This week Alan and Sam discuss Azure Web Jobs which is a feature of Azure App Service that allows developers to run background tasks, scripts, and long-running processes alongside their web applications, enabling automated workflows and task scheduling in the cloud. Here are a few things we covered:

• An overview of Azure web jobs and use cases
• Types of Web Jobs
• Deployment and Integration
• Monitoring and Scaling

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This week, Alan and Sam talk about new features and services that have gone into Public Preview or General Available status in the last month. We dive into a couple of these updates that peaked our interest.

Some of the Microsoft product features and update we covered:

• Key Microsoft Entra, Intune and Defender features and updates
• Lots of Azure changes and new features

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Alan and Sam dive into Microsoft's Unified Security Operations Platform and how it can benefit SOC analysts in their day to day. Here are a few things we covered:

• What is a Security Operations Centre (SOC)?
• What is the new Microsoft Unified Security Operations Platform?
• What are the benefits of the new platform?

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Alan and Sam discuss how Microsoft Endpoint Manager (MEM) can simplify device management whilst making it easy to secure them. Alan takes the role of the 'Expert' and explains his viewpoint of the product and why we should adopt MEM in our organisation.

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Alan and Sam discuss Terraform, a popular choice in the Infrastructure as Code space. Sam takes the role of 'Expert' and explains his viewpoint of the product and why we should be utilising Terraform in our organisation and recommending it to our customers.

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Alan and Sam discuss all things Entra, a 'new' product offering by Microsoft. Alan takes the role of the 'Expert' and explains his initial viewpoint of the product and why we should all be excited about this new product family from Microsoft. Entra is very new at the time of recording, and we give our first impressions on the product family and give you a high level overview of it's functionality

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In this episode, Alan and Sam discuss the Podcast, what's happened and what we are planning over the next season. Also with a big a apology that we have been absent for over a year.

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In this episode Alan and Sam deep dive into Infrastructure as Code and specifically ARM Templates inside of Azure. We talk about what infrastructure as code is and how it can improve your infrastructure deployment process.

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In this episode Alan and Sam talk recap all the latest news from Ignite! Even though Ignite was virtual this year, Microsoft announced a load of new features and products around Azure/Office 365. You can check the Book of News from Microsoft here: https://news.microsoft.com/ignite-2020-book-of-news/

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In this episode Alan and Sam talk around the move from on premises to the cloud. Why are companies doing this? What are the cost advantages? Is the cloud more reliable? When does on premises make more sense? We also have a quick recap of the latest Azure related news.​

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This episode we have a deep dive looking at Zero Trust, the principles, components and tools that enable us to be more secure in the modern workplace. Alan lives and breathes security day to day, so he gives us his insights into how Zero Trust is implemented in Azure/o365 and why you should be aware of this concept, regardless of your role in your workplace.

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In this episode we look at Azure Security Center and the features and benefits that it can bring to a range of different teams working with assets in Azure. We highlight some of the vast range of features, how we use it day to day and introduce how you can get started using it right away.

A good place to start is the Security Center Community on GitHub here -> https://github.com/Azure/Azure-Security-Center or on Docs -> https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn/modules/identify-threats-with-azure-security-center/

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In this episode we cover many aspects of the learning and accreditation process within the ecosystem of Microsoft. We wanted to give a high level overview of the structure of learning and what you can expect from the exam process, Alan gives us some insight into his own experience of the exams he has taken in the past. If you want to start your learning journey with Microsoft a good place to start is: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn/ the Microsoft Learn site has loads of free content to get you started. Also, check out the certification area of the learn site: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn/certifications/ this website covers all of the various exams and accreditations you can work towards.

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This week Alan and Sam discuss Azure Storage Actions a serverless framework currently in preview that allows users to perform common data operations on millions of objects across multiple Azure Storage accounts without needing additional compute resources. It involves creating storage tasks with defined conditions, operations, and assignments. Users can monitor and manage these tasks, which run asynchronously, via metrics and reports. Azure Storage Actions is integrated with Azure Event Grid for event handling, and is supported in several regions, here is what we covered:

• What is Azure Storage Actions and why are they useful?
• How do you create them? What are the configuration options?
• How much does it cost?

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In this episode we discuss the changing nature of who builds applications and systems on Azure/o365.

In recent years, with the proliferation of low/no code platforms, we have seen a rise in people within the business building solutions to their problems without the need for traditional development and project practices.

We cover who these people are, where they have come from and how we, as IT professional can help to promote and support transformation, directly in the teams that need these solutions.

We also recap the news over the past few weeks.

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In this episode we recap the Microsoft Build virtual conference. Build this year, due to COVID19 was broadcast over 48 hours non stop across the world. Attendees watched virtually as Microsoft announced new products and feature updates for developers across the Microsoft product stack. We recap some of most important news to us, to keep you all informed.

