Microsoft Inspire 2022: Key Announcements

Inspire is Microsoft’s annual event for Microsoft partners. It’s a conference where Microsoft announces key product and service updates that allow partners to provide a best-in-class experience for their customers. This year’s conference was focused on the opportunities Microsoft Cloud provides customers to build powerful solutions to grow their business.

This year Microsoft made some truly exciting announcements that we’ve broken down into six key categories:

1. Increased Azure funding for customers through AMMP
2. Microsoft cloud for industry
3. Further growth opportunities for ISVs
4. Azure product enhancements
5. Hybrid work innovations
6. Streamlining of cloud security

Increased funding for customers through the Azure Migration and Modernisation Programme (AMMP)

Microsoft has made further investments and updates to its ‘Azure Migration and Modernisation Programme’ (AMMP) to help drive scale and velocity of migrations with richer incentives. These include, for must-win Windows Server and SQL Server migrations, a new partner nomination experience with more agile and simplified approvals and payouts and updated best practice guidance through the Cloud Adoption Framework (CAF) and the Well Architected Framework (WAF) for Azure.

Microsoft cloud for industry

Microsoft has six industry-specific cloud offerings – Financial Services, Healthcare, Manufacturing, Retail, Non-profit and Sustainability. Leveraging technologies across Azure, Microsoft 365 and Dynamics 365, industry clouds allow customers to integrate specific tools that align to their use cases.

Further growth opportunities for ISVs

To help unlock opportunities for Independent Software Providers (ISVs), Microsoft has launched a series of new benefits with the ISV Success Program, helping ISVs innovate rapidly, build well architected applications, publish them to the Azure Marketplace and grow their sales. Software providers can take advantage of this new programme to build across the Microsoft Cloud and get access to cloud sandboxes, developer tooling, technical and business resources and a dedicated community. The programme is currently in preview and will be available later in 2022.

Azure product enhancements

New Azure Confidential Computing capabilities, now generally available, allows the transition to Azure workloads that handle sensitive data with additional levels of protection.

Azure Centre for SAP solutions, now in preview, is an end-to-end solution to deploy and manage SAP workloads on Azure, enabling customers and partners to create and run an SAP system as a unified workload, and providing a more seamless foundation for innovation on the Microsoft Cloud.

Azure Stack HCI, now in public preview, delivers ​​more customer value and partner opportunity with new features by delivering increased value on investment, shortened time to value and improved support experience for Azure Stack HCI.

A new Azure Arc Boost Programme, in partnership with Intel, will drive the deployment of Azure Arc and Azure Stack HCI in customer hybrid environments through the Systems Integrator partner ecosystem.

Announcing the Azure Space Partner Community – an ecosystem of space partners with exclusive access to technical support and scaling solutions.

Hybrid Work innovations

Enabling hybrid work with Teams: Over the past year, more than 450 new Teams capabilities were introduced to enable people to work synchronously and asynchronously, in-person and remote. At Inspire, more exciting new features were introduced to enhance the hybrid work experience, including:

• Excel Live
• Video Clip
• Teams Connect Shared Channels
• Collaborative Annotations

Windows 11 and Windows 365: Hybrid work runs on Windows. Windows 11 is the operating system designed for hybrid work – productive, secure and easy to manage – and Windows 365 allows people to work from anywhere. Launched at Inspire 2021, Microsoft continues to push the envelope with these recently announced features:

• Citrix HDX Plus for Windows 365
• Windows 365 Government
• Point-in-Time Restore for Windows 365 Business
• Microsoft Dev Box

Bringing collaborative experiences into the flow of work: Microsoft technology helps organisations drive the next level of productivity with collaborative applications that bring business processes directly into the flow of work. A new customer service solution demonstrates how this vision will be brought to life. The Microsoft Digital Contact Centre Platform is an open, extensible, and collaborative contact centre solution that addresses the needs of a modern contact centre. It equips service teams with the modern digital tools to engage customers through a variety of voice, video and other digital engagement channels—powered by Dynamics 365, Teams, Microsoft Power Platform, Azure, and the newest member of the Microsoft family, Nuance.

