Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast

Welcome back to another episode of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast! In this episode, we dive deep into one of Microsoft Purview's AI monitoring and protection capabilities: Data Security Posture Management (DSPM) for AI - your secret weapon for monitoring and securing AI usage across your organization. Your support makes this show possible! Please consider becoming a premium member for access to live shows and more. Check out our membership options. Show Notes Learn about Data Security Posture Management Learn about Data Security Posture Management (DSPM) for AI Governing AI Shadow IT with the Microsoft Purview Browser Extension Get started with the Microsoft Purview extension for Chrome Considerations for DSPM for AI to manage data security and compliance protections for AI interactions Learn about Microsoft Purview billing models List of AI sites supported by Microsoft Purview Data Security Posture Management for AI About the sponsors Would you like to become the irreplaceable Microsoft 365 resource for your organization? Let us know!

Welcome to Episode 410 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast where hosts Jay Leask and Joy Apple are joined by special guest Ben Stegink for a discussion recorded live from the North American Cloud and Collaboration Summit in Branson. In this episode we focus on how organizations must adapt their change management approaches for the Microsoft 365 cloud environment.We discuss the fundamental shift from traditional IT operations, where organizations controlled software update timing, to cloud-based services with continuous updates outside of their control. Jay and Joy emphasize that successful modern IT requires cross-functional teams where IT partners closely with business units, communications, and training departments rather than operating in isolation. We then talk about the need for a shift in governance models to empower business users while requiring IT to balance user control with necessary oversight.Key themes include the importance of ongoing communication and adoption strategies, using tools like Viva Engage communities for peer-to-peer support, and adopting a "yes, and" approach to business requests rather than defaulting to "no." The episode emphasizes treating technology deployment as an ongoing service relationship rather than a one-time project, which is essential for success in the rapidly evolving cloud environment. Your support makes this show possible! Please consider becoming a premium member for access to live shows and more. Check out our membership options. Show Notes Joy Apple Joy is a Microsoft MVP and Director of Success and Enablement at Orchestry. With years of experience as an information technologist, I’m dedicated to helping organizations implement technology with a purpose-driven, “human-first” approach, ensuring tools like Microsoft 365 empower people to do their best work. Teaching and knowledge-sharing are at the heart of what I do. Whether it’s through volunteering in the Microsoft Community, speaking at events, or writing as the “Joy of SharePoint,” I’m passionate about helping others unlock their potential with modern workplace solutions. Im also a cohost of the Guardians of M365 Governance podcast, where I explore the challenges and rewards of governance, and a columnist for She is Tulsa, a quarterly magazine celebrating impactful stories from my local community. Outside of work, you’ll often find me enjoying live music or discovering new spots in Tulsa, Oklahoma, combining my love of connection and creativity wherever I go. Jay Leask Jay is a Principal Technical Architect at the Washington DC Microsoft Innovation Hub specializing in Modern Work. Jay facilitates discussions on modern IT practices, using 20 years of IT experience to engage customers in solutions design with a focus on increased the value and decreased risk within collaboration investments. His focus over the last 15 years has been on public sector organizations including state, local, and Federal government, as well as education institutions. Links Joy Apple on LinkedIn Connect with Jay Microsoft 365 Change Guide Stay on top of changes in Microsoft 365 Microsoft 365 Roadmap About the sponsors Would you like to become the irreplaceable Microsoft 365 resource for your organization? Let us know!

Welcome to Episode 409 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast. In this episode, Ben and Scott explore the configuration decisions tenant administrators face when preparing their Microsoft 365 environment for Copilot deployment. They dive into the key questions every IT professional should be asking: How do you identify and remediate oversharing in SharePoint sites before Copilot can access that content? What governance controls should be in place to prevent sensitive data from being discoverable through organization-wide search? The hosts examine practical tools for identifying high-risk sites and content, how to control which sites appear in Copilot results, and other configuration options that allow you to optimize how Copilot processes organizational content. Your support makes this show possible! Please consider becoming a premium member for access to live shows and more. Check out our membership options. Show Notes Data, Privacy, and Security for Microsoft 365 Copilot Apply principles of Zero Trust to Microsoft 365 Copilot Get started with data explorer Data access governance reports for SharePoint sites Semantic indexing for Microsoft 365 Copilot Restrict discovery of SharePoint sites and content A glimpse into the future of file sharing in Microsoft 365 About the sponsors Would you like to become the irreplaceable Microsoft 365 resource for your organization? Let us know!

