Cannot update M365-Mac to 16.105.1?
Anyone else having an issue with this? Current Channel-Preview update (only 25-30MB per update) is failing with Outlook and Word (previously, PPT and XLS were fine). It takes forever to update ... then fails. Note that another computer which previously (early last week?) was fine. "Solution" is changing to beta channel (which comes with risk) to bypass and go direct to 16.106 (which updates fine/super fast; under 2 minutes). Doesn't matter internet connection and attempted to do this over a period of 4 days - tried hotel (duh), hotspot (less duh - 250-600mbps), Starlink (400+ Mbps) and home fiber (2Gbps).
Word/PowerPoint are not suitable replacements for Publisher
I’m writing following the guidance that Word and PowerPoint can be used as replacements for Publisher. This feedback is based on completing a real production document, not theoretical use Having just completed a fairly complex, layout-heavy technical document, I thought it only fair to share how that works in practice. In theory, I can see the logic: Word handles documents PowerPoint handles layouts Therefore, between the two, everything should be covered Unfortunately, in reality, this appears to be more of a theoretical exercise than a practical solution. Publisher was clearly designed for: Fixed, page-based layouts Precise positioning of objects Efficient alignment of mixed content (text, images, tables) Producing consistent, professional multi-page documents By comparison: Word is admirably committed to reminding you that it would prefer everything to flow freely, regardless of whether you want it to or not PowerPoint, while better behaved, does seem to assume every page is a standalone slide rather than part of a structured document Both tools can, with enough persistence, be persuaded into doing the job. However, this involves a level of manual intervention, workaround, and general negotiation with the software that feels somewhat at odds with modern productivity software. To put it simply: They are not replacements in any meaningful, real-world sense. The end result can be achieved, but the process is unnecessarily time-consuming, fragile, and prone to unexpected layout changes—particularly when precision actually matters. Replacing a purpose-built publishing tool with two applications that were never designed for that role gives the impression that this use case has been… optimistically simplified. I would strongly encourage Microsoft to either: Provide a genuine page-layout solution within the Office suite, or Enhance existing applications so they can support fixed-layout publishing without constant workarounds At present, the gap left by Publisher is very noticeable for anyone producing structured documents beyond basic text. I appreciate the direction of Microsoft 365 overall, but in this particular area, the experience feels less like an evolution and more like working around a missing tool. Regards AndyMobile Application Management for Windows (NEW)
This newly released product is now available in Public Preview, and I'm excited to share my initial impressions. MAM enables users to stay productive on any device while ensuring the security of our data. Mobile Application Management for Windows enables us to; Apply policies to corporate applications on personal devices. No enrollment required, just an Azure AD (or MEID) registration. Place restrictions such as cut/copy/print and blocking incoming or outgoing data. Integration with the Mobile Threat Defense connector to detect local health threats. Block access or wipe corporate data based on specific conditions. In this blog post, I provide a first look at the configuration and user experience of MAM for Windows. https://myronhelgering.com/first-look-at-mam-for-windows/Simplify Microsoft 365 deployments with these new helpful guides!
If you're an IT admin, you want tools that will make it easier to manage users in your organization, especially when it comes to deployment. The Microsoft 365 team just announced the availability of advanced deployment guides-now available in the Microsoft 365 admin center and setup.microsoft.com. Learn more about it in this latest blog post by Samer_Baroudi: Simplify deployment of Microsoft 365 with new and updated deployment guidesProvision Windows devices from anywhere to support a mobile workforce
In this, our second chapter of the Enabling Remote Work for IT Pros web series, we focus on practical tips to help you effectively provision Windows devices from anywhere. We walk through a variety of strategies, from simple to complex, to help you better understand how to leverage Azure AD Join with Microsoft Intune, or Configuration Manager co-management and task sequences. We then present you with a clear list of the steps you can take now, start soon, or work on in the future. Learn more Here are links to the resources mentioned in this session: Automatic MDM enrollment Using Windows Hello for Business to Access On-Premises Resources Enable Kerberos Managing remote machines with cloud management gateway in Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager While not mentioned specifically in this session, here are some additional resources you might find helpful: Microsoft COVID-19 response site Enabling Remote Work Microsoft Endpoint Manager remote work blog Work remotely, stay secure 2 weeks in: what we’ve learned about remote work Frequently asked questions Q: For Hybrid Azure AD join, if we have a line of sight with the domain controller, is the Intune connector required? A: Yes, it’s what gathers an offline domain join blob from your domain controller. Q: Is there a way to define the complete computer name for devices provisioned via Windows Autopilot? A: For Azure AD Join devices, yes, there is a graph API. For Hybrid Azure AD devices, no, there is only the ability to prefix something onto the name. Q: Is there a list of supported VPN clients? A: We don’t have a supported list because we don’t support the configuration of third-party VPN clients. Customers will need to figure out if your VPN works in this scenario. The real question to ask is ‘does your VPN support pre-logon/start before logon auth?’ or some sort of AOVPN. If so, it will work. These are some of the VPN providers we expect to work: Cisco AnyConnect (Win32 client): “Start before Logon” Pulse Secure (Win32 client): “Credential Provider” GlobalProtect (Win32 client): “Pre-logon” Checkpoint (Win32 client): “Auto Connect/Always Connected” Citrix NetScaler (Win32 client): “Always on” SonicWall (Win32 client): “NetExtender on Startup” Note: We do not document or support how you configure your VPN as it is a third-party configuration. Q: Is there a way to get the device enrolled in Windows Autopilot remotely? A: The only way is if it’s currently managed through Intune. You can assign a Windows Autopilot profile with the “Convert devices to Autopilot” option enabled, and the hardware has will be automatically harvested at the next check in. Q: Are there any alternatives to enroll multiple devices, already deployed, besides Windows Autopilot and Bulk enroll using provisioning package files (PPKG)? A: All of the possibilities are documented here: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/mem/intune/enrollment/windows-enrollment-methods Q: Is there a way to use White Glove deployment with standard applications without pre-assigning the device to a particular user? A: If you target your applications to devices, then you don’t need to. If the apps are assigned to users, then you need to assign a user. Q: Are we able to deploy the provisioning package files through Intune? A: No, this is not currently supported. Feedback We hope you find this session useful. We'd love your feedback and ideas for future sessions so please fill out this short survey. Thank you!
