Why the Microsoft Graph PowerShell SDK has Two Cmdlets to Add Group Members
It’s a consequence of how the Microsoft Graph PowerShell SDK is built that two cmdlets are available to add members to Entra ID groups (the same is true for group owners). The reason why the New-MgGroupMember and New-MgGroupMemberByRef cmdlets exist is down to how the Graph SDK build process constructs cmdlets from Graph metadata. The Graph exposes two ways to add new group members, so the SDK follows suit. https://office365itpros.com/2026/10/20/group-member-sdk-cmdlets/Tracking File-Level Archiving Activity in SharePoint Online with PowerShell
File-level archiving is now generally available and can be applied to files automatically, by users through the SharePoint browser UX, or via a Graph API. The big problem with Purview retention processing is its black box nature, so to discover how effective retention labels with an archiving step are, we use the Microsoft Graph PowerShell SDK to check the archiving status of files and report the results via email. All in a nice script, of course. https://office365itpros.com/2026/10/14/file-level-archiving-report/How to Retrieve SharePoint Sites with the Microsoft Graph PowerShell SDKh sites
If you use the Microsoft Graph PowerShell SDK, you might know that the Graph APIs for SharePoint sites sometimes need a little help. For instance, finding a set of sites to process can be problematic because the APIs do not support extensive filtering capabilities. The solution is to use other Microsoft 365 cmdlets to find objects associated with sites. Inserting an intermediate step might seem crazy, but it can be the most effective way of solving the problem. https://office365itpros.com/2026/10/13/get-sharepoint-sites/Maintaining Stable Azure Automation Runtime Environments
The problem with V2.41 of the Microsoft Graph PowerShell SDK that stopped runbooks executing in PowerShell V7 runtime environments was disappointing. However, it was also a good wake-up call for tenant administrators to pay attention to maintaining healthy Azure Automation custom runtime environments. This article proposes a separation between current and production environments and explains how to use PowerShell to get the right modules to the right place. https://office365itpros.com/2026/10/12/maintain-runtime-environments-ps/I built a free, open-source M365 security assessment tool - looking for feedback
I work as an IT consultant, and a good chunk of my time is spent assessing Microsoft 365 environments for small and mid-sized businesses. Every engagement started the same way: connect to five different PowerShell modules, run dozens of commands across Entra ID, Exchange Online, Defender, SharePoint, and Teams, manually compare each setting against CIS benchmarks, then spend hours assembling everything into a report the client could actually read. The tools that automate this either cost thousands per year, require standing up Azure infrastructure just to run, or only cover one service area. I wanted something simpler: one command that connects, assesses, and produces a client-ready deliverable. So I built it. What M365 Assess does https://github.com/Daren9m/M365-Assess is a PowerShell-based security assessment tool that runs against a Microsoft 365 tenant and produces a comprehensive set of reports. Here is what you get from a single run: 57 automated security checks aligned to the CIS Microsoft 365 Foundations Benchmark v6.0.1, covering Entra ID, Exchange Online, Defender for Office 365, SharePoint Online, and Teams 12 compliance frameworks mapped simultaneously -- every finding is cross-referenced against NIST 800-53, NIST CSF 2.0, ISO 27001:2022, SOC 2, HIPAA, PCI DSS v4.0.1, CMMC 2.0, CISA SCuBA, and DISA STIG (plus CIS profiles for E3 L1/L2 and E5 L1/L2) 20+ CSV exports covering users, mailboxes, MFA status, admin roles, conditional access policies, mail flow rules, device compliance, and more A self-contained HTML report with an executive summary, severity badges, sortable tables, and a compliance overview dashboard -- no external dependencies, fully base64-encoded, just open it in any browser or email it directly The entire assessment is read-only. It never modifies tenant settings. Only Get-* cmdlets are used. A few things I'm proud of Real-time progress in the console. As the assessment runs, you see each check complete with live status indicators and timing. No staring at a blank terminal wondering if it hung. The HTML report is a single file. Logos, backgrounds, fonts -- everything is embedded. You can email the report as an attachment and it renders perfectly. It supports dark mode (auto-detects system preference), and all tables are sortable by clicking column headers. Compliance framework mapping. This was the feature that took the most work. The compliance overview shows coverage percentages across all 12 frameworks, with drill-down to individual controls. Each finding links back to its CIS control ID and maps to every applicable framework control. Pass/Fail detail tables. Each security check shows the CIS control reference, what was checked, what the expected value is, what the actual value is, and a clear Pass/Fail/Warning status. Findings include remediation descriptions to help prioritize fixes. Quick start If you want to try it out, it takes about 5 minutes to get running: # Install prerequisites (if you don't have them already) Install-Module Microsoft.Graph, ExchangeOnlineManagement -Scope CurrentUser Clone and run git clone https://github.com/Daren9m/M365-Assess.git cd M365-Assess .