Forum Widgets
Latest Discussions
did the Jun 9 Security Update remove trusted (amazon) certs?
We have a product that runs on Windows and uses AWS IoT to connect and transmit info. We noticed yesterday that many - roughly 2/3 of our fleet went silent - no connections. We have some of our own PCs that experienced this as well. Investigation yielded issues with TLS. The client (which is just using the default windows cert checking) actively terminated the connected. It didn't like the cert from the AWS IoT endpoint. All of these PCs were happily connected on Jun 8. Investigation seemed to indicate that some combination of Amazon Root CA (1-4) and some Starfield certs were not in the device cert mgr. Also - when we manually added AmazonRootCA1.pem to the cert mgr, our service connected again. So the evidence seems to strongly support that the security update removed trusted amazon root certs from the cert store. I'm guessing some/many won't notice since they are making regular TCP connections and maybe the certs get auto-added if they are not there? But we are doing MQTT over the AWS port 8883. So perhaps Windows did not detect this and seek to refresh its cert store? Can anyone confirm if they have seen the same?
Proposal for Cloud Verified Authentication on Windows Lock Screen
Hello Microsoft Team, I am a Computer Engineering student and a Junior Penetration Tester. I would like to propose a security enhancement for the Windows Lock Screen to prevent data theft if a laptop is physically stolen. The Concept: MFA at Login I suggest adding a "Login with Microsoft Account Verification" option directly on the Windows Lock Screen. This would provide two levels of high-end security: Real-Time Email OTP Mode: On the lock screen, instead of a password, the user clicks "Send OTP to Email." Security Benefit: Even if a thief has the laptop, they cannot unlock it without accessing the owner's email on another device. System-Generated Fixed PIN Mode: Microsoft generates a high-entropy Secure PIN and sends it to the user’s registered email. Security Benefit: It eliminates weak, user-created passwords and can rotate periodically via email. Why this is important: If a laptop is stolen, the data remains safe because the authentication key is in the user's cloud email, not just on the device. It brings Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) to the very first step of Windows interaction. I believe this feature would be a great addition to future Windows updates.
Add Custom Attributes to Contact List and User Accounts in office 365 Admin
I would like add custom attributes to the contact list as well as to user accounts during the creation process. The required attributes are as follows: Business Unit Department Sub-Department Location Manager Kindly anyone advise on the procedure to configure these attributes and enable them in the contact list and user creation form.Should CRM Users Be Measured on Data Quality KPIs?
Most Organisations agree that high-quality data is essential for getting value from Dynamics 365. Accurate customer information supports better reporting, improved customer experiences, more reliable forecasting, and increasingly more effective AI-driven insights. Yet many Organisations continue to struggle with incomplete records, duplicate data, missing activities, and inconsistent data entry practices. This raises an interesting question: Should CRM users be measured on data quality KPIs? Consider a situation many Organisations have experienced. A sales team is expected to maintain customer records, update opportunities, and log key customer interactions in Dynamics 365. However, users are primarily measured on revenue, pipeline growth, and sales performance. As a result, CRM updates are often treated as a secondary task. During a quarterly sales review, leadership discovers that several opportunities forecasted as active were closed weeks earlier, while others had not been updated since the previous reporting cycle. Customer records are missing key information, activities have not been logged consistently, and reporting accuracy begins to suffer. The issue is often viewed as a reporting problem, but in reality, it starts with the quality and consistency of the data being maintained in Dynamics 365. To address these challenges, some Organisations introduce data quality metrics such as: Record completeness Duplicate record reduction Activity logging compliance Opportunity update accuracy Customer data validation rates Supporters argue that what gets measured gets managed, and that data quality should be considered part of everyone's responsibility. Others believe that introducing data quality KPIs may create an additional administrative burden, reduce user adoption, and shift focus away from core business objectives. There is also the question of whether users should carry the full responsibility. Modern Dynamics 365 environments include validation rules, duplicate detection, business process flows, Power Automate workflows, and governance frameworks that can help improve data quality. Some Organisations, therefore, argue that technology and governance should do more of the heavy lifting rather than relying solely on user behaviour. From your experience: Should CRM users be measured on data quality KPIs? Have data quality metrics improved CRM adoption or data accuracy in your Organisation? What KPIs have been most effective? Is data quality primarily a user responsibility, or should technology and governance frameworks carry most of the burden? Have you found a balance that improves data quality without creating additional friction for users? I'm interested in hearing how different Organisations balance user accountability, adoption, and data quality within Dynamics 365 environments.Who Should Be Accountable for Data Quality in Dynamics 365: IT or the Business?