Creating the digital employee experience for every role and function: When work is increasingly happening anywhere, anytime, the employee experience needs to be digital first. Last year Microsoft Viva was introduced, which brings together communication, communities, knowledge, learning, goals and insights right in the flow of Teams.

• Viva Goals, which will be generally available on 1^st August, is a goal setting and management solution that aligns teams to your organisation’s strategic priorities to drive results.
• There’s a new feature in Microsoft Viva: Viva Engage. Personal expression is such an important part of life outside of work; Viva Engage brings it into the workplace with social capabilities that build community and spark engagement, right in the flow of work.
• Viva Sales also launched last month and introduced the first of a new dimension of Viva tailored to meet role-specific needs.

Streamlining of cloud security

Microsoft Defender for IoT enhancements: With new native integration with Microsoft 365 Defender and complete coverage across IoT, Enterprise IoT, and OT devices, Defender for IoT can now secure all endpoint types, correlate incidents across the entire kill chain, and provide faster detection and response for attacks that previously may have been left undiscovered.

Microsoft Cloud for Sovereignty: Create a customised environment in Azure designed to meet compliance needs, processes that provide assurances of operational transparency and investments in technical architectures that leverage Microsoft Cloud services for security, encryption, confidential computing and hybrid cloud deployment.

Want more information?

To get more information about these updates visit Microsoft’s Inspire 2022 page to watch recordings of the sessions. Alternatively, if you have any questions about how you’re able to leverage the above technologies or any other Microsoft technologies, get in touch with one of our experts here.

Helping our customers grow green

We’re excited to announce that we’ve introduced sustainability reporting and recommendations to our Azure Managed Service. Our customers can now receive regular reports on the carbon footprint of their Azure Environment to help them work towards their sustainability targets.

As an Azure Expert MSP, we align our Azure assessments, migrations and managed services to Microsoft’s best practice – the Well Architected Framework (WAF). This consists of five pillars:

• Reliability
• Cost Optimisation
• Security
• Operational Excellence
• Performance Efficiency.

Cloud Direct has now introduced a sixth pillar for its customers: Sustainability.

Our Azure Managed Service customers will now receive regular reports detailing the carbon emissions of their Azure Environment and optimisation recommendations to improve their sustainability.

Our customers are ambitious and want to grow – but they want to do it in a sustainable way. By introducing the Sustainability pillar to our WAF-aligned Azure Managed Service we are helping customers understand the environmental impact of their IT and how they can reduce it.

Business leaders recognise their responsibility in reducing the carbon footprint of their business and understanding how IT fits into this is vital for driving a reduction in carbon emissions.

We’ve launched the sustainability pillar on Earth Day to appreciate the opportunity cloud presents for helping businesses grow greener. Operating in the Microsoft Cloud is up to 98% more carbon-efficient and 93% more energy-efficient than the equivalent on-premises infrastructure*. To further enhance this, Microsoft plans for all Azure data centres to run on 100% renewable energy by 2025.

*Source: The Carbon Benefits of Cloud Computing: A Study of the Microsoft Cloud

Georgia Greensides works as a Sales Development Representative in our Bath office and has been with Cloud Direct since August 2021.  We managed to ask Georgia some questions about her time with Cloud Direct so far. Find out more about Georgia’s journey with us below.

 

What’s your role in Cloud Direct? 

I’ve been a Sales Development Representative at Cloud Direct for almost a year now. This role is focused on being the first point of contact for new leads that are engaging with Cloud Direct and involves reaching out to new leads, promoting Cloud Direct’s events and qualifying customers before passing them over to the sales team.

 

What brought you to Cloud Direct, and how did you get here?

I needed a job once I finished University to fund my ASOS addiction!

As part of my degree, I completed a placement year at a technology company as a Business Development Intern. Upon completion I decided that I wanted to leverage what I learnt during my placement year and re-join the industry – it’s everchanging, meaning it never gets boring! I chose Cloud Direct because of its ambitious growth plans and reputation as one of Microsoft’s closest partners.

 

What does your average day look like?

At least 2 Pret Coffee trips, and in between those I spend most of my day on the phone talking to prospects or on LinkedIn reaching out to new contacts, promoting Cloud Direct and our upcoming events.

