Category: Microsoft
Category Archives: Microsoft
ADF Change Data Capture
I have been working on a proof of concept using the Azure Data Factory Change Data Capture, resource to move data from Azure SQL Database to Delta Lake target. The issue I am encountering is when the Azure Data Factory Change Data Capture source attempts to parse the schema it is returning an error:
“Failed to import schema for Source Table ….” and “com.microsoft.dataflow.broker.MissingRequiredPropertyException: server is a required property for ….” (names of resources are intentionally left out)
The Azure Data Factory MSI has access to read the schema and is a user in the Azure SQL Database.
Thoughts?
I have been working on a proof of concept using the Azure Data Factory Change Data Capture, resource to move data from Azure SQL Database to Delta Lake target. The issue I am encountering is when the Azure Data Factory Change Data Capture source attempts to parse the schema it is returning an error:”Failed to import schema for Source Table ….” and “com.microsoft.dataflow.broker.MissingRequiredPropertyException: server is a required property for ….” (names of resources are intentionally left out) The Azure Data Factory MSI has access to read the schema and is a user in the Azure SQL Database. Thoughts? Read More
Footnote numbers change to all 8
Hello, I have a problem when I change the footnotes to start from the beginning on each page, where the order of the numbers in the footnotes changes completely to the number 8, is there a solution?
Hello, I have a problem when I change the footnotes to start from the beginning on each page, where the order of the numbers in the footnotes changes completely to the number 8, is there a solution? Read More
Stop the annoying pop ups in everything
For the love of any deity out there, how do I stop the constant pop ups from Microsoft? I use Outlook, I get pop ups. Sharepoint? More pop ups. OneNote? You better believe I get more pop ups. They are annoying, unwanted and intrusive; All I want to do is get my stuff done without Microsoft harassing me with “Did you know about this feature? Click here to try it!” Or, “we’d love your feedback that we will ignore because it doesn’t comply with what we want to hear but we will continue to pester you instead of letting you do what you need to do!”
Well, yes, I knew about it and I’m not using it because it is hot garbage, just like everything Microsoft has released. I constantly fill out Microsoft’s crappy surveys and tell them to stop bothering me with surveys!
How do I get this harassment to stop?! Here are some examples
For the love of any deity out there, how do I stop the constant pop ups from Microsoft? I use Outlook, I get pop ups. Sharepoint? More pop ups. OneNote? You better believe I get more pop ups. They are annoying, unwanted and intrusive; All I want to do is get my stuff done without Microsoft harassing me with “Did you know about this feature? Click here to try it!” Or, “we’d love your feedback that we will ignore because it doesn’t comply with what we want to hear but we will continue to pester you instead of letting you do what you need to do!” Well, yes, I knew about it and I’m not using it because it is hot garbage, just like everything Microsoft has released. I constantly fill out Microsoft’s crappy surveys and tell them to stop bothering me with surveys! How do I get this harassment to stop?! Here are some examples Read More
Azure Web Application Firewall(WAF) integration in Copilot for Security
With the Azure WAF in Copilot for Security integration, security and IT teams can move faster, and focus on high value tasks. The Copilot summarizes data and generates in-depth contextual insights into the WAF threat landscape. This enables analysts to determine if the WAF policy is blocking a request it should not have blocked, or if their WAF policy needs to be fine-tuned. It results in time and cost savings since Copilot can reason over terabytes of data in a matter of minutes, not hours or days.
Azure WAF capabilities available in the standalone Copilot for Security experience are: Get Top Rules Triggered, Get Top Blocks By IP, Get SQLi Blocks By WAF, and Get XSS Blocks By WAF
Full details can be obtained here: Azure WAF integration in Copilot for Security – Protect web applications using Gen AI
Microsoft Tech Community – Latest Blogs –Read More
Azure Static Web Apps Dedicated Plan: Building Enterprise Grade Full Stack Web Apps
Introduction
Azure Static Web Apps already offers an amazing solution to build and host full stack web apps with our Free and Standard plans!