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Welcome to the first episode of the Let's Talk! Azure podcast. In this episode we introduce ourselves and cover some of the current Azure news.

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This week, Alan and Sam talk about new features and services that have gone into Public Preview or General Available status in the last month. We dive into a couple of these updates that peaked our interest.

Some of the Microsoft product features and update we covered:

• Key Microsoft Entra and Defender features and updates
• Lots of Azure changes and new features

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Alan and Sam talk about the use of Managed Identities for Azure resources. Alan takes us through the methods used for programmatic access to Azure resources and the risks of some of the options. Here are a few things we covered:

• What is programmatic access?
• What methods are usually used to gain programmatic access?
• What are Managed Identities for Azure resources, and how they can be used.

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This week Alan and Sam discuss Data API builder. It is a powerful tool designed to streamline the process of creating and deploying APIs for data-driven applications. It facilitates the rapid development of secure, scalable, and high-performance APIs that can seamlessly interact with various data sources, including databases, file systems, and third-party services. By automating much of the setup and configuration, Data API builder reduces the complexity and time required to bring data APIs to production, allowing developers to focus on building features and functionality rather than managing infrastructure. This tool is particularly beneficial for organizations looking to enhance their data accessibility and integration capabilities while ensuring robust security and performance standards.

• _What are CRUD APIs? Why are they important?
• How do you use it?
• What are some of the use cases for the solution?
• How much does it cost?

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This week, Alan and Sam talk about new features and services that have gone into Public Preview or General Available status in the last month. We dive into a couple of these updates that peaked our interest.

Some of the Microsoft product features and update we covered:

• Build + RSA Updates
• key Microsoft Entra and Defender features and updates
• Lots of Azure changes and new features

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Alan and Sam talk about why it is important to monitor your network for connected devices. Alan runs us through the benefits of doing it with Microsoft Defender for Endpoint. Here are a few areas we covered:

• Why is it important to monitor your network?
• How can you find devices using Microsoft solutions?
• What are the benefits of devices being discovered and searchable in the Defender XDR Portal
• How is it licensed

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This week Alan and Sam discuss Azure AI Search. It is a robust, cloud-based search service provided by Microsoft that leverages artificial intelligence to enhance search functionalities within applications. It allows developers to create rich, full-text search experiences with features like natural language processing, semantic search, and cognitive search capabilities, which can extract insights from various data sources. The service is scalable, ensuring efficient handling of large volumes of data and queries, and integrates seamlessly with other Azure services, providing a comprehensive solution for building intelligent and responsive search-driven applications.

• What problems is Azure AI search aiming to solve?
• What does it integrate with?
• What are some of the use cases for the solution?
• How much does it cost?

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Alan and Sam discuss the management of macOS and how it is a little different to other operating systems. Alan guides through what can be configured and the reasons why. Here are a few things we covered:

• How is macOS different to other operating systems to manage?
• What Microsoft tooling can you use to manage them
• What licences do you need

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This week Alan and Sam discuss Azure Data Box. It is a ruggedised appliance designed to simplify the process of transferring large volumes of data to Azure cloud storage, offering high-speed data transfer and secure encryption. It enables organisations to overcome bandwidth limitations and easily migrate large datasets, ensuring efficient and reliable data transfer.

• What is Azure Data Box?
• What can you back up with it?
• How does the process work?
• How much does it cost?

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In this episode, Sam and Alan dive deep into the world of token theft and token replay attacks. They explore what these threats are and discuss effective countermeasures to reduce the risk of token theft and prevent replay attacks. Here’s a breakdown of what they covered:

• Understanding Authentication Tokens: What are they and why are they crucial for secure authentication?
• Token Theft and Replay Attacks: An overview of how these attacks work and their potential impact on organisations.
• Reducing Token Theft Risks: Practical strategies to minimize the chances of tokens being stolen.
• Preventing Token Replay: Measures you can implement to block access when stolen tokens are reused.

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This week, Alan and Sam talk about new features and services that have gone into Public Preview or General Available status in the last month. We dive into a couple of these updates that peaked our interest.

Some of the Microsoft product features and update we covered:

• FIDO2 authentication & Keypass
• Security group provisioning to Active Directory using cloud sync
• Unified security operations platform
• New API Manager v2
• App Service v1 and v2 environments retirement

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Alan and Sam discuss Microsoft Entra Global Secure Access. A identity-centric Security Service Edge (SSE) solution that helps secure user's internet and on-premises access. Here are a few things we covered:

• What is a Security Service Edge ?
• What is Microsoft Entra Global Secure Access?
• How does Entra Internet access for Microsoft 365 help secure and prevent data leakage?
• What is Entra Internet Access and Private Access?

