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Bring yourself up to speed with our introductory content.
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Bring yourself up to speed with our introductory content.
Build a Power Automate flow using the Graph API
Administrators of Office 365 or Azure platforms can benefit from using newer Microsoft software technologies to handle many jobs, such as automating tasks and generating reports. Continue Reading
How to work with Azure DNS zones
Microsoft's hosting service for DNS domains is an option for organizations with a heavy Azure investment that want the benefits associated with a cloud service. Continue Reading
Microsoft Technology Associate (MTA) certification
Microsoft Technology Associate (MTA) certification is the name of a suite of entry-level certifications offered by Microsoft that signify fundamental technology knowledge in those who earn it. Continue Reading
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Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM)
Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) is a Windows product that enables the management, deployment and security of devices and applications across an enterprise. Continue Reading
What admins should know about Microsoft Windows Terminal
There's a new terminal that puts a different spin on the traditional command-line tools used by Windows administrators with extensive functionality and customization options. Continue Reading
Shore up defenses with help from Office 365 logs
Logging on Microsoft's productivity platform used in conjunction with other tools can form an effective shield from malicious actors looking to find a way into your organization.Continue Reading
Microsoft Windows Azure Active Directory (Windows Azure AD)
Microsoft Windows Azure Active Directory (Windows Azure AD or Azure AD) is a cloud service that provides administrators with the ability to manage end-user identities and access privileges.Continue Reading
Implement simple server monitoring with PowerShell
Administrators who build a server monitoring framework with PowerShell can develop their own customized checks for deeper insights into their environment.Continue Reading
Office 365 Advanced eDiscovery goes beyond search basics
Microsoft streamlines the efforts to find pertinent documents and other data with help from the artificial intelligence embedded in the platform's analytics technology.Continue Reading
PowerShell 7 remoting expands management horizons
Connecting to different operating systems to manage them from PowerShell requires SSH setup, which is less onerous in the version 7 release.Continue Reading
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Microsoft Defender ATP taps into cloud for added protection
Enterprises that want to wrap up their systems in an extra layer of security have the option for more enhanced protection that integrates with other Microsoft products.Continue Reading
Try an Azure Site Recovery setup for DR needs
Administrators who need some assurance that mission-critical workloads will stay up when trouble strikes can try out Microsoft's cloud-based disaster recovery service.Continue Reading
Learn how to create a scheduled task with PowerShell
When you need a reliable way to create a scheduled task, you can use PowerShell’s automation capabilities to reduce the likelihood of keying in mistakes.Continue Reading
Use a Windows Server 2019 domain controller or go to Azure?
Administrators must dig into the details to see if a swap from on-premises Active Directory to the Azure equivalent makes sense for their organization.Continue Reading
Windows Server 2019 RDS updates a boon for remote work needs
Enhanced security, improved end-user experience and cloud integration are just a few of the perks for organizations that move to Windows Server 2019 RDS.Continue Reading
Lighten up and install Exchange 2019 on Windows Server Core
Organizations looking to tighten up security in every aspect of their infrastructure now have the option to deploy their on-premises messaging system on Server Core 2019.Continue Reading
Find and lock down lax Windows share permissions
With help from PowerShell, you can identify the shares that need adjustments across your infrastructure then use a script to fix them to protect sensitive data.Continue Reading
PowerShell ForEach-Object cmdlet picks up speed
Administrators get extra incentive to switch to PowerShell 7 after an existing cmdlet acquires a performance enhancement to run multiple iterations in parallel.Continue Reading
Avoid common pain points when migrating to Exchange Online
Every Exchange Server configuration is unique, which makes a move to hosted email in Office 365 a complex undertaking, but some stumbling blocks are more frequent than others.Continue Reading
Microsoft Software Assurance (SA)
Microsoft Software Assurance is a software maintenance program that helps organizations gain access to the latest software versions and releases, without incurring additional licensing costs.Continue Reading
Update makes Storage Migration Service more cloud-friendly
The latest version of the Windows Admin Center comes with a refinement to one of its tools to make moving a file server to Azure less of a challenge.Continue Reading
Active Directory forest (AD forest)
An Active Directory forest is the highest level of organization within Active Directory.Continue Reading
Increase PowerShell security with help from AppLocker
Learn how to curb the native abilities of the expansive scripting tool in the Windows OS to prevent your users from being unwitting participants in a cyberattack.Continue Reading
Learn to manage Office 365 ProPlus updates
The traditional Microsoft Office applications you get from Office 365 might appear to be the same on the surface, but how you administer them differs in several key ways.Continue Reading
wbadmin
Wbadmin is an elevated command prompt that allows administrators or backup operators to backup and restore an operating system (OS), volume, file, folder or application.Continue Reading
ISA (Industry Standard Architecture)
ISA (Industry Standard Architecture) is a standard bus (computer interconnection) architecture that was associated with the IBM AT motherboard.Continue Reading
Updated Exchange Online PowerShell module adds reliability, speed
Microsoft assists Exchange Online administrators who rely on PowerShell by reworking the underlying functionality of several cmdlets used to manage the hosted email platform.Continue Reading
Deploy and configure WSUS 2019 for Windows patching needs
You can update your Microsoft software with a few tools, but Windows Server Update Services is the go-to for many administrators who want a reliable patch deployment platform.Continue Reading
What's new with PowerShell error handling?