However, you have been asking us for Static Web Apps that are compliant with data residency rules to allow you to build secure web apps that also comply with your data governance requirements we are now offering the Dedicated plan (in preview)! Additionally, this new plan will support Always On managed functions, drastically improving the experience for Static Web Apps with dynamic backends and for apps that follow the SSR patterns. And for a limited time, the Dedicated plan will be offered for free. Check it out here: https://aka.ms/swa-dedicated-preview
Why Use It
If you are looking to securely host your full stack web apps look no further than the Dedicated Plan. In preview, the dedicated plan allows you to have data residency in select regions for your web app.
Free
Standard
Dedicated (In Preview)
Web hosting
X
X
X
CI/CD
X
X
X
Global Distribution
X
X
X
Private Link
X
X
Custom Domain
X
X
Managed Backends
X
X
Data Residency
X
Always On Managed Functions Support
X
How to Get Started?
To get started with this new plan go to the portal and enter the Static Web Apps create flow. You will now see a new plan type for Dedicated. Please select that plan and then select the region in which you would like your resources to be created in and in which your data will be stored.
Check it out here: https://aka.ms/swa-dedicated-preview
Disclaimer: During preview only 1 resource per subscription can created using the Dedicated Plan
Available in the following regions during Preview: East US 2, Central US, West US 2, and East Asia
Have feedback to share with us, please email us at az-swa-preview@microsoft.com
Microsoft Tech Community – Latest Blogs –Read More
You Are Real: More Secure Identity Verification
Why is Liveness Detection Crucial for Identity Verification Today?
With the ubiquitous internet infrastructure and mobile networks providing a backbone for daily interactions, coupled with a sustained increase in remote activities post-pandemic, the need for robust identity verification mechanisms is more critical than ever. As individuals engage in a wide range of online transactions — from banking and e-commerce to healthcare consultations and remote work — the risk of identity fraud has significantly escalated. According to the Consumer Sentinel Network’s 2023 Annual Data Book, reports of fraud and identity theft have nearly doubled in the last four years.[1]
Furthermore, the widespread availability of digital devices like smartphones and tablets, along with pervasive social media platforms, has made personal photos and identity details more accessible and easier to exploit. This accessibility significantly undermines the effectiveness of simple image-based face recognition technologies, which can be easily circumvented using readily available photographs. These vulnerabilities render traditional methods of identity verification increasingly ineffective in today’s digital world.
As the threat landscape evolves, the need for advanced verification methods that can counteract these sophisticated threats becomes crucial. This is where liveness detection emerges as an indispensable tool in the arsenal of security measures. In line with cybersecurity best practices recommended by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), Multifactor Authentication (MFA) is advocated to mitigate the risks associated with password-only security. Face scan or liveness detection plays a critical role in the “Something You Are” pillar of MFA.[2] The integration of liveness detection not only improving system security but also maintaining trust in every digital interaction, making it a foundational component for the future of secure online identity verification.
Successful Applications of Liveness Detection Across Industries
Liveness detection is making significant impacts across multiple sectors, demonstrating its versatility and essential role in secure identity verification:
Identity Authentication: Liveness detection technology excels in a range of applications within identity authentication, including identity issuing, account creation, and account recovery. A standout example of this is Microsoft’s Entra Verified ID, which exemplifies versatility and technological sophistication. Ankur, the Product Manager at Microsoft VerifiedID, explains the effectiveness of this system: “Face Check using Entra Verified ID relies on Azure AI Vision Face capability to add a critical layer of trust by matching a user’s real-time selfie and the photo from their identity document (such as a passport or driver’s license). By combining the open standards-based approach for Verified ID with world-class Vision capabilities, enterprises are able to reduce the risk of account takeover and impersonation without compromising on security, compliance, or privacy.”
This advanced approach has been applied effectively in various sectors. A notable application is seen with BEMO, where liveness detection has transformed administrative operations, which could reduce the average time for support ticket resolution. As one BEMO customer expressed, “BEMO, you have greatly improved the admin password reset flows like self-service for getting a Temporary Access Pass (TAP). The validation process using our new company VerifiedID and going through the ‘live face check’ was even cool.”
