Preparing for Microsoft Cybersecurity Architect Exam

If you are a Cybersecurity professional or You are already on the Journey to become one, having relevant Cybersecurity certification is essential. And  if you are working for an Organization which is adopting Microsoft Security products and Technologies, and in the Journey of implementing Zero Trust Security and strengthening the Security Landscape, and you are part of the team driving this efforts having this Microsoft Certification is an vital.

You can access the Exam details here: Exam SC-100: Microsoft Cybersecurity Architect

Utilize the MS Learn modules available for this exam below to start your learning Journey.

To advance to the Expert Level, Complete the Architect Expert certification as your next step, Access here to know more: Microsoft Certified: Cybersecurity Architect Expert

Microsoft Ignite 2023

Microsoft Ignite 2023 is around the corner, this year event is occurring between November 14 -17 and you can register for in person attendance or online if you are attending the event virtually. 

Register here: Microsoft Ignite 2023

Follow @MS_Ignite handle for latest updates.

Microsoft Copilot is now here !

Today Microsoft made an exciting announcement on their latest AI Innovation "Microsoft Copilot" which unifies the existing Copilot experiences on Windows11, Microsoft 365,  Bing and Edge.

Access the Official Blog here to know more: Announcing Microsoft Copilot, your everyday AI companion

You can view the New York Event here: Introducing a new era of AI with Copilot from Microsoft

Let's Learn AI Today!

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is driving today's world, and understanding What is AI?  How AI works? and What impact it has on the Human life? are essential, and if you are Technology Professional having AI knowledge is your next step forward in your career.

We have many resources available today begin your AI Journey, this where to post outlines few of the available resources from Microsoft, Google, Gartner and few other key resources to know.

• Access the OpenAI site to begin : https://openai.com/
• A best resource to start your AI Journey: Artificial Intelligence for Beginners - A Curriculum
• An Excellent Course from Microsoft & LinkedIn: Career Essentials in Generative AI by Microsoft and LinkedIn
• New AI Challenge : Announcing ‘AI Kick-off projects’ Learning Challenges on Microsoft Learn
• A complete collection of Essential AI Learning resources from Microsoft: AI learning and community hub
• Introduction to Generative AI Learning Path from Google: Introduction to Generative AI Learning Path
• Generative AI Training from Google: Generative AI on Google Cloud: New training content, from introductory to advanced
• Gartner: What Is Artificial Intelligence?
• Gartner: What is Generative AI?
• Also read: What’s New in Artificial Intelligence from the 2023 Gartner Hype Cycle and 4 Emerging Technologies You Need to Know About

Review the Life Architect Site by Dr Alan D. Thompson renowned world expert in artificial intelligence (AI) to know the latest updates on the AI World.

Get to know Copilot !

Copilot is the latest buzz word in the IT world today, and Microsoft has expanded Copilot across their multiple product lines and innovations are happening rapidly in this space, Most Organizations which embrace AI have started to explore the products to get the benefits of Modern ways of working.

You can navigate to the Microsoft Official site to know more on these products here

Also Read: Microsoft announces new Copilot Copyright Commitment for customers

Microsoft Secure Digital Event - Register Now!

Microsoft Security team is hosting a new digital event next month March 28, 2023 designed for Security Professionals.

Access the blog post here: Learn what an AI-driven future means for cybersecurity at Microsoft Secure

Register here: Microsoft Secure 

Microsoft Azure Connected Learning Experience (CLX)

Microsoft Azure Connected Learning Experience (CLX) is an experiential training program that sets a trajectory for aspiring learners and working professionals to be Azure experts. The CLX program offers a personalized journey that aims to optimize learning experience while maximizing return on time invested. 

The journey is divided into four steps to facilitate effective learning:

Access here to know more and register soon: Microsoft Azure Connected Learning Experience (CLX) 

This is a great resource to prepare for few of the Azure Certifications and you can review the Azure Certification guide below and utilize the learning resources to support your Certification Journey

Download here: Microsoft Azure training and certifications

Follow @MicrosoftLearn for latest updates.

