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, Azure, cybersecurity, Microsoft, Azure AD

 

In the previous post, we discussed why every organization, regardless of how sophisticated its IT security infrastructure and operations are, needs an incident response plan. The first goal is always to prevent a data breach from happening. However, if there’s one thing we’ve learned about data breaches during the past five years, it’s that even the largest retailers, financial institutions, Internet giants and government agencies can be victimized. 

Tags: Technology, cybersecurity, Microsoft, Windows Defender ATP

 

Many organizations have taken a more proactive approach to IT security rather than waiting for something bad to happen. Recognizing the immense cost of a data breach (an average of $3.86 million) and the time it takes to contain a breach (an average of 69 days) these organizations follow best practices and deploy security tools that reduce risk related to malware, zero-day exploits and other threats. 

But that’s not enough.

Tags: Technology, cybersecurity, Microsoft

 

Launched by Microsoft in 2001 as a server management tool, SharePoint has morphed into perhaps the world’s most popular workplace collaboration platform. It is used by some 200 million individuals across 300,000 customer organizations, including 85 percent of the Fortune 500.

Tags: Technology, Office 365, SharePoint, Microsoft

 

We’ve been talking about Microsoft Teams, and in our last post we provided some planning and implementation tips for maximizing the success of a Teams roll-out. Sure, Teams is intuitive and easy to use, but it can also have a big impact on organizational processes. It’s important to understand how various groups collaborate and help them use Teams to their best advantage.

Tags: Technology, Microsoft, Teams

 

In our last post we described the core features and capabilities of Microsoft Teams. The application serves as a hub for applications, document sharing and meetings, with a persistent threaded chat feature that keeps teams engaged and informed. Microsoft Teams can easily be customized to meet diverse needs and has advanced security features to protect sensitive data.

Tags: Technology, Microsoft, Teams

 

Almost 40 percent of employees will work remotely within 10 years, according to a recent survey by Upwork. Eighty-six percent of respondents said that escaping the confines of the office increases productivity by eliminating distractions and impromptu meetings.

Tags: Technology, Microsoft

Monitoring DMZ or isolated workgroup systems is one of the challenges we all face with System Center Operations Manager (SCOM). Until now, the only way to collect data and monitor these types of systems via SCOM was by installing a gateway to the management server. Anyone who has installed a gateway knows the pain I speak of.

Tags: adaptivedge, IaaS, SQL, Technology, workgroup, DMZ, IoT, microsoft gold partner, OMS, system center

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

In our last post, we began discussing the process for selecting an enterprise file-sharing platform and developing a strategy for migrating data. We examined the benefits and use cases of Microsoft OneDrive for Business and SharePoint Online, as well as on-premises SharePoint 2016 deployments. We also explained how automated tools can help you analyze your file shares, ensure your data is optimized for the cloud and troubleshoot any issues that arise.

Tags: adaptivedge, Private Cloud, Technology, microsoft gold partner, Office 365, OneDrive, SharePoint