 

What do you enjoy the most about your job and working for Cloud Direct?

Most importantly, dogs are allowed in the office! Plus the head office is located in the centre of Bath, meaning it’s only a 2-minute walk from Pret for Coffee breaks and Juno for after-work Pizza and Wine! As my job is focused on engaging with new leads, I am always broadening my knowledge and learning something new – making every day interesting!

 

What project have you worked on that you’re most proud of?

I was the first addition to the new Sales Development team, meaning for a couple of months it was just myself and my manager, Mateusz! This was a great opportunity for me to fully immerse myself in the role and help shape how things were done moving forward with Mateusz.

 

What do you enjoy doing outside of work?

Going on hot holidays, walking my dogs and going to the gym.

 

How has Cloud Direct supported your career?

Firstly, I have a great manager who gave me flexibility with my time to be able to complete the final few modules of my University degree.  Cloud Direct has also helped me figure out what I want to do and how I progress into that role by creating a clear career path, where I can gain certifications along the way like Azure Fundamentals.

 

Want to join the team?

We are always looking for the brightest and most curious minds to join our ever-growing team. If you think you have something to offer, or would like to see what job openings we currently have, then visit our careers page.

Vedant Nemane works as a Junior Developer in our Bath office as his year-long placement part of his Computer Science course at the University of Bath. We managed to ask Vedant some questions about his time with Cloud Direct so far.  

What’s your role in Cloud Direct?  

I work within the business system team to help optimise the various pieces of software Cloud Direct uses. In particular, my role involves debugging, testing, and adding enhancements to our ServiceNow software. 

What brought you to Cloud Direct, and how did you get here? 

I found Cloud Direct through browsing my university’s placement advertisement boards. Previously, I’ve led and taught a Code Club at my local library and worked as an assistant badminton coach. With no formal experience in the industry, I was hesitant about the value I could add to a company. However, I was pleasantly surprised with the speed and ease that I became deeply involved with their systems.  

Cloud Direct’s proposition as a placement company was irresistible due to its foothold in the Azure services. You know you’ve found the right company when its customers can advocate for the quality of service that it provides. 

What does your average day look like? 

I work with Levente, who is an expert at the inner workings of ServiceNow, who guides me in being more effective in my role. My frequent communication happens with my team leader, Martha, is also an asset to my time at Cloud Direct being spent as wisely as possible. My time at Cloud Direct is always spent wisely, due to the frequent communication with my team leader, Martha. 

We have daily meetings in the morning where we discuss tasks and problems we have encountered, followed by independent problem-solving and coding my way through various issues and requests. 

What do you enjoy the most about your job and working for Cloud Direct? 

An aspect of my job that I enjoy, is getting to work on software that matters to others. The assurance that I contributed to a piece of code that is used in a real-world setting, brings immense satisfaction and gratification. Constantly adapting, improvising, and overcoming obstacles in a day-to-day scenario has made me more resilient and confident about tackling anything that is thrown my way.   

I also enjoy the sense of community and events that we partake in outside of work. 

How has Cloud Direct supported your career? 

Being a university student with little experience of the outside world, I want to become a more proficient and experienced developer. There is no place better than Cloud Direct to hone my skills and test my ability to do just that: a constant influx of technical challenges, imposed on the canvas of a swathe of technologies, continues to be a gift that keeps on giving. 

What do you enjoy doing outside of work? 

I go to the gym (discounted thanks to Cloud Direct’s perks) mixed with socialising opportunities which take up most of my time. 

What is the Log4j vulnerability? 

The Log4j vulnerability, known as CVE-2021-44228 or “Log4Shell”, affects java-based applications that use Log4j versions 2.0 – 2.14.1. The vulnerability can, in some cases, allow an attacker to run malicious code on your systems without authentication, or enable hackers to gain remote access to a business’ servers or IT systems. 

“Log4Shell” is what’s known as a zero-day vulnerability, meaning it was published to the public before the relevant vendors had the chance to detect, fix and patch it. 

What is Log4j?  

Log4j is an open-source Java logging library developed by the Apache Foundation. It is widely used across lots of Java-based applications used on both Linux and Windows internet platforms.  