Data quality remains one of the most common challenges in Dynamics 365 environments, regardless of industry or organisation size. When customer records are incomplete, duplicate data exists, or reporting becomes unreliable, the conversation often turns to ownership and accountability. Consider a simple example: A sales team creates customer records in Dynamics 365, while customer service updates contact details and finance systems synchronize billing information through integrations. Over time, duplicate records appear, customer information becomes inconsistent, and management reports start showing conflicting results. When this happens, who is accountable? Are the business users entering the data? Is the IT team managing the platform? The integration owners? Or should there be dedicated data stewards responsible for maintaining data quality standards? Some argue that data quality is primarily a business responsibility because users create and maintain most of the information stored in Dynamics 365. Others believe IT teams should take greater ownership through governance frameworks, validation rules, integrations, monitoring, and automated controls. In practice, many organisations struggle to find the right balance. When data issues arise, responsibility can become unclear, making it difficult to drive long-term improvements. From your experience: Who should ultimately be accountable for data quality in Dynamics 365? Should ownership sit with business teams, IT, dedicated data stewards, or a shared governance model? What approaches have worked well in your organisation? Have you seen a particular governance model deliver better results? I'm interested in hearing different perspectives and learning how others are addressing this challenge.Is Power Automate Becoming the New Technical Debt in Dynamics 365 Projects?
Power Automate has transformed how organisations build automation within Dynamics 365 and the Power Platform. Teams can automate processes quickly, reduce manual effort, and deliver business value without extensive custom development. At the same time, I have noticed an interesting challenge in some organizations as Power Platform adoption matures. Over time, hundreds of flows can be created by different teams, often with varying levels of governance, documentation, and ownership. Business logic may become distributed across multiple automations, making troubleshooting, maintenance, and long-term support more complex. On the other hand, many organisations have successfully scaled Power Automate by implementing strong governance practices and automation standards. I'm interested in hearing different perspectives from the community. Have you seen Power Automate become difficult to manage at scale, or has it reduced technical debt in your organization? What governance, architecture, or operational practices have worked best for balancing innovation with maintainability?
Opportunity to Participate in Doctoral Research Survey
Hello! My name is Melissa Johnson, and I am a doctoral student at National University. I am conducting an online survey to study the impact of productivity in Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA) environments. In order to participate, you must be age 18 or older, work in the United States, your organization has either implemented or is in the process of implementing Zero Trust security policies and you have experience with Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA) in virtual desktop and remote work environments. The survey is anonymous and has 31 questions and it is estimated to take less than one hour to complete the survey and will ask questions about demographics, ZTA authentication experience, implementation of ZTA context, perceived system performance, perceived user productivity, and user satisfaction. Follow this link if you wish to participate in this voluntary research: https://ncu.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bpziGNnZVmoLGES Feel free to share this link with others!Using Puzzle Logic Like Letter Boxed to Improve Problem Solving in Microsoft 365
Hi everyone. I have been thinking a lot lately about how we approach problem solving in the Microsoft 365 environment, and I realized that there’s a great analogy in a word puzzle I have been enjoying called Letter Boxed. In Letter Boxed you are given a set of letters arranged around a box. Your task is to form a chain of words that uses all the letters at least once where each word starts with the last letter of the previous word and no word repeats any letter. At first it seems simple but as you dig deeper it becomes a challenge of strategy, pattern recognition, and efficient sequencing all skills that directly apply to how we approach solutions in Microsoft technologies. Here is how I see the connection: Mapping Dependencies Just like linking words without breaking the chain, when designing solutions in Power Automate, Azure Logic Apps, or Teams workflows we must map dependencies so each step flows logically into the next. Avoiding Dead Ends In the puzzle some letter combinations make you hit a dead end. In real projects, poorly designed conditions, loops or API calls can lead to the same. Thinking ahead helps avoid those blocks. Maximizing Resources The puzzle forces you to use every letter at least once. Similarly, we should strive to leverage built‑in capabilities Graph API, connectors and templates before building custom code. I have found that using puzzles like this even casually helps sharpen the way I break down and solve complex configuration or integration challenges. Question for the community: Do you use any games, puzzles or outside the box activities to improve your technical thinking? How do you train your brain for better logic and sequencing when working with Microsoft 365 tools? Looking forward to your ideas and experiences! Thanks.