Welcome to Episode 408 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast. Part two of our exploration into Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers continues our hands-on discussion about finding, implementing, and getting the most out of MCP servers in your daily workflows. Your support makes this show possible! Please consider becoming a premium member for access to live shows and more. Check out our membership options. Show Notes Silicon Valley: Gilfoyle Made A Bot (Season 6 Episode 1 Clip) | HBO Lokka What is the Azure MCP Server (Preview)? Microsoft Learn Docs MCP Server overview Notion MCP Introducing Slack MCP Support Model Context Protocol servers Docker MCP Catalog About the sponsors Would you like to become the irreplaceable Microsoft 365 resource for your organization? Let us know!

Welcome to Episode 407 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast. In this episode, we dive deep into the Model Context Protocol (MCP) - a game-changing specification that's extending the capabilities of Large Language Models (LLMs) and creating exciting new possibilities for IT professionals working with Microsoft Azure and Microsoft 365. MCP represents a significant shift toward more extensible and domain-specific AI interactions. Instead of being limited to pre-trained knowledge, you can now connect your AI tools directly to live data sources, APIs, and services that matter to your specific role and organization. Whether you're managing Azure infrastructure, creating content, or developing solutions, MCP provides a framework to make your AI interactions more powerful and contextually relevant to your daily workflows. Your support makes this show possible! Please consider becoming a premium member for access to live shows and more. Check out our membership options. Show Notes Introducing the Model Context Protocol Understanding MCP server concepts Understanding MCP client concepts A list of applications that support MCP integrations About the sponsors Would you like to become the irreplaceable Microsoft 365 resource for your organization? Let us know!

Welcome to Episode 406 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast. In this episode, Ben and Scott discuss their recent experiences and thoughts on Microsoft's Copilot features and agents, specifically focusing on the Researcher and Analyst agents. They share practical applications and benefits of these tools, such as using Researcher for meeting preparations and Analyst for exploring data, summarizing data, and even coming up with python script to use with data. Additionally, they cover the upcoming migration of Microsoft Sentinel to the Defender portal, discussing its implications and potential future changes for other security tools. The episode ends with a teaser about an upcoming discussion on MCPs for AI! Your support makes this show possible! Please consider becoming a premium member for access to live shows and more. Check out our membership options. Show Notes Introducing Researcher and Analyst in Microsoft 365 Copilot Introducing Deep Research in Azure AI Foundry Agent Service Get started with Researcher in Microsoft 365 Copilot Researcher agent in Microsoft 365 Copilot Analyst agent in Microsoft 365 Copilot Get started with Analyst in Microsoft 365 Copilot New reasoning agents: Researcher and Analyst in Microsoft 365 Copilot Planning your move to Microsoft Defender portal for all Microsoft Sentinel customers About the sponsors Would you like to become the irreplaceable Microsoft 365 resource for your organization? Let us know!

Welcome to Episode 405 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast. In this episode, Ben and Scott tackle the increasingly complex world of Microsoft's notebook ecosystem, exploring the new Copilot notebooks feature and how it relates to existing tools like OneNote and Loop. They break down the confusing landscape where "a notebook is not a notebook unless a notebook is a notebook in the right place." Your support makes this show possible! Please consider becoming a premium member for access to live shows and more. Check out our membership options. Show Notes Overview of Copilot Pages and Copilot Notebooks storage | Microsoft Learn Overview of Copilot Pages, Copilot Notebooks, and Loop workspaces permissions Overview of Loop storage | Microsoft Learn Copilot Pages, OneNote, Loop…where should I store my notes and tasks? About the sponsors Would you like to become the irreplaceable Microsoft 365 resource for your organization? Let us know!