The Log4j library is frequently used in enterprise Java software and is included in Apache frameworks including Apache Struts2, Apache Solr, Apache Druid, Apache Flink and Apache Swift. 

Log4j is used to log information in many Java-based business applications and web apps. There’s a good chance it’s sitting in the background of your IT systems without you knowing or acknowledging it. 

What can I do about the vulnerability? 

Now that hackers know the vulnerability exists, there is likely to be an increase in attempts to exploit it to gain access to unpatched systems. For that reason, it’s crucially important that your environment is assessed and patched. 

If your environment is managed by us, or another Managed Service Provider, it will be assessed for vulnerabilities and action will be taken in agreement with yourself.  

If you manage your own environment, you will need to look at your servers and software, and apply any patches that your vendors are recommending. This may potentially include changes to the code base. If you are managing your own environment and have in-house technical capabilities, we recommend looking at this article from Sophos. https://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2021/12/13/log4shell-explained-how-it-works-why-you-need-to-know-and-how-to-fix-it/  

Our security teams are monitoring the developments around this vulnerability and minimising the impact for our managed customers. Log4Shell is a global vulnerability and the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre are posting regular updates and advice about the situation. https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/news/apache-log4j-vulnerability  

We are also working closely with Microsoft on the situation and are in contact with their security teams for regular updates and advice. You can read more about it on the Microsoft Security Response Center https://msrc-blog.microsoft.com/2021/12/11/microsofts-response-to-cve-2021-44228-apache-log4j2/  

What is the New Commerce Experience (NCE)? 

In January 2022, Microsoft launched the New Commerce Experience (NCE). This change impacted the way customers purchase and manage their licenses through their Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) Program.

The NCE is intended to reduce complexity and provide cost savings for long-term commitments, whilst introducing features to make a CSP a comparable alternative to the previous Enterprise Agreement (EA).

What’s changing in 2024?

From the 1^st of March 2024, education and nonprofit offers will now be launched in the new commerce system. These new offers will be released in monthly waves or batches between March and May 2024, with Wave 1 containing offers with the highest customer value.

Subscription options for NCE

With the launch of NCE in 2022, Microsoft introduced new monthly subscriptions to run alongside any annual subscription, allowing you to save on any future cost increase by committing to the coming years.  Here’s a summary of the three subscriptions available through NCE:

Monthly subscription

With the NCE you will have the ability to purchase your Microsoft 365 licences on a monthly basis without an annual commitment. Microsoft is now offering this to provide flexibility to customers who need to make monthly changes to their Microsoft 365 or Office 365 license plans and seat count. This subscription does come at a 20% price increase across all licence plans.

12-month subscription

Through the NCE, you’ll have the opportunity to commit to your licences through a 12-month subscription. Unlike the legacy CSP model customers who consume on a 12-month subscription, you will have the option to be billed on a monthly or annual basis.

With the 12-month subscription, your pricing will be locked in for the entire term – allowing you to benefit from the additional cost savings of any price increases due in that time. This subscription will allow you to increase but not decrease the seat count.

36-month subscription

Microsoft is introducing a Multi-Year Pricing to the NCE, allowing you to secure 3-year pricing for longer-term licencing commitments. With this subscription, you’ll have the option to be billed monthly, annually or upfront. This subscription will allow you to increase but not decrease the seat count.

What should you do about NCE? 

It is recommended that you speak to us about moving to the NCE as soon as possible to leverage the discounts available.

The NCE is also a good opportunity to audit the current licences you have to make sure you are not paying for licences you don’t need or paying a premium for features you’re not using. We have a variety of tools to do a licence optimisation review with you and can even advise which licences you may want an annual and monthly commitment on to maximise your savings. Speak to us about our licence audit options.

Will Microsoft-led migrations take place?

Microsoft will begin migrating offers remaining in the legacy system starting with offers that are renewing from the 1^st of July 2024 and continuing throughout 2024 and 2025 on the date of a subscription renewal.