Moreover, the benefits of integrating liveness detection extend beyond digital identities to physical ID issuing, enabling a remote self-service process that brings convenience to customers and saves operational costs. This seamless integration of technology has fostered collaborations that enhance both security and accessibility. “ADOT MVD has been working closely with Microsoft on this functionality that helps customers securely access our services online, and we are excited for today’s release,” said Eric Jorgensen, Director of the Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division.
Healthcare: In healthcare, ensuring the identity of providers and patients is paramount for both privacy and safety. Liveness detection can help to secure telemedicine by confirming the presence and authenticity of individuals during consultations, thereby preventing fraud and protecting sensitive health data.
Education: The shift towards online learning and remote examinations has heightened the need for reliable identity verification. Liveness detection can ensure the integrity of remote exams and interviews by verifying student identities and deterring deceptive practices.
Finance: The finance sector may benefit from liveness detection, using it alongside facial recognition technologies to safeguard sensitive financial transactions and verify the identities of account holders, thus could help prevent unauthorized access and fraud.
New Features to Our Liveness Detection Technology
JavaScript Library for Web Applications: Azure AI Vision Face Client SDK language support has been expanded to include JavaScript, enabling developers to seamlessly integrate liveness detection into web applications and can enhance security across various online platforms.
Active Motion Challenge: Liveness detection has been enhanced with the addition of a dynamic layer requiring users to perform live actions in response to real-time prompts, ensuring that only genuine users can pass the verification, thus could improve both security and user experience. Watch it in action here!
Ready to Code? Check out our tutorial.
Looking Ahead
As we continue to innovate, our commitment to delivering secure, reliable, and user-friendly liveness detection solutions remains strong. We invite you to explore these new features and see how they can enhance your security protocols.
[1] Consumer Sentinel Network Data Book 2023 | Federal Trade Commission (ftc.gov)
[2] More than a Password | CISA
Microsoft Tech Community – Latest Blogs –Read More
unique macro
Is it possible to write a macro that causes a cell value to flash or blink if the cell value fails to meet a maximum or minimum value?
Is it possible to write a macro that causes a cell value to flash or blink if the cell value fails to meet a maximum or minimum value? Read More
Excel and KPIs
Hello everyone,
Does anyone have any types, training, cases related to KPIs in Excel ?
Thank you so much.
Hello everyone,Does anyone have any types, training, cases related to KPIs in Excel ? Thank you so much. Read More
Latest Threat Intelligence (May 2024)
Microsoft Defender for IoT has released the May 2024 Threat Intelligence package. The package is available for download from the Microsoft Defender for IoT portal (click Updates, then Download file).
Threat Intelligence updates reflect the combined impact of proprietary research and threat intelligence carried out by Microsoft security teams. Each package contains the latest CVEs (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures), IOCs (Indicators of Compromise), and other indicators applicable to IoT/ICS/OT networks (published during the past month) researched and implemented by Microsoft Threat Intelligence Research – CPS.
The CVE scores are aligned with the National Vulnerability Database (NVD). Starting with the August 2023 threat intelligence updates, CVSSv3 scores are shown if they are relevant; otherwise the CVSSv2 scores are shown.
Guidance
Customers are recommended to update their systems with the latest TI package in order to detect potential exposure risks and vulnerabilities in their networks and on their devices. Threat Intelligence packages are updated every month with the most up-to-date security information available, ensuring that Microsoft Defender for IoT can identify malicious actors and behaviors on devices.
Update your system with the latest TI package
The package is available for download from the Microsoft Defender for IoT portal (click Updates, then Download file), for more information, please review Update threat intelligence data | Microsoft Docs.
MD5 Hash: 5eec8bb9ccc842a2447ad1ee60232208
For cloud connected sensors, Microsoft Defender for IoT can automatically update new threat intelligence packages following their release, click here for more information. Read More
Access 2016 Error after 22H2 update
Hello,
Has anyone else been experiencing the issue where Access prompts that it cant use “file path”.accdb; file already in use? This is preventing multiuser experience of shared (split) database stored on network file share. The issue started occurring after the update to 22H2 (for me, mid-April).
A similar instance occurred at the end of 2021 that was documented here: Error in Access when opening a database on a network file share – Microsoft Support
I have been looking for any updates by MS for this and have not been able to find anything that hints at a possible solution in the works. Thank you for any tips or info that can be provided.
