Welcome to Episode 388 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast. In this episode, we dive into Azure Bicep, Microsoft’s streamlined language for defining cloud infrastructure. If you’re new to Infrastructure as Code (IaC) or looking to simplify your Azure deployments, listen in to learn how easy it is to get started with Azure Bicep. We walk through the essentials, from setting up the necessary tools such as Visual Studio Code and the Azure Bicep extension, to exploring the intuitive features that make Bicep so powerful. Discover how Bicep’s functions, objects, and simplified syntax improve your workflow, offering a more readable and maintainable alternative to traditional ARM templates.

Whether you’re an Azure admin or a developer, this episode provides a clear path to building and managing Azure resources effectively with Bicep. Tune in and start coding your infrastructure with confidence!

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Show Notes

• Microsoft Ignite
• What is Bicep?
• Bicep functions
• Quickstart: Create Bicep files with Visual Studio Code
• Azure/azure-quickstart-templates
• ˚Decompiling ARM template JSON to Bicep
• Learn modules for Bicep

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Welcome to Episode 387 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast. In this episode, Scott and Ben dive into a discussion around Ben’s newly purchased Surface Pro 11th Edition – a Copilot Plus PC running on an ARM processor. Ben gives his takes on the state of the hardware and how Windows 11 runs on a native ARM processor. Scott also gives his experience running Windows 11 daily for work on Parallels Desktop on Apple Silicon. Scott’s hot take – virtualizing Windows 11 on a Mac is better than running it on native hardware. Listen in as Ben and Scott talk through Windows on ARM, whether a virtual machine might be best for you to try out Windows on ARM, pitfalls of application compatibility, and when you might just want to consider a remote desktop session instead to get your Windows work done from a Mac.

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Show Notes

• Meet the Surface Pro 11th Edition
• Microsoft announces Copilot Plus PCs with built-in AI hardware
• The Ultimate Solution: Windows 11 in a virtual machine + Parallels Desktop + Mac Computers with Apple silicon
• Azure Cobalt 100-based Virtual Machines are now generally available
• Unified inbox in Outlook for Mac
• MMR Call Redirection for Azure Virtual Desktop, Windows 365 now available
• How emulation works on Arm
• Exploring Windows on ARM: The Future of Computing

About the sponsors

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Welcome to Episode 386 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast. In this episode, we explore three powerful tools designed to improve automation, testing, and security in modern development and operations workflows: Maester, Pester, and SCUBA. Whether you’re a DevOps engineer, PowerShell enthusiast, or security professional, this episode is packed with valuable insights on how to streamline your processes and strengthen your infrastructure using these powerful tools. Tune in to level up your automation and security game!

Like what you hear and want to support the show? Check out our membership options.

Show Notes

• Maester
  • Installation guide
  • Maester Tests
  • Entra ID – Security Config Analyzer Tests
  • Writing custom tests
• Pester
• Use the What If tool to troubleshoot Conditional Access policies
• Secure Cloud Business Applications (SCuBA) Project
  • https://github.com/cisagov/ScubaGear 

About the sponsors

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Welcome to Episode 385 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast. In this episode, we dive into deploying, managing, and optimizing Microsoft’s leading cloud-native SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) solution. Whether you’re new to Microsoft Sentinel or looking to deepen your expertise, this episode is packed with actionable insights to help you secure your Azure environment effectively.

Like what you hear and want to support the show? Check out our membership options.

Show Notes

• What is Microsoft Sentinel?
• Deployment guide for Microsoft Sentinel
• Plan costs and understand Microsoft Sentinel pricing and billing
• Log retention plans in Microsoft Sentinel
• Prepare for multiple workspaces and tenants in Microsoft Sentinel
• Centrally manage multiple Microsoft Sentinel workspaces with workspace manager (Preview)
• Sentinel Content Packs
• Free data sources
• Automate threat response with playbooks in Microsoft Sentinel

About the sponsors

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Welcome to Episode 384 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast. In this episode, we tackle a wide range of essential topics to help you monitor, secure, and streamline operations across your Azure estate. From access control strategies to virtual machine agents and everything in between, this episode gives you a high-level overview of Microsoft Defender for Cloud and the suite of Azure services it protects.

Like what you hear and want to support the show? Check out our membership options.

Show Notes

• Episode 382 – Securing the Modern Workplace: Exploring Microsoft Entra ID Security Defaults, Conditional Access Policies, and Microsoft Secure Score
• Episode 383 – Securing Azure: Monitoring and observing your Azure estate
• What is Microsoft Defender for Cloud?
• Common questions about Defender for Cloud?
• Common questions about data collection, agents, and workspaces
• About Azure Update Manager
• Align responsibilities across teams

About the sponsors

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Welcome to Episode 383 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast. In this episode we continue our discussion on security, transitioning from Microsoft 365 to Azure (Episode 382 – Securing the Modern Workplace: Exploring Microsoft Entra ID Security Defaults, Conditional Access Policies, and Microsoft Secure Score) to Microsoft Azure. We begin with Azure security logging and auditing, discussing the importance of capturing and analyzing security logs to detect and respond to potential threats. Next, we delve into Azure Monitor data sources and data collection methods. Azure Monitor provides a comprehensive set of tools to collect, analyze, and act on telemetry data from your cloud and on-premises environments. Finally, we discuss how the components of Azure Monitor can be used for managing and analyzing the vast amounts of data generated in your Azure environment. We’ll explore how this platform supports advanced analytics, helps you identify trends and anomalies, and enables proactive threat detection.

