SAP Application Server AutoScaling in Azure

by Contributed | Nov 5, 2020 | Technology

This article is contributed. See the original author and article here.

Introduction

Azure platform gives you the ability to scale SAP applications on-demand as required.  In broad terms scaling can be achieved in 2 ways

• Vertical Scaling  –  Also referred to as Scale Up/Scale Down, this is achieved by changing the Virtual Machine size up or down as per the requirement.  Mostly suitable for SAP Databases.


• Horizontal Scaling – Also referred to as Scale Out/Scale In, this is achieved by adding or removing Virtual Machine instances.  This approach is better suited for SAP application servers.

In this blog we will look at an approach to achieve Auto Scaling of SAP application servers in Azure based on Horizontal scaling method.

Overview

Autoscaling strategy typically involves the following pieces.

1. Telemetry collection –  This involves capturing the key application metrics to gauge the performance of the application.


2. Decision making component –  The component which evaluates the metrics against set threshold and decides whether scaling needs to be triggered.


3. Scaling Components – Components involved in scaling the application.

For detailed guidance on best practices of autoscaling in general refer this document

1. Telemetry Collection

Azure monitor provides out of the box capability to capture key performance metrics of a VM which are then stored in a Log Analytics Workspace. However, to accurately measure the load on an SAP application server, SAP specific performance metrics like work process utilization, user sessions, SAP application memory usage etc. are required. SAP provides a snapshot monitoring utility SMON (or /SDF/MON) which collects this information and stores it in a transparent table (header table) within the SAP database.  One way of getting this data into Log Analytics Workspace is to use Logic App for ingestion.

In this architecture Logic App is used to ingest the SAP performance metrics data from /SDF/MON_HEADER (or /SDF/SMON_HEADER depending on what is scheduled) into a custom log table in log analytics workspace. The Logic app can be scheduled to run periodically with a recurrence trigger to pull the data from SAP based on time filter and push it into Log analytics workspace.   In addition to forming the basis for autoscaling, getting /SDF/MON data into Log Analytics has other advantages.

• Data can be used to create real time performance dashboards of the SAP systems.


• Enables longer retention of SAP performance data in a cheaper storage and not within the SAP database.

Sample implementation of this can be found in this GitHub repo  https://github.com/karthikvenkat17/sapautoscaling

2. Decision making component

Once the required performance is data collected the next step is to setup a detection mechanism on one or more of the collected attributes.  As the required telemetry data is available in Log Analytics Workspace, Azure monitor can be used to initiate actions using the Log alerts.  Log alerts allow users to use a query to evaluate resources logs at set frequency and fire an alert based on the results. Rules can trigger one or more actions using Action Groups.

For Example in an SAP application server with 10 dialog work process and maximum user sessions to be restricted to 60, sample query for high load would look like below 

SAPPerfmon_CL

| where No__of_free_RFC_WPs_d <= 1 or Active_Dia_WPs_d  >= 8 or Users_d > 50

| summarize count() by Servername_s

Similarly sample query for Low load will look like below

SAPPerfmon_CL

| where No__of_free_RFC_WPs_d >= 7 and Active_Dia_WPs_d  <= 2 and Users_d < 50

| summarize count() by Servername_s

Once you have defined the query use Threshold, Frequency and Period to control when the alerts need to be fired.  Note that Log alerts are stateless. Alerts fire each time the condition is met, even if fired previously.  Use the Suppress Alert feature within the Azure Monitor to prevent alerts from continuously getting triggered for a period after the first occurrence.

3. Scaling Components

Now that the alert triggering mechanism is finalized, the next step is to carry out the Scaling (Scale Out or Scale In) action as required.   There are couple of ways of approaching this.

1. Use pre-built SAP instances which are snoozed. They are then started/stopped based on the alert criteria.  This can be achieved using Azure Automation Runbook. 


2. Create/Delete new application servers and add/remove them to the required groups dynamically. High level architecture of this option is shown below. 

Scale Out Architecture

Scale In architecture

Detailed explanation of this architecture and sample implementation can be found in this GitHub repo https://github.com/karthikvenkat17/sapautoscaling 

Things to Consider

• As you scale the number of SAP application servers, the SAP database should be able to handle the load. Ensure that the database has enough capacity to handle the load of the maximum application server count.


• If there are known pattern of spikes in workload, consider autoscaling based on schedule rather than based on metrics.  Autoscaling based on metrics should be used for unforeseen spikes in workload.


• Have adequate margin between Scale Out and Scale In thresholds to avoid continuous flapping. For example if the Scale Out happens at Dialog work process utilization of 90% have Scale In at a low value like 20% utilization. 


• For dynamic application server creation only addition/removal from Dialog/RFC server groups are considered. If the application servers need to be added/removed from Batch/Update groups, this needs to be a custom RFC which can then be called from Logic App (as there are no standard RFCs available for this functionality).


• Tune the SAP Soft shutdown timeout settings to fit the kind of traffic the dynamic SAP instances are going to serve. See here for details. 


