Microsoft continues to address vulnerabilities around user identity and has integrated a solution in Azure AD (currently in public preview) that enhances password policies to protect against common, weak passwords. Organizations can now configure their change/reset process to flow passwords through a sequence in which they are validated against banned passwords lists. If users attempt to use a banned password, they are notified that the password is vulnerable and will need to try a different password.

Tags: Technology, Microsoft, cybersecurity, Azure, Azure AD

In our last post, we explained that identity has become the new perimeter in today’s cloud-based, mobile-enabled environment. It’s no longer possible to maintain IT assets and applications behind a firewall. Organizations must implement robust identity management and authentication mechanisms to ensure that only authorized users gain access to resources.

Tags: adaptivedge, cybersecurity, privileged accounts, Active Directory, Azure, Microsoft

Cybersecurity is a top priority for organizations. According to IDG’s 2017 State of the CIO Report, 32 percent of CEOs want their CIOs to focus on upgrading the IT security infrastructure. That’s the same number that are wanting their CIOs to help drive revenue growth. What’s more, 51 percent of survey respondents said their cybersecurity strategy and overall IT strategy were tightly integrated. On average, 12 percent of the IT budget is earmarked for cybersecurity.

Tags: Azure, microsoft azure, adaptivedge, cybersecurity

I would like to discuss today configuring Office 365 Groups with on-premises Exchange Hybrid. Office 365 Groups is the new type of group that allows its members to collaborate efficiently through a variety of services, such as SharePoint Team Site, Yammer, Shared OneNote Notebook, Shared Calendar, Planner, and SharePoint Document Library.

Tags: adaptivedge, Coexistence, Hybrid, O365, Office 365 Groups, SKU, Azure, Enterprise, Group Writeback, microsoft gold partner, Office 365, PowerShell, Unified Groups

In a previous post, we discussed Windows Azure SQL Database, a Database-as-a-Service (DBaaS) offering built on Microsoft SQL Server and hosted in the Azure cloud. Azure SQL Database provides a highly available database platform with predictable performance levels and built-in disaster recovery. It uses a Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) deployment model to provide database services to applications.  

Tags: adaptivedge, Azure, BYOL, Cloud, IaaS, IoT, microsoft gold partner, PaaS, Private Cloud, SQL, Technology

Improved network automation was one of Microsoft’s key goals during the development of the latest version of its flagship server operating system. Windows Server 2016 achieves that with an enhanced networking stack in which software-defined networking (SDN) functionality is transferred directly from its Azure cloud platform.

Tags: adaptivedge, Azure, microsoft gold partner, windows server

Database-as-a-Service (DBaaS) is a relatively new entry in the field of cloud-based deployment models, but it’s rapidly gaining in popularity. According to a new study by research firm Technavio, the DBaaS market is expected to see spectacular growth, with a compound annual growth rate of more than 65 percent until 2020.

Tags: adaptivedge, Azure, Cloud, DBaaS, microsoft gold partner, Office 365, PaaS

In a previous post, we discussed how Microsoft Power BI, a cloud-based analytics service, enables organizations to use interactive dashboards, reports and data visualization tools to analyze a broad range of data types. Microsoft recently introduced a real-time dashboard tile feature, which can be created by users in minutes so they can quickly view and analyze real-time data. The new features and capabilities available with Power BI make it easier for users to convert Internet of Things (IoT) data into actionable business insights.

Tags: adaptivedge, Azure, Cloud, microsoft gold partner, Office 365, Power BI

Numerous studies show that organizations are rapidly adopting a hybrid cloud model. According to the Rightscale 2016 State of the Cloud Report, 82 percent of enterprises have a hybrid cloud strategy, and 71 percent have adopted a hybrid cloud. A 2015 Forrester Consulting survey of large multinational organizations found that 58 percent were already using some type of hybrid cloud.

Tags: adaptivedge, Azure, Cloud, microsoft gold partner, Office 365, Private Cloud

A disaster recovery and business continuity plan is critical to any organization’s IT operations. By designing and implementing a viable strategy, organizations can ensure systems remain available during planned or unplanned maintenance and can be recovered in the event of a system failure.  Azure Site Recovery Services (ASR) allow organizations to extend their business continuity and disaster recovery strategies to the Microsoft Cloud. 

Tags: Azure, Cloud, Enterprise, microsoft gold partner, Private Cloud, Technology