Category: Microsoft
Category Archives: Microsoft
Join us on May 20th! Office hours session on multiparty private offers
Partners: Join Marketplace Customer Office Hours and invite your customers on May 20th for a deep dive on multiparty private offers in the commercial marketplace. During this session you will learn about:
What is a multiparty private offer and benefits
Common scenarios
How to work with a channel partner
Q&A
Please submit your questions in advance when you register for the event, as pre-submitted questions will be discussed during the Q&A portion at the end of the event.
Watch previous sessions on-demand:
Optimizing procurement
Private offers through the marketplace
Governance and control
Getting Started with marketplace
Actions:
Direct customers to https://aka.ms/marketplacecustomerofficehours or share the attached invite template with your customers
Reach out to mpcustomerofficehrs@microsoft.com with any questions
Learn more about multiparty private offers here: Multiparty private offers (for selling partners) – Marketplace publisher | Microsoft Learn
Partners: Join Marketplace Customer Office Hours and invite your customers on May 20th for a deep dive on multiparty private offers in the commercial marketplace. During this session you will learn about:
What is a multiparty private offer and benefits
Common scenarios
How to work with a channel partner
Q&A
Please submit your questions in advance when you register for the event, as pre-submitted questions will be discussed during the Q&A portion at the end of the event.
Watch previous sessions on-demand:
Optimizing procurement
Private offers through the marketplace
Governance and control
Getting Started with marketplace
Actions:
Direct customers to https://aka.ms/marketplacecustomerofficehours or share the attached invite template with your customers
Reach out to mpcustomerofficehrs@microsoft.com with any questions
Learn more about multiparty private offers here: Multiparty private offers (for selling partners) – Marketplace publisher | Microsoft Learn Read More
Intune | Autopilot | Kiosk Mode for laptops
We have successfully setup a configuration profile along with Autopilot to enable Kiosk Mode for our test laptops. Testing has gone well with one problem, and it’s a big one:
I found that when I brought this laptop to another location, I was unable to get past the login screen to connect to the wifi there. It seems my profile was not cached and I could not get past the login screen to configure a new wifi connection. This is by design, for machines restricted to Kiosk Mode. Is there a way to enable the caching of credentials on the local machines, to allow a user to log in and connect to a new, previously unknown, wifi connection?
I was playing around with script and regedits but wasn’t sucessful. If anyone has a similar configuration and can point me in the right direction, that would be awesome 🙂
Kiosk Mode seemed the way to go for our laptops, if our users only need them to connect to a VDI. They also need to be able to setup a home printer, manage display settings for their external monitor(s), and have access to a web browser to get past capture portals.
We have successfully setup a configuration profile along with Autopilot to enable Kiosk Mode for our test laptops. Testing has gone well with one problem, and it’s a big one: I found that when I brought this laptop to another location, I was unable to get past the login screen to connect to the wifi there. It seems my profile was not cached and I could not get past the login screen to configure a new wifi connection. This is by design, for machines restricted to Kiosk Mode. Is there a way to enable the caching of credentials on the local machines, to allow a user to log in and connect to a new, previously unknown, wifi connection? I was playing around with script and regedits but wasn’t sucessful. If anyone has a similar configuration and can point me in the right direction, that would be awesome 🙂 Kiosk Mode seemed the way to go for our laptops, if our users only need them to connect to a VDI. They also need to be able to setup a home printer, manage display settings for their external monitor(s), and have access to a web browser to get past capture portals. Read More
Sleeping Tabs: Pure Garbage
I’m on XBOX Series X. And I have to say, there is no worse feature on this console than Sleeping Tabs. I do not own a PC, I have to use my XBOX for all my documents/work/study. However, with my tabs going to sleep, it is literally IMPOSSIBLE to get ANY work done. And with recent updates, there is NO WAY to turn it off. And don’t give me any of that performance crap; this console can easily run Fallout 4 (a game infamous for consuming way too many resources) with all available storage space filled with mods and graphics on max for hours at a time. You do not need to put tabs to sleep to ‘save performance’. In short, this browser is complete garbage due to this so called ‘feature’ that accomplishes literally nothing.
I’m on XBOX Series X. And I have to say, there is no worse feature on this console than Sleeping Tabs. I do not own a PC, I have to use my XBOX for all my documents/work/study. However, with my tabs going to sleep, it is literally IMPOSSIBLE to get ANY work done. And with recent updates, there is NO WAY to turn it off. And don’t give me any of that performance crap; this console can easily run Fallout 4 (a game infamous for consuming way too many resources) with all available storage space filled with mods and graphics on max for hours at a time. You do not need to put tabs to sleep to ‘save performance’. In short, this browser is complete garbage due to this so called ‘feature’ that accomplishes literally nothing. Read More
Machine Learning/AI Studio VM Quota Issues
Anyone ran into the issue where your subscription has 0 quota for ML/AI?
0 Cores Available
Request quota increase gives a weird error “Could not find Cloud Solution Provider information for this subscription”
Anyone ran into the issue where your subscription has 0 quota for ML/AI? 0 Cores Available Request quota increase gives a weird error “Could not find Cloud Solution Provider information for this subscription” Read More
NEW Applied Skills ILT coming June 14th!
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Note: Please click on image to view full-size. Thank you
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Note: Please click on image to view full-size. Thank you Read More
Teams live attendee question
Hello,
I would like to know what happens if I forget to leave a Teams Live broadcast? Is the admin/producer able to see or hear me after the event has finished?
Hello,I would like to know what happens if I forget to leave a Teams Live broadcast? Is the admin/producer able to see or hear me after the event has finished? Read More
Azure Communication Services May 2024 Feature Updates
The Azure Communication Services team is excited to share several new product and feature updates released in April 2024. (You can view previous blog articles here.)
