Explore every episode of the podcast Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Episode 439: Azure SRE Agent vs. the Azure Copilot Troubleshooting Agent | 22 Oct 2026 | 00:38:16 | |
Welcome to Episode 439 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast. In this episode, Ben and Scott dig into two Azure agents with confusingly different names: the Azure Copilot Troubleshooting Agent and the Azure SRE Agent. Scott’s mental model is that the Troubleshooting Agent is the free, human-in-the-loop entry point built into the Azure portal. It runs as you, works one problem at a time, and opens a support request when it gets stuck. The SRE Agent is a paid operational platform with its own managed identity. It watches your logs, alerts, and repos, forms hypotheses, and can act in review or autonomous mode, much like a new member of your team. They also work through the SRE Agent’s Azure Agent Unit (AAU) billing model, the built-in guardrails worth copying into your own skills (no deletes, no Key Vault, respect for resource locks), and the VNet integration that lets the agent reach private endpoints and on-premises systems. They close with why you might spin it up for a few days just to see what it finds, and their ongoing wish for one place to manage every Microsoft agent. Show Notes
Nasuni is a leading unstructured data platform for enterprises where file data is mission-critical for both people and AI. Nasuni powers the operational file layer where work happens — helping organizations manage, protect, and activate data so teams can work smarter, reduce costs, and operate securely without limits. Intelligink — Would you like to become the irreplaceable Microsoft 365 resource for your organization? Let us know! | |||
| Episode 438: Taking your WorkOS and LLM Wiki to the Next Level | 08 Oct 2026 | 00:47:06 | |
Welcome to Episode 438 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast. Back in Episode 429, Ben and Scott introduced LLM wikis. In this episode, they come back a few months later to compare what those wikis turned into after real daily use: personalized work operating systems, or a WorkOS, that tie together tasks, meetings, research, communications, and recurring workflows. Scott walks through the skills that now run his day, from a 9:00 a.m. prioritization pass and meeting prep to meeting capture, end-of-day review, and clipping ingestion, all while keeping governed documents in Microsoft 365 where they belong. They also dig into how a workflow matures from an on-demand skill to a scheduled skill, a loop, and finally a deterministic Python script that any interface can call. Scott shows off his locally served web dashboard pinned in Edge, Ben shares the custom Obsidian plugin Claude built for his command center, and they compare notes on choosing a source of truth (Markdown versus Asana), filtering Teams noise down to the signal, and what these systems actually cost to run each month. Show Notes
Nasuni is a leading unstructured data platform for enterprises where file data is mission-critical for both people and AI. Nasuni powers the operational file layer where work happens — helping organizations manage, protect, and activate data so teams can work smarter, reduce costs, and operate securely without limits. Intelligink — Would you like to become the irreplaceable Microsoft 365 resource for your organization? Let us know! | |||
| Episode 437: Nasuni and AI-Ready Unstructured Data with Nick Burling | 24 Sep 2026 | 00:39:44 | |
Welcome to Episode 437 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast. In this episode, Nick Burling, Chief Product Officer at Nasuni, joins Ben and Scott to talk about getting unstructured file data ready for AI. Nick digs into why 70 to 80 percent of enterprise data sits in file shares and object storage, how that data tends to end up ungoverned and risky to point AI at, and Nasuni’s PSYCHIC framework for making it proprietary, secure, current, indexed, hybrid, and continuous. The conversation covers Nasuni’s AI Activate, the MCP based service that enforces permissions before a query ever runs, and the recent DryvIQ acquisition, which adds content classification, redaction, and policy enforcement on top of that index. They also get into where this overlaps with Purview and Copilot’s own indexing, how DriveIQ reads and respects Microsoft’s existing sensitivity labels, and why 97 percent of orgs are piloting AI agents while only 43 percent call those projects successful. Nick closes with practical advice for anyone evaluating a platform like this: pick one high value use case, define success metrics up front, and keep the initial scope small. Discosure: This is a sponsor interview with Nasuni who is a sponsor of the podcast. Show Notes
Related episodes:
Nick Burling is Chief Product Officer at Nasuni, where he leads the company’s product strategy at the intersection of enterprise data management, cloud infrastructure, and AI. He is responsible for shaping Nasuni’s vision for how organizations manage, protect, and activate unstructured data for enterprise teams and AI at scale. This includes expanding the company’s capabilities for continuous cost optimization and protection, while empowering compounding workforce productivity through AI-optimized unstructured data. An accomplished product executive and entrepreneur, Nick brings deep experience translating technology innovation and market shifts into clear strategic advantage. His career spans leadership roles at Fortune 500 companies including Microsoft and IBM, as well as early-stage ventures he has guided from launch through successful exit. At Nasuni, he leads the teams defining how enterprises will manage and act on unstructured data in an AI-driven world. Nick Burling’s Forbes Technology Council profile. About the sponsorsNasuni is a leading unstructured data platform for enterprises where file data is mission-critical for both people and AI. Nasuni powers the operational file layer where work happens — helping organizations manage, protect, and activate data so teams can work smarter, reduce costs, and operate securely without limits. Intelligink — Would you like to become the irreplaceable Microsoft 365 resource for your organization? Let us know! | |||
| Episode 436: Finding the Entra Tenants You Didn't Know You Had | 11 Sep 2026 | 00:38:15 | |
Welcome to Episode 436 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast. In this episode, Ben and Scott dive into Microsoft Entra Tenant Governance. Almost nobody runs one Microsoft Entra tenant. Mergers, divestitures, dev and test environments, regional partitioning, that one AI proof-of-concept somebody spun up on a credit card. Organizations accumulate tenants the way they accumulate SharePoint sites. The difference is that nobody ever built an inventory of the tenants, and central IT frequently cannot name them, let alone say whether they are configured safely. Microsoft Entra Tenant Governance, now generally available, is Microsoft’s first-party answer. It is genuinely four products under one blade: it finds the tenants you did not know about, gives you a least-privilege way to administer them without local accounts, monitors their configuration for drift against a JSON baseline, and gates the creation of new ones so the next tenant is governed from birth. Show Notes About the sponsorsNasuni is a leading unstructured data platform for enterprises where file data is mission-critical for both people and AI. Nasuni powers the operational file layer where work happens — helping organizations manage, protect, and activate data so teams can work smarter, reduce costs, and operate securely without limits. Intelligink — Would you like to become the irreplaceable Microsoft 365 resource for your organization? Let us know! | |||
| Episode 435: Power BI Meets Git and MCP | 27 Aug 2026 | 00:36:02 | |
Welcome to Episode 435 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast. In this episode, Ben and Scott take a lap around what’s new in Power BI, starting with the two MCP servers now in preview, one local and one remote, that can clean up your data model, write DAX for you, and turn a messy pile of tables into an actual usable semantic model. Ben shares how it helped him tame a 44 table QuickBooks Online mess, and why he had way better luck with it than with Copilot in Power BI. From there they get into PBIP, the newer Power BI project file format that breaks a report into files you can actually put in Git and collaborate on like real developers, branches, rollbacks, and all. It has been in preview since 2023 and still lacks solid guidance from Microsoft on wiring up CI/CD, but Ben and Scott dig into why it is worth adopting anyway, even if you are working solo. Show Notes About the sponsorsNasuni is a leading unstructured data platform for enterprises where file data is mission-critical for both people and AI. Nasuni powers the operational file layer where work happens — helping organizations manage, protect, and activate data so teams can work smarter, reduce costs, and operate securely without limits. Intelligink — Would you like to become the irreplaceable Microsoft 365 resource for your organization? Let us know! | |||
