Welcome to Redmond Dispatch, a series that delivers the latest news about Microsoft's enterprise ecosystem in quick, digestible bites. Curated, edited and fact-checked by Redmondmag editors, these AI-assisted briefs cut through the noise to highlight the most essential details from Microsoft product updates, third-party security alerts and more.
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Posted by Redmondmag.com Editors on 06/12/20260 comments
Microsoft last month introduced a new Entra ID feature to authenticate AI agents. Called Agent ID, the feature assigns unique identities to AI agents, enabling organizations to manage their authentication, authorization and lifecycle similarly to human users. For instance, they can apply Conditional Access policies and activity monitoring to AI agents.
The June Entra ID update also included news of a forthcoming public preview for expanded passkey (FIDO2) authentication methods. Expected in November 2025, this enhancement will allow administrators to configure passkey policies at a group level and accept any WebAuthn-compliant security key when "Enforce attestation" is disabled.
Additionally, Microsoft is urging organizations to migrate their User Risk and Sign-in Risk policies from Entra ID Protection to Conditional Access. Starting July 31, 2025, these policies will become read-only in Entra ID Protection, with the interface retiring by Oct. 1, 2026.
Posted by Redmondmag.com Editors on 07/02/20250 comments
Microsoft has introduced several improvements to its Purview platform to bolster data security in the context of AI integration. These updates focus on improving visibility into sensitive data, extending protection across various data flows, and automating incident response processes.
A significant addition is the general availability of Data Security Posture Management (DSPM), which offers continuous assessment of an organization's data landscape. DSPM provides contextual insights into sensitive data usage and recommends targeted controls to mitigate risks. The platform now incorporates signals from email exfiltration and user activities in browsers and networks, enhancing its ability to identify potential security weaknesses.
To address the challenge of unclassified data residing on endpoints, Microsoft is introducing on-demand classification for Windows devices. This feature allows security teams to scan data at rest, identifying sensitive files that may have been previously overlooked, thereby supporting audit and compliance efforts.
In response to the increasing complexity of data flows, Purview's Data Loss Prevention (DLP) and Insider Risk Management (IRM) tools now include automated alert triage agents. These agents prioritize high-risk alerts, enabling faster and more efficient incident response.
Posted by Redmondmag.com Editors on 06/26/20250 comments
Microsoft has rolled out its redesigned Copilot Hub within the Power Platform Admin Center, focusing on enhancing enterprise oversight of AI tools like Copilot Studio, Power Apps, Power Pages and Power Automate.
This update, launched earlier this month, addresses key administrative concerns by centralizing settings, offering detailed usage analytics, and providing clearer insights into AI-related expenditures. A notable addition is the "Settings" page, which consolidates configurations across various Power Platform products. Administrators can now manage global settings, including Bing Search integration and data movement policies, alongside product-specific configurations.
The new hub also introduces a dedicated Power Pages view, now in public beta, that enables admins to monitor AI-powered site features. This includes analytics on how users leverage AI for site creation and insights into user engagement with AI elements like chatbots and smart search. Details of this public preview are available here.
Posted by Redmondmag.com Editors on 06/25/20250 comments
Microsoft this week launched the public preview of Organizational Templates in Azure Logic Apps. These templates let enterprises define reusable workflow patterns -- including connectors, parameters and internal API hooks -- scoped exclusively to their own Azure tenant. A new UI lets users build templates directly from existing workflows, without manual packaging. Templates can be published in test or production modes, aiding staged releases, and can be downloaded for potential contribution to Microsoft's public GitHub repository.
This feature addresses ongoing DevOps and governance trends favoring internal standardization amid flexible cloud environments. Reusable integration patterns reduce errors and accelerate deployment cycles. By empowering teams to embed internal systems in shareable blueprints, Microsoft is helping enterprises walk the line between consistency and agility.