See this month’s updates:
Business-to-consumer extensibility with Microsoft Teams for Calling
Image Sharing in Teams meetings
Deep Noise Suppression Desktop
Updated Calling native SDKs for Android, iOS, and Windows
Updated Calling native UI Library for Android and iOS
Business-to-consumer extensibility with Microsoft Teams for Calling
Now in general availability, developers can take advantage of calling interoperability for Microsoft Teams users in Azure Communication Services Calling workflows.
Developers can use Call Automation APIs to bring Teams users into business-to-consumer (B2C) calling workflows and interactions, helping you deliver advanced customer service solutions. This interoperability is offered over VoIP to reduce telephony infrastructure overhead. Developers can add Teams users to Azure Communication Services calls using the user’s Entra object ID (OID).
Use Cases
Teams as an extension of agent desktop: Connect your CCaaS solution to Teams and enable your agents to handle customer calls on Teams. Having Teams as the single-pane-of-glass solution for both internal and B2C communication increases agent productivity and empowers them to deliver first-class service to customers.
Expert Consultation: Businesses can invite subject matter experts, on Teams, into their customer service workflows for expedient issue resolution, and to improve their first call resolution rate.
In a world where customers need quick resolution and seamless interactions, Azure Communication Services B2C extensibility with Microsoft Teams makes it easy for customers to reach sales and support teams and for businesses to deliver effective customer experiences.
For more information, see Call Automation workflows interop with Microsoft Teams.
Image Sharing in Microsoft Teams meetings
Microsoft Teams users can now share images with Azure Communication Services users in the context of a Teams meeting. This feature is now generally available. Image sharing enhances collaboration in real time for meetings. Image overlay is also supported for users to look at it in detail.
Image sharing is helpful in many scenarios, such as a business sharing photos showcasing their work or doctors sharing images with patients for after care instructions.
Try out this feature using either our UI Library or the Chat SDK. Note that the SDK is available in C# (.NET), JavaScript, Python, and Java:
Enable inline image using UI Library in Teams Meetings
Sample: Image Sharing
Deep Noise Suppression for Desktop
Deep noise suppression is currently in public preview. Noise suppression improves VoIP and video calls by eliminating background noise, making it easier to talk and listen. For example, if you’re taking an Azure Communication Services WebJS call in a coffee shop with considerable noise, turning on noise suppression can significantly improve the calling experience by eliminating the background noise from the shop.
For more information, see Add audio quality enhancements to your audio calling experience.
Calling native SDKs for Android, iOS, and Windows
We updated the Calling native SDKs to improve the customer experience. The April release includes:
Custom background for video calls
Proxy configuration
Android TelecomManager
Unidirectional Data Channel
Time To Live lifespan for push notifications
Custom background for video calls
Custom backgrounds for video calls is now generally available. This feature enables customers to remove distractions behind them. The custom image backgrounds feature enables customers to upload their own personalized images and use those as background.
For example, now business owners can use the Calling SDK to show custom backgrounds in place of the actual background. You can, for example, upload an image of a modern and spacious office and set it as its background for video calls. Anyone who joins the call sees the customized background, which looks realistic and natural. You can also use custom branding images as background to show a fresh image to your customers.
For more information, see QuickStart: Add video effects to your video calls.
Proxy configuration
Proxy configuration is now generally available. Some environments such as highly regulated industries or those dealing with confidential information require proxies to secure and control network traffic. You can use the Calling SDK to configure the HTTP and media proxies for your Azure Communication Services calls. This way, you can ensure that your communications are compliant with the network policies and regulations. You can use the native SDK methods to set the proxy configuration for your app.
For more information, see Tutorial: Proxy your calling traffic.
Android TelecomManager
Android TelecomManager is in public preview. It is a system service that manages audio and video calls on Android devices. Use Android TelecomManager to provide a consistent user experience across different Android apps and devices, such as showing incoming and outgoing calls in the system UI, routing audio to the device, and handling call interruptions. Now you can integrate your app with the Android TelecomManager to take advantage of its features for your custom calling scenarios.
For more information, see Integrate with TelecomManager on Android.
Unidirectional Data Channel
The Data Channel API is generally available. Data Channel includes unidirectional communication, which enables real-time messaging during audio and video calls. Using this API, you can integrate data exchange functions into the applications, providing a seamless communication experience for users. The Data Channel API enables users to instantly send and receive messages during an ongoing audio or video call, promoting smooth and efficient communication. In group call scenarios, a participant can send messages to a single participant, a specific set of participants, or all participants within the call. This flexibility enhances communication and collaboration among users during group interactions.
For more information, see Data Channel.
Time To Live lifespan for push notifications
The Time To Live (TTL) for push notifications is now generally available. TTL is the duration for which a push notification token is valid. Using a longer duration TTL can help your app reduce the number of new token requests from your users and improve the experience.
For example, suppose you created an app that enables patients to book virtual medical appointments. The app uses push notifications to display incoming call UI when the app is not in the foreground. Previously, the app had to request a new push notification token from the user every 24 hours, which could be annoying and disruptive. With the extended TTL feature, you can now configure the push notification token to last for up to 6 months, depending on your business needs. This way, the app can avoid frequent token requests and provide a smoother calling experience for your customers.
For more information, see TTL token in Enable push notifications for calls.
Calling SDK native UI Library updates
The April updates include Troubleshooting on the native UI Library for Android and iOS, and Audio only mode in the UI Library.
Using the Azure Communication Services Calling SDK native UI Library, you can now generate encrypted logs for troubleshooting and provide your customers with an optional Audio only mode for joining calls.
Troubleshooting on the native UI Library for Android and iOS
Now in general availability, you can encrypt logs when troubleshooting on the Calling SDK native UI Library for Android and iOS. We’ve made it easy for you to generate encrypted logs to share with Azure support. While ideally calls just work, or developers self-remediate issues, customers always have Azure support as a last-line-of-defense. And we strive to make those engagements as easy and fast as possible.
