Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast
Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast

Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast

Ben Stegink, Scott Hoag

Overview
Episodes

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Your Microsoft Cloud News from a couple of IT Pros

Recent Episodes

Episode 417 – Workplace Ninjas US, Zero Trust, and Conditional Access!
DEC 18, 2025
Episode 417 – Workplace Ninjas US, Zero Trust, and Conditional Access!
<div> <p><!--ScriptorStartFragment--></p> <div class="scriptor-paragraph">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.</div> </div> <p><strong>Your support makes this show possible! Please consider becoming a premium member for access to live shows and more. Check out our <a href="https://www.msclouditpropodcast.com/membership">membership options</a>.</strong><!--more--></p> <h2><strong>Show Notes</strong></h2> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jleask" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jay Leask on LinkedIn</a></li> <li><a href="https://workplaceninjas.us/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Workplace Ninja&#8217;s US</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/workplace-ninjas-us/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Follow Workplace Ninjas US on LinkedIn</a></li> <li><a href="https://workplaceninjas.us/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Workplace Ninja&#8217;s US</a></li> <li><a href="https://learn.microsoft.com/security/zero-trust/?WT.mc_id=5005104" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Microsoft Zero Trust Guidance Center</a></li> <li><a href="https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/security/zero-trust/assessment/?WT.mc_id=5005104" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Microsoft Zero Trust Assessment Tool</a></li> <li><a href="https://learn.microsoft.com/entra/identity/conditional-access/?WT.mc_id=5005104" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Conditional Access</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLHcVQwe0hw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ben&#8217;s YouTube video on Authentication Context and Conditional Access</a></li> </ul> <h2><strong>About the sponsors</strong></h2> <table> <tbody> <tr> <td style="width: 301px;"><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-1727 size-full" src="https://www.msclouditpropodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Intelligink-Logo-01-e1562032712776.png" alt="Intelligink.com Logo" width="719" height="522" srcset="https://www.msclouditpropodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Intelligink-Logo-01-e1562032712776.png 719w, https://www.msclouditpropodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Intelligink-Logo-01-e1562032712776-300x218.png 300w, https://www.msclouditpropodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Intelligink-Logo-01-e1562032712776-500x363.png 500w, https://www.msclouditpropodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Intelligink-Logo-01-e1562032712776-661x480.png 661w" sizes="(max-width: 719px) 100vw, 719px" /></td> <td>Would you like to become the <b>irreplaceable Microsoft 365 resource</b> for your organization? <a href="mailto:[email protected]?subject=Irreplaceable%20Microsoft%20365%20resource&amp;body=Yes%2C%20I%20would%20love%20to%20become%20that%20resource!">Let us know!</a></td> </tr> </tbody> </table>
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29 MIN
Episode 416 – Microsoft Sentinel, Security, and Ignite with Henrik Wojcik
DEC 4, 2025
Episode 416 – Microsoft Sentinel, Security, and Ignite with Henrik Wojcik
<div> <p><!--ScriptorStartFragment--></p> <div class="scriptor-paragraph"> <p>Welcome to Episode 416 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast. In this week&#8217;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&#8217;ve talked about doing for years.</p> <p>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.</p> </div> </div> <p><strong>Your support makes this show possible! Please consider becoming a premium member for access to live shows and more. Check out our <a href="https://www.msclouditpropodcast.com/membership">membership options</a>.</strong><!