PowerShell 7 introduces a new cmdlet to assist administrators who wanted a better way to find out what broke in the scripts they wrote to manage their systems.Continue Reading
PowerShell 7 features admins should examine
The next version of the administrative tool introduces several features, including a new cmdlet to assist with troubleshooting errors.Continue Reading
How to install the Windows Server 2019 VPN
A VPN prevents unauthorized users from gaining access to critical resources in your organization. This tutorial covers the deployment on Windows Server 2019.Continue Reading
How to set up Windows Server 2019 virtual network encryption
Microsoft tightens the security on its virtualization platform, even if a breach occurs, to prevent intruders from eavesdropping on traffic between VMs.Continue Reading
Microsoft Exchange Server
Microsoft Exchange Server is Microsoft's email, calendaring, contact, scheduling and collaboration platform. It is deployed on the Windows Server operating system for business use.Continue Reading
Using the Windows Admin Center Azure services feature
Microsoft wants you to add more of its Azure cloud services to your data center by using its new administrative tool to streamline the setup process.Continue Reading
PowerShell tutorials capture attention of admins in 2019
Interest in automation continues to trend upward for administrators of Windows systems, particularly when it involves PowerShell.Continue Reading
Using wsusscn2.cab to find missing Windows updates
Avoid unnecessary security headaches by using the Windows Update offline scan file and PowerShell to ensure your systems have all their Microsoft patches.Continue Reading
How to install and test Windows Server 2019 IIS
The installation process for the Windows Server 2019 IIS role is fairly straightforward. This tutorial explains how to stand up the web server and check its ports and bindings.Continue Reading
Learn PowerShell scripting using the PSKoans module
Want to get started with PowerShell automation to manage your Windows systems? Try the PSKoans module to learn as you go through its exercises to build your scripting skills.Continue Reading
Migrating file servers using Storage Migration Service
Need to move from Windows Server 2003 and up? The Storage Migration Service in the Windows Admin Center does most of the heavy lifting to make this procedure more routine rather than risky.Continue Reading
Azure Bastion brings convenience, security to VM management
This cloud service gets around the problem associated with jump servers and cloaks the identity of your VMs to avoid potential security issues.Continue Reading
Cloud adoption a catalyst for IT modernization in many orgs
Sloppy and insecure IT procedures that had been overlooked before the cloud arrived must evolve with the times to prevent data exposure and system breaches.Continue Reading
The future of PowerShell begins to sharpen in focus
PowerShell's promise as a cross-platform management tool has come a long way, but much work still needs to be done for both Linux and Windows admins to pick up adoption.Continue Reading
How to work with the WSUS PowerShell module
The PoshWSUS module automates the process to synchronize and approve Windows updates. You can also use it to perform essential maintenance on the WSUS server.Continue Reading
Implement automated employee onboarding with PowerShell
Your time is precious and you shouldn't waste it by clicking through menus to set up a new user. Look at these code examples to put together your own provisioning script.Continue Reading
Microsoft SCOM (System Center Operations Manager)
Microsoft's SCOM dashboard uses traffic light color-coding to indicate object health states. Green is healthy, yellow is a warning and red indicates there is a critical issue.The data center administrator can adjust these levels as needed.Continue Reading
Group Policy Object (GPO)
Microsoft’s Group Policy Object (GPO) is a collection of Group Policy settings that defines what a system will look like and how it will behave for a defined group of users.Continue Reading
Learn to set up and use PowerShell SSH remoting
Remoting over SSH in PowerShell Core has some advantages over the traditional Windows PowerShell remoting method, but it will require a fair amount of manual configuration work.Continue Reading
Internet Information Services (IIS)
Internet Information Services (IIS) is a flexible, general-purpose web server from Microsoft that runs on Windows systems to serve requested HTML pages or files.Continue Reading
How to automate patch management in Windows
Automating Windows updates with PowerShell will ease some of the labor associated with the routine patch deployment process.Continue Reading
Using the Sysinternals Sysmon tool to check DNS queries
A recent update to the Sysinternals Sysmon utility adds DNS query logging to give deeper insights into the connections made by your Windows machines.Continue Reading
Pester tests help pinpoint infrastructure issues
The Pester testing framework gives IT pros a way to develop sophisticated and consistent testing routines that monitoring tools just can't duplicate.Continue Reading
Check Office 365 usage reports for user adoption insights
Microsoft gives administrators access to many Office 365 reports to pinpoint ways to improve user adoption rates and tighten up potential security leaks.Continue Reading
Use PowerShell printer management for quicker setups
Don't fiddle with printer configurations and tiresome upkeep work from the GUI when you can automate a lot of the tediousness with PowerShell.Continue Reading
What's new in hybrid Azure services in Windows Admin Center?