-Matt
Hello,Has anyone else been experiencing the issue where Access prompts that it cant use “file path”.accdb; file already in use? This is preventing multiuser experience of shared (split) database stored on network file share. The issue started occurring after the update to 22H2 (for me, mid-April).A similar instance occurred at the end of 2021 that was documented here: Error in Access when opening a database on a network file share – Microsoft SupportI have been looking for any updates by MS for this and have not been able to find anything that hints at a possible solution in the works. Thank you for any tips or info that can be provided. -Matt Read More
Show/Hide Certain Rows Based on Picklist Selection
Hi all! I’m looking for help creating a code to show/hide specific rows when certain options are selected. I looked at some previous responses but couldn’t figure out how to adapt it for my needs.
In my spreadsheet, there’s a multiple choice drop down picklist in cell B12 with picklist options titled Claim 1-8. I’m looking to show/hide rows 16-23, which correspond to the claim 1-8 numbering in the B12 drop down. For example- if claims 1 and 6 are selected in cell B12, I want to show Row 16 and 21, and hide all others.
Would love any help or advice!
Hi all! I’m looking for help creating a code to show/hide specific rows when certain options are selected. I looked at some previous responses but couldn’t figure out how to adapt it for my needs. In my spreadsheet, there’s a multiple choice drop down picklist in cell B12 with picklist options titled Claim 1-8. I’m looking to show/hide rows 16-23, which correspond to the claim 1-8 numbering in the B12 drop down. For example- if claims 1 and 6 are selected in cell B12, I want to show Row 16 and 21, and hide all others. Would love any help or advice! Read More
Contact Details from E-Mails Signature to Outlook Contacts
Hello,
I am new here, so “hi”;)
I have a lot of new contacts that I am corresponding with outside of my organization. Currently, I manually copy and paste each piece of information from the person’s signature (email, phone numbers, website, address, etc.) into the contact form. This takes forever.
Is there a faster way without using an add-on?
I vaguely remember that in Outlook 2016 you could drag and drop the information, but that doesn’t seem to work anymore in 365 (iOs).
Can anyone shed some light on this, please?
Thank you so much in advance, Julia
Hello, I am new here, so “hi”;) I have a lot of new contacts that I am corresponding with outside of my organization. Currently, I manually copy and paste each piece of information from the person’s signature (email, phone numbers, website, address, etc.) into the contact form. This takes forever.Is there a faster way without using an add-on?I vaguely remember that in Outlook 2016 you could drag and drop the information, but that doesn’t seem to work anymore in 365 (iOs). Can anyone shed some light on this, please? Thank you so much in advance, Julia Read More
ADF – Data Flow Error for Excel source
Hi Community,
I am getting an error when trying to run my adf pipeline and data flow. My data flow reads from an excel source, where the sheet has 1,048,576 records (max excel sheet can have).
For some reason, I get an error, and after trial and error method, noticed that the data flow runs perfectly when reading data sample around 998,997th record, but throws the below error, if I sample more or disable the data sampling.
Job failed due to reason: Failed to read data from excel file: abfss://<blob container>/<filename>.xlsx with error message: For input string: “1e6” – java.lang.NumberFormatException: For input string: “1e6”
I checked the excel file manually, but the records seem to be perfectly okay. Is this a limitation, or any insights might be appreciated.
Hi Community, I am getting an error when trying to run my adf pipeline and data flow. My data flow reads from an excel source, where the sheet has 1,048,576 records (max excel sheet can have). For some reason, I get an error, and after trial and error method, noticed that the data flow runs perfectly when reading data sample around 998,997th record, but throws the below error, if I sample more or disable the data sampling.Job failed due to reason: Failed to read data from excel file: abfss://<blob container>/<filename>.xlsx with error message: For input string: “1e6” – java.lang.NumberFormatException: For input string: “1e6” I checked the excel file manually, but the records seem to be perfectly okay. Is this a limitation, or any insights might be appreciated. Read More
Announcing Batch delete in Service Bus- Public Preview
Azure Service Bus is a fully managed enterprise message broker with message queues and publish-subscribe topics. Sometimes, you may want to delete messages from your queues and subscriptions in a more programmatic manner, for example, to clear out old or unwanted messages from your entities.