| Episode 434: Reading the Spec Sheet on Microsoft's Agentic SOC | 13 Aug 2026 | 00:47:34 | |
Welcome to Episode 434 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast. Microsoft announced Project Perception on 2026-07-27 with a lot of “workforce of AI agents” language. In this episode, Ben and Scott discuss what Perception really is, what it needs from your tenant, what it costs, and what happens the first time an agent asks you to approve something. Six agents. Seven playbooks. Every one manually triggered. Each agent gets its own Entra Agent ID and a permission grant. There’s a lot to unpack. Show Notes
Nasuni is a leading unstructured data platform for enterprises where file data is mission-critical for both people and AI. Nasuni powers the operational file layer where work happens — helping organizations manage, protect, and activate data so teams can work smarter, reduce costs, and operate securely without limits. Intelligink — Would you like to become the irreplaceable Microsoft 365 resource for your organization? Let us know! | |||
| Episode 433: Passkeys, Passwords, and the End of SMS MFA | 30 Jul 2026 | 00:45:54 | |
Welcome to Episode 433 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast. In this episode, Ben and Scott discuss how Microsoft 365 authentication is moving from “make passwords safer with MFA” to “remove phishable authentication wherever possible.” The practical conversation for IT pros is no longer just whether MFA is enabled. It is which methods are allowed, which users are still on SMS or voice, how passkeys change the user experience, and how to balance security, accessibility, recovery, and support load. Show Notes
Nasuni is a leading unstructured data platform for enterprises where file data is mission-critical for both people and AI. Nasuni powers the operational file layer where work happens — helping organizations manage, protect, and activate data so teams can work smarter, reduce costs, and operate securely without limits. Intelligink — Would you like to become the irreplaceable Microsoft 365 resource for your organization? Let us know! | |||
| Episode 432: AI-Era Consulting Billing for Microsoft Cloud Delivery | 16 Jul 2026 | 00:42:16 | |
Welcome to Episode 432 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast. In this episode, Ben and Scott discuss how AI is not eliminating Microsoft 365 and Azure consulting, but it is changing what clients think they are buying. Show NotesNasuni is a leading unstructured data platform for enterprises where file data is mission-critical for both people and AI. Nasuni powers the operational file layer where work happens — helping organizations manage, protect, and activate data so teams can work smarter, reduce costs, and operate securely without limits. Intelligink — Would you like to become the irreplaceable Microsoft 365 resource for your organization? Let us know! | |||
| Episode 431: Agent Governance Is the New App Governance | 02 Jul 2026 | 00:48:18 | |
Welcome to Episode 431 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast. In this episode, Ben and Scott get into why agent governance is quickly becoming one of the most pressing challenges for Microsoft 365 administrators. As agentic workflows become more common across Copilot, Copilot Studio, and third-party platforms, organizations are dealing with a sprawl problem that looks familiar but hits differently. Agents bring their own identity, data access, permissions, lifecycle, and security concerns all at once, and unlike traditional apps, a single user can now have dozens of agents acting on their behalf or autonomously across Teams, SharePoint, Exchange, and beyond. The episode walks through Microsoft Agent 365 as a starting point for building that control plane, including the agent registry, user and permission scoping, and the certification tab where publisher attestation gives some visibility into compliance claims though with notable gaps. Ben and Scott also touch on the Shadow AI preview in the Frontier program, the challenges of graph permission readability in the permissions view, and why the agent lifecycle problem, think what happens when the person who built a custom agent leaves the org, is something administrators need to start thinking about now before consumption billing turns an unmanaged agent into a surprise line item. Show Notes
Nasuni is a leading unstructured data platform for enterprises where file data is mission-critical for both people and AI. Nasuni powers the operational file layer where work happens — helping organizations manage, protect, and activate data so teams can work smarter, reduce costs, and operate securely without limits. TrustedTech is a leading Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) specializing in Microsoft Cloud services, Microsoft perpetual licensing, and Microsoft Support Services for medium and enterprise-sized businesses. Their robust team of in-house, U.S.-based Microsoft architects and engineers are certified in all 6/6 Microsoft Solutions Partner Designations in the Microsoft Cloud Partner Program. ShareGate is your migration and governance solution for Microsoft 365. ShareGate helps your teams simplify tenant migrations, get Copilot-ready, and take control of Microsoft 365 governance. Intelligink — Would you like to become the irreplaceable Microsoft 365 resource for your organization? Let us know! | |||
| Episode 430: Scouting out Microsoft Scout | 18 Jun 2026 | 00:43:24 | |
Welcome to Episode 430 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast, where Scott and Ben dig into Microsoft Scout, the new desktop AI application announced at Microsoft Build. They walk through the real onboarding experience on both Mac and Windows, the licensing maze and admin controls needed to activate it, and how Scout’s architecture ties together models, automations, and integrations like MCP, GitHub Copilot, and Work IQ. Along the way they cover the model selector and personality options (everything from professional to sarcastic teenager), the automations and heartbeats that run on schedules to update you on industry news, monitor workflows, and manage meetings, and the limitations and workarounds around skills, session management, and local file access. They also sort out where Scout overlaps with and differs from Microsoft 365 Copilot and GitHub Copilot, how to rationalize all three for ROI, and what token-based, consumption-based pricing means for enterprise AI strategy. Whether you’re a pilot user or just AI-curious, this episode cuts through the hype to show why Scout’s local-first approach is a game-changer for MCP workflows, custom skills, and offline automation, and what it actually takes to adopt Scout as your desktop AI hub. Hosted by Scott and Ben, two industry veterans passionate about AI and automation, it delivers practical, actionable insights for technical leaders, developers, and productivity enthusiasts. Join us as we unravel Scout’s potential to redefine your desktop AI experience, because knowing how to navigate its complexities now can save you time and money tomorrow. Show NotesTrustedTech is a leading Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) specializing in Microsoft Cloud services, Microsoft perpetual licensing, and Microsoft Support Services for medium and enterprise-sized businesses. Their robust team of in-house, U.S.-based Microsoft architects and engineers are certified in all 6/6 Microsoft Solutions Partner Designations in the Microsoft Cloud Partner Program. ShareGate is your migration and governance solution for Microsoft 365. ShareGate helps your teams simplify tenant migrations, get Copilot-ready, and take control of Microsoft 365 governance. Nasuni is a leading unstructured data platform for enterprises where file data is mission-critical for both people and AI. Nasuni powers the operational file layer where work happens — helping organizations manage, protect, and activate data so teams can work smarter, reduce costs, and operate securely without limits. Intelligink — Would you like to become the irreplaceable Microsoft 365 resource for your organization? Let us know! | |||