Trying to get the most out of Azure hybrid services? Discover Microsoft's latest developments to further centralize management in Windows Admin Center.Continue Reading
3 steps to prepare for Exchange updates
If you dread the process of updating Exchange and the possibility that patches will break the servers, you can take control by putting best practices in place with three steps.Continue Reading
Windows and Linux: What systems administrators need to know
The lines between Windows Server and Linux continue to blur. Discover what Windows administrators need to know to get up to speed with these new Linux features.Continue Reading
Tech communities offer more than just a quick fix
IT professionals who join tech meetups and online communities might find there's more than just troubleshooting help available when they invest their time in a group.Continue Reading
Can you ace this quiz on Windows Server 2019 HCI?
With each new server release, Microsoft gives administrators a whole new slew of features to learn. Challenge yourself on how well you know the Windows Server HCI features.Continue Reading
Microsoft Azure ExpressRoute
Microsoft Azure ExpressRoute is a service that provides a private connection between an organization's on-premises infrastructure and Microsoft Azure data centers.Continue Reading
System administrator resources you'll actually use
The learning resources available for IT administrators are more plentiful than the technology that admins manage. How do they sift through the inundation of information?Continue Reading
How to add the App Compatibility Feature on Demand to Server Core
Microsoft closed the functionality gap between Server Core and full desktop deployments with the App Compatibility feature, but will it entice admins to the GUI-less server?Continue Reading
System administrator skills you need to succeed in the cloud
Cloud technology gives IT administrators more tools to manage enterprise resources than ever before, but the expanding technology also requires admins to develop a new skill set.Continue Reading
Painlessly deploy Azure File Sync with PowerShell
Have you ever run low on file server capacity or struggled to access files? Setting up Azure File Sync can give your organization centralized file shares with local accessibility.Continue Reading
computer
A computer is a device that accepts information (in the form of digitalized data) and manipulates it for some result based on a program, software, or sequence of instructions on how the data is to be processed.Continue Reading
How to successfully migrate Exchange Servers
Admins have a few options to upgrade their servers, but whether they choose cloud or on premises, the update process involves the same steps to transition old servers and avoid issues.Continue Reading
How should you handle Exchange Server updates?
Microsoft changed its release model after Exchange 2010, which has caused some confusion for administrators who work on newer versions of the messaging platform.Continue Reading
How to uninstall Exchange 2013 after a cutover migration
Don't throw a retirement party for that Exchange 2013 server and pull the plug prematurely without going through this checklist to avoid any issues.Continue Reading
Group Policy
Group Policy is a hierarchical infrastructure that allows a network administrator in charge of Microsoft's Active Directory to implement specific configurations for users and computers. Group policy is primarily a security tool, and can be used to ...Continue Reading
Windows Server cluster sets add more protection to workloads
Microsoft stepped up its high availability game with its cluster sets technology in Windows Server 2019 to give on-premises workloads more cloudlike resiliency.Continue Reading
Understand Azure Update Management basics
Microsoft provides a variety of tools that IT administrators can use to simplify update deployment, including Azure Update Management. Find out if the service will work with your systems.Continue Reading
How do you build Windows Server 2019 cluster sets?
Microsoft debuted cluster sets in its Windows Server 2019 release. Here's a rundown on how to deploy this high availability feature in your organization.Continue Reading
What Windows Server 2019 SDN features should I know about?
Administrators in highly virtualized environments can tap into enhanced Windows Server 2019 SDN functionality to run Hyper-V VMs more efficiently.Continue Reading
What features make up Windows Server 2019 cluster sets?
Windows Server 2019 takes clustering to a new level with the cluster sets feature that wraps another layer of high availability around critical VMs.Continue Reading
Windows Server 2019 features admins should explore
This slideshow of Windows Server 2019 features highlights some of its key additions built to bring more flexibility and reliability to the enterprise.Continue Reading
IT pros must adapt to Azure certification path changes
Microsoft reworked its Azure certifications recently and offers an upgrade path for IT pros with older credentials, but there is little time before the transition tests expire.Continue Reading
What advantages do Windows Server cluster sets offer?
