RunAs Radio

Mike Halsey discusses the importance of green IT, repurposing old devices, and the right to repair. He also talks about data center energy usage, shifting to cloud services, efficiency of PCs, and the limited availability of long-term support for smartphones.

How do you choose an Azure data storage solution? Richard talks to Nicole Stevens about her experiences helping companies move data into the cloud - typically in SQL Server. The obvious answer is Azure SQL, but that doesn't always make it the best solution! Nicole talks about a customer moving to Cosmos DB for the unstructured data capabilities and a lot of speed. But does the price make sense? All these factors are in play in choosing a data storage solution, and there is never one right choice - often, a mix of services makes the most sense!Links:Azure SQLAzure Cosmos DBAPIs in Cosmos DBAzure Table StorageAzure Queue StorageAzure Messaging Servicesdapr - Distributed Application RuntimeMicrosoft CertificationsData Architecture GuideData Landing Zones Azure Security BaselinesRecorded September 6, 2023

Seth Juarez, an IT professional, discusses the reality of large language models like ChatGPT and their potential applications. Topics covered include the misuse of the term 'artificial intelligence,' the role of skilled programmers in the era of technological advancements, the tokenization process, applications of large language models, the importance of excluding certain parts of the Internet from training, and strategies for getting accurate outputs from these models.

Ready to inject a little chaos into your systems? Richard talks to Kelly Shortridge about her book Security Chaos Engineering. Kelly discusses the challenges of modern cybersecurity - how do you find weaknesses in your infrastructure and security systems? This leads to a discussion about challenging assumptions by exploring the workflows that exist in your infrastructure today. Exploring the workflows shows where assumptions exist, and that opens the door to testing them. There's sure to be some low-hanging fruit you can deal with, but eventually, you're left with tests that have to be set loose on your system - and you'll find out how resilient you really are!Links:FastlySecurity Chaos EngineeringDeciduousRecorded August 22, 2023

It's episode 900! Richard brings friend Dana Epp onto the show to talk a bit about the last one hundred episodes of RunAs Radio - and a little look to the future as well. With Dana around, you know there will be lots of security conversation. Over the past hundred shows, ransomware has had quite the story arc, especially around Exchange Server and other products. The conversation then turns to more future-looking topics, including the various Microsoft Copilots being built - could these be tools to help sysadmins? Probably a topic for episode 1000!Links:Windows SandboxMicrosoft VivaMicrosoft Purview Data Loss PreventionRecorded September 15, 2023

Your SharePoint is on-premises (at least for now), but you want to take advantage of some of those cool SharePoint Online features - is there a way? Richard talks with Sandy Ussia about her talk at the Thrive Conference in Slovenia about how on-premises SharePoint can use Power Automate and other tools to create powerful workflows. Sandy discusses the limits of the free version of Power Automate and how paying for the premium edition lets you build workflows that will more than cover the license cost. The conversation also dives into the subscription model of on-premises SharePoint 2019, which looks to be the final destination for on-premises SharePoint, with ongoing support and features being added!Links:Thrive ConferenceLightning ToolsUpgrade to SharePoint Server Subscription EditionPower Automate and SharePointPower Automate DesktopPower Automate PricingSharePoint On-Premises Data GatewayRecorded August 1, 2023

How do PowerBI and Microsoft Fabric work together? Richard talks to Mike Carlo about his experiences with Fabric so far. Mike explains how it is early days for Fabric and something you should experiment with, not roll out to production. The conversation dives into how we structure data analytics and the potential of Fabric to bring forward more of the pipeline work that analytics needs - so you can explore and get results faster. This leads to the idea of a new relationship between analysts and data engineers, one where you generate results first, then can optimize them with back-end engineering. There is enormous potential in PowerBI and Fabric together to change the data analytics game!Links:PowerBI.TipsDataBricksPowerBIAzure Synapse AnalyticsMicrosoft FabricAzure Data FactoryThe Infinite GameRecorded August 4, 2023

Sonia Cuff, IT expert, discusses doing more with less in IT organizations. She emphasizes the importance of measuring expenses accurately and associating costs with income. The conversation also explores new technologies that improve efficiency, like large language models. Leveraging past knowledge and merging generations in technology are highlighted for enhancing productivity.

How would your organization report a data breach? Richard talks to Troy Hunt about his experiences with Have I Been Pwned and some good and not-so-good breach reporting. Troy talks about the importance of planning - making decisions about how to report is hard to do when you're under stress. And who do you report to? Are there regulatory requirements? What about your customers? Most people want to know if the data they entrusted to you has been stolen. And if you did want to contact every customer involved in a breach, how would you do that? This is a conversation for the C-suite, but you can start it!Links:Have I Been Pwnedsecurity.txtBeg BountyRecorded July 17, 2023

Karoliina Kettukari, expert in M365 Copilot, discusses the features and benefits of M365 Copilot including using more of the Office suite, surfacing information from within organizations, and the need for policy and training around sensitive data. The podcast also explores the role of AI and co-pilots in the workplace and the use of bots in Microsoft Teams. Additionally, the importance of discussing security and preparations as well as navigating the M365 Copilot hype train are highlighted.