| Episode 429: Getting started with LLM Wikis | 04 Jun 2026 | 00:44:04 | |
Welcome to Episode 429 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast. In this episode, Scott and Ben dig into the concept of LLM wikis, specifically building personal knowledge management vaults using Obsidian, markdown, and AI tooling like Claude Code, GitHub Copilot CLI, and Copilot Cowork. The core idea comes from a gist by Andrej Karpathy and involves creating a structured folder of markdown clippings that an LLM can reason over to extract entities, concepts, and sources, building a searchable, graph-linked knowledge base over time. Scott walks through how he wired up Obsidian Web Clipper and an RSS Dashboard plugin to feed articles into his vault automatically, then had the LLM help build a Python script to automate the ingest workflow and cut down on token usage. The conversation expands into how Copilot Cowork fits into this workflow as a scheduling harness, with practical examples of using it to pull email from an inbox daily, convert messages to markdown, and generate a prioritized to-do list. Ben shares how he applied the same approach to 428 episodes of podcast transcripts, and both hosts note that token costs can run high fast without some upfront thinking about optimization. Scott closes with a reminder that pulling data into plain markdown sidecars outside of IRM and sensitivity label protections means teams should stay mindful of organizational data policies. Show NotesTrustedTech is a leading Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) specializing in Microsoft Cloud services, Microsoft perpetual licensing, and Microsoft Support Services for medium and enterprise-sized businesses. Their robust team of in-house, U.S.-based Microsoft architects and engineers are certified in all 6/6 Microsoft Solutions Partner Designations in the Microsoft Cloud Partner Program. ShareGate is your migration and governance solution for Microsoft 365. ShareGate helps your teams simplify tenant migrations, get Copilot-ready, and take control of Microsoft 365 governance. Nasuni is a leading unstructured data platform for enterprises where file data is mission-critical for both people and AI. Nasuni powers the operational file layer where work happens — helping organizations manage, protect, and activate data so teams can work smarter, reduce costs, and operate securely without limits. Intelligink — Would you like to become the irreplaceable Microsoft 365 resource for your organization? Let us know! | |||
| Episode 428: Migrating Group Policy to Microsoft Intune | 21 May 2026 | 00:41:05 | |
Welcome to Episode 428 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast. In this episode, Ben and Scott unlock the secrets to modernizing your IT management by ditching pesky on-prem GPOs and embracing the future with Intune. They discuss how savvy IT pros are migrating thousands of GPOs into clean, manageable cloud policies. Dive into real-world workflows: from exporting and analyzing legacy GPOs with AI tools, to recreating policies in Entra ID, and finally decommissioning AD. You’ll discover how to think through the migration, avoid common pitfalls like leftover legacy configs, and implement a phased migration that minimizes disruption. Show Notes
ShareGate is your migration and governance solution for Microsoft 365. ShareGate helps your teams simplify tenant migrations, get Copilot-ready, and take control of Microsoft 365 governance. Nasuni is a leading unstructured data platform for enterprises where file data is mission-critical for both people and AI. Nasuni powers the operational file layer where work happens — helping organizations manage, protect, and activate data so teams can work smarter, reduce costs, and operate securely without limits. TrustedTech is a leading Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) specializing in Microsoft Cloud services, Microsoft perpetual licensing, and Microsoft Support Services for medium and enterprise-sized businesses. Their robust team of in-house, U.S.-based Microsoft architects and engineers are certified in all 6/6 Microsoft Solutions Partner Designations in the Microsoft Cloud Partner Program. Intelligink — Would you like to become the irreplaceable Microsoft 365 resource for your organization? Let us know! | |||
| Episode 427: Copilot Cowork Hands-On Experiences | 07 May 2026 | 00:32:14 | |
Welcome to Episode 427 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast. In this episode, Ben and Scott open with a quick look at YAKO (getyako.com), a browser extension built by community member Merrill that replaces the new tab page with a customizable dashboard of Microsoft 365 and cloud links. From there, the conversation turns into an extended follow-up on Copilot Cowork, covering some of their recent hands-on experience with custom skills, artifact management, session crashes tied to an Anthropic API outage, and the friction of working with IRM-protected documents in Copilot Cowork. The bigger thread running through the episode is data security. Listen in to hear more about considerations for onboarding to Copilot Cowork in its early days. Show Notes About the sponsorsTrustedTech Team is a leading Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) specializing in Microsoft Cloud services, Microsoft perpetual licensing, and Microsoft Support Services for medium and enterprise-sized businesses. Their robust team of in-house, U.S.-based Microsoft architects and engineers are certified in all 6/6 Microsoft Solutions Partner Designations in the Microsoft Cloud Partner Program. ShareGate is your migration and governance solution for Microsoft 365. ShareGate helps your teams simplify tenant migrations, get Copilot-ready, and take control of Microsoft 365 governance. Nasuni is a leading unstructured data platform for enterprises where file data is mission-critical for both people and AI. Nasuni powers the operational file layer where work happens — helping organizations manage, protect, and activate data so teams can work smarter, reduce costs, and operate securely without limits. Intelligink — Would you like to become the irreplaceable Microsoft 365 resource for your organization? Let us know! | |||
| Episode 426: Claude Cowork vs Microsoft 365 Copilot Cowork | 23 Apr 2026 | 00:51:49 | |
Welcome to Episode 426 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast.Ben and Scott are back together this week to talk through Microsoft 365 Copilot Cowork, including how it compares to Claude Cowork and where each one makes sense. The two products share a name but work pretty differently. Claude Cowork runs locally on your desktop and can access files on your machine, supports MCP server connections while M365 Copilot Cowork runs in the cloud, requires files to be in OneDrive, and does not support MCP connectors yet. On the flip side, the Microsoft version runs scheduled tasks without needing your machine to be on, has native access to all your M365 data through Graph, and fits inside your existing compliance and security controls through Purview, which matters a lot for regulated organizations. Show Notes About the sponsorsTrustedTech is a leading Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) specializing in Microsoft Cloud services, Microsoft perpetual licensing, and Microsoft Support Services for medium and enterprise-sized businesses. Our robust team of in-house, U.S-based Microsoft architects and engineers are certified in all 6/6 Microsoft Solutions Partner Designations in the Microsoft Cloud Partner Program. Your migration and governance solution for Microsoft 365. ShareGate helps your teams simplify tenant migrations, get Copilot-ready, and take control of Microsoft 365 governance. Nasuni is a leading unstructured data platform for enterprises where file data is mission-critical for both people and AI. We power the operational file layer where work happens — helping organizations manage, protect, and activate data so teams can work smarter, reduce costs, and operate securely without limits. Visit nasuni.com to learn more. Would you like to become the irreplaceable Microsoft 365 resource for your organization? Let us know! | |||
| Episode 425 – Exploring Collaboration and Governance at the MVP Summit with Joy Apple | 09 Apr 2026 | 00:50:23 | |