To make your transition to NCE smoother, we recommend reaching out to us if we haven’t already reached out to you directly. This will enable us to plan out details that are important to you, such as a monthly term versus an annual term for the subscription and making changes to seat count. Get in touch to make sure there are no surprises when you transition to the NCE.

Will there be promotions available to assist with NCE migrations?

Yes, nonprofit customers who meet the nonprofit grants and credits eligibility requirements and are transitioning to new commerce will be eligible for new promotional offers. These offers will provide a 16.67% discount to nonprofit customers who choose to start in new commerce with a monthly commitment to any of the listed products. This promotional period will run from March 1 to November 30, 2024.

Partner with a Microsoft 365 expert 

As one of Microsoft’s closest partners, thanks to our Azure Expert MSP status and 15 other accreditations, we’re here to help you navigate the New Commerce Experience. We want to ensure you’re getting the most from your licences and leverage the licencing discounts available. Sound good? Simply get in touch to speak with one of our experts.

Already a customer of ours? Speak to your account manager to discuss the best options for your licencing.

Ignite is Microsoft’s flagship technical event. The annual event provides the latest updates on Microsoft Cloud as well as a look at the future product roadmaps. Ignite is attended by more than 100,000 people globally and provides insight into how digital technology is shaping and will shape the world around us. We have curated the latest updates to help you digest the headlines from the event:

Azure Container Apps now in preview

Azure Container Apps, a fully managed, serverless container service built for microservices that scales dynamically based on HTTP traffic, events or long-running background jobs, is now in preview.

Users can now build and develop modern apps using their favourite programming language or framework and deploy containerized apps to a fully managed serverless container service without needing to manage complex infrastructure.

Azure Logic Apps updates

Microsoft is announcing updated preview capability and general availability to Azure Logic Apps Standard features to help enterprise integration between mission critical systems in the cloud, on-premises and in a hybrid way with runtime available on Azure, Azure Arc and locally.

Updates and enhancements to Azure DevOps

Developers can plan smarter, collaborate better and ship faster with Azure DevOps suite of modern dev services. Several updates and enhancements to DevOps include:

• Developers can secure their deployments to Azure through OpenID Connect integration between Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) and GitHub Actions.
• The DevOps Workflow Generator tool is designed to help customers visualize their entire DevOps toolchain and find ways to improve it. The free tool is valuable for any organization or developer seeking to understand their own DevOps process and how to increase efficiency.

Virtual Machines Selector helps customers find the right Azure Virtual Machines

The Azure Virtual Machines portfolio continues to expand. Now, customers can quickly select the right virtual machine (VM) based on their specific workload and budget using the new virtual machines selector. The new virtual machines selector, now generally available, lets customers specify the category of workload they want to deploy in addition to VM technical specifications, disk storage preferences, region and OS.

Virtual machines selector is now available in 26 different languages.

Introducing Mesh for Microsoft Teams

Mesh for Microsoft Teams will enable new experiences with personalized avatars and immersive spaces where users can connect with presence and have shared immersive experiences.

Mesh for Microsoft Teams bridges the gap between physical and digital, empowering users to connect across devices wherever they choose to live and work from. These experiences will be available as part of Teams on PC, mobile and through mixed-reality headsets.

Teams users will be able to access these Microsoft Mesh-enabled capabilities in preview in the first half of 2022.

Microsoft Teams platform enhancements and new collaborative apps

New updates to the Teams platform make it easier for people to streamline key workflows in Teams.

Today Microsoft is adding:

• Enhanced features for Power Virtual Agents.
• Teams chat connectivity with Dynamics 365 sales.
• Makers soon will be able to embed Teams chat functionality within apps built with Microsoft Power Apps.
• Azure Communication Services Teams Interoperability soon will be generally available.

Additionally, the redesigned Teams App store, launching later this month, makes finding the right app simple and streamlined with an updated layout and experience for finding apps in Teams.

