What Flavor of Defender Would You Like?

Chris Blackburn walks you through a savory journey into the Defender for Endpoint story across both the Microsoft 365 and Azure platforms. Enjoy the main meal of the deployment story on all platforms (whether its workstation, server & mobile) and operating systems (Linux, Mac, Windows, iOS, Android), and close out with the sweets of operationalizing these tools in your security program.

by Chris Blackburn Dec 15, 2021

Building a One Page Strategic Plan in PowerApps

So… we were working as a company to construct our One Page Strategic Plan. We’d used platforms before that had similar concepts but none of them integrated with Teams or any of the Microsoft ecosystem. I was not happy about implementing another walled garden for our executive team, so I set out to use some […]

by Nathan Lasnoski Dec 12, 2021

Best of Microsoft Ignite 2021 Fall Edition

I presented on the Best of Microsoft Ignite 2021 Fall Edition. A great conversation about 10 big things that were presented at Ignite across Secure Modern Workplace, Cloud, Data, and Innovation.

by Nathan Lasnoski Dec 7, 2021

Product Development Best Practices

I presented along with fellow Microsoft MVP Lwin Maung on Cloud Product Development Best Practices. A great conversation around disruptive innovation and how a company adopts capabilities in the cloud.

by Nathan Lasnoski Dec 7, 2021

Cloud Adoption Framework Review

I presented on the Cloud Adoption Framework (CAF) and general Azure best practices. Loved talking about the capabilities delivered by cloud governance and the best approached to adoption.

by Nathan Lasnoski Dec 7, 2021

7 Habits of Inspiring Tech Leaders: (5) Agent of Architecture

Have you ever tried to make a sand castle survive against the waves?  I’ll admit, it can be fun for a while.  The kids and I will build sand castles with extravagant moats and then create barriers between the lake and the castle.  We’ll use driftwood, boards, more-sand, and… more sand.  As fun as it […]

by Nathan Lasnoski Nov 12, 2021

International Project Management Day

International Project Management Day is celebrated on the first Thursday of November to recognize all the individuals in the profession that help dreams and ideas become reality.

International Project Management honors the selfless people that are brave enough to make the tough calls, to have the radical candor conversations, and that constantly look to improve the ways that keep projects on track, within budget, and to the quality standards that their stakeholders expect.

by Jaime Velez Nov 4, 2021

We Got This!

Someone recently asked me what is it that I love the most about consulting.

My immediate response was to chuckle and then I said: “Who said I love consulting?”

But after reflecting a bit on that question I’ve come to realize that what I have is a Love-Hate relationship with consulting.

Let me tell you more.

by Jaime Velez Oct 27, 2021

5 Things I Love About Microsoft Teams and 5 Things I Hate

So, I’m a huge Microsoft Teams fan, but that doesn’t stop there from being improvements every organization would appreciate. Let’s talk about the things I love and the things I hate about Microsoft Teams. LOVE #1: Integrated Applications The relationship between the applications and the interface is incredibly useful. I will often create a Planner […]

by Nathan Lasnoski Oct 22, 2021

7 Habits of Inspiring Tech Leaders: (4) Agent of Disruption

The best tech leaders are Agents of Disruption.  They view the existing ecosystem as something with a sunk cost and are willing to disrupt the current state in order to achieve a bigger gain.  There are two types of change that can be implemented in a business.  The first is iterative, simply building on something […]

by Nathan Lasnoski Oct 16, 2021

10 Ways Manufacturers Can Do More with Less in 2023 - Part 1

As we enter the new year, manufacturers are assertively focusing on how they optimize their business during uncertain economic conditions.  The goal of most manufacturers is to do more with less, or at minimum optimize their ability to execute their mission for their customers.  Working with many manufacturers, I am seeing a variety of ways that companies can leverage technology to do more with less year. 

