Episode 401 – Zero Trust in Microsoft 365

Episode 401 – Zero Trust in Microsoft 365

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.

 

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Episode 400 – Microsoft 365 Copilot Declarative Agents and Copilot Studio Agent Builder

Episode 400 – Microsoft 365 Copilot Declarative Agents and Copilot Studio Agent Builder

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.

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Episode 397 – Local LLMs: Why Every Microsoft 365 & Azure Pro Should Explore Them

Episode 397 – Local LLMs: Why Every Microsoft 365 & Azure Pro Should Explore Them

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.

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Episode 394 – Prepare your Microsoft 365 Tenant for Copilot Success

Episode 394 – Prepare your Microsoft 365 Tenant for Copilot Success

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!

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Episode 392 – Building Confidence In Your Microsoft Copilot Deployment with AvePoint CTO John Peluso

Episode 392 – Building Confidence In Your Microsoft Copilot Deployment with AvePoint CTO John Peluso

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.

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