While Security frameworks suggest admin accounts that uses to manage privileged tasks in Entra and Azure must NOT be synchronised from the local AD, many organisations still sync them as usual accounts. Mostly because these accounts carry admin weight where recreating these accounts are nearly impossible. This blog looks at one practical use case of … Continue reading Breaking the Habit: Moving Privileged Accounts Out of AD. How to Transfer User SOA to Entra ID?
Tag: Microsoft
Device Risk Meets Conditional Access: The Real Power of Unified Endpoint Security
Device compliance is one of the things that should be on top of the list of any organization's Cybersecurity activities. This enforces the next steps that can be taken by the device management solution from reporting to block access to resources immediately if the configured device policies are not meeting a certain standard. For an … Continue reading Device Risk Meets Conditional Access: The Real Power of Unified Endpoint Security
Guest User Access: A High-Level Checklist
The Guest User access dilemma in Entra is real. Balancing collaboration and security without distracting productivity is a challenge, but that's something you can't put on the back burner, because it can be the "Silent Insider Threat" you’re ignoring.🚩If you block Guest access completely, that can possibly degrade end user productivity. So how to balance … Continue reading Guest User Access: A High-Level Checklist
How Office Macros Expand the Attack Surface
Regardless the size of the organization. There is always one or few macros setup in excel files that does some tasks for the users. These macros are so critical to the business, and most of the time employees' tasks are evolving around them.And most of the time, people who create the macros in the organization … Continue reading How Office Macros Expand the Attack Surface
Securing LSASS – Controls to Minimise Attack Surface
LSASS, one of the most important pieces in an OS - say Windows 11, and one of the pieces that a threat actors are very tempted to keep their hands on. LSASS - Local Security Authority Subsystem Service, the process which is responsible for handling authentication, logon and security policies on Windows. Often, organizations don't … Continue reading Securing LSASS – Controls to Minimise Attack Surface
From Blind Spots to Control: Governing Conditional Access Policies
There are millions of signals passing through Entra every day, some of which are legitimate and some malicious. Having a strong set of Conditional Access (CA) Policies will help you make sure malicious requests do not slip through the cracks and that every access request is verified before access is granted. As your CA Policy … Continue reading From Blind Spots to Control: Governing Conditional Access Policies
Getting Started with Windows Autopatch in 2025 (cheat sheet)
Windows Autopatch have come a long way to become the new normal of updating your Windows endpoints, M365 apps, device drivers and Edge browser with Intune whether the devices are physical (workstations/ laptops/ kiosks/ billboards) or virtual (AVD/ W365). Microsoft Learn documentation will have more detailed info into the services, but this is a short … Continue reading Getting Started with Windows Autopatch in 2025 (cheat sheet)
Making That Positive Tech Impact as a Microsoft MVP
From time to time, I've been asked this question from the community on How do I become an MVP? Can you help me become an MVP? Can I contribute to your ongoing work because I'm keen on becoming an MVP, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. The common theme is How do I become an … Continue reading Making That Positive Tech Impact as a Microsoft MVP
Converting AD Group SOA to Govern On-Prem Access via Entra ID
Microsoft recently introduced the Group SOA convert option. At the time of writing, this is in Preview, but with this feature, you can change the AD group's Source of Authority (SOA) to be Entra. HOW COOL? This can help IT admins in many ways. Moving to cloud is the buzz word, but some options are … Continue reading Converting AD Group SOA to Govern On-Prem Access via Entra ID
🎙️Let There Be Cloud-Native Endpoints
Recently I got the opportunity to present all about Cloud-Native Endpoints at the first APAC online event series of Microsoft Zero to Hero Community. This was a virtual session where I presented about Microsoft Entra, Intune and how to build a strategy to move your Windows devices to cloud, which is Entra Joined and Managed … Continue reading 🎙️Let There Be Cloud-Native Endpoints