Welcome to Episode 425 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast. In this audio and video episode recorded live at Microsoft headquarters during the MVP Summit, Ben welcomes a return guest, Joy Apple, to the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast and discuss her 20-year career in the Microsoft collaboration space, from financial services to SharePoint training, consulting, and her current role at Orchestry Software. Joy explains Orchestry as a Microsoft 365 governance automation layer covering templated provisioning for SharePoint and Teams, archiving policies (including Microsoft 365 Archive), guest management, and OneDrive governance. They emphasize that AI and Copilot amplify existing information architecture, permissions, and data hygiene issues, making governance more critical. They describe the MVP Summit as a “family reunion” where MVPs attend sessions and reconnect with peers. Joy and Ben also spend some time describing paths becoming an MVP and how much they just enjoy the community around the Microsoft 365 ecosystem and connecting with people both at MVP Summit as well as various conferences throughout the year. About Joy AppleJoy is a Microsoft MVP and Director of Success and Enablement at Orchestry. With years of experience as an information technologist, I’m dedicated to helping organizations implement technology with a purpose-driven, “human-first” approach, ensuring tools like Microsoft 365 empower people to do their best work. Teaching and knowledge-sharing are at the heart of what I do. Whether it’s through volunteering in the Microsoft Community, speaking at events, or writing as the “Joy of SharePoint,” I’m passionate about helping others unlock their potential with modern workplace solutions. Im also a cohost of the Guardians of M365 Governance podcast, where I explore the challenges and rewards of governance, and a columnist for She is Tulsa, a quarterly magazine celebrating impactful stories from my local community. Outside of work, you’ll often find me enjoying live music or discovering new spots in Tulsa, Oklahoma, combining my love of connection and creativity wherever I go. Show Notes
TrustedTech is a leading Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) specializing in Microsoft Cloud services, Microsoft perpetual licensing, and Microsoft Support Services for medium and enterprise-sized businesses. Our robust team of in-house, U.S-based Microsoft architects and engineers are certified in all 6/6 Microsoft Solutions Partner Designations in the Microsoft Cloud Partner Program. Your migration and governance solution for Microsoft 365 ShareGate helps your teams simplify tenant migrations, get Copilot-ready, and take control of Microsoft 365 governance. Our Microsoft 365 experts and Microsoft Azure experts focus on the Microsoft cloud, so you can focus on what you do best! Learn more how we can help you! | |||
| Episode 424 – A new frontier for Microsoft 365 with E7 | 26 Mar 2026 | 00:34:07 | |
Welcome to Episode 424 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast. In this episode, Ben and Scott dig into the newly announced Microsoft 365 E7 SKU which bundles M365 E5, Microsoft 365 Copilot, the Microsoft Entra Suite, and Microsoft Agent 365. Show Notes About the sponsorsTrustedTech is a leading Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) specializing in Microsoft Cloud services, Microsoft perpetual licensing, and Microsoft Support Services for medium and enterprise-sized businesses. Our robust team of in-house, U.S-based Microsoft architects and engineers are certified in all 6/6 Microsoft Solutions Partner Designations in the Microsoft Cloud Partner Program. Would you like to become the irreplaceable Microsoft 365 resource for your organization? Let us know! | |||
| Episode 423 – Non-Human Identities in Microsoft Entra with Eric Woodruff and Chris Brumm | 12 Mar 2026 | 00:38:41 | |
Welcome to Episode 423 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast. In this episode, Ben is live from Workplace Ninjas, joined by Eric Woodruff, Chief Identity Architect at Semperis and Microsoft MVP in Security focused on identity, and Chris Brumm, Cyber Security Architect at glueckkanja and Microsoft MVP in Security with over 16 years of experience in cybersecurity. Together they dig into the often-overlooked world of non-human identities in Microsoft Entra ID. They cover what service principals are, why they tend to fly under the radar compared to user accounts, and how attackers actively exploit that gap. The conversation spans credential management best practices, the risks of improper owner assignments, the challenges of multi-tenant app configurations, and why managed identities should be your go-to wherever possible. They also discuss the growing challenge of AI agent identities and what IT pros need to start thinking about now before that surface area explodes. Show NotesEric Woodruff Eric Woodruff is the Chief Identity Architect at Semperis and a Microsoft MVP in Security with a focus on identity. He specializes in all things Microsoft Entra and Active Directory, with a passion for helping organizations understand and secure both human and non-human identities. You can find Eric on social media as @ericanidentity. Chris Brumm Chris Brumm is a Cyber Security Architect at glueckkanja based in Germany, with over 16 years of experience across virtually every corner of cybersecurity. He is a Microsoft MVP in Security with a primary focus on identity security. His team operates SOC services and he brings a detection and response perspective to identity risk, helping organizations build lifecycle processes and monitoring strategies for non-human identities in Microsoft Entra. About the sponsorsTrustedTech is a leading Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) specializing in Microsoft Cloud services, Microsoft perpetual licensing, and Microsoft Support Services for medium and enterprise-sized businesses. Our robust team of in-house, U.S-based Microsoft architects and engineers are certified in all 6/6 Microsoft Solutions Partner Designations in the Microsoft Cloud Partner Program. At Intelligink, our focus is singular: the Microsoft cloud. Our Microsoft 365 and Azure experts help you work securely and efficiently by unlocking the full value of what you’re already paying for, so you can focus on running your business. | |||
| Episode 422: Back to the Terminal: The Rise of AI CLI Interfaces | 26 Feb 2026 | 00:41:35 | |
Welcome to Episode 422 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast. In this episode, Scott and Ben discuss their growing use of in their daily workflows, particularly Claude Code, GitHub Copilot CLI, and Gemini CLI. They explore how these command-line interfaces offer powerful ways to interact with local files and MCP servers beyond traditional desktop AI chat interfaces. They share how they are using these tools in their day-to-day roles to perform different tasks and accelerate their workflows. Show Notes About the sponsorsWould you like to become the irreplaceable Microsoft 365 resource for your organization? Let us know! | |||
| Episode 421: Microsoft 365 Mergers and Divestitures with Frank Lesniak | 16 Feb 2026 | 00:34:19 | |
Welcome to Episode 421 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast. In this episode Ben sits down for a conversation with Frank Lesniak, the lead of the Microsoft 365 team at West Monroe. In this episode, they dive into the intricacies of mergers and divestitures within Microsoft 365 environments. They discuss the initial due diligence phase, planning and approach, building and configuring new environments, and the final migration and cutover phase. Frank shares insights on common challenges such as integration of different licensing models, the handling of workstations and applications, and the importance of security assessments. The episode provides a detailed look at the methodology and tools used by Frank’s team to streamline these complex processes. Show NotesFrank Lesniak is a Sr. Cybersecurity & Enterprise Technology Architect at West Monroe with nearly 20 years of experience leading consulting engagements involving Microsoft infrastructure technology. His expertise spans modern cloud systems like Azure, Microsoft 365, and Entra ID to classic platforms like Windows Server, Active Directory, and SQL Server. His recent focus has been on Microsoft platform cybersecurity and automating technical processes using PowerShell. In his role, Frank establishes technical project methodologies, leads teams, automates associated processes, and creates internal software products at West Monroe and in the open-source community. About the sponsorsWould you like to become the irreplaceable Microsoft 365 resource for your organization? Let us know! | |||
| Episode 420 – Ben convinces Scott to buy a 3D printer | 29 Jan 2026 | 00:26:41 | |