For more information, see Troubleshoot the UI Library.
Audio only mode in the UI Library
The Audio only mode in the Calling SDK UI Library is now generally available. It enables participants to join calls using only their audio, without sharing or receiving video. Participants can use this feature to conserve bandwidth and maximize privacy. When activated, the Audio only mode automatically disables the video function for both sending and receiving streams and adjusts the UI to reflect this change by removing video-related controls.
For more information, see Enable audio only mode in the UI Library.
You can learn more about these updates and Azure Communications Services Communication Platform as a Service in our overview.
Microsoft Tech Community – Latest Blogs –Read More
Data Protection and Security for Nonprofits with Microsoft AccountGuard
As technology continues to advance at an unprecedented pace, it brings with it countless benefits and opportunities for organizations to grow and thrive. However, this constant progression also means that the ways in which adversaries can threaten organizations and their data are also evolving. In today’s digital landscape, it is more important than ever for organizations, especially non-profits, to take proactive measures to protect themselves from cyber threats.
Microsoft AccountGuard
One way non-profits can better protect their organization and data is by using Microsoft AccountGuard. This cybersecurity service is designed to provide an extra layer of protection for high-risk, highly-targeted organizations, including those in the non-profit sector. Eligible Microsoft 365 customers can enroll at no additional cost and benefit from security best-practice guidance, notification of cyber threats, and access to enhanced identity protection features.
This complimentary service offers a suite of features designed to enhance your security posture, including nation-state threat notifications, access to workshops and webinars, targeted response recommendations, advanced identity protection, and a direct support line. To delve deeper into each of these critical features, visit Microsoft AccountGuard.
Free Security Assessment
Maximize the benefits of Microsoft’s Tech for Social Impact team, committed to minimizing security risks in your digital environment. By participating in a free security assessment, you’ll receive valuable insights that enable you to better evaluate how Azure and Microsoft 365 can enhance your organization’s optimization, consolidation, supportability, and security.
Microsoft Resources
Microsoft offers an array of learning paths and resources designed to enhance your technical skills and foster a security-conscious mindset, crucial for protecting your organization. Take advantage of enriching courses like the Administrator’s Security Toolkit, participate in Microsoft Security Virtual Training Days, and explore Microsoft Learn Courses available through Microsoft Learn. Discover these valuable resources and more by visiting Secure and Protect Nonprofit Data | Microsoft Nonprofits to empower your team with the knowledge needed to safeguard your data effectively.
How To Access AccountGuard
If you have already been registered and vetted as a nonprofit through Microsoft’s verification process, you can access AccountGuard through your nonprofit portal hub https://nonprofit.microsoft.com/getting-started.
Sign in to the Nonprofit Hub using your nonprofit account credentials.
Locate the dropdown menu labeled “I am looking for” at the top of the page, adjacent to the word ‘Nonprofit’.
From the dropdown options, select ‘AccountGuard’.
Click on the ‘Claim Now’ button to initiate your enrollment.
For nonprofits that have not yet been through Microsoft’s verification process, please proceed at the same link from instruction above and select Apply at the bottom.
As the digital landscape evolves, so too does the complexity of threats facing organizations. Nonprofits, often targeted due to their unique position and potentially vulnerable systems, must prioritize robust cybersecurity measures to protect their valuable data. Microsoft AccountGuard represents a critical tool in this endeavor, offering comprehensive, no-cost protection specifically tailored to the needs of the nonprofit sector. By leveraging this service, along with Microsoft’s broader resources and security assessments, nonprofits can not only defend against immediate threats but also prepare for future challenges. In an era where digital security is synonymous with organizational health, taking proactive steps with solutions like AccountGuard is not just advisable—it is essential.
Microsoft Tech Community – Latest Blogs –Read More
New! Teams Phone SMB Practice in a Box
We’ve created a comprehensive Teams Phone SMB Practice in a Box package that consolidates the essential FY24 field enablement resources, offers, and programs for various phases of the customer journey to help you expand your existing Teams practice with Microsoft Teams Phone. Leverage this package to help you build a profitable managed services practice with Teams Phone for SMB.
Download the Teams Phone SMB Practice in a Box package
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Advanced Support for Partners (ASfP) and Premier Support for Partners (PSfP) are paid partner offerings at Microsoft that provide unmatched value through a wide range of Partner benefits including account management, technical cloud enablement consultations, and an elevated technical support experience across the Microsoft Cloud (Azure, Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, Power Platform).
Partners in ASfP have higher Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program Capability Scores, attain more Solutions Partner designations, and see uplifts across Azure, M365, and D365. View the data and learn more on the new ASfP Impact slide below.
Please review these resources to learn more and consider booking a meeting to speak directly with our teams for a better understanding of the value-added benefits of ASfP and PSfP.
Book a meeting with an ASfP Evangelist
Book a meeting with a PSfP Specialist
Visit the ASfP Website
Visit the PSfP Website
Download the ASfP Fact Sheet
View the ASfP Impact Slide
Stop by the ASfP Partner Community
We’ve created a comprehensive Teams Phone SMB Practice in a Box package that consolidates the essential FY24 field enablement resources, offers, and programs for various phases of the customer journey to help you expand your existing Teams practice with Microsoft Teams Phone. Leverage this package to help you build a profitable managed services practice with Teams Phone for SMB.
Download the Teams Phone SMB Practice in a Box package
—
Advanced Support for Partners (ASfP) and Premier Support for Partners (PSfP) are paid partner offerings at Microsoft that provide unmatched value through a wide range of Partner benefits including account management, technical cloud enablement consultations, and an elevated technical support experience across the Microsoft Cloud (Azure, Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, Power Platform).
