RunAs Radio

Are you using SysInternals? Richard chats with Aaron Margosis about the venerable SysInternals tools originally developed by Mark Russinovich. But first, a discussion about Aaron's main job at Microsoft, developing security baseline guidance for operating systems. Aaron talks about the recommended security configurations for operating systems and how you can check the workstations you're responsible for to put those configurations in place. SysInternals also has a role in security, understanding exactly what is running on workstations and more. Aaron talks about a session he did at Ignite on using SysInternal to be better at your job - check it out!

Hybrid Cloud is the new normal! Richard chats with Scott Hoag about his experiences migrating organizations onto Office 365 and embracing the reality that no one is ever 'pure' cloud - on-premises hardware is here to stay and necessary. Scott talks about what services make more sense in the cloud and what works best on-premises, and how to connect the different elements together. The key part of the equation is identity, whether you're using Active Directory or not, working with mobile devices - it's all about identity!

What IT certifications do you hold? Richard chats with Greg Shields about the value proposition behind various IT certifications. In the fast moving software industries, it's pretty difficult to effectively measure the capabilities of someone. The conversation digs into the purpose behind an IT exam, and the dangers of focusing purely on an exam, rather than the body of work the exam represents. Greg discusses Microsoft certifications and the latest software for helping to talk broadly about your skills - and what it means for your work and opportunities!

In May 2018, the EU General Data Protection Regulation laws take effect. Are you ready? Richard chats with Seb Matthews about what IT Pros can do to get ready for the GDPR. The regulations are broad, covering personally identifiable information, data breaches, the right to be forgotten and more. Whether you're an EU company or just do business with EU residents, the GDPR can affect you. Seb talks about the six Ps to compliance: Placement, Process, People, Products, Privacy and Protection. And he also digs into how Microsoft can help with a number of great tools as part of Azure, Office 365 and more. Yet another reason to get to the cloud!

What's next for SharePoint? While at Ignite in Orlando, Richard sat down with Todd Klindt to talk about the next version of SharePoint - announced at Ignite as Office 2019. Todd talks about the recurring nightmare of the end of on-premises versions of SharePoint, and the ever-increasing call of the cloud - Office 365 just gets more compelling every month. What form of SharePoint makes sense for you? There's still a ton of choices to make!

Microsoft has a DevOps practice too! While at Ignite in Orlando, Richard sat down with Donovan Brown and Martin Woodward to talk about their experiences helping various Microsoft teams move along the DevOps journey. The conversation starts out on Visual Studio Team System (VSTS), Microsoft's source and project management software running in Azure, that also builds Azure, as well as many other Microsoft products, including Windows! Donovan and Martin talk about pressing against the edges of what their tools can do - so that you know when you get there, they will be ready!

Databases still need to be reliable, but what does that look like in 2017? Richard chats with Allan Hirt about how he makes databases reliable today. The conversation also turns to how reliability works with the Linux version of SQL Server - clustering is definitely different when you change operating systems! Alan also digs into what the cloud brings to the table - on-premises databases are never going away, and have certain advantages in some scenarios, but you better have a plan for how the cloud fits in, even if only for disaster recovery. The importance of data in an organization isn't going away any time soon!

Desired State Configuration continues to evolve, are you? Richard chats with Missy Januszko about her work (with Don Jones) on The DSC Book. DSC is short for Desired State Configuration, and a key part of PowerShell and the Windows Management Framework. Missy talks about how DSC is a key part of creating 'cattle' style infrastructure, where servers can be replaced on demand and changes are handled through code, not mouse-clicks. The conversation digs into the limits of the 'cattle-ness' of servers and what moves easily to the model and what doesn't. The DSC Book is a 'forever' book from LeanPub and is routinely updated!

Here come the acronyms! Richard chats with Cameron Fuller about Microsoft Operations Management Suite (OMS), the cloud-based instrumentation, diagnostics and automation tool from Microsoft that is all the rage - and not just for cloud related products! Cameron talks about being able to feed any kind of log data into OMS for analysis. The conversation then turns to the on-premises System Center Operations Manager and its role in providing deep analytics into specific Microsoft products, and able to push that data to OMS for a comprehensive view. All these products work together!

Still on the fence about moving services to the cloud? Richard chats with Tim Warner about the on-going evolution of the cloud and the increasing pressure that IT folks feel to incorporate it into the infrastructure strategy of an organization. The conversation starts out with budgeting when it is time to talk about buying new hardware and renewing co-lo space. How does the cloud fit in? Tim talks about what services move easily to the cloud but admits that hybrid is permanent. Is the cloud eliminating IT jobs? It sure doesn't seem like it!