Microsoft Teams webinar enhancements and additional broadcasting capabilities enable more engaging external events

New webinar and broadcasting capabilities in Microsoft Teams make it easy to set up and deliver professional, engaging experiences to internal and external audiences. These new capabilities include:

• Virtual green room
• Enhanced controls for managing what attendees see to minimize distractions and keep the audience engaged during an event.
• Co-organizer is the ability to assign multiple organizers for webinars and meetings.
• The new Q&A in Teams feature enables a more structured question and answer experience.
• Isolated audio feed enables producers to create an audio mix using isolated feeds from each individual.
• Cvent, the leading events and hospitality management platform, is now integrated with Teams, enabling customers to use Cvent to manage event lifecycle, including registration and agenda management, and deliver the virtual meeting and event experience via Teams.

New Microsoft Teams chat features

New features in Microsoft Teams chat support asynchronous collaboration so teams can keep conversations and work projects moving forward.

• Chat with self enables users to send themselves a message, such as quick ideas or reminders.
• Chat density feature lets users customize the number of chat messages they see on the screen with different modes.
• The variety of reactions users can add to a chat message has been extended, enabling users to choose from more than 800 3D emojis, up from six that are currently available.
• Delay delivery of messages enables users to select a specific time to send a message.
• The new search results UI in Teams chat helps users stay on top of information you need.

These new features will roll out between now and early 2022.

New enhancements to Windows 365, including Windows 11 support on Business Edition

Several new enhancements for the Windows 365 service include:

• Support for Windows 11
• Configurable grace option
• Support for Azure Active Directory (Azure AD)-joined Cloud PCs
• Endpoint Analytics resource reports in Microsoft Endpoint Manager
• Endpoint Analytics connection reports in Microsoft Endpoint Manager

Microsoft Defender or Cloud now natively protects multi-cloud environments

Native support for multi-cloud environments is available through the extension of Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) and Cloud Workload Protection capabilities to Amazon Web Services (AWS). This cohesive cloud security offering, formerly named Azure Security Center and Azure Defender, is now called Microsoft Defender for Cloud.

Microsoft Defender for IOT now secures enterprise IOT devices

Microsoft Defender for IoT (formerly Azure Defender for IoT) is an agentless solution that is being extended to discover and secure enterprise IoT devices like Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phones, smart conferencing systems and building automation.

Strengthening privacy and security on Azure with Confidential Computing and Trusted Launch

Azure Confidential Computing helps meet security and privacy needs by protecting data-in-use, allowing for added security and multi-party computation without giving access to data.

New updates and enhancements include:

• Azure confidential virtual machines (VMs)
• Worker nodes in Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) are now available in preview
• Trusted launch for all Azure Generation 2 VMs with Secure boot and vTPMs to protect against advanced and persistent attack techniques is now generally available.

Microsoft Endpoint Data Loss Protection and Insider Risk Management for MacOS in preview

Microsoft Endpoint Data Loss Protection (DLP) and Microsoft Insider Risk Management are now available on the MacOS platform in preview.

Multiple enhancements added to Microsoft Information protection to protect Microsoft 365 data

Automatic labeling of files is now more robust within Microsoft Information Protection (MIP) via machine learning-based trainable classifiers.

Microsoft extends Zero Trust capabilities with new Identity security features

Several security enhancements have been made to help customers bolster their security posture and adopt a Zero Trust approach and include:

• Conditional Access device filters
• Conditional Access app filters
• Conditional Access overview dashboard and templates:
• Anomalous token and token issuer detections
• Continuous Access Evaluation (CAE)
• One-click enablement for risk data extensibility
• Conditional Access for workload identities
• Additional authentication method policies for apps and workload identities (in preview)

Microsoft Defender for Business coming soon to preview

Microsoft Defender for Business is a new endpoint security solution, coming soon to preview, which helps organizations with up to 300 employees protect themselves against cyberattacks. This enterprise-grade solution is specially built for small- and medium-sized businesses and targets security threats, including malware and ransomware, across Windows, macOS, iOS and Android devices.

Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps extends Data Protection with App Governance

Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps, formerly known as Microsoft Cloud App Security, is a cloud access security broker (CASB) that enhances the security posture of an organization’s cloud apps by identifying and combatting cyberthreats. New capabilities for governance, application coverage and additional platform visibility are now generally available to address the growing need to protect cloud apps and data.