Windows Quick Machine Recovery With Microsoft Intune
We all witnessed the incident where Windows devices worldwide got hammered by the AV update that caused Windows to go BSOD. Machine recovery was one of the top things probably the IT admins did post incident to get their endpoints fleet up and running ASAP again to support day to day and all the critical … Continue reading Windows Quick Machine Recovery With Microsoft Intune
5. Cloud-Native Endpoints – Group Policy Analytics
Previously.. https://emsroute.com/2025/06/13/4-cloud-native-endpoints-from-config-manager-to-intune/ Group Policies are a major piece of the Cloud-Native Endpoints puzzle and it's not always easy to track back and remove the legacy policies and now you are planning on policy push via Intune and it's vital to add the GPOs in to the mix. Chances are there are GPO settings you still … Continue reading 5. Cloud-Native Endpoints – Group Policy Analytics
4. Cloud-Native Endpoints – From Config Manager to Intune
Previously.. https://emsroute.com/2025/06/11/3-cloud-native-endpoints-building-a-plan/ If you have Config Manager today and you are thinking of or planning on moving the devices and the workloads to Intune, this article is for you. If you are in that state today, chances are you have a stable (or near-stable) method of managing the devices, patch updates, and GPOs. Moving the … Continue reading 4. Cloud-Native Endpoints – From Config Manager to Intune
3. Cloud Native Endpoints: Building a Plan
Previously.. https://emsroute.com/2025/06/09/2-cloud-native-endpoints-why-are-you-on-entra-hybrid-joined-today/ Strategizing the Cloud-Native journey is important. Many organizations have the local Active Directory (AD) as the source of truth for identities, and most systems depend on this mechanism. Most organizations are in a hybrid setup, at least for user identities. You can still build Cloud-Native Endpoints without harming the local AD being the … Continue reading 3. Cloud Native Endpoints: Building a Plan
2. Cloud Native Endpoints: Why are You on Entra Hybrid Joined Today?
If you missed the blog roll, check below 👇🏼 https://emsroute.com/2025/05/09/cloud-native-endpoints/ Before moving to Cloud-Native, let's discuss the current phase where many organizations are possibly in at the moment. Entra Hybrid Joined state. This is the most common state I've seen in the organizations. What usually starts out as a PILOT or a POC to test … Continue reading 2. Cloud Native Endpoints: Why are You on Entra Hybrid Joined Today?
🚨Important update for Intune Admins!
As you may already know, the Intune Connector that is used for Entra Hybrid Join is getting deprecated at the end of June 2025. Announcement: 🔗Read all about this important change here 💡Why? As a part of Microsoft's Secure Future Initiative, this will strengthen the account security. A Managed Service Account (MSA) will be used instead … Continue reading 🚨Important update for Intune Admins!
1. Cloud-Native Endpoints: Intro
This is article 1 of the Cloud-Native Endpoint Series. This is a nugget-sized how-to series where I want to showcase how to unlock capabilities to achieve the full cloud-native end goal. 💡Value of going Hybrid? ➡You have the immediate opportunity to use Entra and Intune-related policies and settings.➡You are already making an effort to move … Continue reading 1. Cloud-Native Endpoints: Intro
OAuth App Governance
How often do you check and track the Apps list or the app permissions in Enterprise apps in Microsoft Entra? Is that only when you need to register or create a new app? How about user-installed apps? What controls do you have on users' consent on apps? Or know what apps are making excessive calls … Continue reading OAuth App Governance
Configure Windows LAPS in Intune – March 2025 Update
Local Admin Password Solution has come a long way and the March 2025 Update (Service release 2503) had some good enhancements for the solution. Randomizing the LAPS username is one of them. Rather than enabling the local Administrator account or creating a special admin account for LAPS, having an auto randomizing username sounds confusing to … Continue reading Configure Windows LAPS in Intune – March 2025 Update
Let’s Get Started with Security Copilot
Why Security Copilot? Copilot is everywhere these days. I often make this joke, Is there a Copilot for Copilot? Maybe a dull joke. But jokes aside, Copilot continues proving that this is the way forward for everything Microsoft. AI technology is inevitable, and using it in the responsible way is the right thing to do. … Continue reading Let’s Get Started with Security Copilot
EMS Route 