Free Practice Assessments on Microsoft Learn

Microsoft team has announced free practice assessments today to support your Certification Journey via MS Learn.

Access the Official blog here: Prep for certification exams with free Practice Assessments on Microsoft Learn

Follow @MicrosoftLearn for latest updates.

Skilling Snack Series

Microsoft team has recently started a new blog series to provide you with essential resources improve your Windows security, deployment, and management skills.

Below are the available Skilling Snacks published till date in the Series

• Skilling snack: Windows security fundamentals
• Skilling snack: Windows feature update management
• Skilling snack: Windows end-user readiness
• Skilling snack: From on premises to the cloud
• Skilling snack: Intro to Azure Active Directory
• Skilling snack: Windows Autopilot
• Skilling snack: Windows 365 or Azure Virtual Desktop

You can access the detailed post and view the latest collection here: Windows skilling snacks: bite-sized learning for IT pros

Follow Windows IT Pro Blog for more updates.

Microsoft Security, Compliance, and Identity training and certifications Guide

Microsoft Security team has published Microsoft Security training and certifications guide which is designed to outline the training and certification options and available resources that can help you to achieve your personal and professional goals.

Download the guide here: Microsoft Security, Compliance, and Identity training and certifications

Data Loss Prevention: From on-premises to cloud E-book

Data protection plays a major role in today's World for any Organization and each Organization has various strategies to protect their data from today's cyber attacks. Having a clear understanding on the data landscape and properly planning and implementing Data loss protection can secure your Organization.

Microsoft Security team has published a great write-up on the Data Loss Prevention strategy and how we can secure the environment in the evolving landscape.

Download here: Data Loss Prevention: From on-premises to cloud E-book 

Microsoft Intune Suite

Microsoft Intune has introduced the Microsoft Intune Suite this week which unifies mission-critical advanced endpoint management and security solutions into one simple bundle.

You can access the Official announcement here: The Microsoft Intune Suite fuels cyber safety and IT efficiency

A quick introduction video here: Introducing Microsoft Intune Suite

Access here for list of Microsoft Intune Suite content links with more updates : Introducing the new Microsoft Intune Suite

Access Microsoft Mechanics Video here: New Microsoft Intune Suite with Privilege Management, Advanced Analytics, Remote Help & App VPN

To know more attend the upcoming Tech Accelerator sessions including Ask Me Anything ( AMA) Sessions.

RSVP here: Tech Accelerator: Microsoft Intune Suite

Follow @IntuneSuppTeam on Twitter and @Intune_Support_Team in Microsoft Techcommunity for latest updates.

Microsoft Purview upcoming Webinars

Microsoft Security team is hosting couple of new Webinars this month on Microsoft Purview register soon.

Register here: Data Security - Microsoft Purview Information Protection vs. Defender for Cloud Apps

Register here: Microsoft Purview – the End-to-End story for governing your data estate

Microsoft Viva

Microsoft Viva is the first Employee experience platforms (EXP) built for the digital era. Microsoft Viva brings together communications, knowledge, learning, resources, and insights into an integrated experience that empowers people and teams to be their best, from anywhere.

Many Organizations have adopted Microsoft Viva built within Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Teams and if you are new to the product, you can use the below resources to start with Microsoft Viva.

Access Official Site here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-viva

Access Microsoft Adoption resources here: Microsoft Viva Adoption

Help and Learning resources: Microsoft Viva help & learning

MSLearn Official documentation and Resources can be accessed here: Microsoft Viva

Register for upcoming Microsoft Virtual Academy session and upcoming Microsoft Viva events here: Microsoft Viva Events 

Microsoft Cloud Skills Challenge

Take up the Microsoft Cloud Skills Challenge and complete the learning specific to the certification path and you can be eligible for 50 percent off the cost of a Microsoft Certification exam by completing your challenge within 30 days.