Whether you’re a cloud architect, security professional, or IT admin, this episode offers practical advice and strategies for leveraging observability to enhance your security posture in Azure. Tune in to discover how you can better protect your organization by implementing effective observability practices.

Like what you hear and want to support the show? Check out our membership options.

Show Notes

• Announcing mandatory multi-factor authentication for Azure sign-in
• Azure security logging and auditing
• Azure Monitor data sources and data collection methods
• Azure Monitor data platform
• Extend Azure with Azure Native ISV Services

About the sponsors

Would you like to become the irreplaceable Microsoft 365 resource for your organization? Let us know!

Welcome to Episode 382 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast. In this episode, we dive into three essential tools for safeguarding your organization in the cloud-first world: Security Defaults in Microsoft Entra ID, Conditional Access Policies, and Microsoft Secure Score. Join us as we talk through and rationalize each solution, including when and why you might want to use each depending on your maturity with the Microsoft Cloud.

Whether you’re an IT administrator, security professional, or just someone keen on understanding how to secure your digital workspace, this episode is packed with valuable insights and practical tips to help you leverage these security tools. Tune in to stay ahead of the curve and ensure your organization is protected against the evolving threat landscape!

Like what you hear and want to support the show? Check out our membership options.

Show Notes

• Security defaults in Microsoft Entra ID
• Microsoft Secure Future Initiative
• Every Microsoft employee is now being judged on their security work
• What is Conditional Access?
• Conditional Access policy templates
• Episode 256 – Conditional Access All The Things?
• Microsoft security portals and admin centers
• Track your Microsoft Secure Score history and meet goals
• Assess your security posture with Microsoft Secure Score

About the sponsors

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Welcome to Episode 381 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast. In this episode we discuss Microsoft Graph Data Connect, a service that allows organizations to access and manage data from Microsoft 365 in a secure, scalable, and efficient manner.

Like what you hear and want to support the show? Check out our membership options.

Show Notes

• Elgato’s New Stream Deck POWER-UPS make streaming even easier
• USB Hub – Multiport adapter for Stream Deck +
• Helping our customers through the CrowdStrike outage
• Azure status history
• Update on the SharePoint Files dataset
• Datasets, regions, and sinks supported by Microsoft Graph Data Connect
• microsoftgraph / dataconnect-solutions
• MGDC for SharePoint: New, Updated and Upcoming Datasets
• Step-by-step: Gather a detailed dataset on SharePoint Sites using the Microsoft Graph Data Connect

About the sponsors

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Welcome to Episode 380 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast. In this episode we discuss some of the latest security breaches that you should be on the lookout for and then we get into AD FS migrations and if you should consider it.

Like what you hear and want to support the show? Check out our membership options.

Show Notes

• AT&T says criminals stole phone records of ‘nearly all’ customers in new data breach
• Largest password database leak exposes nearly 10M credentials
• Post-Breach Fixes: Snowflake Adds Mandatory MFA
• What Is Identity Theft Insurance?
• Move to cloud authentication with the AD FS migration tool!
• Use AD FS application migration to move AD FS apps to Microsoft Entra ID
• Migrate from AD FS to Microsoft Entra ID for identity management
• https://setup.cloud.microsoft/
• Microsoft ordered employees in China to only use iPhones due to security threats

About the sponsors

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Welcome to Episode 379 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast. In this episode, Ben and Scott take a look at Azure Verified Modules, a new initiative from Microsoft to consolidate and set the standards for what a good Bicep and/or Terraform module looks like.

Like what you hear and want to support the show? Check out our membership options.

Show Notes

• Ember Temperature Control Smart Mug 2, 14 Oz, App-Controlled Heated Coffee Mug with 80 Min Battery Life and Improved Design, Black
• Azure Verified Modules
  • What, Why, How 
  • Module Indexes
  • Module Support
  • Terraform Modules
  • Community Calls
  • John Savill – Azure Verified Modules Overview

About the sponsors

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Welcome to Episode 378 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast. In this episode we discuss Azure Compute Fleet, a new Preview service announced at Microsoft Build 2024. Azure Compute Fleet is a new Azure infrastructure service that lets you deploy Azure compute capacity across different virtual machine SKUs, availability zones, and pricing models. It's all about acquiring VM capacity at scale. If you're familiar with AWS EC2 and Spot fleet, this is effectively the equivalent in Azure. Like what you hear and want to support the show? Check out our membership options. Show Notes GoveeLife WiFi Freezer Thermometer Alarm, Remote App Alert with Anti-False, Wireless Smart Temperature Monitor Sensor, 2 Years Free Data Storage Export, Digital Thermometer for Refrigerator Pool Tub EC2 Fleet – Manage Thousands of On-Demand and Spot Instances with One Request Azure Compute Fleet PREVIEW Announcing the Public Preview of Azure Compute Fleet Build 2024: Microsoft Announces New Azure Virtual Machines for AI and Cloud-Native Workloads What is Azure Compute Fleet? (Preview) FAQ for Azure Compute Fleet Deploying Azure Compute Fleet virtual machines - YouTube About the sponsors Would you like to become the irreplaceable Microsoft 365 resource for your organization? Let us know!