Partners in ASfP have higher Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program Capability Scores, attain more Solutions Partner designations, and see uplifts across Azure, M365, and D365. View the data and learn more on the new ASfP Impact slide below.
Please review these resources to learn more and consider booking a meeting to speak directly with our teams for a better understanding of the value-added benefits of ASfP and PSfP.
Book a meeting with an ASfP Evangelist
Book a meeting with a PSfP Specialist
Visit the ASfP Website
Visit the PSfP Website
Download the ASfP Fact Sheet
View the ASfP Impact Slide
Stop by the ASfP Partner Community Read More
Migrating from BlueHost to Office 365
Hello
Please i would like to know to migrate my emails from Bluehost to Office 365.
Hello Please i would like to know to migrate my emails from Bluehost to Office 365. Read More
new Outlook has a bug with the “enter an email address to sign in” input box
I have installed the new Outlook using the method described in this page: Deployment overview for the new Outlook for Windows – Deploy Office | Microsoft Learn
When I launch Outlook (new), the initial Sign in window prompts for an email address and when you start typing the address it won’t let you type more than one character. If you click Continue you can then type the full address but you have to do this each time you launch Outlook (new).
Anybody else find this?
I have installed the new Outlook using the method described in this page: Deployment overview for the new Outlook for Windows – Deploy Office | Microsoft Learn When I launch Outlook (new), the initial Sign in window prompts for an email address and when you start typing the address it won’t let you type more than one character. If you click Continue you can then type the full address but you have to do this each time you launch Outlook (new). Anybody else find this? Read More
Designations for Azure Expert MSP
Hello community!
Could you please inform me, if you know, since when the partner designations Data & AI, Digital & App Innovation, Infrastructure have been requirements for Microsoft Azure Expert Managed Service Provider (MSP) recertification?
Hello community!Could you please inform me, if you know, since when the partner designations Data & AI, Digital & App Innovation, Infrastructure have been requirements for Microsoft Azure Expert Managed Service Provider (MSP) recertification? Read More
Azure Speech To Text Phoneme Detection
Hello, I am working on a very niche speech detection app that Azure has been very helpful for but I still have some large hurdles to cross.
I would like to be able to detect a user sounding out individual phonemes. Right now, Azure’s STT can split up words into phonemes for you but it refuses to provide transcriptions of phonemes by themselves. For instance, Azure will happily translate audio of you saying “la” as phonemes /l/ and /a/, but if you exclusively make the “L” sound with no vowel, azure will not respond with any phoneme data and will continue waiting for more audio. Is there any way to force Azure STT responses to be as granular as possible? I would like to be able detect isolated phonemes even when they do not combine to become a word. I am interfacing with Azure through Unity FYI.
Thanks
Hello, I am working on a very niche speech detection app that Azure has been very helpful for but I still have some large hurdles to cross. I would like to be able to detect a user sounding out individual phonemes. Right now, Azure’s STT can split up words into phonemes for you but it refuses to provide transcriptions of phonemes by themselves. For instance, Azure will happily translate audio of you saying “la” as phonemes /l/ and /a/, but if you exclusively make the “L” sound with no vowel, azure will not respond with any phoneme data and will continue waiting for more audio. Is there any way to force Azure STT responses to be as granular as possible? I would like to be able detect isolated phonemes even when they do not combine to become a word. I am interfacing with Azure through Unity FYI.Thanks Read More
Drive mapping in SharePoint
Hello
Please i need your help on this issue.
I would like to know how to have my SharePoint drives mapped in File explorer
Hello Please i need your help on this issue. I would like to know how to have my SharePoint drives mapped in File explorer Read More
Is it Possible to require appointments to be on the hour?
When my calendar has an appointment from 10-10:30, the Bookings page will make an appointment available to clients from 10:30-11:30, but I want to make every appointment begin at the top of the hour even if I had a opening from 10:30-11. Is this possible?
When my calendar has an appointment from 10-10:30, the Bookings page will make an appointment available to clients from 10:30-11:30, but I want to make every appointment begin at the top of the hour even if I had a opening from 10:30-11. Is this possible? Read More
Behind the Scenes: Meet Ben Truelove, Principal Designer and Accessibility Champion at Microsoft
Happy Friday Microsoft 365 Insiders!
Join us in celebrating Ben Truelove, Principal Designer & Accessibility Champion at Microsoft. His journey from dreaming of invention to pioneering inclusive technology is a testament to the power of passion and purpose. “The community has a motto, ‘nothing about us without us,’ which means that the people who will benefit” says Ben.
His story is a must-read for anyone passionate about creating an inclusive world: Behind the Scenes: Meet Ben Truelove, Principal Designer and Accessibility Champion at Microsoft :globe_showing_europe_africa:
Thanks!
Perry Sjogren
Microsoft 365 Insider Social Media Manager
Become a Microsoft 365 Insider and gain exclusive access to new features and help shape the future of Microsoft 365. Join Now: Windows | Mac | iOS | Android
Happy Friday Microsoft 365 Insiders!
Join us in celebrating Ben Truelove, Principal Designer & Accessibility Champion at Microsoft. His journey from dreaming of invention to pioneering inclusive technology is a testament to the power of passion and purpose. “The community has a motto, ‘nothing about us without us,’ which means that the people who will benefit” says Ben.
His story is a must-read for anyone passionate about creating an inclusive world: Behind the Scenes: Meet Ben Truelove, Principal Designer and Accessibility Champion at Microsoft :globe_showing_europe_africa:
Thanks!
Perry Sjogren
Microsoft 365 Insider Social Media Manager
Become a Microsoft 365 Insider and gain exclusive access to new features and help shape the future of Microsoft 365. Join Now: Windows | Mac | iOS | Android Read More
Device Manager – Windows changes settings without my permission
I’m getting no traction from Dell, Microsoft, or any other support sites so I am posting here.