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This week Alan and Sam discuss Azure Backup. It is a comprehensive solution offered by Microsoft Azure for safeguarding data across cloud and on-premises environments, providing seamless backup and recovery capabilities. It enables users to protect critical workloads, applications, and files with automated backups and flexible retention policies.

• What is Azure backup?
• What can you back up with it?
• How can you secure your backups?
• How much does it cost?

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Alan and Sam discuss Microsoft's new Cloud PKI service, which enables the management and deployment of device and user certificates through Intune. Below are some key points we addressed:

• What are user and device certificates and how are they used
• How would you normally manage PKI services
• What is Microsoft’s Cloud PKI
• How much does it cost?

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This week, Alan and Sam talk about new features and services that have gone into Public Preview or General Available status in the last month. We dive into a couple of these updates that peaked our interest.

Some of the Microsoft product features and update we covered:

• Copilot for Security and M365
• Syslog and CEF AMA connector for Microsoft Sentinel
• Lots of Azure changes, new features and retirements!

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Alan and Sam discuss Azure Key Vault, it is a centralized cloud service designed for securely storing and managing cryptographic keys, certificates, and secrets used by cloud applications and services. It offers robust access control, encryption, and auditing capabilities to safeguard sensitive information and streamline key management processes.

• What is Azure Key Vault?
• What are the common use cases for Azure Key Vault?
• What does it integrate with?
• How much does it cost?

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Alan and Sam talk about the Microsoft Connection Program (CCP). A Community of Technical professional from Customers, to Partners and MVPs that interacts with Microsoft Product groups around new features.. Here are a few things we covered:

• What is the Customer Connection Program?
• What are the benefits of being in the CCP?
• What is my experience being in the various CCPs?
• How do you get involved?

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This week, Alan and Sam talk about new features and services that have gone into Public Preview or General Available status in the last month. We dive into a couple of these updates that peaked our interest.

Some of the Microsoft product features and update we covered:

• Dark Mode in Defender XDR
• Cloud PKI
• Improvements in Azure Key Vault
• Configuration-as-code customizations in Microsoft Dev Box

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Alan and Sam discuss Azure Event Grid. It simplifies event-driven architectures by providing a fully managed service for routing events from various sources to multiple destinations in near real-time, enhancing agility and scalability in cloud-based applications. It enables seamless communication between Azure services, custom applications, and external sources while offering features like event filtering, routing, and dead-lettering for reliable event handling at scale.

• What is Azure Event Grid?
• What are the common use cases for Azure Event Grid?
• How can you get started?
• What are the licensing options?

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Alan and Sam discuss what vulnerability management is, and why it is important to an organisation. Alan dives into how Microsoft security solutions help identify weaknesses and monitor their remediation. Here are a few areas we covered:

• What are vulnerabilities?
• why should you monitoring, priorities and resolve them?
• How can Microsoft Solutions help manage your vulnerabilities?
• What Microsoft licenses do you need to get started?

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This week Alan and Sam discuss Azure VM Image Builder which is a service that simplifies the creation, customisation, and management of virtual machine images in Azure, automating tasks like software installation, configuration, and patching for consistent deployments. Here is what we covered:

• What are Virtual Machine images? And how they are used in Azure.
• What are the challenges with image creation?
• What is Azure VM builder and how does it help?
• How much does the service cost?

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Azure AI Studio is an all-in-one AI platform that simplifies the development, evaluation, and deployment of generative AI solutions and custom copilots1. It provides a unified hub for building, managing, and fine-tuning AI models, making it easier for developers of all skill levels to create and deploy intelligent applications. Whether you’re working on natural language processing, computer vision, or other AI tasks, Azure AI Studio streamlines the process and offers a comprehensive suite of tools and services to support your AI projects.

Sam takes the lead covering:

• What is AI and what do organizations use large language models for?
• What is Azure AI studio, and what problems is it solving?
• Sam's initial impressions of using Azure AI studio for the first time

What did you think of this episode? Give us some feedback via our contact form, Or leave us a voice message in the bottom right corner of our site.

This week, Alan and Sam talk about new features and services that have gone into Public Preview or General Available status in the last month. We dive into a couple of these updates that peaked our interest.

Some of the Microsoft product features and update we covered:

• Microsoft Defender XDR
• MDA / MDI / Defender for Cloud
• Azure API Center
• Azure Containers Apps Multiple Ports
• Azure API Management
• Azure Gen1 to Gen 2 Migration
• Azure Arc Visual Studio Code Extension

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Alan and Sam discuss all things Microsoft Defender for Endpoint (MDE). Alan goes through the history of MDE, what its capabilities are, and the platforms it covers. Here are a few other areas we cover:

• What capabilities does MDE provide.
• How is it different from other AV and EDR solutions.
• How is it licensed.

