Do your applications need identities? Richard talks to Martin Ehrnst about how all Azure resources, including your applications, need an identity to function well in the Azure ecosystem. Martin talks about registering an application with Azure AD, a process that includes a manifest showing how it should be authenticated and what resources it needs. Then to the more confusing part - the service principals that show up as enterprise applications to provide access to the application within your tenant or even across tenants! The conversation goes further into managed identities and this emerging world of many-to-many identity relationships. Ultimately it's the most powerful way to deal with access rights, but that doesn't mean it's simple!Links:Azure Active DirectoryAzure EntraAzure AD Application ModelKey VaultManaged Identities for Azure ResourcesBicepRecorded December 14, 2022

How is the DevOps movement evolving, and why should sysadmins care? Richard talks with April Edwards about how DevOps continues to grow with better tools and results! April talks about how often developers lead DevOps initiatives but that so much value comes from operations. The conversation digs into the tools that can facilitate deploying more frequently, measuring more accurately, and understanding how customers work. Everyone writes code these days, even if they aren't developers - and the DevOps cycle also applies there!Links:Azure DevOpsPolicy as CodeRepeatable InfrastructureDevContainersVirtual Machine Scale SetsAzure Load TestingPhoenix ProjectThe DevOps LabRecorded December 14, 2022

Have you used LAPS? Richard chats with Jeremy Moskowitz about the Windows Local Administrator Password Solution (LAPS). Jeremy talks about how the Premier Field Engineers originally developed LAPS at Microsoft to deal with having different local administrator passwords on every workstation in an organization. The passwords change automatically regularly, and sysadmins can retrieve the password for a given machine using PowerShell and other tools. Today there is an updated version of LAPS that works with Azure Active Directory and provides more control over password changes and restrictions - you need this tool!Links:Netwrix Endpoint ManagementWindows Local Administrator Password SolutionRecording December 13, 2022

What are the new governance challenges in M365? Richard chats with Martina Grom about her ongoing work helping organizations provide governance over the growing surface area of Microsoft 365. Martina talks about the challenges around identity and multi-factor authentication and the improvements that Microsoft is making to MFA to make it easier for users to do the right thing. The conversation also turns to data loss prevention and the approaches to minimizing a company's legal exposure to data loss - starting with not storing data if you can avoid it! Martina also talks about the new challenges in governance with Power Apps, including the tools available to help sysadmins see what apps exist, how they touch data, and what privacy and security controls are in place. Governance is an ongoing effort!Links:Microsoft EntraPrivileged Identity ManagementPrivileged Access ManagementAzure PurviewData Loss PreventionCalifornia Consumer Privacy ActMicrosoft Power Platform Center of Excellence Starter KitPower Platform Usage InsightsChanges to Microsoft AuthenticatorMicrosoft Purview Insider RiskCollaboration GovernanceCloud Hub for EvergreeningAtWork BlogRecorded December 13, 2022

It's the end of 2022, and time to reflect on the work coming up in the next year – what will it be like for SysAdmins in 2023? Richard flies solo for his annual year-in-review show, looking back on last year's predictions (including what he got wrong!) and projecting forward into 2023. Security continues to be a top priority, but the situation has evolved. Current economic conditions likely will impact your business – how does it affect your work? How will the cloud continue to evolve, and how can you take advantage of it? 2022 was another unusual year, and 2023 looks even more so – thanks for sticking with us!Links:CycloneDX

Mary Jo Foley moves on! No, not entirely from Microsoft - away from writing several times a week about the latest enterprise topics. MJ is going to Directions on Microsoft, where she will spend more time on analysis but still communicate it to the world. The conversation digs into current subjects like the state of the cloud and Microsoft's focus on building industry-specific cloud implementations, and precisely what is happening with Windows these days? Lots of great thinking from MJ, as usual, and a hint of what's to come!Links:Mary Jo Foley Leaves ZDNetDirections on MicrosoftMicrosoft Industry CloudWindows 10 22H2Windows Server 2022Azure ArcGoogle AnthosRecorded November 11, 2022

You're moving to the cloud; how does your application security look? Richard talks with Carroll Moon of CloudFit about moving applications into the cloud with better security and governance using the Azure Landing Zone approach. Carroll talks about the various patterns that allow existing applications to work in the zero-trust environment, with containerization, platform-as-a-service changes, and even desktop virtualization! The blackhats are improving, and the cloud is less vulnerable than existing on-premises solutions, but only if you embrace the cloud security models. New standards for cybersecurity are emerging - are you up to speed?Links:Azure Landing ZoneCybersecurity Maturity Model CertificationMicrosoft Power PlatformMicrosoft PurviewMicrosoft Defender for the CloudAzure Virtual DesktopRecorded October 31, 2022

Is Excel damaging your company? Richard talks with Jen Stirrup about how Excel gets used far too much in businesses and for too many things. Jen talks about the lack of data integrity in Excel and how it's easy to make small mistakes that can damage data - and give you little to no methods to detect the damage! While Excel can often be a starting point for a new business opportunity, as soon as it becomes essential, it's time to pivot to tools that can protect data quality more effectively! Don't let your company be the next news story about a flawed spreadsheet!Links:Jen's Blog Post on ExcelTransAlta Excel MistakesExcel Inquire Add-InSnowflakeRecorded October 28, 2022

What do SysAdmins want for Christmas? Richard chats with Rick Claus and Joey Snow about their favorite gadgets for SysAdmins. From the gadgets that help us at work to the toys that make us happy at home, it's a shopping spree of goodies! Share this episode with your loved ones to give them ideas on what to get you for Christmas, you impossible-to-shop-for SysAdmin!Links:DalStrong Call of Duty KnivesPhotoStick OmniPermatrackDr Zzs LED ShopBluetooth Beanie HatRosewood BlockStar Wars Ice Cube BlocksEmber Temperature Control MugEdge Lit AcrylicReel ViewGalaxy Tab S8Floppy Disk CoasterAstroRealitySatechi USB Headphone StandAnker LC40 FlashlightLG Laser Projector

The pandemic has put a lot of stress on teams - how do we make them stronger? Richard talks to Stephanie Donahue about strengthening teams and communities as we emerge from the pandemic. Steph talks about the water cooler and happy hour conversations lost the past couple of years and the value they once provided and should again. Does that mean going back to the office? What are the alternatives? Maybe the new tools can help, or we should just have lunch?Links:Weak Ties BBC ArticleChris Voss Negotiation TrainingViva InsightsMeta Quest ProViva EngageRecorded October 25, 2022