Welcome to Episode 404 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast. In this episode, Ben and Scott discuss the latest change Microsoft has rolled out to the Microsoft 365 user experience, redirecting users from the familiar portal.office.com to a new Copilot-centric landing page. This shift has caught many IT professionals off guard, rendering existing training documentation obsolete and creating user confusion across organizations. Your support makes this show possible! Please consider becoming a premium member for access to live shows and more. Check out our membership options. Show Notes WTF is happening with office.com? New Microsoft 365 Home Page How to Use the NEW Microsoft 365 Copilot Experience! About the sponsors Would you like to become the irreplaceable Microsoft 365 resource for your organization? Let us know!

Welcome to Episode 403 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast where Ben and Scott catch up on some of their favorite announcements and news from Microsoft Build 2025. Your support makes this show possible! Please consider becoming a premium member for access to live shows and more. Check out our membership options. Show Notes Introducing Microsoft 365 Copilot Tuning New Microsoft 365 Copilot Tuning | Create fine-tuned models to write like you do Behind the Curtain: A white-collar bloodbath Announcing Microsoft Entra Agent ID: Secure and manage your AI agents Enterprise-grade controls for AI apps and agents built with Azure AI Foundry and Copilot Studio Quickstart: View enterprise applications BRK195: Inside Azure innovations with Mark Russinovich Microsoft Build 2025 - BOOK OF NEWS About the sponsors Would you like to become the irreplaceable Microsoft 365 resource for your organization? Let us know!

Welcome to Episode 402 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast. In today's episode, we’re thrilled to have Andrew Connell (AC) joining us once again. If you’ve been with us for a while, you’ll recognize AC as a repeat guest and one of the early voices who encouraged us to launch this podcast. In this episode, we’re diving deep into the world of Microsoft Copilot agents from a bit of a developer’s perspective . We expand on insights from Episode 400 and helping us understand some additional intricacies of how Copilot works under the hood. We’ll break down the different billing models and some limitations in what they provide and why having at least one $30 license is key to unlocking the semantic index. We’ll also explore how Copilot uses semantic indexing to ground responses in your organization’s data, and how it respects user permissions through access control lists. But it’s not all smooth sailing—AC also walks us through some of the current limitations, like missing metadata and large file indexing. He also shares a potential workaround using Azure AI Search for those needing more comprehensive coverage. Finally, we this weeks Microsoft Build Conference and tease a potential future episode where ACw will return to talk about custom Copilot development.   Andrew Connell LinkedIn YouTube BlueSky Newsletter: The Full Stack Dev's Microsoft 365 Playbook Podcast: Code. Deploy. Go Live. - codedeploygo.live Code. Deploy. Go Live on YouTube Your support makes this show possible! Please consider becoming a premium member for access to live shows and more. Check out our membership options.   Show Notes Episode 400 – Microsoft 365 Copilot Declarative Agents and Copilot Studio Agent Builder Create Copilot agents in Microsoft 365 Business Chat and Teams Grounding an agent to specific public websites Semantic indexing for Microsoft 365 Copilot Data, Privacy, and Security for Microsoft 365 Copilot About the sponsors Would you like to become the irreplaceable Microsoft 365 resource for your organization? Let us know!

Welcome to Episode 401 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast. In this episode, Ben Stegink and Scott Hoag dive into the intricacies of implementing Zero Trust principles within Microsoft 365 environments. They explore the foundational aspects of Zero Trust, starting with identity management and the importance of Entra ID. They also cover: Identity Management: The critical role of identity in Zero Trust, including MFA, password policies, and least privilege access. Endpoint Security: Strategies for verifying and managing devices, including compliance checks and the balance between corporate and BYOD devices. Networking: The complexities of securing network traffic in a SaaS environment, including conditional access policies and the emerging Global Secure Access feature. Application Management: The role of Defender for Cloud in monitoring shadow IT and ensuring data security across various applications. Data Protection: Techniques for safeguarding sensitive information, including DLP policies and the upcoming network-level DLP capabilities. Join us as we unpack these topics and provide practical insights for enhancing your organization's security posture with Zero Trust.   Your support makes this show possible! Please consider becoming a premium member for access to live shows and more. Check out our membership options. Show Notes Zero Trust deployment for technology pillars Securing identity with Zero Trust Secure endpoints with Zero Trust Secure endpoints with Zero Trust Secure applications with Zero Trust Secure data with Zero Trust Microsoft Zero Trust Assessment About the sponsors Would you like to become the irreplaceable Microsoft 365 resource for your organization? Let us know!