I have a major problem with my settings in Device Manager. I have a brand new Dell laptop.
I have drivers that control the touchpad on my laptop. I have set the “Allow the computer to turn off the device to save power” setting unchecked on all of my touchpad drivers.
Windows will randomly enable this setting without my permission. The result is that sometimes when I wake my laptop from Sleep, the touchpad is not working.
How do I stop Windows from changing this setting? The change is happening automatically and I want it to stop.
Before one of the idiot Microsoft employees or independent advisors jumps on here:
– This is a brand new computer, have had it for 1 week
– This happens with the factory drivers and the updated recent drivers directly from Microsoft and Intel
– The touchpad has already been replaced with a new touchpad, behavior still occurs
– My user account is an Administrator account
– I already have all of the newest Dell updates and Windows updates, including Bios updates
I’m getting no traction from Dell, Microsoft, or any other support sites so I am posting here. I have a major problem with my settings in Device Manager. I have a brand new Dell laptop.I have drivers that control the touchpad on my laptop. I have set the “Allow the computer to turn off the device to save power” setting unchecked on all of my touchpad drivers.Windows will randomly enable this setting without my permission. The result is that sometimes when I wake my laptop from Sleep, the touchpad is not working.How do I stop Windows from changing this setting? The change is happening automatically and I want it to stop.Before one of the idiot Microsoft employees or independent advisors jumps on here:- This is a brand new computer, have had it for 1 week- This happens with the factory drivers and the updated recent drivers directly from Microsoft and Intel- The touchpad has already been replaced with a new touchpad, behavior still occurs- My user account is an Administrator account- I already have all of the newest Dell updates and Windows updates, including Bios updates Read More
Microsoft Power Platform Solution Architect Survey
Link to Survey:
https://microsoftlearning.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6Dm7FppZcUYEepw
Link to Survey:
https://microsoftlearning.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6Dm7FppZcUYEepw Read More
Secure your corporate data using Microsoft Edge for Business
By: Santos Martinez – Sr. Product Manager – Microsoft Intune Architect
In today’s digital landscape, ensuring the security of corporate data is paramount for businesses globally. As Intune administrators, security professionals, and decision makers, you play a crucial role in safeguarding sensitive information. This post provides an overview of a new Secure your corporate data in Intune with Microsoft Edge for Business guide that is available to empower you to navigate this intricate terrain using Microsoft Edge for Business in Intune.
What is Microsoft Edge for Business?
Microsoft Edge for Business is a dedicated browsing experience designed specifically for work environments. It’s secure by default and provides a productive and secure work-browser across both managed and unmanaged devices.
Why Microsoft Edge for Business?
Microsoft Edge for Business is essential because it offers a visually distinct, secure, and user-friendly work browsing experience. It separates work and personal browsing into dedicated browser windows, each with its own favorites, cache, and storage locations. This ensures that personal data remains private, while work data is secure. It’s particularly beneficial in today’s remote work environment where data security is paramount.
Benefits and features
Microsoft Edge for Business offers many advantages, from streamlined IT operations to improved user experience, and enhanced security. With Microsoft Intune, the experience for managing Microsoft Edge for Business policies reduces complexity, saving time and resources.
App protection policies
Intune app protection policies (APP) are rules that ensure an organization’s data remains safe or contained in a managed app. Secure your corporate data in Intune with Microsoft Edge for Business guide navigates implementing these policies to ensure secure access and usage of enterprise applications.
Zero Trust Methodology
The Zero Trust security strategy transforms the way organizations approach security. It has become the new standard for security strategy in response to the evolving threat landscape. The Zero Trust methodology is based on the concept of “never trust, always verify” and aligns with three key principles.
Verify explicitly – always authenticate and authorize based on all available data points, including user identity, location, device health, service or workload, data classification, and anomalies.
Use least-privilege access – limiting user access via just-in-time (JIT) and just-enough-access (JEA), risk-based adaptive policies, and data protection to help secure both data and productivity.
Assume breach – minimize blast radius and segment access. Verify end-to-end encryption and use analytics to get visibility, drive threat detection, and improve defenses.
Guided steps
This Secure your corporate data in Intune with Microsoft Edge for Business guide provides a wealth of information and practical advice on various aspects of using Microsoft Edge for Business and will walk you through the following scenarios:
Microsoft Entra Conditional Access: Learn how to create an Entra Conditional Access policy and Intune app protection policy for browsing on Android, iOS, and Windows.
App protection policies: Understand how to ensure secure access and usage of enterprise applications when implementing app protection policies.
Mobile Threat Defense integration: Discover how to enhance the overall security posture of your organization by using the secure enterprise browser to integrate with the Windows Security Center or any Mobile Threat Defense Partners.
App configuration policies: Gain insights into how Microsoft Edge for Business and mobile application management can be used to protect your organization from various cyber threats.
Microsoft Edge for Business user experience: Understand how security measures impact users.
Troubleshooting: Benefit from a series of examples on how to troubleshoot app protection policies.
For example, the first step in Secure your corporate data in Intune with Microsoft Edge for Business guide shows you how to secure Microsoft Edge for Business with Microsoft Entra conditional access policies. In this scenario, you’ll create a conditional access policy using Microsoft Intune by following these steps:
Navigate to the Microsoft Intune admin center
Select Endpoint security > Conditional access > New policy
On the Conditional Access policy pane, set the following details:
Name: Secure Enterprise Browser Policy
Users: All Users or Specific Group dedicated to using the policy
Target Resources: Cloud Apps – Office 365
Conditions:
Device platforms: Include – Windows, Android and iOS
Client Apps: Browser
Filter for devices: Exclude – is Compliant Equals True
Grant: Require app protection policy
Session: N/A
Note: Set Report-only to On until you confirm that the policy is working as expected. Once confirmed, set this setting to Off.
