A few new bits in Microsoft Teams for December. My favourites are Ordered raised hands end-to-end encryption for one-to-one teams calls, and split-video across multiple screens for Teams Rooms on Windows. ∞ more info
Defender for Endpoint integration with other Microsoft Solutions
One of the key benefits of Microsoft’s security solution is that it is a platform where each component works in concert with other components - this is the key differentiator of Microsoft’s solution. There is a useful help page that outlines how MDE integrates with other Microsoft components. ∞ more info
Microsoft named Leader in 2021 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Cloud DBMS Platforms
Right up there in the top right with AWS - great to see the competition driving innovation in this space. ∞ more info
Power BI December 2021 New Features
Loads of new Power BI features announced in December 2021. Just a couple of my favourites: Sparklines (Preview) Azure Data Explorer connector update Paginated report visual (GA) Charticulator visualisation updates Hybrid tables in Power BI Premium ∞ more info
Soft delete for Azure Data Lake now generally available
protects files and directories from accidental deletes by retaining the deleted data in the system for a specified period of time Important to note… All soft deleted files and directories are billed at the same rate as active ones until the retention period has expired. ∞ more info
Microsoft named Leader in Forrester Wave for iPaaS
Microsoft crept into the Leader category of The Forrester Wave for Q4 2021 in the iPaaS category. Sitting up in the same category as Software AG, MuleSoft and TIBCO is a pretty big achievement, as is surpassing IBM and Boomi. Azure Integration Services consisting of Logic Apps, API Management, Event Grid, and Service Bus helps customers connect applications, data, and services on-premises and in the cloud, helping enterprises create new revenue opportunities with an API-driven partner and developer ecosystem and boost productivity with secure and automated workflows....
Log4j 2 vulnerability
A really good, in-depth article on the Log4j 2 vulnerability including how to use the various Microsoft security components to detect and block this vulnerability. It gives a good view of how these technologies each have a part to play in an overarching security strategy. Technologies covered are: Defender for Endpoint Defender for Office 365 Defender for Cloud Defender for IoT Azure Sentinel Azure Firewall Premium Azure Web Application Firewall (WAF) ∞ more info
Automatic visualisation of Power Apps and D365 data from Dataverse into Power BI
With a single click, Power BI automatically generates a set of visuals for you to explore and find insights within your data. Says it all really. In summary, you can generate Power BI visuals from any model-driven app (Power App or D365) that has data stored in Dataverse. Check the link below for some examples. ∞ more info
Improved search experience in Microsoft Teams
The new Teams search results experience features a re-designed user interface with four tabs aligned to the types of information users search most frequently: All, Messages, People, and Files. Using artificial intelligence, your search surfaces the most relevant results in an easy-to-read, full-page format. Plus, we’ve added a new question-and-answer search option that enables you to type a question in the search bar and get high-confidence answers. I don’t use search all that much in Microsoft Teams - to be honest I never found it that useful....
Satellite and Geospacial capabilities with Azure Space
There are some really interesting announcements around Azure Space including partnerships with Airbus, iDirect, ESRI, Blackshark.ai, and Orbital Insight. Azure Orbital also reaches preview stage if you want to communicate with and control a satellite! ∞ more info