Welcome to Episode 420 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast. In this episode, Scott is back for a lighthearted discussion on some of the new tech and toys and that Ben and Scott picked up over the holidays. Listen in as Ben tries to convince Scott he needs a 3D printer and some feedback on the gadgets they both picked up. Show Notes
Would you like to become the irreplaceable Microsoft 365 resource for your organization? Let us know! | |||
| Episode 419 – Security and AI: Security Store, Security Copilot, and Agents | 15 Jan 2026 | 00:25:16 | |
Welcome to Episode 419 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast. In this episode, Ben is once again live from Workplace Ninjas and is joined by John Joyner, an 18-year Microsoft MVP in Cloud Security and Azure Management. They discuss some of the announcements from Microsoft Ignite focused around Microsoft Security as well as diving deep into the new Security Store, AI agents, Security Compute Units (SCUs), and how Microsoft is making enterprise AI security more accessible and affordable than ever. Key topics include the phishing triage agent, conditional access optimization, E5 integration with included SCUs, and the strategic consolidation of security services into the Defender XDR portal. Whether you’re a security professional or IT administrator, this conversation provides valuable insights into Microsoft’s AI-driven security roadmap and how to stay ahead of AI-powered threats. Show Notes
John Joyner is an inventor, author, speaker, and professor specializing in datacenter and enterprise cloud computing. He serves as Senior Director of Technology at Corsica Technologies (formerly AccountabilIT), where he delivers next-generation technology management services to customers worldwide as a cloud architect helping businesses stay competitive. John is a Microsoft Azure MVP and Security MVP, having been recognized eighteen times (2007-2026) as a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional for his exceptional technical expertise, leadership, speaking experience, online influence, and commitment to solving real-world problems.** He holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with an Emphasis in Human Resources Management from the University of Colorado at Boulder. From 2007 to 2024, John served as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Arkansas Little Rock, teaching a pro-bono cloud computing management course open to all Arkansas residents. As an author, John co-wrote the 2021 book “Azure Arc-Enabled Kubernetes and Server” from Apress and contributed to four editions of the industry-standard “System Center Operations Manager: Unleashed” from SAMS Publishing (2005-2013). Between 2012 and 2015, he authored weekly cloud and datacenter columns for CBS Technology publications including TechRepublic and ZDNet. A retired U.S. Navy Lieutenant Commander and computer scientist, John worked for NATO in Europe and aboard an aircraft carrier in the Pacific. He earned the Computer Scientist sub-specialty and served as chief of network operations for NATO during the former Yugoslavia conflict. He is also a veteran of the Persian Gulf War. Outside of technology, John’s personal passions include 4-wheeling in his ‘Black Ops’ Jeep Wrangler and running a visionary art clothing company called Lit Like Luma. About the sponsorsWould you like to become the irreplaceable Microsoft 365 resource** for your organization? Let us know! | |||
| Episode 418 – An Anti-AI Adventure with Cat Schneider: SharePoint, Power Automate, and Conference Shenanigans | 01 Jan 2026 | 00:38:20 | |
Welcome to Episode 418 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast. In this episode, Ben sits down with Cat Schneider during a lively conference to discuss a variety of topics, focusing on the theme of “anti-AI.” They reflect on life and technology before AI became prominent, sharing tales of conferences, hackathons, and explorations of older tech solutions. They also discuss some of Cat’s adventures in SharePoint and Power Platform, including managing SharePoint permissions with flows, the challenges of migrating file shares to SharePoint, syncing issues with OneDrive, and practical uses of Power BI for troubleshooting and managing SharePoint data. Additionally, they dive into humorous conference anecdotes from the inaugural Workplace Ninjas US, including accidental late-night adventures. Cat Schneider is an experienced data specialist and Power Platform, SharePoint, and Teams enthusiast with a demonstrated history of innovation for almost 15 years in the public sector. Cat is skilled in Microsoft-based applications, quality assurance, and databases. She is a strong community and social services professional with a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Biology from Florida State University. In addition to being a self-taught coder with a never-ending thirst for learning more—and helping others learn and improve their coding skills—she is also co-leader of the Power Platform UX/UI and Accessibility (A11y) Global User Group. Show Notes About the sponsorsWould you like to become the irreplaceable Microsoft 365 resource for your organization? | |||
| Episode 417 – Workplace Ninjas US, Zero Trust, and Conditional Access! | 18 Dec 2025 | 00:29:37 | |
Welcome to Episode 417 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast. In this episode of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast, Jay Leask joins Ben once more as the two of them recap their experience at Workplace Ninjas US in Dallas, Texas. They discuss conference highlights, the unique hackathon, engaging sessions, the Clippy Bucks system, and the importance of community and inclusion. The conversation also covers upcoming events, memorable attendee interactions, and new traditions for future conferences. Show Notes About the sponsorsWould you like to become the irreplaceable Microsoft 365 resource for your organization? Let us know! | |||
| Episode 416 – Microsoft Sentinel, Security, and Ignite with Henrik Wojcik | 04 Dec 2025 | 00:32:38 | |
Welcome to Episode 416 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast. In this week’s episode, Ben finally has a chance to sit down with Henrik Wojcik. Henrik has been a long-time listener as well as a fellow Microsoft MVP in Security and we finally had the chance to sit down and record an episode together, something we’ve talked about doing for years. As they sit down and enjoy a sunny afternoon in at Microsoft Ignite in San Francisco they discuss security in the financial sector, EU regulations (N2 and DORA), integrating Data Lake with Sentinel, optimizing log analytics, and the latest on Security Copilot and E5 licensing. They also spend some time chatting about some of their conference highlights, assisting as proctors in the hands-on labs, and the unique experience of Ignite in San Francisco. Show Notes
Henrik F. Wojcik Henrik has worked in the IT industry since 2003. He’s always had a passion for learning new technologies and expanding his knowledge through various means such as online courses, webinars, and reading up on the latest developments in the industry. Throughout his career, he’s gained experience in various areas of IT, making him a true jack of all trades. However, his latest interests lie in the security space, modern workplace and management in Azure, with a particular focus on cyber security. He has experience working with products such as Defender for Endpoint, Defender for Identity, Defender for Cloud Apps, Defender for Office 365, Conditional Access, Microsoft Sentinel, and Microsof t Entra ID. His primary focus is on security on Azure workloads and identity (Entra ID). He prioritizes security awareness and believe that learning never stops, which is why He’s always eager to expand my knowledge and skillset. In the past, He’s also worked with various tools and technologies such as Cisco, Citrix, Dynamics AX, Exchange, ITIL, Azure, SCCM & SCOM, Scrum & Kanban, VMware, Windows Servers, and Windows Desktops. About the sponsorsWould you like to become the irreplaceable Microsoft 365 resource for your organization? Let us know! | |||
| Episode 415 – Diving Into Ignite 2025 for IT Pros and AI Agent Management | 20 Nov 2025 | 00:30:05 | |
Welcome to Episode 415 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast. Ben and Scott discuss the major announcements from Microsoft Ignite 2025, focusing on the dominant themes of AI agents and security. The conversation centers on three key areas: Security Copilot updates, Agent 365 for governance, and the broader security and management implications for IT professionals. Key Discussion Topics