Access the available challenge here: Microsoft Cloud Skills Challenge

Also access this blog post to know the Microsoft Learn Career paths available to help you in choosing the right Certification path for the desired Job Role :  Three ways to learn in-demand technical skills on Microsoft Learn

All the best for your Certification Journey !

Zero Trust illustrations for IT architects and implementers

As an IT architect or implementer, you can use these resources from Microsoft for deployment steps, reference architectures, and logical architectures to more quickly apply Zero Trust principles to your existing environment for Microsoft 365 and Azure IaaS

Microsoft 365 : Zero Trust deployment plan with Microsoft 365

Azure IaaS: Apply Zero Trust to Azure IaaS

Access the resources here: Zero Trust illustrations for IT architects and implementers

PowerShell Notes for Professionals E-Book

PowerShell is a very strong scripting tool and it has evolved a lot in the recent years and I came across an excellent E-Book for IT professionals thats suitable for both beginners and advanced professionals working with PowerShell

You can download the latest e-book version from here : PowerShell Notes for Professionals

Navigate to the PowerShell Gallery for more resources : https://www.powershellgallery.com/

Microsoft Exam Sandbox

Microsoft has created a Sandbox Microsoft Exam demo environment which is designed to help you become familiar with the exam interface and the different types of questions you'll come across in Microsoft Certification exams.

For people who are new to Microsoft Certification Exam and would like to get first hand Exam demo experience this is a great tool.

Access the Sandbox here: Microsoft Exam Sandbox 

You can get more information on the various available certifications, Study guides, Self- Paced Training Modules etc. and also take the free Practice tests available for few of the Certifications from here: Microsoft Certifications

Microsoft 365 Defender & Microsoft Sentinal

Microsoft 365 Defender is one of the key Security suite which is now being adopted by multiple Organizations, Microsoft 365 Defender has multiple products and solutions and each play a vital role in your Organizational security.

To get a Quick overview you of Microsoft 365 Defender you can access the Interactive guide below 

Access here: Microsoft 365 Defender interactive guide

Access the complete product documentation and resource references here: Microsoft 365 Defender

To know more you can access the Virtual Ninja trainings from @HeikeRitter MSFT

Access here : Microsoft 365 Defender Virtual Ninja Training

Microsoft Sentinel

Microsoft Sentinel plays a vital role in your Security Infrastructure delivering intelligent security analytics and threat intelligence across the enterprise. 

Access the documentation and resource references here : Microsoft Sentinel documentation

Also review the Microsoft Sentinel Best practices e-book and documentation below

Download E-book here: Azure Sentinel Deployment Best practices 

Technical Documentation here: Best practices for Microsoft Sentinel

Register for the upcoming Microsoft Sentinel Unveiled Series 

Register here: Microsoft Sentinel Unveiled 1/2: Maximizing your Budget, Unlocking Cost Optimization and Log Management Best Practices for Microsoft Sentinel!

Register here: Microsoft Sentinel Unveiled 2/2: A Complete Guide to Onboarding, Migration, and Architectural Best Practices with Azure Lighthouse & GDAP for MSSPs

Additionally, I came across an excellent Notes from the field article using Microsoft Security and Microsoft 365 Defender from David Caddick MSFT which provides great walkthrough of the Microsoft Defender products in action and show cases how you can get the best out of it.

Access here : Get Security Done (GSD) - Microsoft Security & M365 Defender

You can get more updates and support from Microsoft Tech community Security, Compliance, and Identity space,  Microsoft 365 Defender and Microsoft Sentinel Blogs.

Join the Security Community email list to be notified about the upcoming webinars, events, and other announcements.

Windows 365 & Azure Virtual Desktop

Windows 365 is now being adopted by multiple Organizations and both Small Business and Enterprise offerings are best fit according to the Organization size which enables them to provide a Secure workplace environment for their workforce.

You can access the Official site here: Windows 365

Product documentation is available here: Windows 365 documentation

You can access the below interactive demo showcasing Windows 365 Experience.