Administrators don't need to stress about workload uptime with a new Windows Server 2019 clustering feature, which makes sharing resources and moving VMs easier.Continue Reading
Server Core vs. GUI: Is Server Core ready for prime time?
IT Director Christopher Rivers says the Windows Admin Center is a step in the right direction to boost adoption of Server Core, but administrators will still encounter challenges.Continue Reading
What are some common Windows Server 2019 SDN errors?
The complexity of setting up and managing Microsoft SDN can increase the risk of administrators facing common networking errors that are difficult to troubleshoot.Continue Reading
What key SDN features are in Windows Server 2019?
Microsoft SDN capabilities got a boost in Windows Server 2019 to wrap more security around VMs and make networking tasks less painful to execute.Continue Reading
How much does Azure Update Management cost?
The Azure Update Management cost is free, but organizations that require the tool's advanced features might have to contend with additional fees.Continue Reading
How to configure SSL on IIS with PowerShell
SSL encryption is a necessary component when building an IIS website that communicates with the outside world. Use this PowerShell tutorial to streamline the deployment process.Continue Reading
How well do you know open source PowerShell Core?
Do you know how PowerShell Core differs from Windows PowerShell? Find out with this quiz on the open source PowerShell management utility.Continue Reading
What are some Microsoft SDN features in Windows Server?
SDN functionality helps administrators shape network traffic to reduce congestion and boost security. Discover what other SDN features Microsoft added to its Windows Server offerings.Continue Reading
Q&A: Will Microsoft artificial intelligence change your job?
Technical architect Jason Wynn says the data center is already on the path to a more autonomous future due to the acceleration of Microsoft artificial intelligence efforts.Continue Reading
How does Azure Update Management handle integration?
Azure Update Management works with other Microsoft administrative tools to give IT pros a more complete offering to patch operating systems.Continue Reading
How to set up and enforce Azure multifactor authentication
Azure Active Directory offers multifactor authentication to further secure login credentials. Get started with these instructions to set up this Microsoft cloud service.Continue Reading
What OSes does Azure Update Management handle?
Azure Update Management supports a large number of Windows and Linux systems on premises and in the cloud, but there are certain requirements to meet to utilize the service.Continue Reading
Compliance with GDPR in Exchange requires extra effort
Exchange administrators outside of the European Union might not think that GDPR affects them, but they should work toward compliance to avoid a stiff penalty if a violation occurs.Continue Reading
System Insights
System Insights is a feature that debuted in Windows Server 2019 that processes data and uses predictive analytics to warn administrators of potential issues with Windows Server deployments.Continue Reading
How does Azure Update Management handle patching?
Microsoft built Azure Update Management for administrators who require a centralized tool to automate patches for systems both on premises and in the cloud.Continue Reading
Working with PowerShell module downloads from the gallery
Learn how to get the most out of the PowerShell Gallery with some distinctions for administrators who use Windows PowerShell or PowerShell Core.Continue Reading
Windows Admin Center lures IT pros with Azure integration
If System Center is overkill for your needs and the older tools aren't up to task, then the Windows Admin Center just might be the tool to manage your data center.Continue Reading
Exchange Online
Exchange Online is the hosted version of Microsoft's Exchange Server messaging platform that organizations can obtain as a stand-alone service or via an Office 365 subscription.Continue Reading
Stay in control with these Active Directory basics
Administrators have an ever-increasing number of resources to handle and permissions to track, but they can cut this seemingly impossible task down to size with Active Directory.Continue Reading
Unlock storage savings with Windows Server deduplication
Windows Server comes with a data deduplication feature to reduce the organization's storage crunch, but it's important to plan around some potential drawbacks.Continue Reading
Hyper-convergence forms core of Windows Server 2019 features
The latest server OS release from Microsoft upgrades many of its software-defined features to make it easier to use a hybrid cloud model.Continue Reading
Hunt down zombie VMs to trim Windows Server licensing costs
Temporary workloads can cause organizations to buy more Windows Server licenses than they need, but admins can track down zombie servers to consolidate workloads and keep costs down.Continue Reading
Use this Microsoft deployment tool for easier setups
It's not new, but the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit tends to be overlooked when administrators need a way to set up Windows in an automated fashion. See why MDT is worth using.Continue Reading
Resilient File System (ReFS)
Resilient File System (ReFS) is a file system developed by Microsoft for use on the Windows operating system (OS) that's designed to overcome some of the limitations in the New Technology File System (NTFS).Continue Reading
Monad Manifesto
The Monad Manifesto is a document written by Jeffrey Snover in 2002 that outlined his idea for a new Windows systems administration tool named Monad, which was changed to Windows PowerShell.Continue Reading