12 new Security Copilot agents coming to Defender, Entra, Intune, and Purview
Security Operations (Defender + Sentinel)
Addresses the critical problem of agent sprawl and governance
Registry: Complete inventory of all agents (registered, unregistered, and shadow agents
Approve pending agent requests
Agent security is the new frontier: All major product announcements (Purview, Entra, Defender) are focused on agent governance
Ignite 2025 is heavily focused on AI and security – limited announcements for traditional products like SharePoint, Teams, or Loop
Would you like to become the irreplaceable Microsoft 365 resource for your organization? Let us know! | |||
| Episode 414 – When the Cloud Falls: Understanding the AWS and Azure Outages of October 2025 | 06 Nov 2025 | 00:28:40 | |
Welcome to Episode 414 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast.This episode covers the major cloud service disruptions that impacted both AWS and Azure in October 2025. Even the biggest cloud providers face operational challenges. Learn what happened, how it was resolved, and what IT pros should keep in mind for future resilience planning. Show Notes About the sponsorsWould you like to become the irreplaceable Microsoft 365 resource for your organization? Let us know! | |||
| Episode 413 – Simplifying Azure Files with a new file share-centric management model | 23 Oct 2025 | 00:36:23 | |
Welcome to Episode 413 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast. Microsoft has introduced a new file share-centric management model for Azure Files, aiming to eliminate the complexity of managing storage accounts. This model treats file shares as top-level Azure resources, allowing for easier automation, granular access control, and independent scaling. It also simplifies billing with transparent pricing and supports up to 1,000 file shares per subscription per region in the current preview. Show Notes
Would you like to become the irreplaceable Microsoft 365 resource for your organization? Let us know! | |||
| Episode 412 – Microsoft Sentinel Gets a Data Lake | 09 Oct 2025 | 00:32:16 | |
Welcome to Episode 412 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast. In this episode, we explore three announcements from Microsoft that are reshaping how security teams work with Sentinel. From a reimagined data architecture to AI integration and new visualization capabilities, Microsoft is doubling down on making security operations more intelligent, efficient, and accessible. Whether you’re a seasoned SOC analyst or just getting started with cloud security, these updates offer powerful new ways to detect threats, investigate incidents, and understand your security posture. Show Notes
Would you like to become the irreplaceable Microsoft 365 resource for your organization? Let us know! | |||
| Episode 411 – Securing AI with Microsoft Purview: Data Security Posture Management for AI | 25 Sep 2025 | 00:36:01 | |
Welcome back to another episode of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast! In this episode, we dive deep into one of Microsoft Purview’s AI monitoring and protection capabilities: Data Security Posture Management (DSPM) for AI – your secret weapon for monitoring and securing AI usage across your organization. Show Notes
Would you like to become the irreplaceable Microsoft 365 resource for your organization? Let us know! | |||
| Episode 410 – Joy and Jay take over and talk Change Management | 11 Sep 2025 | 00:32:56 | |
** Welcome to Episode 410 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast where hosts Jay Leask and Joy Apple are joined by special guest Ben Stegink for a discussion recorded live from the North American Cloud and Collaboration Summit in Branson. In this episode we focus on how organizations must adapt their change management approaches for the Microsoft 365 cloud environment.We discuss the fundamental shift from traditional IT operations, where organizations controlled software update timing, to cloud-based services with continuous updates outside of their control. Jay and Joy emphasize that successful modern IT requires cross-functional teams where IT partners closely with business units, communications, and training departments rather than operating in isolation. We then talk about the need for a shift in governance models to empower business users while requiring IT to balance user control with necessary oversight.Key themes include the importance of ongoing communication and adoption strategies, using tools like Viva Engage communities for peer-to-peer support, and adopting a “yes, and” approach to business requests rather than defaulting to “no.” The episode emphasizes treating technology deployment as an ongoing service relationship rather than a one-time project, which is essential for success in the rapidly evolving cloud environment. Show NotesJoy Apple Joy is a Microsoft MVP and Director of Success and Enablement at Orchestry. With years of experience as an information technologist, I’m dedicated to helping organizations implement technology with a purpose-driven, “human-first” approach, ensuring tools like Microsoft 365 empower people to do their best work. Teaching and knowledge-sharing are at the heart of what I do. Whether it’s through volunteering in the Microsoft Community, speaking at events, or writing as the “Joy of SharePoint,” I’m passionate about helping others unlock their potential with modern workplace solutions. Im also a cohost of the Guardians of M365 Governance podcast, where I explore the challenges and rewards of governance, and a columnist for She is Tulsa, a quarterly magazine celebrating impactful stories from my local community. Outside of work, you’ll often find me enjoying live music or discovering new spots in Tulsa, Oklahoma, combining my love of connection and creativity wherever I go. Jay Leask Jay is a Principal Technical Architect at the Washington DC Microsoft Innovation Hub specializing in Modern Work. Jay facilitates discussions on modern IT practices, using 20 years of IT experience to engage customers in solutions design with a focus on increased the value and decreased risk within collaboration investments. His focus over the last 15 years has been on public sector organizations including state, local, and Federal government, as well as education institutions. Links Would you like to become the irreplaceable Microsoft 365 resource** for your organization? Let us know! | |||
| Episode 409 – Preparing for Copilot- Securing Your Microsoft 365 Data and Beyond | 28 Aug 2025 | 00:39:50 | |
Welcome to Episode 409 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast. In this episode, Ben and Scott explore the configuration decisions tenant administrators face when preparing their Microsoft 365 environment for Copilot deployment. They dive into the key questions every IT professional should be asking: How do you identify and remediate oversharing in SharePoint sites before Copilot can access that content? What governance controls should be in place to prevent sensitive data from being discoverable through organization-wide search? The hosts examine practical tools for identifying high-risk sites and content, how to control which sites appear in Copilot results, and other configuration options that allow you to optimize how Copilot processes organizational content. Show NotesWould you like to become the irreplaceable Microsoft 365 resource for your organization? Let us know! | |||
| Episode 408 – Model Context Protocol (MCP) Part 2: Getting the Most Out of MCP Servers | 14 Aug 2025 | 00:36:33 | |
Welcome to Episode 408 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast. Part two of our exploration into Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers continues our hands-on discussion about finding, implementing, and getting the most out of MCP servers in your daily workflows. Show Notes About the sponsorsWould you like to become the irreplaceable Microsoft 365 resource for your organization? Let us know! | |||
| Episode 407 – Model Context Protocol (MCP) Part 1: The USB Port of AI Communications | 31 Jul 2025 | 00:30:51 | |