--more--></p> <h2><strong>Show Notes</strong></h2> <ul> <li><a href="https://ignite.microsoft.com/en-US/home" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Microsoft Ignite (with sessions on demand)</a></li> <li><a href="https://news.microsoft.com/ignite-2025-book-of-news" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Microsoft Ignite Book of News</a></li> <li><a href="https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/microsoft-security-blog/catch-up-on-microsoft-security-sessions-and-announcements-from-ignite-2025/4473347?WT.mc_id=5005104" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Catch up on Microsoft Security sessions and announcements from Ignite 2025</a></li> <li><a href="https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/offers/sentinel-microsoft-365-offer/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Microsoft Sentinel benefit for Microsoft 365 E5, A5, F5, and G5 customers</a></li> <li><a href="https://learn.microsoft.com/copilot/security/security-copilot-inclusion?WT.mc_id=5005104" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Learn about Security Copilot inclusion in Microsoft 365 E5 subscription</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/security/blog/2025/07/22/microsoft-sentinel-data-lake-unify-signals-cut-costs-and-power-agentic-ai" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Microsoft Sentinel data lake: Unify signals, cut costs, and power agentic AI</a></li> <li><a href="https://learn.microsoft.com/azure/sentinel/datalake/sentinel-lake-overview?WT.mc_id=5005104" target="_blank" rel="noopener">What is Microsoft Sentinel data lake?</a></li> <li><a target="_blank">KQL and the Microsoft Sentinel data lake</a></li> </ul> <p><strong>Henrik F. Wojcik</strong></p> <p>Henrik has worked in the IT industry since 2003. He&#8217;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.</p> <p>Throughout his career, he&#8217;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.</p> <p>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&#8217;s always eager to expand my knowledge and skillset.</p> <p>In the past, He&#8217;s also worked with various tools and technologies such as Cisco, Citrix, Dynamics AX, Exchange, ITIL, Azure, SCCM &amp; SCOM, Scrum &amp; Kanban, VMware, Windows Servers, and Windows Desktops.</p> <h2><strong>About the sponsors</strong></h2> <table> <tbody> <tr> <td style="width: 301px;"><img decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-1727 size-full" src="https://www.msclouditpropodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Intelligink-Logo-01-e1562032712776.png" alt="Intelligink.com Logo" width="719" height="522" srcset="https://www.msclouditpropodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Intelligink-Logo-01-e1562032712776.png 719w, https://www.msclouditpropodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Intelligink-Logo-01-e1562032712776-300x218.png 300w, https://www.msclouditpropodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Intelligink-Logo-01-e1562032712776-500x363.png 500w, https://www.msclouditpropodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Intelligink-Logo-01-e1562032712776-661x480.png 661w" sizes="(max-width: 719px) 100vw, 719px" /></td> <td>Would you like to become the <b>irreplaceable Microsoft 365 resource</b> for your organization? <a href="mailto:[email protected]?subject=Irreplaceable%20Microsoft%20365%20resource&amp;body=Yes%2C%20I%20would%20love%20to%20become%20that%20resource!">Let us know!</a></td> </tr> </tbody> </table>
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32 MIN
Episode 415 –  Diving Into Ignite 2025 for IT Pros and AI Agent Management
NOV 20, 2025
Episode 415 – Diving Into Ignite 2025 for IT Pros and AI Agent Management
<div> <p><!--ScriptorStartFragment--></p> <div class="scriptor-paragraph">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.</div> <div></div> <div><strong>Key Discussion Topics</strong></div> <ol> <li>Security Copilot Expansion to E5 Customers <ul> <li>12 new Security Copilot agents coming to Defender, Entra, Intune, and Purview</li> <li>30+ partner agents being added to the ecosystem</li> <li>Major announcement: Security Copilot will now be available to all Microsoft 365 E5 customers</li> <li>Rollout begins with Frontier program (Microsoft&#8217;s insider ring for Copilot)</li> <li>Expanding in coming months to all E5 customers</li> <li>Security Copilot spans four pillars: <ul> <li>Security Operations (Defender + Sentinel)</li> <li>Data Security (Purview)</li> <li>Identity &amp; Access (Entra)</li> <li>Endpoint Management (Intune)</li> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li>Microsoft Agent 365 &#8211; The Control Plane for Agents <ul> <li>Addresses the critical problem of agent sprawl and governance</li> <li>Think of it as &#8220;Entra ID for