Part 1 of this series outlines the first five ways that manufacturers can do more with less.

by Nathan Lasnoski Jan 17, 2023

10 Ways Manufacturers Can Do More with Less in 2023 - Part 2

As we enter the new year, manufacturers are assertively focusing on how they optimize their business during uncertain economic conditions.  The goal of most manufacturers is to do more with less, or at minimum optimize their ability to execute their mission for their customers.  Working with many manufacturers, I am seeing a variety of ways that companies can leverage technology to do more with less year. 

Part 2 of this series outlines the second five ways that manufacturers can do more with less.

by Nathan Lasnoski Jan 25, 2023

10 Ways Financial Services Organizations Can Do More with Less in 2023

As we enter the new year, financial services organizations are assertively focusing on how they optimize their business during uncertain economic conditions.  The goal of most businesses is to do more with less, or at minimum optimize their ability to execute their mission for their client.  In working with many financial services organizations, I am seeing a variety of ways that organizations are able to leverage technology to do more with less this year.   

by Nathan Lasnoski Jan 10, 2023

Integrating ChatGPT-like Capabilities into Your Business

ChatGPT-like capabilities can make a difference in your business RIGHT NOW.  This is not science fiction, this is science fact and your competitors are reaping the benefits.  Many have felt that AI/ML is an aspirational “someday” goal, but businesses that have invested in targeted efforts are rewarded with real ROI and absolute efficiencies.  This means adopting real-world improvement made possible through commodity AI, data science-oriented initiatives, or even the recently available Open AI service that powers ChatGPT.  Let’s dive in.

by Nathan Lasnoski Jan 26, 2023

Using the Union Operator in KQL

Sometimes it is difficult to use and remember operators in KQL. Today we're going to look at using the "union" operator to combine tables into one space.

by Joseph Dutton Feb 20, 2023

Cultivating an Inclusive Workplace: Best Practices for Ramadan

Having Muslim team members, and being Muslim myself, I have always struggled with how to integrate a productive workday during the holy month of Ramadan. I’ve been lucky to work with some amazing employers who aren’t afraid to ask questions and have been overwhelmingly accommodating during this time and it is my top priority to do the same with my teams!

by Reem Alzubeidi Mar 17, 2023

Modernizing our approach to MFA

Traditional passwords haven’t been sufficient for protecting accounts and assets for some time now.  From simple brute force attacks to spear phishing and pharming threat adversaries continue to develop novel methods for credential theft to add to their toolbox of existing tried and true approaches. Microsoft’s Group Program manager for Identity Security and protection, Alex Weinert,   has previously stated that MFA, when deployed properly, can end up blocking 99.9% of automated attacks.

by Adam Clifford Feb 1, 2023

A Holistic Approach to Zero Trust

Zero Trust architecture isn’t another security fad, and it’s not a technology you can implement, but rather a security model that’s foundational on every step of the journey we at Concurrency help our clients in travel along the path of modern workplace maturity.

by Chris Blackburn Feb 10, 2023

Manufacturing: Building Resiliency to Navigate Market Volatility

Manufacturers have navigated a turbulent environment for several years. Some unlocked exponential growth opportunities due to surging demand while others struggled to stay afloat. Now, most manufacturers are bracing for a recession. In the U.S., 62% of manufacturers expect a recession to start in 2023, anticipating several months of contraction followed by growth. U.S. manufacturers expect to increase revenues by year-end an average of 5.5%, down from 9.3% in 2022.

by Ralph Babusci Mar 2, 2023

OIDC vs. SAML

When trying to set up authentication for an application, you might hear people talk about “OIDC” and “SAML”. This is especially true when you have a lot of different applications that you want the end user to be able to use the same username and password for; for example, inside of a business, you might want your employees to log into an HR application, a task-tracking board, and CRM software with the same credentials. So what do these two four-letter abbreviations mean, anyway? What are the differences between them? And how do they help you authenticate your users? 

by Nick Woods Feb 23, 2023