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This week we cover Azure AI Content Safety provides developers with tools to analyze and moderate user-generated content, utilizing machine learning to detect and filter inappropriate text and images. Customizable rules, scalability, and seamless integration with Azure services empower developers to create applications that maintain a safe and compliant online environment. Sam takes the lead covering:

• What is content safety and the scenarios it is used.
• What is Azure AI Content Safety.
• The products contained within Azure AI Content Safety.
• What are the SKUs how much does it cost?

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Alan and Sam discuss Microsoft Defender XDR, a unified portal to manage you incidents across your MS Defender suite. Alan dives into the Extended Detect and Response (XDR) concepts and how it's beneficial to have all products in the same system.

Here are few other areas we covered:

• What is XDR?
• What is Microsoft Defender XDR?
• What Microsoft solutions feed into Defender XDR?
• How is it licensed?

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This week, Alan and Sam talk about new features and services that have gone into Public Preview or General Available status in the last couple of months. We dive into a couple of these updates and peeked our interest.

Some of the Microsoft product features and update we covered:

• Microsoft Entra Internet Access Public Preview
• Defender for Cloud Apps - GenAI categories for cloud discovery
• Defender for Endpoint Updates (User Contain, Simplified connectivity, WSL plugin)
• Fee tier manage SQL instance
• New Chaos Studio faults for service bus
• DICOM on data lake preview
• Azure App Configuration Snapshots

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In this episode, we wrap up the season, where we explore our favourite episode of the season. We also talk about the challenges and successes we faced behind the scenes, and how the podcast has grown in terms of listenership and engagement.

As we bid farewell to the season, we also reveal our exciting plans for the next season, which will start on 5th January 2024. We announce that we will move to one season per year, but with at least 48 episodes, covering more topics and look to featuring guests.

This episode is a great way to end the season and to look forward to the next one. We thank our listeners for their support and feedback, and invite them to stay tuned for more updates and announcements. We wish everyone a happy and healthy holiday season, and promise to return with more amazing content in the new year.

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Alan and Sam discuss Microsoft's Copilot solutions. Alan talks about Generative AI and how it is being used in the world today.

Here are a few things we covered:

• What Generative AI?
• What are the various versions of Microsoft Copilot?
• How can Copilot help users be more productive?
• How are they licensed?

Ignite Keynote on Microsoft Copilot

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This week we cover Azure Container Apps. Container Apps is a serverless container service provided by Microsoft Azure, designed to simplify the deployment and scaling of containerized applications using Kubernetes. It offers a seamless and integrated platform for developers to focus on building applications without the need to manage the underlying infrastructure.

Sam takes the lead covering:

• What are containers, and why do organisations use them?
• What is Azure container apps? And how do they compare to other services in Azure?
• Which types of apps can be deployed and hosted?
• What are the SKUs how much does it cost?

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This week talk all things Microsoft Ignite 2023! Microsoft Ignite is an annual conference hosted by Microsoft, centred around technology trends, product innovations, and announcements concerning Microsoft's cloud services, enterprise solutions, and developer tools. The event usually gathers IT professionals, developers, business leaders, and technology enthusiasts in one place.

Alan is out at Ignite in person, we covered:

• The latest announcements at Ignite
• Alan and Sam’s favourite announcements
• The in person Ignite experience
• What MVP related activities has Alan been up to?

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This week, Alan and Sam talk about new features and services that have gone into Public Preview or General Available status in the last month. We dive into a couple of these updates that peaked our interest.

Some of the Microsoft product features and update we covered:

• Key Microsoft Entra, Intune and Defender features and updates
• Lots of Azure changes and new features

What did you think of this episode? Give us some feedback via our contact form, Or leave us a voice message in the bottom right corner of our site.

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Alan and Sam have a discussion around Microsoft accreditations and how they have recently changes. Here are a few things we covered:

• What are Microsoft accreditations?
• What has change recently around the exams for certifications?
• What are the new applied skills accreditation?
• Where do you start your Microsoft skills accreditation journey?

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This week we discuss Azure App Service. Azure App Service is a robust, cloud-based platform that streamlines web app and API development. It simplifies deployment, auto-scaling, and management, supporting diverse programming languages and frameworks. Developers benefit from a fully managed, productive environment, enabling rapid development and easy integration with Azure services. With built-in security and compliance features, Azure App Service ensures a reliable and efficient solution for building, deploying, and scaling web applications and APIs, ultimately enhancing productivity and user experience.

Sam takes the lead providing insights such as:

• Modern approaches to application hosting
• The features and benefits of Azure App Service
• How to deploy and manage applications on App Service
• How is scaling, performance and billing handled

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