AI agents&#8221;</li> <li>Core capabilities: <ul> <li>Registry: Complete inventory of all agents (registered, unregistered, and shadow agents</li> <li>Access Control: Conditional access policies and risk-based policies for agents</li> <li>Monitoring: Real-time visibility into agent behavior, performance, and organizational impact</li> <li>Security Integration: Defender protection, Purview data governance</li> </ul> </li> <li>Key governance features: <ul> <li>Approve pending agent requests</li> <li>Identify ownerless agents</li> <li>Apply DLP policies to agents</li> <li>Conditional access for agents</li> <li>Secure score for agents</li> <li>Available now through Frontier program in Microsoft 365 admin center</li> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li>Overarching Themes <ul> <li>Agent security is the new frontier: All major product announcements (Purview, Entra, Defender) are focused on agent governance</li> <li>100 trillion daily signals inform Microsoft&#8217;s threat intelligence</li> <li>Ignite&#8217;s evolution: Less about big product launches, more about storytelling and connecting features released throughout the year</li> <li>IT Pro focus: Understanding, managing, and securing AI agents is becoming a core competency</li> </ul> </li> <li>Key Observations <ul> <li>Ignite 2025 is heavily focused on AI and security &#8211; limited announcements for traditional products like SharePoint, Teams, or Loop</li> <li>The shift reflects Microsoft&#8217;s rapid release cadence in the cloud era</li> <li>Agent sprawl is real and Microsoft is proactively addressing governance needs</li> <li>IT professionals need to embrace this change: &#8220;The only way out is through&#8221;</li> </ul> </li> </ol> </div> <p><strong>Your support makes this show possible! Please consider becoming a premium member for access to live shows and more. Check out our <a href="https://www.msclouditpropodcast.com/membership">membership options</a>.</strong><!--more--></p> <h2><strong>Show Notes</strong></h2> <ul> <li></li> </ul> <h2><strong>About the sponsors</strong></h2> <table> <tbody> <tr> <td style="width: 301px;"><img decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-1727 size-full" src="https://www.msclouditpropodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Intelligink-Logo-01-e1562032712776.png" alt="Intelligink.com Logo" width="719" height="522" srcset="https://www.msclouditpropodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Intelligink-Logo-01-e1562032712776.png 719w, https://www.msclouditpropodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Intelligink-Logo-01-e1562032712776-300x218.png 300w, https://www.msclouditpropodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Intelligink-Logo-01-e1562032712776-500x363.png 500w, https://www.msclouditpropodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Intelligink-Logo-01-e1562032712776-661x480.png 661w" sizes="(max-width: 719px) 100vw, 719px" /></td> <td>Would you like to become the <b>irreplaceable Microsoft 365 resource</b> for your organization? <a href="mailto:[email protected]?subject=Irreplaceable%20Microsoft%20365%20resource&amp;body=Yes%2C%20I%20would%20love%20to%20become%20that%20resource!">Let us know!</a></td> </tr> </tbody> </table>
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30 MIN
Episode 414 – When the Cloud Falls: Understanding the AWS and Azure Outages of October 2025
NOV 6, 2025
Episode 414 – When the Cloud Falls: Understanding the AWS and Azure Outages of October 2025
<div> <div class="scriptor-paragraph">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.</div> </div> <p><strong>Your support makes this show possible! Please consider becoming a premium member for access to live shows and more. Check out our <a href="https://www.msclouditpropodcast.com/membership">membership options</a>.</strong><!--more--></p> <h2><strong>Show Notes</strong></h2> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.imax.com/movie/back-to-the-future-40th-anniversary">Back to the Future: 40th Anniversary in IMAX</a></li> <li><a href="https://health.aws.amazon.com/health/status?eventID=arn:aws:health:us-east-1::event/MULTIPLE_SERVICES/AWS_MULTIPLE_SERVICES_OPERATIONAL_ISSUE/AWS_MULTIPLE_SERVICES_OPERATIONAL_ISSUE_BA540_514A652BE1A">[RESOLVED] Increased Error Rates and Latencies</a></li> <li><a href="https://azure.status.microsoft/en-us/status/history/">Azure Status History</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AZURE/comments/1okirn4/all_changes_to_azure_frondoor_configuration_are/">All Changes to Azure Frondoor Configuration are blocked currently.