Select Create to enable the policy.
After you have successfully created the recommended conditional access policy, be sure to evaluate the results and enable the conditional access policy afterwards.
For more steps and additional in-depth guidance, review the Secure your corporate data in Intune with Microsoft Edge for Business guide in Microsoft Learn.
The use of Microsoft Edge for Business with Intune provides a robust and secure browsing experience. By implementing the different recommended policies, you can ensure secure access and usage of web and SaaS applications, protect your organization from various cyber threats, and provide an enhanced browsing experience for users. Secure your corporate data in Intune with Microsoft Edge for Business guide also gives you some tips and tricks along with troubleshooting examples when implementing app protection policies for Microsoft Edge for Business. You can find them in Step 6. Troubleshoot Microsoft Edge for Business data security
If you have any feedback or questions, leave a comment below or reach out on X @IntuneSuppTeam. Stay tuned for more insights and updates on this topic! Remember, in the evolving landscape of cyber threats, “never trust, always verify”. Let’s embrace the Zero Trust methodology and make our digital space safer and more secure!
Microsoft Tech Community – Latest Blogs –Read More
M365 Community Conference: What’s New and Next for Microsoft Viva and the Employee Experience
Session: What’s New and Next for Microsoft Viva and the Employee Experience
Speakers: Kirk Gregersen, Kristi Kelly, Michael Holste, Nick DeFalco
Excited to hear about the future of Microsoft Viva, I was looking forward to this session. I have been involved in this world for a number of years, ever since Microsoft Viva was launched. I was looking forward to hearing about the future, the success stories and how Viva can help organization succeed. Fortunately, I was not disappointed.
The session took us on a journey to tackle the challenges that organizations face transforming their practice with AI and how Microsoft Viva can help them on that journey.
The Challenge
Kirk Gregerson, Corporate Vice President for Microsoft Viva steps on to the stage.
Kirk started with a trip down memory lane where he talked about his journey at Microsoft. His first project was one that a lot of us remember. Microsoft Frontpage 2002 with FrontPage Server Extensions, the forerunner of SharePoint and an incredible start to his career!
Copilot Shift
Kirk introduced the effect Copilot will have and how it will affect change within organizations. To be successful, organizations will need to rapidly adapt and involve their staff in the transformation. He mentioned how it offers a terrific opportunity and a challenge for organizations – ensuring they use it to gain and maintain a competitive edge.
Enabling businesses to leverage Copilot effectively involves shifting the culture and empowering the people to harness this transformative potential. The question is how to achieve this.
The Microsoft Viva team spoke with customers on the Copilot Early Adoption Program and shared their insights. The team showed examples of Copilot in Viva and the benefits including case studies.
Business leaders were interviewed on the potential of AI, with the consensus being that it is going to be responsible for the success of their businesses.
Kirk, discussed the core areas where AI will impact businesses, and these included:
Productivity.
Collaboration.
Operations.
User experience.
Wellbeing.
The challenge is that expectations are high and so the question Kirk asked was,
“How do businesses meet the expectations of the business leaders?”
He leads us into how Microsoft Viva’s Employee Experience capability has a huge part to play. Its role is to bring people within the organization on the journey to drive and manage this transition.
This shift starts with people and creating connection between the people and the business. Employees who are connected and bought into the business’s mission are known as engaged employees.
Engaged employees have an enormous impact on the business. Kirk shared some incredible stats on how listening to your people leads to engaged employees and the huge positive impact they have on the business.
89% of employees who feel that companies listen to them and their feedback to drive change are more engaged in the business.
Engaged employees are 12x less likely to leave their company.
Engaged employees are 3x less likely to burn out.
2x businesses with engaged employees had a higher stock price than their competition.
Two key tools that track how Copilot is being adopted and how well it is working are:
Copilot Impact Dashboard
Microsoft Viva Personal Insights.
Kirk talked about how the research and experience team have discovered that high performance teams have the following behaviors:
Measurement of how they are working using insights.
Measurement of how they feel with tools such as Viva Pulse and Viva Glint.
Next, Viva Goals was discussed and how it helps give those teams focus and purpose. This is done by aligning them around goals and business direction.
However, as we all know strategy is fluid and is constantly changing. How do you keep people up to date?
Viva Amplify and Viva Connections are key to addressing this challenge, providing a platform to keep the workforce up to date with the latest thinking and direction so that they can contribute and give feedback.
Finally, Viva Learning and Viva Skills are used to help the business by having the right people with the right skills.
Kirk then introduced Nick DeFalco.
Measure and Productivity
Nick DeFalco, Product Manager for Workplace Analytics, took the stage to talk about Measurement.
Nick talked about how measurement is key to the success of a change management process.
“Without measurement how do you know when you have been successful?”
He asked:
What do you measure?
Where can you find insights and reporting?
He suggested that the place to start is with Microsoft Copilot Dashboard within Viva Insights. Nick took us through some of the key reports. One that stood out was sentiment analysis by Microsoft Entra ID Group (Departments) for distinct characteristics such as quality, speed, punctuality. These can be used to highlight problem areas or anomalies between the different groups of users.
Nick introduced Viva Insights, which allows measurements and reports to be customized to give better insights. An example of this is Case Handling times. By monitoring this metric, it is possible to see which teams perform better and which don’t. This understanding of behavior in those teams can help improve this metric.
Another important thing to measure is the feelings of people who work in different ways. How do the working experiences of employees vary when they work from the office, home, or hybrid?
One of the main take aways that I took from this session was a scenario where the team were looking to answer – why were the high performing sales people high performing?