\Invoke-M365Assessment.ps1 The interactive wizard walks you through selecting assessment sections, entering your tenant ID, and choosing an authentication method (interactive browser login, certificate-based, or pre-existing connections). Results land in a timestamped folder with all CSVs and the HTML report. Requires PowerShell 7.x and runs on Windows (macOS and Linux are experimental -- I would love help testing those platforms). Cloud support M365 Assess works with: Commercial (global) tenants GCC, GCC High, and DoD environments If you work in government cloud, the tool handles the different endpoint URIs automatically. What is next This is actively maintained and I have a roadmap of improvements: More automated checks -- 140 CIS v6.0.1 controls are tracked in the registry, with 57 automated today. Expanding coverage is the top priority. Remediation commands -- PowerShell snippets and portal steps for each finding, so you can fix issues directly from the report. XLSX compliance matrix -- A spreadsheet export for audit teams who need to work in Excel. Standalone report regeneration -- Re-run the report from existing CSV data without re-assessing the tenant. I would love your feedback I have been building this for my own consulting work, but I think it could be useful to the broader community. If you try it, I would genuinely appreciate hearing: What checks should I prioritize next? Which security controls matter most in your environment? What compliance frameworks are most requested by your clients or auditors? How does the report land with non-technical stakeholders? Is the executive summary useful, or does it need work? macOS/Linux users -- does it run? What breaks? I have tested it on macOS, but not extensively. Bug reports, feature requests, and contributions are all welcome on GitHub. Repository: https://github.com/Daren9m/M365-Assess License: MIT (free for commercial and personal use) Runtime: PowerShell 7.x Thanks for reading. Happy to answer any questions in the comments.Using the Exchange Import-Export Graph API to Access Group Mailboxes
After saying that the Graph didn’t offer much support for group mailboxes, I was promptly countered with an article explaining how to use the Exchange Import-Export API to access folders and items in group mailboxes that wasn’t limited to just the Inbox. Well, the good news is that the approach works, as seen in a complete script written to prove the case, but whether I would ever use this API for a purpose it was never designed for is quite another matter. https://office365itpros.com/2026/10/07/group-mailbox-folder-items/Microsoft Graph PowerShell SDK V2.41 Finally Fixes Assembly Clash
The Microsoft Graph PowerShell SDK has long been plagued by assembly clashes that meant it couldn’t be used in the same session as other Microsoft 365 modules. After Microsoft engineering groups looked at the problem for 18 months, a solution was found by MVP Stephen van Rooij and is now available in V2.41. Apart from an issue with old PowerShell V7 versions (which affects Azure Automation runtime environments), the fix looks solid and the SDK can once again be loaded into PowerShell sessions alongside the Exchange Online and Teams modules. https://office365itpros.com/2026/10/05/microsoft-graph-powershell-sdk-fix/How to Use Separate Apps to Control Access to the Microsoft Graph PowerShell SDK
Administrators know how to use the default Microsoft Graph Command Line Tools app for delegated interactive Graph sessions. In this article, we cover the topic of using custom Entra ID apps to enable granular access for selected users who need some, but not all, Graph permissions to get their work done. Some changes have taken place in this area due to the advent of WAM, but the concepts and implementation steps are straightforward. https://office365itpros.com/2026/09/24/interactive-graph-sessions-apps/Why Some Purview DLP Policies Need Days to Start Working
While testing the new DLP capabilities to block sharing to users and domains and stop Copilot from using external email, it was noticeable how long it took before policies became active. DLP policy synchronization to workloads is reasonably work (and getting faster), but these policies have a new retrospective effect that requires workloads to process files and messages to stop them being available. It’s a new twist to the DLP story. https://office365itpros.com/2026/09/11/dlp-policies-take-time/Why Microsoft Graph Does Not Support Group Mailboxes
A reader asked why the Outlook Mail Graph API doesn’t support access to group mailboxes. The basic reason is that a group mailbox doesn’t have an account and the Outlook Mail API only supports mailboxes that are linked to an account. When you look at the current usage of group mailboxes, it doesn’t seem like there’s much data to mine. Maybe the need for Graph API support for group mailboxes isn’t such a big thing? https://office365itpros.com/2026/09/09/group-mailbox-graph-api/