In addition, Defender for Cloud Apps includes security for more than 26,000 cloud apps, covering all major cloud app use cases. Microsoft expanded its native API integration portfolio to include mission-critical cloud apps like Slack, Smartsheet, Zendesk and OneLogin. Defender for Cloud Apps also has extended the discovery of shadow IT to MacOS devices deployed within the environment via integration with Microsoft Defender for Endpoint.

Microsoft Endpoint Manager now provides cross-platform Endpoint Management and security

Microsoft is expanding the breadth of its endpoint management solution with new features and capabilities in Microsoft Endpoint Manager. Updates, now in preview, include:

• Linux desktop management to give the ability to configure conditional access from Azure Active Directory (Azure AD), and apply and manage security policies from Microsoft Defender for Endpoint.
• Endpoint Manager to manage macOS devices beyond package (PKG) files.
• Added improvements to Office security baselines for Windows and Windows Update security baselines to help administrators simplify device and app compliance workloads.
• Microsoft Connected Cache to transparently and dynamically cache Microsoft content (updates, drivers and apps) on Configuration Manager servers to help save bandwidth and complement the existing peer-to-peer caching capabilities.

New Microsoft Sentinel innovations across the full lifecycle

To aid overworked security operations teams, significant updates have been made to Microsoft Sentinel across the full security operations lifecycle. These updates, in preview, include:

• More than 100 solutions in data collection in a new content hub for easy delivery and deployment of data sources.
• User Behavior Analytics (UEBA) detection models to identify threats based on behavioral anomalies.
• Using Microsoft Azure Synapse to tap into the limitless power of big data analytics and machine learning models.
• Near real-time analytic rules, tuning recommendations and streamlined management/deployment of rules from GitHub and Azure DevOps repositories to improve the efficiency of a security operations center (SOC).
• Users wishing to explore Microsoft Sentinel can now take advantage of a 30-day free trial to experience these updates.

Protect people and data with communication compliance and updates in Microsoft Teams

To protect data and address regulations, laws and organizational policies, Microsoft Records Management has new capabilities integrated into Teams and include:

• Adaptive policy scopes allow organizations to configure a retention/deletion policy for a group within Teams, such as a department or location-based group, and maintain the membership of these groups as users create or delete new teams. This update is in preview.
• Organizations can now configure a separate retention/deletion policy for attached files stored in OneDrive and SharePoint with a message.
• Retention/deletion policies for private Teams channels are now generally available.
• To protect people and address the need for a positive work culture, several updates have been made to further integrate Communication Compliance with Teams.
• Now users can analyse content in modern attachments like content shared within links to OneDrive and SharePoint sent over Teams.
• Communication Compliance is now integrated with Teams shared channels, providing the ability to detect offensive language or sensitive content shared with users outside the host team.
• Day Zero insights will enable customers to see potential communication risks in their organization without configuring any policies.
• Teams now offers integration with Data Loss Prevention (DLP) with recommendations to configure relevant policies in Communication Compliance at the end of DLP policy configuration workflow.
• Additional language support to detect threat, harassment and profanity in Arabic, Dutch, Korean and Chinese Traditional has been added.

Want to learn more about these updates?

Read the Microsoft Ignite Book of News – a guide to all the announcements Microsoft have made, with all the detail you need. If you have any questions on how some of these updates may impact your business, feel free to reach out to one of our experts via the link below:

Why we launched the Cloud Direct Learning Hub

The margins between success and failure can be quite narrow when it comes to the cloud. After all, that’s why people choose to work with an expert.  

We want everyone to succeed, and that’s why we created the Cloud Direct Learning Hub. It is a free-to-access library of videos, articles, guides and mini-courses to help technical and business leaders learn everything they need to know about Microsoft Cloud. 

 

The importance of learning 

Learning is a huge part of our culture at Cloud Direct. ‘Always be learning’ and ‘more is in you’ are phrases you will hear across the business. And that applies to customers too. We take a ‘teach don’t sell’ approach with customer projects. And it’s not completely selfless. We know that an educated customer will understand our services, appreciate the value we add and invest in projects that benefit their business. 

By learning about Microsoft Cloud customers can understand how it can benefit their business, how to create a business case based on return-on-investment and how to plan and approach a project. That applies whether it is a new cloud project or optimising an existing environment. 