We are excited to announce the public preview of Batch Delete, a new feature that lets you delete messages in bulk from your Service Bus entities. Batch delete helps you to delete multiple messages from a messaging entity in one operation, instead of deleting them one by one. Since deletion is done at service side, you don’t need to receive the messages before deleting them.
To learn more about Batch Delete, visit aka.ms/batchdelete
We are sure you will find the Batch Delete feature a significant improvement in Azure Service Bus and encourage you to explore this new addition.
Know more:
Microsoft Tech Community – Latest Blogs –Read More
Announcing Large Message Support for Azure Event Hubs- Public Preview
We are pleased to announce the public preview of large message support (up to 20 MB) in Azure Event Hubs. Azure Event Hubs is a cloud native data streaming service that can stream millions of events per second, with low latency, from any source to any destination. Event Hubs is compatible with Apache Kafka, and it enables you to run existing Kafka workloads without any code changes.
The introduction of large message support is a significant enhancement to our service. Typically, data in streaming scenarios is lightweight, often less than 1 MB, and characterized by high throughput. However, there are instances when messages cannot be divided into smaller segments or chunks.
With the new support for large messages, Event Hubs self-serve scalable Dedicated clusters can now accommodate events up to 20 MB in size at no additional cost. This capability allows Azure Event Hubs to handle a wide range of message sizes, ensuring uninterrupted business operations.
How to enable large message support for Event Hubs
Large message streaming is only supported in Event Hubs self-serve scalable dedicated clusters built out of latest infrastructure. For more details, visit aka.ms/largemessagesupportforeh
Being able to stream large messages or events requires no client code changes apart from the change in message or event itself. You could continue sending/receiving messages using any existing event hubs SDK / Kafka API to stream large messages to event hub.
We’re all ears for your feedback. To Know more, visit:
Apache Ka fka on Azure Event Hubs
Thank you for your continued support. Happy Streaming!
Microsoft Tech Community – Latest Blogs –Read More
Announcing Video Translation & Speech Translation API Enhancements
Today, we are excited to share two major updates to the Azure AI Speech Translation product suite – Video Translation and an enhanced Realtime Speech Translation API.
Video Translation (Batch)
Today, we are announcing the availability of Video Translation, a groundbreaking service designed to transform the way businesses localize their video content, in preview. With the rising demand for accessible and engaging video content across global markets, Video Translation offers a seamless solution to overcome language barriers. This launch includes an Azure Speech for customers to try out with their own video assets, with turn-key capabilities such as:
Dialogue extraction and translated subtitles generation
GPT reformulation with improved translation quality and automatic time alignment
Prebuilt neural voices with content editing for precise alignment and translation preference manually
Using the personal voice capability (will be available with limited access restrictions)
The corresponding Video Translation API is also coming soon, please fill in the form here to be considered for API early access.
Customer Scenarios for Video Translation
Video translation unlocks business values for a wide range of business scenarios with the authorized video content such as :
TV shows, movies & documentary: film studios and production companies can translate movies and TV shows for international distribution, reaching a broader audience and maximizing revenue potential.
Education & training materials video: educational institutions and/or training programs can translate and dub learning video materials to provide accurate and timely information to audiences worldwide.
Advertising & marketing video: businesses can localize their advertising and marketing videos to resonate with target audiences in different markets, enhancing brand awareness and customer engagement.
Language coverage for Video Translation
Video Translation supports the language pairs in the table below:
Source language
Target language
Hindi
English
Spanish
English
Chinese
English
Korean
English
English
Hindi
English
Spanish
English
Chinese
English
Italian
English
German
English
Russian
We also plan to quickly expand our language coverage in future releases.
