a Principal Security Researcher at Microsoft and co-author of 'The Definitive Guide to KQL,' dives deep into the world of Kusto Query Language. He explains how KQL can transform log data into actionable insights for security monitoring. They discuss rising cybersecurity threats and the importance of practical improvements like phishing-resistant authentication. With examples from the book, Mark highlights querying techniques to spot unusual account activity and ensure operational excellence. Don't miss tips on harnessing data analytics for enhanced security!

Anna Hoffman, the Principal Group Product Manager at Microsoft’s SQL engineering team and host of Data Exposed, dives into the exciting preview of SQL 2025 within Microsoft Fabric. She reveals how keeping data close to analytics enhances efficiency and discusses the transformative role of AI in developing new applications. The conversation covers simplifying data integration for developers, intuitive AI tools improving user experience, and the shift from legacy systems to modern solutions, all driven by customer insights and evolving technologies.

In this conversation, Mattias Karlsson, a seasoned IT Architect and Microsoft MVP from Gothenburg, sheds light on the automation of documentation within the DevOps cycle. He highlights the importance of generating documentation that caters to diverse audiences—developers, operations, and business stakeholders. Mattias discusses tools that can pull metadata from Azure resources, transforming tedious manual documentation into rapid, real-time updates. He also emphasizes the role of structured data, security best practices, and integration within development workflows to maintain efficiency.

Bailey Bercik, a Senior Product Manager on Microsoft Security's Identity Team, dives into the evolving landscape of least privilege and permission management in 2025. He discusses how Entra Permissions Management can streamline unused permissions, making security more manageable. The impact of AI on permissions—both its risks and potential benefits—is explored, emphasizing the need for careful oversight. Bailey also details strategies for refining permissions in AI contexts and advocates for robust monitoring to prevent misuse, ensuring effective privilege management.

As 2025 unfolds, the role of sysadmins faces new challenges and opportunities. Economic uncertainty lingers, but innovative tools like large language models are on the rise. Cybersecurity practices are paramount, with a shift to passwordless security models gaining traction. The transition to Windows 11 marks a critical moment, as organizations navigate end-of-support decisions for Windows 10. Meanwhile, cloud technology is revolutionizing data analytics, making processes smoother and more efficient.