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Desktop Analytics: Modernizing Windows 10 Updates

What is Desktop Analytics?

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Azure Cost Management: Orchestration Actions within Azure Budgets

Microsoft introduced Azure Budgets as a means to help companies plan for and drive organizational accountability. While many companies view budget enforcement from a traditional perspective such as alerts, currently Azure did not give you more direct options such as shutting down virtual machines (VMs). Using Budgets makes Azure cost management easy.

While these features are not out of the box, Azure Budgets does offer integration with Azure Action Groups. Action Groups provide a means to trigger an orchestrated set of actions resulting from a budget event. Such actions can be turning off machines when a threshold takes place (in this case when the budget is exceeded by a certain amount), for example. The action groups in term can then execute a PowerShell script (within an automation account) to perform the cost savings action.

It should be noted: this course of action does not need to be applied to all VMs. For example, the
shutdown sequence of VMs to keep within budget can be directed to machines:

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Windows Autopilot: Modern Device Management for the Hybrid Workplace


What happened?

How did we get here? A littl e more than a year ago, and as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, millions of people in the workforce were asked to start working from their home offices. Some went home with an assigned corporate laptop, but a lot went with whatever system could be found – lab machines, hastily repaired systems, and tech closet castoffs. Now, a lot of those users are continuing to work from home, even as companies start to reopen. This is part of a trend towards the hybrid workplace which was already under way pre-COVID but was accelerated by the pandemic. Windows Autopilot addresses this trend to make the process easier.

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Storage Considerations for Windows Virtual Desktop FSLogix Profile Containers


One of the pillars of Windows Virtual Desktop (WVD) is the technology behind profile container technology, referred to as FSLogix. Upon login, the FSLogix profile container is connected to the computing environment so the profile is readily available.

This then raises the question on the ideal locations to host the repository of profiles generated FSLogix usage. Aspects to consider:

  • Space usage: FSLogix Profile Containers and Office Containers are dynamic files that will grow to a maximum default size of 30 GB.
  • IOPS operation per user session: The table below illustrates the projected IO footprint per user session.
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Options for Office 365 SMTP Relay in Azure


For those trying to relay SMTP with an application in Azure to Office, base guidance and options can be found in the Microsoft article “How to set up a multifunction device or application to send email using Microsoft 365 or Office 365”. In the article, three distinct distinct options are provided for Office 365 relay, noted in the table below:

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The Top 10 Most Important Policies for Your IT Security Strategy

Policies are an essential part of an overall security strategy and are many times under-valued or overlooked completely. Organizations of all sizes often struggle with developing a comprehensive information security strategy due to the challenges of prioritizing where to begin. Strong and effective policies provide an excellent set of resources to help set expectations, provide long and short term goals, and identify gaps that may need to be closed. No matter the maturity level of your organization’s information security strategy, well written policies put you on the right path for continued development.

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Top 10 Security Compliance Policies Your Company Should Have

Information security is a key component of keeping your organization’s data secure. Without proper information security, your company could be vulnerable to cyberattacks, data breaches, or leaks of company-sensitive information. Security policies include processes for accessing and handling information, whether on-site or remotely. 

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What is a network security assessment?

Over the years, businesses’ mission-critical technology has expanded at a rapid pace. A network no longer consists of only servers, client computers, and basic networking equipment. Cloud computing has been introduced to host “X as a Service” solutions and applications that rely on big data, allow mobile and remote endpoints, network shares, and multiple communication applications, just to name a few. Even the solutions meant to secure the network and endpoints have grown complex to the point where a misconfigured security solution could leave an organization vulnerable.

This is why many organizations turn to outside partners to conduct a network security assessment. Having one performed by a trusted partner lets you know not only where your organization's security posture currently stands, but also what you can do to better protect yourself from the current threat landscape.

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3 Tips When Creating an IT Security Strategy

When it comes to data breaches, the numbers don’t lie. The most recent Cost of a Data Breach Report from Ponemon shows that the average cost of a data breach is $3.92 million, and the average size comes in at over 25,000 records lost.

SMBs are no longer safe from the crosshairs of cybercriminals, either. According to Fundera, 43 percent of cyberattacks target small businesses, and three out of four SMBs don’t feel they have the personnel to properly address IT security.

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