Multilingual Speech Translation (Realtime)
In addition to Video Translation, we are also excited to announce automatic multilingual speech translation as a major enhancement to our Realtime Speech Translation API. This launch contains a new range of features that enable a higher level of translation capabilities that were previously not possible:
The biggest change is that there is no longer a need for the user to set an input language. The API now gives users the ability to receive audio in a wide range of languages, without specifying beforehand which language is being spoken. This will enable them to translate audio in scenarios where they may not know what language is being received, such as a contact center servicing a diverse global client base. We are very excited to introduce this feature, as it will open up a whole new world of possibilities for multilingual use cases.
In addition to receiving the translated audio, the user can also be told what language is being spoken in the input audio through Language Identification (LID) Support. While the model still operates end-to-end with the ability to handle multiple languages, the user can still receive a list of each of the languages that were spoken during the session. This can be useful for documentation purposes or scenarios where there are multiple speakers, like a multilingual meeting.
The Speech Translation service is now also capable of handling language switches within the same session. We allow users the ability to receive input audio in multiple languages, and have them all translated and output into a target language. There is no need to set an input language and no need to make a new API call when the language changes, the same session can automatically handle language changes and output the translation of desired language. This will be useful for users who have multiple native languages that they often switch between, or a multilingual meeting in a business or educational environment, and it is a very exciting feature that will create new levels of translation capabilities.
Customer Scenarios for Realtime Speech Translation
The following are some new customer scenarios that Multilingual Speech Translation enables that previously were not possible:
Translation in your daily life: Imagine you are walking down a diverse city such as New York, and a foreigner comes up to you. They start asking you about something in their own language, but not only do you not know what they are saying, you don’t even know what language they are speaking. With our API integrated into a solution such as a translator mobile app, not only will you be told what language the user is speaking, you will also receive a full translation of it in text (and audio if you choose), allowing you to freely communicate with this person as if there was no language barrier at all.
Live translated caption for videos: Let’s say you are dabbling in French cuisine and would like to follow through a video of a chef making Boeuf bourguignon – all in French (which you do not speak). Using a translator mobile app powered by Azure’s Speech Translation API, you can now play the video and get streaming translated captions, as if the chef is teaching you in real time!
Multilingual meeting: A unique use case that really showcases the power of the new multilingual model is a meeting which include native speakers of many languages. Suppose a situation such as a diplomatic meeting, in which there are delegates from many countries conversing with each other. If they are each enabled with our API, they can all freely speak to each other and have a natural conversation without having to worry about a language barrier at all. The API can automatically handle language switches and still translate to the target language. This allows for seamless conversation even with speakers of multiple languages all being in the same room.
As you can see from the above scenarios, Multilingual Speech Translation opens the door to new possibilities that previously would’ve been tedious, incredibly inefficient, or downright impossible.
Language Support for Multilingual Speech Translation
At the time of Public Preview, Multilingual Speech Translation will be offered with input languages. This means these are the languages the API will automatically detect and switch between from the input. The output (target) language can still be any of the languages supported by the Azure Speech Translation Service. The 40 input languages are as follows (along with language code):
Arabic (ar), Basque (eu), Bosnian (bs), Bulgarian (bg), Chinese Simplified (zh), Chinese Traditional (zhh), Czech (cs), Danish (da), Dutch (nl), English (en), Estonian (et), Finnish (fi), French (fr), Galician (gl), German (de), Greek (el), Hindi (hi), Hungarian (hu), Indonesian (id), Italian (it), Japanese (ja), Korean (ko), Latvian (lv), Lithuanian (lt), Macedonian (mk), Norwegian (nb), Polish (pl), Portuguese (pt), Romanian (ro), Russian (ru), Serbian (sr), Slovak (sk), Slovenian (sl), Spanish (es), Swedish (sv), Thai (th), Turkish (tr), Ukrainian (uk), Vietnamese (vi), and Welsh (cy).
In the upcoming version, we plan to support all input languages that are supported by Speech Translation. Language and locale support will be continuously updated and expanded to make our model more accessible to all.
Getting Started
Get started with the Video Translation by uploading your own video today.
Get started with implementing Multilingual Speech Translation into your products by using our Quickstart Guide.