Access the demo here: Windows 365 Interactive Demo

Access here to Find the right Windows 365 Cloud PC for your business

Azure Virtual Desktop

Azure Virtual Desktop is another great solution from Microsoft providing securing remote work with enhanced benefits.

Access official site here: Azure Virtual Desktop

Product documentation here: Azure Virtual Desktop documentation

Access the MS Learn Self-Paced Course here : Deliver remote desktops and apps with Azure Virtual Desktop

You can access this Quick video from @WindowsITProOnYouTube to know more on both Windows 365 and Azure Virtual Desktop:  Understanding Azure Virtual Desktop and Windows 365 for hybrid work

Another great video from Ingram Micro Cloud ANZ showcases both the products in detail and their differences.

Access here: Windows 365 vs Azure Virtual Desktop

A new Skilling Snack series published on this topic : Skilling snack: Windows 365 or Azure Virtual Desktop

These videos allows you to understand and choose the right solution for your Organization.

How to migrate from Azure AD Connect to Azure AD Cloud Sync

Azure AD Cloud Sync is the new Synchronization tool and Microsoft team has published detailed guidance on how to migrate from your existing Azure AD Connect environment to Azure AD Cloud Sync.

Access and download here: Cloud Sync: Migrate from AD Connect

Documentation here: Migrating from Azure AD Connect to Azure AD Connect cloud sync

Access Tutorial here: Migrate to Azure AD Connect cloud sync for an existing synced AD forest

Register for upcoming Event this March 28, 2023. 8:00-9:00 AM, PDT : How to migrate from Azure AD Connect to Azure AD Cloud Sync

Microsoft Workshop - Migrate from AD FS to Azure AD

Microsoft Team has launched new workshop to learn how to successfully migrate from AD FS to Azure AD to benefit from improved security and better user experience for your organization.

Register for Workshop here: Microsoft workshops: How to successfully migrate away from AD FS to Azure AD

Access AD FS Decommission guide here: Active Directory Federation Services (AD FS) decommission guide

Exchange Server 2013 End is Near !

Exchange Server 2013 reaches end of support in next 60 days on 11th April 2023, its now time for your Organization to move your Exchange Server On-premises to a supported version and Microsoft has provided detailed guidance on the same.

If you are an Hybrid Organization ensure you are updating your On-premises environment to be in supported state for hybrid.

If you are planning to migrate your Environment to Exchange Online you have detailed guidance on the same including detailed steps to decommission the last Exchange 2013 server.

You can access the guidance here: Microsoft Exchange guides

Access the Exchange Team blog post here : Exchange Server 2013 End of Support Coming Soon

New Blog post here: Exchange Server 2013 End of Support Approaching Fast

Latest Blog post here: Exchange Server 2013 Reaches End of Support Next Month

Microsoft Purview

Data protection is critical to any Organization and Microsoft Purview is your one stop solution for data Governance, compliance, information protection and risk management across your entire IT estate.

Access documentation here to know more: Microsoft Purview 

Recently Microsoft hosted a digital event showcasing the benefits of using Microsoft preview and its capabilities. 

You can register and access the Event On-demand here: Go Beyond Data Protection with Microsoft Purview

Microsoft Security team has provided hands-on interactive guides for Microsoft Purview DLP , You can click on each section and navigate through the scenarios.

Access the guides here : Microsoft Purview Data Loss Prevention

Review this Tech Community Post to know how you can test and apply the retention label policies using Microsoft Purview : Deploy confidently with simulation mode for retention label policies

You can also access below resource from Microsoft Purview Customer Experience Engineering (CxE) which supplements the Official documentation and above resources with few essential information.

Access here : Microsoft Purview One-Stop-Shop (OSS)

You can get Latest updates and support from Microsoft Tech community Security, Compliance, and Identity space

Get to know Microsoft Security Products & Solutions

Microsoft team has various products and Solutions on the Identity & Access Management and Security space, and if you are looking to know what they are then Microsoft Security blog is the right place, where you have all latest changes and updates available under one roof.