 

Understanding Microsoft Cloud end-to-end 

We have designed the Learning Hub so that it provides educational content across the cloud journey. Whether that is planning a migration, additional cloud services or improving what you already have. The content covers Azure, M365, Teams Voice, Azure Virtual Desktop and Zero-Trust Cloud Security. 

The content will help business and technical leaders make sense of the Microsoft cloud and understand how to use it to improve their business. 

 

Removing complexity 

“We want to help people make sense of Microsoft Cloud,” says Alex Bacon, Cloud Direct’s Head of Product and Marketing. “As the cloud market matures there is more innovation for businesses to consider. We want to remove the complexity of adopting Microsoft Cloud and help people understand what is possible. 

“We ensure our customers embrace best practices from Microsoft such as the Well-Architected Framework (WAF), Azure Sentinel and Zero Trust security. We believe to get the most out of Microsoft Cloud, businesses need to learn about it. We have a ‘teach don’t sell’ methodology and want to help business leaders and technical teams learn about emerging trends, benefits and considerations when planning their cloud strategy.” 

 

Getting the most out of the Learning Hub 

The Learning Hub provides content in bite-sized chunks. One of the best ways to digest the content is by taking one of the video or email courses. You can use the filters to help identify the subject and format that suits you.  

And we’re always here to help. Speak to one of our cloud consultants on live chat to help map a learning path for your business. And if there is a topic you’d like to know more about please let us know – we are constantly creating new content for the Learning Hub. 

Happy learning! Learning Hub – Learning Hub (clouddirect.net)

 

Carlie Griffiths works as a Digital Content Creator in our Bath, UK office. She joined the Cloud Direct team as an intern from May to October of 2021, which fell between her second and final year at Bath Spa University. We managed to ask Carlie some questions about her time with Cloud Direct so far. Find out more about Carlie’s internship with us below. 

 

What’s your role in Cloud Direct, and how long have you been here?

I joined Cloud Direct as a Digital Content Creator Intern in 2021.  

This role involved me creating and designing various pieces of content, from internal documentation, blogs to social posts. The key part of my role was helping with the launch of their Learning Hub – I had a huge part to play in editing their video and written content, so it was ready to launch.  

 

What brought you to Cloud Direct, and how did you get here?

I found Cloud Direct whilst searching for an internship during the summer before my final year at university. I am currently studying Medica Communications at University and have attained a foundation degree in Art and Design. When I saw this role advertised, I knew it was for me as I wanted to put my creative skills to work whilst broadening my wider marketing skills and knowledge. 

 

What does your average day look like?

I work closely with the wider marketing team with some of the design tasks that need doing, such as creating social and blog graphics that can be used to support their ongoing campaigns. I also spend a lot of time repurposing and editing a lot of their content, so it is suitable for the Learning Hub launch. 

 

What do you enjoy the most about your job and working for Cloud Direct? 

I love the creative freedom I get within my role here. I feel I can share my ideas and feedback. There is no fear when trying new things and no pressure to get things perfect the first time – the wider team are great at supporting you when you need it. Which as an Intern, this is exactly what you are looking for out of a job.

  

What project have you worked on that you are most proud of? 

I am most proud of the work I have done supporting the launch of the Learning Hub. I have created and edited content, infographics, social posts, and designed media surrounding the launch. I have also been able to get involved with some of the promotions around the launch. This has challenged a different creative side of me which is something that I am proud to have helped and achieved.

 

How has Cloud Direct supported your career? 

Cloud Direct has supported my career by pushing me creatively, and they have helped me gain confidence in my skills by challenging me with tasks I have not worked on before.

 

What do you enjoy doing outside of work? 

Outside of work I always have a book in my hand! I love reading anything, from classical novels to Shakespeare, and plays such as The Crucible to more contemporary and modern work.  

As well as reading, I love to draw and create in my free time such as painting, photography, digital illustrations – I even dabble in Ukulele playing and singing! 

 

Want to join the team?

We are always looking for the brightest and most curious minds to join our ever-growing team. If you think you have something to offer, or would like to see what job openings we currently have, then visit our careers page.