Microsoft Tech Community – Latest Blogs –Read More
Safely bring AI chat to all using Microsoft Copilot with commercial data protection, plus new video
Starting your organization’s AI transformation may seem challenging when users want to use AI tools now and IT teams want to ensure data security. AI is spreading surprisingly quickly, with 75% of knowledge workers reporting that they use AI at work.¹ But if your users are leveraging unsanctioned AI tools, it puts sensitive business data at risk—once it goes into an AI model, there is no getting it back. And if you block AI services to prioritize security, you risk falling behind other organizations who are moving full speed ahead with AI.
You can give users the AI tools they want today while also protecting sensitive data with Microsoft Copilot with commercial data protection. Best of all, it’s available at no additional cost if you’re on an eligible Microsoft 365 or Office 365 subscription, and it’s easy to roll out using the Copilot adoption kit.
We know all the AI options out there might be confusing, so we have a new Copilot explainer video available as part of Microsoft Build to help provide greater clarity about how users can be more creative at work and save time using AI. You can watch the new Copilot explainer video at aka.ms/Copilot/BuildVideo.
Bring AI-powered web chat to your users today
Rolling out Copilot is easy. When an eligible user signs in with their work or school account (Entra ID), Copilot automatically adds commercial data protection. This means prompts and responses are not saved, no one at Microsoft has eyes-on access, and data is not used to train the underlying large language model. You can learn more about managing Copilot on Microsoft Learn.
Give your employees a productivity and creativity boost with Copilot
People have a lot on their plate at work, and Copilot with commercial data protection uses advanced AI models like GPT-4 and DALL-E 3 to provide powerful AI tools to help tackle tasks of all sizes.
With AI in their toolkit, users are already recognizing gains at work with 90% reporting that AI helps them to save time,² and 84% reporting that it helps them be more creative.³ They’re using it to do things like:
Answer complex questions sourced with the latest information available on the web so they can spend less time searching and asking peers and more time getting things done.
Summarize content like an article or PDF into a set of bullet points to save time reading long documents.
Create custom images that can be used for presentations, blogs, and more to bring the creative vision in their head to life.
You and your users can sign in and try Copilot today at copilot.microsoft.com.
Pair Copilot with Microsoft Edge for added security capabilities
Users get additional security features when they access Copilot through the Microsoft Edge sidebar, including capabilities like native support for Data Loss Prevention (DLP) policies that add protections to prevent sensitive content from being summarized, copied, pasted, or captured by screenshot.
Plus, Edge offers controls for managing Copilot and third-party AI services with Edge management service and new user features such as real-time translation of videos using AI and AI-powered Workspaces. Learn more about Microsoft Edge and new announcements at Build.
Kickstart your AI journey with the Copilot adoption kit
If you’re ready to train your users on how to make the most of AI at work, use the customizable resources in the Copilot adoption kit. Available in nine languages, this kit includes ready-made resources such as a training presentation, company-wide communications, tip sheets, and more. The kit can help you unlock the full potential of AI for your users and accelerate your AI transformation.
¹, ², ³: 2024 Work Trend Index Annual Report (Microsoft, LinkedIn)
Microsoft Tech Community – Latest Blogs –Read More
Partner Blog | Accelerate business growth with AI: your guide to Copilot extensions with Teams
By: Srini Raghavan, Vice President, Microsoft Teams Ecosystem
Microsoft Copilot is changing the way we work, communicate, and collaborate. According to a 2024 Work Trend Index Annual Report, 75% of knowledge workers around the world now use generative AI at work. AI development continues to accelerate, and as Satya Nadella has shared, “we believe in a future where there will be a copilot for everyone and everything you do.”
We want to build the best AI ecosystem with Microsoft Copilot, something you’ll be hearing much more about this week at Build and in my upcoming session. We’re looking to you to create amazing experiences for your users that customize and enhance Copilot with your data, systems, and workflows. You can also build your own copilot that works as a standalone app, works with Microsoft 365, Microsoft Teams, and more.
New capabilities in our pro- and low-code tools announced at today’s event will enable you to build copilots and publish them as Copilot extensions that reach users on Copilot and on Teams. You’ll be able to reach more users, drive contextual discovery of your apps and data, and deliver higher quality user experiences. You can also benefit from faster time to market, improved ROI, and best-in-class policies around security and data governance.