Welcome to Episode 400 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast. In this episode, Ben and Scott explore how IT professionals and developers can leverage Microsoft 365 Copilot’s declarative agents and the Copilot Studio Agent Builder to enhance productivity and streamline workflows within their organizations. Declarative agents allow you to define specific tasks and workflows, enabling Copilot to assist users more effectively. With the Copilot Studio Agent Builder, creating these agents becomes a streamlined process, even for those with minimal coding experience. Listen and learn how to build, deploy, and manage these agents, licensing considerations, and best practices to maximize their impact in your organization. Your support makes this show possible! Please consider becoming a premium member for access to live shows and more. Check out our membership options. Show Notes Use the Copilot Studio Agent Builder to Build Agents Copilot Studio Agent Builder Templates Publish and Manage Copilot Studio Agent Builder Agents Build and Install the Declarative Agent in Copilot Studio Copilot Studio Licensing Information About the sponsors Would you like to become the irreplaceable Microsoft 365 resource for your organization? Let us know!

Welcome to Episode 399 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast. In this episode, we bring you another interview from the MVP Summit. In this episode, we were able to meet up with long time listener Greg Suttie and talk about his path to becoming an MVP as well as some of what he's been working on in Azure. We cover everything he been doing with Infrastructure as code around Bicep, Azure Verified Modules, Azure Bicep Configuration files and more! Greg Suttie Greg is an Azure MVP and Microsoft Certified Trainer. He also a passionate developer with 25 years experience, mainly with Microsoft Technologies and background is a .NET developer since the start of .NET. – He was one of the first 50 people in the world to become an MCSD developer back in the day. Recently awarded the Outstanding contribution to the Microsoft Community UK Winner and then the Outstanding contribution to the Microsoft Community Global Winner both for 2023. Your support makes this show possible! Please consider becoming a premium member for access to live shows and more. Check out our membership options. Show Notes Greg Suttie - MVP Profile Greg Suttie's blog Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT) What is IaC What is Bicep? Comparing JSON and Bicep for templates Quickstart: Integrate Bicep with Azure Pipelines Azure Verified Modules Azure Verified Modules What is the Azure Well-Architected Framework? Azure Quick Review Docs Azure Quick Review Github Azure Bicep Parameters Bicep Configuration Files Export a resource from the Azure Portal Visual Studio Code GitHub Copilot About the sponsors Would you like to become the irreplaceable Microsoft 365 resource for your organization? Let us know!

Welcome to Episode 398 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast. In this episode Ben meets up with Harm Veenstra at the annual Microsoft MVP Summit. They chat a bit about Harm experience as an MVP and his path to becoming an MVP. Then the move into a few technologies near and dear to Harm, PowerShell and Microsoft Intune. They start off talking about some of the ways Harm uses PowerShell and some of his favorite scripts. They talk about how he uses PowerShell with Intune, in particular using it with remediation scripts. Harm Veenstra Harm started working at 18, from a ServiceDesk employee to a workspace and system engineer at a large insurance firm in the Netherlands. 1996, those were the days! After working there for almost 11 years, Harm had different system engineer jobs and learned much about Citrix, Cisco, VMWare, storage, and Microsoft. Currently, He's employed at NEXXT (https://www.nexxt.one) as a Consultant, mainly in Endpoint Management, but He does anything Microsoft 😉 (Client, Server, 365, and Azure). And… He became a Microsoft MVP in March 2024 in PowerShell! Your support makes this show possible! Please consider becoming a premium member for access to live shows and more. Check out our membership options. Show Notes PowerShell is fun w/ Harm Connect with Harm on LinkedIn Harm's MVP Profile Microsoft PowerShell documentation Microsoft Intune documentation Intune Remediations Microsoft Graph PowerShell About the sponsors Would you like to become the irreplaceable Microsoft 365 resource for your organization? Let us know!

