353 - The Microsoft AD Tier Model explained

Microsoft has put the Active Directory Tier Model on GitHub, MIT-licensed, with a deployment engine, a drift auditor, and around 1,700 tests. This used to be consulting material that Microsoft deployed to you as a paid engagement, so the obvious question is: why now? We start with that question, and also consider whether Active Directory is still worth your attention.(00:00) - Intro and catching up.(03:55) - Show content starts.Show links- Repository- FAQ- What's new in Windows Server 2025 (the AD DS section)- Microsoft Learn - Enterprise access model- Microsoft Digital Defense Report 2025- Give us feedback!

Microsoft is retiring natively provided SMS and voice authentication in Entra ID, and the clock is ticking: passkeys become the default experience on September 1, 2026, and Microsoft-provided telecom delivery is fully retired on February 1, 2027.  We walk through the timeline, what admins should do now to find and migrate affected users, and when the new Security Store telecom providers make sense. We also cover the everyday struggle: moving Microsoft Authenticator to a new phone without locking yourself out.(00:00) - Intro and catching up.(05:00) - Show content starts.Show links- Passkeys by default | MS Learn- Transfer Authenticator to a new phone  - SMS/voice usage analyzer script  - Plan a passkey deployment  - End-user communication templates- Give us feedback!

In this week's episode, we talk about recent experience in moving away from Ghost and WordPress for blogs, and building a static site with Astro. Since it will be hosted in Azure, we will talk about the experience, the AI-assisted build, and the overall experience. Join us to learn how many mistakes we made, and learn from our failures! :) (00:00) - Intro and catching up.(03:00) - Show content starts.Show links- 046 - Azure Static Web Apps with Elio Struyf | Ctrl+Alt+Azure- Astro- Azure Static Web Apps hosting plans- Tobi’s blog- Jussi’s blog- Give us feedback!

In this week's episode, we look at recent Microsoft Tech updates. By popular request, we're expanding our scope beyond Azure to include Microsoft 365, Power Platform, and related Microsoft platforms and capabilities. What's new? What's interesting? What's retiring? (00:00) - Intro and catching up.(01:55) - Show content starts.Show links- Retirement: Azure Blueprints- Public Preview: Document PII playground sample in Microsoft Foundry NextGen - GA: Document PII NextGen Playground in Azure AI Language- Public Preview: Azure Migrate with GitHub Copilot modernization integration for code assessments- GA: Client-side data integrity protections in Azure Blog Storage- GA: ICMP support for Azure Standard V2 NAT Gateway- GA: Log Analytics Summary Rules experience- Microsoft certification updates- Give us feedback!

In this week's episode, we go back to basics to discuss ways to access resources secured by an Entra tenant. This is the bread and butter of Azure, and it's a good time to revisit these basics to understand why they are more relevant than ever in 2026. Join us in refreshing your knowledge on App Registrations, Service Principals, and Managed Identities!(00:00) - Intro and catching up.(03:20) - Show content starts.Show links- Application and service principal objects in Microsoft Entra ID- What are managed identities for Azure resources?- Managed identities FAQ (system vs user-assigned, no app object)- Give us feedback!

In this week's episode, we look into what's new with Azure Files in 2026. We touch on the usefulness of Azure Files, the past limitations and challenges in deploying it, and how things have evolved since the latest preview capabilities, all the way to the new general availability. Join us in modernizing your on-premises file shares for a cloud-first future!(00:00) - Intro and catching up.(03:58) - Show content starts.Show links- Entra-only identities GA announcement- Secure, modern access to Azure Files on macOS with Entra ID- Enable Entra Kerberos for Azure Files on macOS with Platform SSO, preview- FSLogix containers on Azure Files using Entra ID- Give us feedback!

In this week's episode, we dig into Microsoft's Security Adoption Model, the attempt to pull a decade of scattered security guidance under one roof. It's a role-aware way to plan security modernization across on-prem and multicloud, built on three layers: the business scenarios that explain why, the nine disciplines that define who's accountable, and the technology pillars that cover the how. We talk through what's genuinely new, the single front door and the disciplines framing, versus what's just been folded in like the MCRA and the CISO workshop. (00:00) - Intro and catching up.(03:48) - Show content starts.Show links- Security Adoption Model overview- Business scenarios- Disciplines overview- Technical solutions- Give us feedback!

In this week's episode, we look at recent Microsoft Tech updates. By popular request, we're expanding our scope beyond Azure to include Microsoft 365, Power Platform, and related Microsoft platforms and capabilities. What's new? What's interesting? What's retiring? (00:00) - Intro and catching up.(03:18) - Show content starts.Show links- Securing code, agents, and models across the development lifecycle- What's new in Azure API Management at Microsoft Build 2026- Azure Container Linux on AKS- Azure Managed Redis Entra ID RBAC- Azure NC RTX PRO 6000- Foundry agent security capabilities transitioning to Agent 365- Azure Infrastructure Resiliency Manager- Logic Apps MCP Server- Give us feedback!

In this episode, we reflect on some of our favorite announcements from Microsoft Build 2026. We touch base on some Windows 11 updates, like Intelligent Terminal, the new Run dialog, and moving the Taskbar again (finally?). We also check out the GitHub Enterprise Local announcement, Azure Logic Apps Automation, Microsoft Scout, Project Solara, some new AI models, and Microsoft Execution Containers (MXC).(00:00) - Intro and catching up.(03:11) - Show content starts.Show links- Microsoft Build 2026 (News)- Microsoft Build 2026 (Microsoft Blog)- Give us feedback!

This week, we sit down with Rick Van Rousselt, Microsoft 365 MVP and managing partner at Advantive Belgium, for an honest look at what's actually working with applied AI in customer environments and what's quietly failing. We dig into the agentic shift across Agent 365, Entra Agent ID, Microsoft Agent Framework, and AI Foundry; the build-versus-buy line now that Microsoft is shipping agents into every product; and why the wave of Copilot rollouts is finally winding down. (00:00) - Intro and catching up.(00:29) - Show content starts.Show links- Find Rick van Rousselt on LinkedIn- Give us feedback!