Using Viva Insights and the metrics available an investigation was performed. The question was:
“What differentiates the most successful salespeople from everyone else?”
Copilot in Viva Insights was used to ask which metrics should be considered to answer this question. This led to Copilot suggesting that one key differentiator was the number of internal connections that the salespeople have.
The finding from this investigation was that a salesperson with 85 or more connections was 3.1x more likely to be successful! This meant that the salesperson was able to look after their customers better, because they knew who to speak to within their company to unblock orders and give the customer better service!
“A salesperson with 85 or more connections was 3.1x more likely to be successful.”
However, after gaining this insight, how do we influence and increase the connections that the rest of the sales team have?
Nick showed the Network analysis overview report with Microsoft Viva Insights. Originally in November 2023 the organization could see that there was not much connection between Sales and Customer Service. This resulted in changes being made to connect the two departments more. And by February 2024 the connection between Sales and Customer Services was much stronger. This helped improve the overall sales team’s success and improve the business success overall.
Nick then turned to Viva Glint and Organizational insights.
One of the key questions that organizations should ask in employee surveys is, “are you clear on your goals?”
Whilst there is value in the measurement-based questions, there is gold in the verbatims provided by the employee survey.
However, the process to identify the themes and key points is time consuming. Copilot in Glint can summarize the information from these surveys.
The findings from the employee feedback were:
“Overall they feel happy but need clearer view of the priorities in the organization and need more information from leaders so that they can support the strategy of the business.”
The discussion turned to new joiners and seeing how the employee feedback changed for new starters. Viva Glint can use Tenure and drill down into a subset of the users. The findings were: new joiners really struggled to find content about strategy and vision. This really impacted on how effective they felt they could be. This is likely to impact if they will stay in the short-term.
These comments were essential to being able to find the real concerns of the employees. With Copilot the team were able to distill 7000 responses down to 22 main comments. These can then be used by the leaders to focus and understand the key actions that they need to take.
Copilot in Viva Glint has been in a private preview and one of the customers getting huge value from the platform is Phillips 66.
Kirk introduced Cassidy Pott from Phillips 66 to the stage and a fascinating fireside chat ensued.
Cassidy is the Employee Experience lead and looks after 55000 employees.
Her journey from IT Management Systems has given her a unique insight into the art of the possible. She could then apply her skills and experience from this and help her as the Employee Experience Lead.
The first comment that she had was how easy Viva Glint was to use. She was a bit skeptical about Copilot in Glint. However, this shifted quickly. The surveys that were conducted with question suggestions from Copilot in Glint resulted in feedback from management that they had the best discussions with their teams.
“Managers fed back that the survey’s resulted in the best discussions with the teams they had ever had!”
The first step on Cassidy’s journey was organizing the migration from Viva Glint in LinkedIn to Microsoft 365. She was expecting a slow and complex process and was surprised that the migration was incredibly easy. She and the IT team stated it was probably the easiest migration they have been involved in!
Kirk asked Cassidy, “What are the benefits that you are seeing?”
Cassidy said that the tooling was integrated into the current workflows, which was the main advantage. They did not need to add new tools and another separate application, but they could use Microsoft Teams to distribute things. Also, since the toolset is part of the Microsoft 365 platform, they can link content together without obstacles between the different systems.
Next, the conversation turned to Copilot in Viva Glint.
Kirk asked what Cassidy’s experience had been with Copilot in Glint. She was very positive about the experience and described it as follows:
“In 2 minutes, I realized how fantastic it (Copilot in Glint) was and the capacity that it is going to create”.
Cassidy described how she started to use Copilot in Glint. When she puts together a survey, she will spend time designing the survey and then gets the results and reports on it.
One of the huge challenges with the survey are the results. The sheer volume of data, taking all the answers and making sense of it all takes a lot of time. How would you read and manage the 14000 comments?
However, with Copilot in Glint this becomes very easy. Within 20 seconds, Cassidy was able to summarize all the comments. What was great is that it matched the feedback that they had manually put together. What was more, Copilot picked up on something that had been missed!
Due to the speed of feedback, Copilot allowed them to start doing more research. This included other themes such as communication and collaboration. Previously, they just did not have the time to do this additional research but now they can!
Cassidy told a story about how one of the managers was looking for some answers from the research and asked how long it would take. Cassidy responded that it would be about two months.
Well, with Copilot in Glint, Cassidy was able to give the manager an answer before they had finished the meeting! The result was that Copilot in Glint allowed them to do something that would have taken two months in one hour!
What Next
Kirk asked, “What is next?”
Cassidy explained that they want to spend more time going over the comments and seeing what other insights and feedback they can glean from the content.
She is really looking forward to being able to do real-time analysis and feedback more quickly. They also want to bring these tools to the leadership team so they (the management team) can analyze and work on the findings too.
Advice?
Kirk asked “Do you have an advice?”
A good way to start using Copilot in Glint is to use a survey that you already have findings for. Cassidy did this and this built trust with the tool because the results matched her findings. Using this approach, you can get fast feedback and check if the results are correct or not.
Communications
Next up, Kristi Kelly, Principal Product Manager of Copilot and AI Experiences for Microsoft Viva, walked up on the stage and coolly addressed the audience with “Well I didn’t trip up the stage!”
Kristi moved the conversation to Communications and the impact of Viva Amplify and Viva Connections.
In most organizations with Microsoft Viva the conversations start in the Employee Hub, this might be with Viva Connections or the SharePoint Intranet homepage.
Viva Connections is an incredible ecosystem with over 1500 Viva Connection card applications published by third parties. Amazingly, the application is in the top 3 of most used Microsoft Teams applications. Actually, this should not be a surprise because it is the Microsoft Teams mobile app where Viva Connections shines and makes up a big part of the story.
Viva Connections is key at pushing out news and campaigns.