Posted by Redmondmag.com Editors on 06/24/20250 comments
Microsoft has made its modern External Networks feature for Viva Engage generally available to all customers. These networks, powered by Microsoft Entra and Microsoft 365 Native Mode, offer secure collaboration spaces -- complete with federated authentication, eDiscovery, permission controls and file sharing -- for partners, vendors and consultants. The shift aligns with Microsoft’s recent June 1 deadline for flat‑out migration from legacy systems.
Enterprise IT and developers should note the three‑phase deployment: setting up new Entra tenants, establishing connections via association tokens, and migrating legacy user and data inventories. Admins will need Global Admin privileges and a Microsoft 365 E5 license minimum.
Posted by Redmondmag.com Editors on 06/23/20250 comments
Microsoft is rolling out a private preview of Windows 365 Cloud Apps, a feature that allows IT teams to stream individual Windows applications to users without provisioning full Cloud PCs for everyone. This functionality is available for organizations using Windows 365 Frontline licenses in shared mode, delivered through Microsoft Intune via a new "app‑only" provisioning policy.
Administrators can create shared Cloud PCs and publish specific apps, allowing multiple users to stream the same desktop‐hosted application -- though only one user at a time per license. IT teams benefit from centralized security controls, simplified VDI‑to‑cloud transitions, and streamlined app delivery for seasonal or frontline workers.
For those who want to participate, in the private preview, contact your Microsoft account team to apply.
Posted by Redmondmag.com Editors on 06/18/20250 comments
AvePoint rolled out four core enhancements to its Elements platform on Tuesday, aimed squarely at managed service providers (MSPs). The new features include integrated licensing via distributor portals, continuous risk-user monitoring for insider threats, automated license reallocation and centralized storage archiving with self-service restore options. These refinements are part of AvePoint’s broader push this year -- following its Ydentic acquisition and earlier March and April releases -- to position Elements as a comprehensive hub for MSPs seeking to shift from traditional reselling toward managed services.
This update arrives as MSPs increasingly confront cyber threats and clients' cost pressures. According to recent MIT Technology Review findings, over 30 percent of small-to-mid sized businesses suffered cyber incidents in the past year, and 75 percent are seeking streamlined, scalable vendor management. By embedding these insights, the platform better aligns with those trends.
Posted by Redmondmag.com Editors on 06/17/20250 comments
Microsoft announced on Tuesday the public preview of a native Azure Databricks Connector in Power Platform, enabling what the company said is seamless, governed access to Databricks data without data duplication or custom scripting. The connector supports OAuth via Microsoft Entra or service principals, preserving Azure Databricks access controls, and provides near real-time read/write capabilities.
In Power Apps, users can integrate Databricks tables into canvas apps. For instance, retailers can visualize in-store product placement and revenue impacts. In Power Automate, workflows can execute SQL commands on Databricks, such as automating retail safety incident tracking. Additionally, Databricks can now serve as a grounding knowledge source in Copilot Studio agents, adding context-rich data to AI-powered agents.
The "Redmond Dispatch" blog is researched, fact-checked, edited and updated by the editors of Redmondmag, with writing assistance from AI.
Posted by Redmondmag.com Editors on 06/12/20250 comments
Microsoft announced on Tuesday the general availability of the Logic Apps Hybrid Deployment Model. This release enables enterprise customers to run Logic Apps Standard workflows on customer‑managed infrastructure -- whether on‑premises, private cloud or third‑party clouds -- with local SQL processing and semi‑connected architecture.
New features include OpenTelemetry support for vendor‑agnostic observability, ZIP‑based VS Code deployments secured via Azure Entra, expanded regional availability beyond the U.S., Linux container support for the Rules Engine and improved scalability/storage performance. Also included is a diagnostic PowerShell tool for configuration validation.
Hybrid integration is a growing trend in enterprise IT, with Gartner noting that over 40 percent of organizations prefer processing sensitive data on‑premises to meet compliance or latency demands. This GA release puts Logic Apps in direct competition with MuleSoft’s on‑premises capabilities in regulated industries.
Posted by Redmondmag.com Editors on 06/12/20250 comments