Welcome to Episode 391 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast. In this episode, Scott sits down with Kamal Srinivasan from Parallels to talk how you can think about delivering applications and desktops to your users in post-Citrix world. As the traditional “Citrix” model faces disruption, we explore how remote work, hybrid scenarios, and cloud-based computing are redefining how organizations deliver applications and desktops to end users.

Key topics include:

• The shift away from static, on-prem desktops to dynamic, cloud-based compute.
• How to optimize app delivery by building on top of Microsoft’s Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) platform.
• Bridging the gap between legacy systems and cloud-based solutions, enabling businesses to roll out remote desktop solutions like AVD and Parallels RAS gradually while scaling down on-prem infrastructure.
• The changing role of IT admins in supporting a workforce that operates anywhere, anytime.

Listen in and learn how your organization can streamline operations and empower your workforce with flexible, efficient application and desktop delivery.

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Show Notes

• Parallels
• Parallels RAS
• Parallels RAS Resources
• Parallels Secure Workspace
• Enhance your Azure Virtual Desktop experience with Parallels RAS
• Windows 365 Link
• Episode 390: Microsoft Ignite 2024: Windows 365 Link

About the sponsors

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Welcome to Episode 390 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast, live from Microsoft Ignite 2024! In this episode Ben sits down for a chat with Melissa Grant, head of product marketing for Windows 11 Enterprise, Windows 365, and Azure Virtual Desktop at Microsoft. Melissa discusses her tenure at Microsoft and the evolution of cloud-based Windows offerings, starting with the launch of Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) five years ago and transitioning into Windows 365. They also discuss Windows 365 Link, Microsoft’s new dedicated endpoint device, designed for seamless, secure connections Windows 365 Cloud PCs. This device reduces the need for extensive IT management and resources by simplifying deployment process, and providing security benefits based on feedback from some of Microsoft’s customers.

Melissa Grant
Melissa Grant leads product marketing for Windows Enterprise, Windows 365 and Azure Virtual Desktop within Microsoft Modern Work. She and her team are dedicated to delivering secure, productive and efficient commercial solutions so customers can do their best work with Windows.
– Melissa on LinkedIn

 

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Show Notes

• Windows in the Cloud leadership spotlight: Melissa Grant, Windows Marketing
• Windows 365 Link—the first Cloud PC device for Windows 365
• Windows 365 Link Preview
• Demo: Introducing Windows 365 Link
• Windows 365 Link Documentation
• What is Windows 365 Link?

About the sponsors

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Welcome to Episode 389 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast. In this special episode, we recap the game-changing announcements from Microsoft Ignite, Microsoft’s premier conference unveiling innovations across Microsoft 365 and Azure.We explore advancements in Agentic AI and multi-modal models that seamlessly accept and produce text, voice, and graphics. Discover how Copilot is evolving with features like reasoning over on-screen content (coming to Teams in CY25) and enhanced capabilities in tools like Word, PowerPoint, and Excel—bringing automated summaries, dynamic graphics, and effortless data analysis to the forefront.

Learn how Copilot Pages enable collaborative editing, while Copilot Extensibility and Agents allow businesses to create customized AI-powered helpers with ease. Imagine every SharePoint site having a built-in agent by default, making tasks more intuitive than ever.

We also cover new updates in edge AI—a “distributed computing fabric” blending Azure Local bare-metal solutions and Windows 365 Link thin clients. Innovations in AI-ready silicon underpin these transformative changes.

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Show Notes

• Microsoft Ignite 2024 Book of News
• Introducing Copilot Actions, new agents, and tools to empower IT teams
• Redefine development: AI-first innovation with agents and Microsoft Copilot in Power Platform
• What’s new in Microsoft 365 Copilot in PowerPoint at Ignite 2024
• Copilot in Excel: Transforming Data Analysis
• What’s new and coming to Microsoft Outlook – Ignite 2024
• Microsoft Ignite 2024 | Microsoft 365 Copilot Innovation in Your Go-To Apps
• Ignite 2024 – What’s new for Microsoft 365 and Copilot admins
• Introducing Copilot Analytics to measure AI impact on your business
• New Copilot Prompt Gallery helps you discover, save, and share your favorite prompts
• Introducing the AI-Powered Workplace: Technology solutions for flexible work

About the sponsors

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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!

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

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

About the sponsors

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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.

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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

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

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