18Sep2020
08Sep2020
A Tale of Two Incidents
I have two stories to share today. Both are from individuals who contacted me about recent Cybersecurity incidents that their MSP had suffered. Both incidents were very different, and yet they share some common threads and lessons that I think we would be wise to heed. And this is all...
01Sep2020
A simpler Conditional Access baseline
Some folks have written to me about the "complexity" of my Conditional Access guide and were hoping to find something a bit simpler. This surprised me, and initially I shrugged it off. But I have heard this feedback more than once now, so I decided to take this thought experiment...
18Aug2020
Behold: The Power of Sensitivity Labels
Even though some people are aware of the concepts of Data Classification and tools such as Microsoft 365 Sensitivity Labels, I do not think that many of us out there have yet grasped the full implications, or taken the long view, so to speak. Note: this is a longer read....
21Jul2020
My opinion on Microsoft Threat Protection for the SMB
Since I released my guide on Microsoft 365 E5 Security and Microsoft Threat Protection, I have been getting a lot of questions and comments about my stance on the use of these products for SMB customers. I left it too neutral, I guess, in the original publication. So, let me...
14Jul2020
U.K. Cyber Essentials Simple Assessment Tool
I recently came across the U.K.'s Cyber Essentials, as published by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC). Not two days after I learned about this simple control framework while on a conference call spanning several time zones with friends from around the world, that I received this email from a...
26Jun2020
Password sync in the age of COVID-19
This is something I have been seeing and hearing a lot from customers. So I thought it would be a good time to address the age-old topic of Directory Synchronization. Azure AD Connect is usually the best way to get up and running quickly in the Microsoft 365 cloud, especially...
15Jun2020
Implementing the ACSC Essential 8 with Microsoft 365
I have had this request on my backburner for a while, and I finally got around to knocking it out: from a reader in the Land Down Under--Australia! Update: Microsoft has a much-improved set of Learn articles on the Essential Eight, with detailed guidance on implementing the three Maturity Levels (MLs)...
12Jun2020
Managed Services Opportunities within Microsoft 365
I still regularly receive questions from independent IT consultants as well as Managed Services Providers about Microsoft 365 in relation to "regular maintenance" tasks and the like, which can be translated into Managed Services opportunity. Everyone intuitively understands that something like this is possible, but they do not know where...
04Jun2020