Welcome to Episode 397 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast. In this episode, Scott and Ben dive into the world of local LLMs—large language models that run entirely on your device. We’re going to explore why more IT pros and developers are experimenting with them, the kinds of models you can run, and how you can integrate them directly into your workflow, including in Visual Studio Code for AI-assisted coding. Your support makes this show possible! Please consider becoming a premium member for access to live shows and more. Check out our membership options. Show Notes Ollama Running LLMs Locally: A Beginner's Guide to Using Ollama open-webui/open-webui LM Studio LM. Studio Model Catalog Why do people like Ollama more than LM Studio? A Starter Guide for Playing with Your Own Local AI! host ALL your AI locally Run your own AI (but private) About the sponsors Would you like to become the irreplaceable Microsoft 365 resource for your organization? Let us know!

Welcome to Episode 396 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast. In this episode, Ben walks Scott through a ransomware attack on an on-premises VMware environment. As they discuss the attack and the results of it, they also talk through some lessons and considerations that could have helped mitigate such an attack. Your support makes this show possible! Please consider becoming a premium member for access to live shows and more. Check out our membership options. Show Notes How Long Does It Take for a Hacker to Crack a Password? Default Accounts in VMware vSphere How To Prevent Ransomware Attackers From Taking Over Your ESXi 8.0 Hosts Zero-Day Security Bug Likely Fueling Fortinet Firewall Attacks What is the 3-2-1 backup rule? Ransomware Payment: What Happens if You Pay the Ransom? About the sponsors Would you like to become the irreplaceable Microsoft 365 resource for your organization? Let us know!

Welcome to Episode 395 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast. In this episode, we dive into Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) and how it enables organizations to deliver secure, scalable Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) in the cloud. Whether you’re looking to modernize remote work, enhance security, or optimize IT costs, AVD provides a flexible solution for accessing virtualized Windows desktops and applications from anywhere.Topics covered include: What is Azure Virtual Desktop? A breakdown of AVD’s features, benefits, and common use cases. Deployment essentials – Setting up host pools, session hosts, and assigning users. Configuration best practices – Managing user profiles with FSLogix and securing AVD with Microsoft Intune. Cost estimation – Key factors affecting pricing and how to optimize expenses. Getting started – Steps to connect via the Remote Desktop client on multiple platforms. Whether you’re an IT admin or just exploring VDI in Azure, this episode is packed with insights to help you get started. Tune in and take your remote desktop strategy to the next level! Your support makes this show possible! Please consider becoming a premium member for access to live shows and more. Check out our membership options. Show Notes Azure Virtual Desktop documentation Understand and estimate costs for Azure Virtual Desktop Azure Virtual Desktop Azure Virtual Desktop documentation for users Get started with the Remote Desktop client FSLogix for user profiles Managing with Intune Manage the operation system of sessions hosts (with Intune) About the sponsors Would you like to become the irreplaceable Microsoft 365 resource for your organization? Let us know!