Kristi announced that Viva Amplify will shortly be rolling out Viva Connections as a direct endpoint.
Kristi then introduced a case study where an organization needs to upskill the workforce in AI. The goal is to communicate and direct people towards this outcome and a set of overall goals.
She explains – to achieve this we need to reach out to people via different channels including Outlook, SharePoint/Viva Connections and Teams.
Viva Amplify analytics and the Publication Report helps the team identify that the distribution and reach is there but the engagement is low. The insights gleaned from Viva Amplify show that the messaging needs to change and be more engaging.
The network analytics from Viva Engage are key and with these reports it is possible to see how to keep people engaged and the topics that are most important for the employees. Additionally, these reports help us retain staff by keeping them engaged.
One of the key reports to monitoring staff retention levels is the Employee Retention report, which shows how communication is influencing employee retention levels.
Copilot resources.
The Viva Engage team have built a community template, the Copilot Adoption community which helps organizations increase the reach of Copilot within the business. This is available in your Microsoft 365 now.
The template helps organizations to engage, share best practice and built a knowledge base which the rest of the organization can use.
Time for a demo
Kristi showed how Viva Answers can help teams to find answers to their questions and increase the capture of knowledge. The top questions feature is a great way of showing everyone how important knowledge is to the organization and aims to inspire the teams to ask more questions and seek more answers.
AI powered questions means that users can get answers automatically if the question has already been asked and this means that 66% of questions are automatically answered without the need to post the question!
“With Viva Answers, 66% of questions are automatically answered without the need to post the question.”
Copilot in Viva Engage can really help community leaders to work out the type of information that communities need. The use of Copilot allows to keep the flow of questions and information going and this really helps engagement. As these questions help people understand how they contribute and help and support others. This helps make the community stronger and have more engagement.
Kristi talked about how conversation starters are research backed and provided by experts within Microsoft.
Kristi continued the demo and gave us a tip on how we can help more successful engagement and change with a new initiative by using model behavior. This is where you show the behavior that you are looking for. This is often a problem where people are not sure how they are supposed to behave. So, Kristi uses Copilot to help her get started.
This knowledge and experience help her to engage people and bring them along on the journey so that they get involved and allow us to reach the goal!
Kristi closes her section with an announcement that Copilot in Viva Engage is rolling out today!
A video case study starts with a well-known pizza brand, Dominos. The case study explains how Viva helped them establish a single communications platform and break down barriers across the organization.
Their main challenge has been trying to connect with the store managers across their 100000-person organization.
They rolled out Viva Goals and OKRs throughout Dominos, the result is that they have seen a significant increase in performance.
One of the ways that they measured is by asking their employees “How well do you know the business goals and objectives?”
Dominos at the start of their journey scored poorly. However, with Microsoft Viva to improve communications, the tide has turned, and the score has been increasing with each subsequent survey.
The great response they had has been from the stores. They now feel that they can engage and provide feedback. This is helping Dominos to keep improving and pushing forward across the entire organization.
Skilling
Michael Holste, Senior Product Marketing Manager for Microsoft Viva, steps on the stage to talk about skilling with Microsoft Viva.
Michael talks about how organizations need to upskill and reskill, which is where people are trained in new job roles.
He highlighted that these capabilities are key if we are to implement transformation with AI.
Viva Skills
The key question is, how do we get skilling at the end user and organization levels?
One of the key tools is Viva Skills which uses the LinkedIn Skills Graph. This maps skills to job title and links these skills to learning content which can then be used to as the training content to be used to bring those employees up to speed with that ability.
He explains how reporting allows us to see where the gaps are in those skills and the content that can be used to address that need.
Michael introduces a scenario where an organization needed to use AI to transform.
Michael starts by looking at the skill landscape and quickly is able to see that skills are weak in Product Development and Research. Additionally, they found that actually they do have a foundation in the Machine Learning skill, which is fundamental to driving the transformation with AI.
Armed with this information the organization can take action to address these skills challenges.
Ryan turned attention to Viva Learning.
Viva Learning
Michael talks over how Viva Learning brings key training content to the employees. Using the skills found earlier we can find and tailor learning content to the needs of the teams and organization to build capability in those areas.
He explains how the Viva Skills service works. The Viva Skills system will continue to learn and add skills as it understands the skills repertoire found in a business’s Microsoft 365 ecosystem.
A new feature has been introduced is Viva Learning Academies. This feature allows learning to be associated with Viva Goals. Finally, we can link the learning and skills based on the goals of an organization!
Finally, Michael closes his part with a discussion of Copilot in Viva Learning. Here Copilot can help us to find key learning information. He shows a demo where he is looking for introductions to AI. Copilot provides examples of learning courses and more to help people quickly find the right training for their needs.
Close
Kirk returns to the stage and closes the talk, explaining the journey we have been on. He shows a slide of the current state of the Viva Innovations across the Viva Suite of products which shows an impressive array of the latest features and features to come this year.
You can find out more about these Viva Innovations on the Viva Roadmap (https://aka.ms/viva/roadmap).
The session was a great overview with some fantastic insights, learning and inspiring real-world stories which I am personally going to find useful when speaking with customers and my team..
Simon Doy is a Microsoft MVP, Viva Explorer, core team member of the Maturity Model for Microsoft 365 team and owner of iThink 365. He is passionate about helping organizations be successful using Microsoft 365 and through their people by connecting the people to one another and the business to build a happier, more productive and profitable and engaged workforce who are invested in driving the business forward.
Blog: https://www.simondoy.com
X / Twitter https://www.x.com/simondoy
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simondoy
Website: https://www.ithink365.co.uk
Viva Explorers: https://www.vivaexplorers.com
Maturity Model for Microsoft 365: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/community/microsoft365-maturity-model–intro
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