Continue reading here
Microsoft Tech Community – Latest Blogs –Read More
Azure Messaging and Streaming update – May 2024
Azure Messaging Update – May 2024
This update covers features being released at the Microsoft Build 2024 conference for the Azure Service Bus, Azure Event Hubs and Azure Event Grid services.
Azure Event Hubs Updates
Event Hubs has several new features including one of the most requested features we have heard from our customers.
New features:
Event Hubs Emulator (Public Preview)
The Event Hubs Emulator is a containerized instance of Azure Event Hubs that can run on Windows or Linux for development or test purposes. This has been the most requested feature, and it is great to finally deliver it for customers. In this first delivery of the emulator, it only will support AMQP traffic.
Large Message size (Public Preview)
Namespaces in Azure Event Hubs Dedicated now can support messages as large as 20 MB.
The Kafka Compression feature is now generally available.
In addition to the exiting AVRO schema support, the Schema Registry has added support for 2 more schema types.
JSON Schema in Schema Registry (GA) – The JSON Schema support is now GA.
Protobuf in Schema Registry (Public Preview) – Protobuf support is now available in preview in the Schema Registry.
Azure Service Bus Update
Azure Service Bus new features.
Azure Service Bus now supports Batch Delete providing a more convenient way to manage your queues, including dead letter queues.
Azure Event Grid Updates
Azure Event Grid continues to evolve with the addition of new features to achieve MQTT compliance, simplify security for IoT and event-driven solutions, and facilitate seamless integrations.
MQTT features:
MQTT Last Will and Testament (LWT) (GA)
Enables MQTT clients to notify other MQTT clients of their abrupt disconnections. You can use LWT to ensure predictable and reliable flow of communication among MQTT clients during unexpected disconnections, which is valuable for scenarios where real-time communication, system reliability, and coordinated actions are critical.
OAuth 2.0 authentication for MQTT clients (Public Preview)
Allows MQTTv3.1.1 and MQTTv5 clients to authenticate and connect with the MQTT broker using JSON Web Tokens (JWT) issued by any third-party OpenID Connect (OIDC) identity provider. This authentication method provides a lightweight, secure, and flexible option for MQTT clients that are not provisioned in Azure.
Namespace features:
Custom domain names support (Public Preview)
Allows users to assign their own domain names to Event Grid namespace’s MQTT and HTTP endpoints, enhancing security and simplifying client configuration.
Push delivery to Azure Event Hubs (GA)
Allows users to configure event subscriptions on namespace topics to send messages to Azure Event Hubs for streaming purposes.
Push delivery to Webhooks (Public Preview)
Allows users to configure event subscriptions on namespace topics to send messages to your application’s public endpoint using a simple and reliable delivery mechanism.
CloudEvents 1.0 Binary Content Mode (GA)
Offers the ability to produce messages whose payload is encoded in any media type.
Shared Access Signature (SAS) tokens authentication (Public Preview)
Allows users to publish or receive (pull delivery) messages using a simple authentication mechanism.
Namespace Topic as a destination (GA)
Enables users to create an event subscription on a custom, system, domain, and partner topics (Event Grid Basic) that forwards events to namespace topics. Forwarding events to the namespace topic allows you to take advantage of its pull delivery support and flexibility in consumption.
Event sources:
Microsoft Graph API events (GA)
Enables users to react to resource changes in Microsoft Entra ID, Microsoft Teams, Outlook, SharePoint, etc. This feature is key for enterprise scenarios such as auditing, onboarding, and policy enforcement, to name a few.
Azure Resource Notifications health resources events to Azure Monitor alerts (Public Preview)
Enables near real-time notifications when your workload is impacted. With this feature, you can get a better understanding of any service issues that may be affecting your resources.
API Center system topic (Public Preview)
Enables you to receive real-time updates when an API definition is added or updated. This means you can keep track of your APIs and ensure they are always up to date, making it easier for stakeholders throughout your organization to discover, reuse, and govern APIs.
To learn about new features released in Azure Event Grid, see this announcement.
To learn more about each of the Messaging and Streaming services:
Azure Service Bus
Azure Event Hubs
Azure Event Grid
Azure Stream Analytics
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