Welcome to Episode 394 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast. In this episode, we explore everything you need to know to get your Microsoft 365 tenant ready for Copilot. From licensing requirements to deployment best practices, we break down the steps to ensure a seamless setup.Key topics include: Understanding Copilot licensing, including E3, E5, and Business Premium options. Ensuring compatibility with Microsoft 365 Apps, OneDrive, Teams, and Outlook. Exploring Copilot’s data protection and auditing architecture to safeguard sensitive information and prevent oversharing. Integrating SharePoint Advanced Management (SAM), now included with Copilot, to enhance collaboration and control. Leveraging Microsoft’s Copilot Control System for managing prompts, sensitivity labels, and security posture. We also cover the newly announced Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat initiative and the evolving role of AI-driven collaboration tools in business workflows. Whether you’re an IT admin or a decision-maker, this episode provides the insights you need to deploy Copilot successfully and harness its full potential.Don’t miss this comprehensive guide to preparing your organization for the future of AI-powered productivity! Your support makes this show possible! Please consider becoming a premium member for access to live shows and more. Check out our membership options. Show Notes Copilot for all: Introducing Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat Microsoft 365 Copilot admin guide for E3 + SAM licenses Microsoft 365 Copilot admin guide for E5 + SAM licenses Microsoft 365 Copilot with SharePoint Get ready for Microsoft 365 Copilot with SharePoint Advanced Management Copilot Control System explained AI security posture management Microsoft 365 Copilot data protection and auditing architecture Address oversharing concerns in Microsoft 365 Copilot deployment blueprint About the sponsors Would you like to become the irreplaceable Microsoft 365 resource for your organization? Let us know!

Welcome to Episode 393 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast. In this episode, Ben is joined on the show by Alex Mooney from Logitech. The two of them discuss the integration of technology into meetings. They start out discussion AI for transcribing in-person meetings, highlighting some of their benefits and then shift into discussion various meeting room systems for Microsoft Teams. They discuss some of the offerings from Logitech including the Rally Bar Huddle, Rally Bar Mini, and Rally Bar and how they are certified for both Android and Windows to work in different scenarios for building out your Microsoft Teams Room system. Like what you hear and want to support the show? Check out our membership options. Show Notes Microsoft Teams Room Microsoft Teams Room Documentation Plan Microsoft Teams Rooms Microsoft Teams Room Devices Logitech Conference Room Systems Request Logitech Demo About Alex With a leadership role at Logitech, Alex has had the exciting opportunity to shape the future of digital workspaces. He's directed major collaborations, including the impactful partnership between Logitech and Microsoft that's driving billions in revenue. These aren't just business deals, they're transformations—helping companies worldwide navigate the ever-changing terrain of technology. Creating and implementing innovative solutions is part of Alex's DNA. Project Ghost, an immersive video conferencing experience, is just one of the many successful initiatives that he's been proud to lead. He's often invited to share my insights on industry trends and strategies at key events and in publications. It's a role he relishes — helping others grasp the opportunities that this rapid era of technological change brings. His focus is always forward, on the potential of what can be achieved together in the fields of collaboration and efficiency. Alex on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexm00ney/ About the sponsors Would you like to become the irreplaceable Microsoft 365 resource for your organization? Let us know!

Welcome to Episode 392 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast. In this episode, Ben interviews AvePoint CTO John Peluso. Listen in as they discuss Copilot in Microsoft 365 and how to govern and gain insights on your Copilot usage in your organization. Copilot in Microsoft 365 is becoming a critical tool to supporting modern work. As Microsoft continues to iterate and improve on Microsoft Copilot, partners such as AvePoint help to augment the administration and analytics of Copilot adoption in your organization. While Copilot enables your workforce with the tools to their jobs, Microsoft and AvePoint also provide the tools for administrators to empower their workforce quickly in a safe way. Another part of the puzzle of administering Copilot is how do you measure AI adoption in your organization, benchmark your organization against similar organizations, and understand the activity levels and adoption of Copilot? Listen in to hear about how AI tools like Copilot and AI in general can be governed in Microsoft 365 and how you can gain insights into how to approach analyzing Copilot adoption in your organization. Like what you hear and want to support the show? Check out our membership options. Show Notes AvePoint Introduces First-to-Market Benchmarking Data for Microsoft 365 Copilot IT Strategies for Copilot Administration Ignite 2024 - What's new for Microsoft 365 and Copilot admins Ignite 2024: Why nearly 70% of the Fortune 500 now use Microsoft 365 Copilot Microsoft Ignite 2024: Top Microsoft 365 Copilot Updates About the sponsors Would you like to become the irreplaceable Microsoft 365 resource for your organization? Let us know!