</a></li> </ul> <h2><strong>About the sponsors</strong></h2> <table> <tbody> <tr> <td style="width: 301px;"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-1727 size-full" src="https://www.msclouditpropodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Intelligink-Logo-01-e1562032712776.png" alt="Intelligink.com Logo" width="719" height="522" srcset="https://www.msclouditpropodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Intelligink-Logo-01-e1562032712776.png 719w, https://www.msclouditpropodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Intelligink-Logo-01-e1562032712776-300x218.png 300w, https://www.msclouditpropodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Intelligink-Logo-01-e1562032712776-500x363.png 500w, https://www.msclouditpropodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Intelligink-Logo-01-e1562032712776-661x480.png 661w" sizes="(max-width: 719px) 100vw, 719px" /></td> <td>Would you like to become the <b>irreplaceable Microsoft 365 resource</b> for your organization? <a href="mailto:[email protected]?subject=Irreplaceable%20Microsoft%20365%20resource&amp;body=Yes%2C%20I%20would%20love%20to%20become%20that%20resource!">Let us know!</a></td> </tr> </tbody> </table>
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28 MIN
Episode 413 – Simplifying Azure Files with a new file share-centric management model
OCT 23, 2025
Episode 413 – Simplifying Azure Files with a new file share-centric management model
<div> <p><!--ScriptorStartFragment--></p> <div class="scriptor-paragraph">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.</div> </div> <p><strong>Your support makes this show possible! Please consider becoming a premium member for access to live shows and more. Check out our <a href="https://www.msclouditpropodcast.com/membership">membership options</a>.</strong><!--more--></p> <h2><strong>Show Notes</strong></h2> <ul> <li><a href="https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/azurestorageblog/simplifying-file-share-management-and-control-for-azure-files/4452634?WT.mc_id=5005104">Simplifying file share management and control for Azure Files</a></li> <li><a href="https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/storage/files/storage-files-planning?WT.mc_id=5005104">Plan to deploy Azure Files</a></li> <li><a href="https://learn.microsoft.com/azure/storage/files/create-file-share?tabs=azure-portal&amp;WT.mc_id=5005104">Create an Azure file share with Microsoft.FileShares (preview)</a></li> <li><a href="https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/storage/files/storage-files-scale-targets?WT.mc_id=5005104">Scalability and performance targets for Azure Files</a></li> <li><a href="https://learn.microsoft.com/azure/storage/files/understanding-billing?WT.mc_id=5005104">Understand Azure Files billing models</a></li> <li>More questions? Reach out to <a href="mailto:[email protected]?Subject=Inquiry%20on%20Microsoft.FileShares">[email protected]</a></li> </ul> <h2><strong>About our guest</strong></h2> <p>&nbsp;</p> <ul> <li>Connect with Will Gries on <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/williamgries/">LinkedIn</a></li> </ul> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2><strong>About the sponsors</strong></h2> <table> <tbody> <tr> <td style="width: 301px;"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-1727 size-full" src="https://www.msclouditpropodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Intelligink-Logo-01-e1562032712776.png" alt="Intelligink.com Logo" width="719" height="522" srcset="https://www.msclouditpropodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Intelligink-Logo-01-e1562032712776.png 719w, https://www.msclouditpropodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Intelligink-Logo-01-e1562032712776-300x218.png 300w, https://www.msclouditpropodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Intelligink-Logo-01-e1562032712776-500x363.png 500w, https://www.msclouditpropodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Intelligink-Logo-01-e1562032712776-661x480.png 661w" sizes="(max-width: 719px) 100vw, 719px" /></td> <td>Would you like to become the <b>irreplaceable Microsoft 365 resource</b> for your organization? <a href="mailto:[email protected]?subject=Irreplaceable%20Microsoft%20365%20resource&amp;body=Yes%2C%20I%20would%20love%20to%20become%20that%20resource!">Let us know!</a></td> </tr> </tbody> </table>
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36 MIN