Welcome to Episode 407 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast. In this episode, we dive deep into the Model Context Protocol (MCP) – a game-changing specification that’s extending the capabilities of Large Language Models (LLMs) and creating exciting new possibilities for IT professionals working with Microsoft Azure and Microsoft 365. MCP represents a significant shift toward more extensible and domain-specific AI interactions. Instead of being limited to pre-trained knowledge, you can now connect your AI tools directly to live data sources, APIs, and services that matter to your specific role and organization. Whether you’re managing Azure infrastructure, creating content, or developing solutions, MCP provides a framework to make your AI interactions more powerful and contextually relevant to your daily workflows. Show NotesWould you like to become the irreplaceable Microsoft 365 resource for your organization? Let us know! | |||
| Episode 406 – Agents of Insight: Copilot in Action and Sentinel on the Move | 17 Jul 2025 | 00:36:12 | |
Welcome to Episode 406 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast. In this episode, Ben and Scott discuss their recent experiences and thoughts on Microsoft’s Copilot features and agents, specifically focusing on the Researcher and Analyst agents. They share practical applications and benefits of these tools, such as using Researcher for meeting preparations and Analyst for exploring data, summarizing data, and even coming up with python script to use with data. Additionally, they cover the upcoming migration of Microsoft Sentinel to the Defender portal, discussing its implications and potential future changes for other security tools. The episode ends with a teaser about an upcoming discussion on MCPs for AI! Show Notes
Would you like to become the irreplaceable Microsoft 365 resource for your organization? Let us know! | |||
| Episode 405 – Loop, Loop Workspaces, Loop Pages, Copilot Pages, Copilot Notebooks, Copilot Notebooks in OneNote Notebooks | 03 Jul 2025 | 00:26:21 | |
Welcome to Episode 405 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast. In this episode, Ben and Scott tackle the increasingly complex world of Microsoft’s notebook ecosystem, exploring the new Copilot notebooks feature and how it relates to existing tools like OneNote and Loop. They break down the confusing landscape where “a notebook is not a notebook unless a notebook is a notebook in the right place.” Show Notes
Would you like to become the irreplaceable Microsoft 365 resource for your organization? Let us know! | |||
| Episode 404: The Microsoft 365 Landing Page Shake-Up | 20 Jun 2025 | 00:37:52 | |
Welcome to Episode 404 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast. In this episode, Ben and Scott discuss the latest change Microsoft has rolled out to the Microsoft 365 user experience, redirecting users from the familiar portal.office.com to a new Copilot-centric landing page. This shift has caught many IT professionals off guard, rendering existing training documentation obsolete and creating user confusion across organizations. Show NotesWould you like to become the irreplaceable Microsoft 365 resource for your organization? Let us know! | |||
| Episode 403 – Catching up on all the news from Microsoft Build 2025 | 05 Jun 2025 | 00:40:00 | |
Welcome to Episode 403 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast where Ben and Scott catch up on some of their favorite announcements and news from Microsoft Build 2025. Show Notes
Would you like to become the irreplaceable Microsoft 365 resource for your organization? Let us know! | |||
| Episode 402 – Declarative Agents with Andrew Connell | 22 May 2025 | 00:33:55 | |
Welcome to Episode 402 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast. In today’s episode, we’re thrilled to have Andrew Connell (AC) joining us once again. If you’ve been with us for a while, you’ll recognize AC as a repeat guest and one of the early voices who encouraged us to launch this podcast. In this episode, we’re diving deep into the world of Microsoft Copilot agents from a bit of a developer’s perspective . We expand on insights from Episode 400 and helping us understand some additional intricacies of how Copilot works under the hood. We’ll break down the different billing models and some limitations in what they provide and why having at least one $30 license is key to unlocking the semantic index. We’ll also explore how Copilot uses semantic indexing to ground responses in your organization’s data, and how it respects user permissions through access control lists. But it’s not all smooth sailing—AC also walks us through some of the current limitations, like missing metadata and large file indexing. He also shares a potential workaround using Azure AI Search for those needing more comprehensive coverage. Finally, we this weeks Microsoft Build Conference and tease a potential future episode where ACw will return to talk about custom Copilot development. Andrew Connell
Would you like to become the irreplaceable Microsoft 365 resource** for your organization? Let us know! | |||
| Episode 401 – Zero Trust in Microsoft 365 | 08 May 2025 | 00:39:09 | |
Welcome to Episode 401 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast. In this episode, Ben Stegink and Scott Hoag dive into the intricacies of implementing Zero Trust principles within Microsoft 365 environments. They explore the foundational aspects of Zero Trust, starting with identity management and the importance of Entra ID. They also cover:
Would you like to become the irreplaceable Microsoft 365 resource for your organization? Let us know! | |||
| Episode 400 – Microsoft 365 Copilot Declarative Agents and Copilot Studio Agent Builder | 24 Apr 2025 | 00:36:20 | |
Welcome to Episode 400 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast. In this episode, Ben and Scott explore how IT professionals and developers can leverage Microsoft 365 Copilot’s declarative agents and the Copilot Studio Agent Builder to enhance productivity and streamline workflows within their organizations. Declarative agents allow you to define specific tasks and workflows, enabling Copilot to assist users more effectively. With the Copilot Studio Agent Builder, creating these agents becomes a streamlined process, even for those with minimal coding experience. Listen and learn how to build, deploy, and manage these agents, licensing considerations, and best practices to maximize their impact in your organization. Show NotesWould you like to become the irreplaceable Microsoft 365 resource for your organization? Let us know! | |||
| Episode 399 – Azure Infrastructure as Code with Greg Suttie | 10 Apr 2025 | 00:31:04 | |
Welcome to Episode 399 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast. In this episode, we bring you another interview from the MVP Summit. In this episode, we were able to meet up with long time listener Greg Suttie and talk about his path to becoming an MVP as well as some of what he’s been working on in Azure. We cover everything he been doing with Infrastructure as code around Bicep, Azure Verified Modules, Azure Bicep Configuration files and more! **Greg Suttie Greg is an Azure MVP and Microsoft Certified Trainer. He also a passionate developer with 25 years experience, mainly with Microsoft Technologies and background is a .NET developer since the start of .NET. – He was one of the first 50 people in the world to become an MCSD developer back in the day. Recently awarded the Outstanding contribution to the Microsoft Community UK Winner and then the Outstanding contribution to the Microsoft Community Global Winner both for 2023. Show NotesWould you like to become the irreplaceable Microsoft 365 resource** for your organization? Let us know! | |||
| Episode 398 – PowerShell and Intune with Harm Veenstra | 27 Mar 2025 | 00:31:34 | |
Welcome to Episode 398 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast. In this episode Ben meets up with Harm Veenstra at the annual Microsoft MVP Summit. They chat a bit about Harm experience as an MVP and his path to becoming an MVP. Then the move into a few technologies near and dear to Harm, PowerShell and Microsoft Intune. They start off talking about some of the ways Harm uses PowerShell and some of his favorite scripts. They talk about how he uses PowerShell with Intune, in particular using it with remediation scripts. Harm Veenstra Harm started working at 18, from a ServiceDesk employee to a workspace and system engineer at a large insurance firm in the Netherlands. 1996, those were the days! After working there for almost 11 years, Harm had different system engineer jobs and learned much about Citrix, Cisco, VMWare, storage, and Microsoft. Currently, He’s employed at NEXXT (https://www.nexxt.one) as a Consultant, mainly in Endpoint Management, but He does anything Microsoft 😉 (Client, Server, 365, and Azure). And… He became a Microsoft MVP in March 2024 in PowerShell! Show NotesWould you like to become the irreplaceable Microsoft 365 resource for your organization? Let us know! | |||