Access here: Microsoft Security Blog

You can access the Microsoft events page and filter by upcoming Security events to know more on this products usage and in action.

Access here : Microsoft Security events

Learning path is available here: Microsoft Learn for Security, Compliance and Identity

Join the Security Community email list to be notified about the upcoming webinars, events, and other announcements.

Also join the Microsoft Security Customer Connection Program to get latest updates and share product feedback.

Read the blog and register for CCP here: The New Microsoft Security Customer Connection Program (CCP)

Follow @msftsecurity for all latest updates.

Microsoft Entra

Microsoft Entra a family of products that encompasses all identity and access capabilities. Microsoft Entra is the vision for identity and access that expands beyond identity and access management with new product categories such as cloud infrastructure entitlement management (CIEM) and decentralized identity.

If your organization is looking for one stop Identity and Access management solution Microsoft Entra is great choice .

Access the Microsoft Mechanics video here for a Quick overview: Manage your multi-cloud identity infrastructure with Microsoft Entra

You can access product documentation here: Microsoft Entra documentation

Download the Microsoft Entra end-user rollout templates and materials here : Microsoft Entra end-user rollout templates and materials

Also I came across an excellent E-book from Mohamed Mokhtar Elsherif with valuable gudiance.

Download here: Microsoft Entra -  The Comprehensive Guide to Secure Azure AD & User Identities

Register for the upcoming Event in March 2023 here : Microsoft Entra Permissions Management: Navigate multicloud with an integrated CIEM solution

Microsoft 365 guides

Microsoft has provided us with one stop solution to access all Microsoft 365 guides which provides key guidance on installation, configuration, and management of your Microsoft 365 tenants, apps, and services.

You can access the guides here: All Microsoft 365 guides

The Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) Workshop Training

Security plays a vital role in every Organization and in today's modern IT World implementing a strong Security strategy is crucial, if you are playing a key role in your Organization within the Security space, and interested to know more on this, Microsoft has provided an excellent workshop with all vital information and guidance to support your journey.

The Chief Information Security Office (CISO) workshop helps accelerate security program modernization with reference strategies built using Zero Trust principles.

Access here to know more: The Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) Workshop Training

You can watch the video sessions and download the slide deck and refer the essential links provided to know more on the topic.

Cybersecurity for Beginners

If you are Beginner in Cyber Security space you can review the below MS Learn official Collection with the Learning Path.

You have four great courses in this collection that would provide you with rich Cyber Security knowledge.

• Describe the basic concepts of cybersecurity
• Establish the guiding principles and core components of Zero Trust
• Examine ransomware and extortion-based threats
• Securing you: Basics and beyond

Access here : Cybersecurity is for everyone

The Comprehensive Playbook for Implementing Zero Trust Security

In the current IT world everyday we come across multiple modern threats and to mitigate the risk and protect the environment, multiple Organizations are adapting various Security frameworks and one of the key approach is "Zero Trust Security".

Microsoft Security team has recently published a comprehensive playbook outlining six key areas for implementing Zero Trust Security.

Download the ebook here: The ComprehensivePlaybook for ImplementingZero Trust Security

Access the "Zero Trust Guidance Center" to know more  on the model and deployment options.

Microsoft 365 Certification Changes a head !

Microsoft team has recently announced the upcoming changes for the existing Microsoft 365 Certifications, Some of the existing certifications are getting renamed and some are being retired.

Timeline to complete the existing certifications and renewal path details are provided in the below blog post.

Review the blog post here: Evolving Microsoft 365 certifications help keep you in sync with the new era of work

Microsoft Teams Premium Licensing now GA

Microsoft Teams Premium licensing is now generally available, Microsoft Teams Premium is a Teams add-on license that allows organizations with Microsoft 365 subscriptions to enhance their Teams experience with new features.

You can access Official blog post here: Microsoft Teams Premium: Cut costs and add AI-powered productivity

Microsoft Mechanics video here: Microsoft Teams Premium Experiences and How to Set It Up

Access here to know more on the Licensing : Microsoft Teams Premium licensing