| Episode 397 – Local LLMs: Why Every Microsoft 365 & Azure Pro Should Explore Them | 13 Mar 2025 | 00:44:22 | |
Welcome to Episode 397 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast. In this episode, Scott and Ben dive into the world of local LLMs—large language models that run entirely on your device. We’re going to explore why more IT pros and developers are experimenting with them, the kinds of models you can run, and how you can integrate them directly into your workflow, including in Visual Studio Code for AI-assisted coding. Show NotesWould you like to become the irreplaceable Microsoft 365 resource for your organization? Let us know! | |||
| Episode 396 – Lessons from a real-life ransomware attack | 27 Feb 2025 | 00:36:52 | |
Welcome to Episode 396 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast. In this episode, Ben walks Scott through a ransomware attack on an on-premises VMware environment. As they discuss the attack and the results of it, they also talk through some lessons and considerations that could have helped mitigate such an attack. Show Notes
Would you like to become the irreplaceable Microsoft 365 resource for your organization? Let us know! | |||
| Episode 395 – Getting Started with VDI in Azure with Azure Virtual Desktop | 13 Feb 2025 | 00:43:42 | |
Welcome to Episode 395 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast. In this episode, we dive into Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) and how it enables organizations to deliver secure, scalable Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) in the cloud. Whether you’re looking to modernize remote work, enhance security, or optimize IT costs, AVD provides a flexible solution for accessing virtualized Windows desktops and applications from anywhere.Topics covered include:
Whether you’re an IT admin or just exploring VDI in Azure, this episode is packed with insights to help you get started. Tune in and take your remote desktop strategy to the next level! Show NotesWould you like to become the irreplaceable Microsoft 365 resource for your organization? Let us know! | |||
| Episode 394 – Prepare your Microsoft 365 Tenant for Copilot Success | 30 Jan 2025 | 00:42:07 | |
Welcome to Episode 394 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast. In this episode, we explore everything you need to know to get your Microsoft 365 tenant ready for Copilot. From licensing requirements to deployment best practices, we break down the steps to ensure a seamless setup.Key topics include:
We also cover the newly announced Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat initiative and the evolving role of AI-driven collaboration tools in business workflows. Whether you’re an IT admin or a decision-maker, this episode provides the insights you need to deploy Copilot successfully and harness its full potential.Don’t miss this comprehensive guide to preparing your organization for the future of AI-powered productivity! Show Notes
Would you like to become the irreplaceable Microsoft 365 resource for your organization? Let us know! | |||
| Episode 393 – Microsoft Teams Meeting Room Solutions with Alex Mooney | 17 Jan 2025 | 00:30:12 | |
Welcome to Episode 393 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast. In this episode, Ben is joined on the show by Alex Mooney from Logitech. The two of them discuss the integration of technology into meetings. They start out discussion AI for transcribing in-person meetings, highlighting some of their benefits and then shift into discussion various meeting room systems for Microsoft Teams. They discuss some of the offerings from Logitech including the Rally Bar Huddle, Rally Bar Mini, and Rally Bar and how they are certified for both Android and Windows to work in different scenarios for building out your Microsoft Teams Room system. Show Notes
With a leadership role at Logitech, Alex has had the exciting opportunity to shape the future of digital workspaces. He’s directed major collaborations, including the impactful partnership between Logitech and Microsoft that’s driving billions in revenue. These aren’t just business deals, they’re transformations—helping companies worldwide navigate the ever-changing terrain of technology. Creating and implementing innovative solutions is part of Alex’s DNA. Project Ghost, an immersive video conferencing experience, is just one of the many successful initiatives that he’s been proud to lead. He’s often invited to share my insights on industry trends and strategies at key events and in publications. It’s a role he relishes — helping others grasp the opportunities that this rapid era of technological change brings. His focus is always forward, on the potential of what can be achieved together in the fields of collaboration and efficiency. Alex on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexm00ney/ About the sponsorsWould you like to become the irreplaceable Microsoft 365 resource for your organization? Let us know! | |||
| Episode 392 – Building Confidence In Your Microsoft Copilot Deployment with AvePoint CTO John Peluso | 03 Jan 2025 | 00:31:08 | |
Welcome to Episode 392 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast. In this episode, Ben interviews AvePoint CTO John Peluso. Listen in as they discuss Copilot in Microsoft 365 and how to govern and gain insights on your Copilot usage in your organization. Copilot in Microsoft 365 is becoming a critical tool to supporting modern work. As Microsoft continues to iterate and improve on Microsoft Copilot, partners such as AvePoint help to augment the administration and analytics of Copilot adoption in your organization. While Copilot enables your workforce with the tools to their jobs, Microsoft and AvePoint also provide the tools for administrators to empower their workforce quickly in a safe way. Another part of the puzzle of administering Copilot is how do you measure AI adoption in your organization, benchmark your organization against similar organizations, and understand the activity levels and adoption of Copilot? Listen in to hear about how AI tools like Copilot and AI in general can be governed in Microsoft 365 and how you can gain insights into how to approach analyzing Copilot adoption in your organization. Show Notes
Would you like to become the irreplaceable Microsoft 365 resource for your organization? Let us know! | |||
| Episode 391 – Remote Desktop and Application Delivery with Kamal Srinivasan from Parallels | 19 Dec 2024 | 00:24:12 | |
Welcome to Episode 391 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast. In this episode, Scott sits down with Kamal Srinivasan from Parallels to talk how you can think about delivering applications and desktops to your users in post-Citrix world. As the traditional “Citrix” model faces disruption, we explore how remote work, hybrid scenarios, and cloud-based computing are redefining how organizations deliver applications and desktops to end users. Key topics include:
Listen in and learn how your organization can streamline operations and empower your workforce with flexible, efficient application and desktop delivery. Show Notes About the sponsorsWould you like to become the irreplaceable Microsoft 365 resource for your organization? Let us know! | |||
| Episode 390: Microsoft Ignite 2024: Windows 365 Link | 05 Dec 2024 | 00:18:13 | |
Welcome to Episode 390 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast, live from Microsoft Ignite 2024! In this episode Ben sits down for a chat with Melissa Grant, head of product marketing for Windows 11 Enterprise, Windows 365, and Azure Virtual Desktop at Microsoft. Melissa discusses her tenure at Microsoft and the evolution of cloud-based Windows offerings, starting with the launch of Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) five years ago and transitioning into Windows 365. They also discuss Windows 365 Link, Microsoft’s new dedicated endpoint device, designed for seamless, secure connections Windows 365 Cloud PCs. This device reduces the need for extensive IT management and resources by simplifying deployment process, and providing security benefits based on feedback from some of Microsoft’s customers. Melissa Grant** Melissa Grant leads product marketing for Windows Enterprise, Windows 365 and Azure Virtual Desktop within Microsoft Modern Work. She and her team are dedicated to delivering secure, productive and efficient commercial solutions so customers can do their best work with Windows. Show Notes About the sponsorsWould you like to become the irreplaceable Microsoft 365 resource** for your organization? Let us know! | |||