• Consider a mechanism to handle batch jobs if any that may start on the Application servers which get added dynamically.  Soft shutdown command waits for batch or update tasks to finish until the time out is reached but If there are known long running jobs or jobs which impact business processes consider creating a separate batch group for them which includes only the static instances.


• If message server ACL file is used, it  needs to be updated when new application servers are added dynamically.


• For new VMs created as part of autoscaling ensure any additional monitoring required is setup as part of the post deployment steps.

All you need to know about Microsoft Exams

by Contributed | Nov 5, 2020 | Technology

This article is contributed. See the original author and article here.

Taking any exam can be a stressful experience which requires a lot of preparation and planning. 

Back in October 2011, I sat my first Microsoft exam, which was the Windows 7 Enterprise Desktop Administrator exam.  I remember wanting to sit a Microsoft exam before then but being hesitant about it because it was an unknown scenario to me and worried it wouldn’t be something I’d enjoy doing.

Since then however, I have sat 20 different Microsoft exams ranging from Exchange 2010 to Azure Data Fundamentals.  And I wanted to share some of my experience with you all to help you plan your approach to sitting an exam and explain how some of the exam process works.

Available Exams

There is a plethora of exams available for you to choose from.  Exams are dialled into technology and then job roles after that.  There are fundamentals exams for those just starting on their journey or expert level exams for the more experienced.  You can sit the exams in any order that suits your purpose or journey, I think I sat some expert level exams before attempting the fundamental ones. So, there is no right or wrong way, just the way that works for you.

• Microsoft 365 exams


• Microsoft Azure exams


• Microsoft Power Platform exams


• Microsoft Dynamics 365 exams


• Microsoft SQL exams

Certifications and Exams

Exam objectives and study material

Each exam has set objectives which help guide you in not only selecting which exams are relevant to your experience or career objectives but they are also there to help you with your studying.  Each exam has a small “Skills Measured” section which gives you a percentage breakdown of how much of the exam will be focussed on that topic and there is also a larger document that breaks down each section into more detail so you can really dial down your studying plan.

Exam Skills

Each exam also helps point you to some learning materials as well that help you find things to read or use as your study material.  You’ll have seen information to Free online training at Microsoft Learn and also some information for any in person instructor led training if it is available for the exam you are focusing on.  Books and official Microsoft documentation is also resources you should check out as part of your study material and also trying to get some hands on experience with the technologies that the exam is testing on.

Booking an exam

Booking an exam is key to this whole process if you ask me, when I start my journey to gaining a certification, I start with booking the exam.  If it’s booked, I have a deadline set and I have the motivation to study!  Booking the exam can be done straight from the exam page itself, it will show the exam provider for your region and give you the relevant link to the place you can go to book the exam.  One tip I would mention here is to watch what time you book the exam for; be sure you aren’t booking those 1am slots, unless you really want that slot. ;)

Sitting an exam at home

With the current situation in the world getting to a dedicated test centre to sit the exam is hard for a lot of people right now.  The opportunity to sit an exam still exists though, you can sit the exams at home.  

When sitting an exam at home there are certain rules that you need to adhere to and those can be quite daunting if it’s your first time.  When I sit an exam at a test centre I often make use of the reusable white board they give me to make notes or do drawings of the question to help me visualise what I am being asked.  However, at home you aren’t allowed any bits of paper for note taking.  The other things to consider when sitting an exam at home are:

• No one else is allowed in the room with you and if someone comes in it could mean you fail the exam


• You can’t read the questions out loud or speak during the exam


• You can’t cover your face or go out with the webcam view


• You can’t use two screens


• Your desk must be tidy


• Your phone can’t be within reach of you

There are a lot of other rules as well, so you should pay attention to them before you book an exam to make sure you can accommodate them.  If Pearson VUE are the testing provider for your region then you can find more information at taking online exams with them here, if PSI are your testing provider for your region you can find more information about taking online exams with them here.

What happens if I don’t pass first time?

Sometimes even though you’ve put a ton of work in and are confident you won’t pass first time, I’ve been there, I remember the first time I failed a Microsoft exam, I walked out of the test centre and went straight to my favourite coffee shop to get cake and a big latte to commiserate, it’s never a great feeling.  However, all is not lost, you can sit the exam again.  You must await at least 24 hours before retaking the exam again and you can sit the exam up to five times per year (12months) if needed.  You can find more details on the exam retake policy here.

Beta Exams

Occasionally you’ll see exam pop up as Beta exams, these are new exams that Microsoft has released.  There are often a limited number of slots for people to try out the exam at a discounted price, however you won’t get your exam results back straight away.  You’ll have to wait until the exam is released fully and sometimes you have to wait a number of weeks after the exam is live before you will receive the results.  My colleague Liberty wrote a great article explaining more about the beta exam process here.

Good luck

Good luck on your journey to studying, sitting, and passing a Microsoft exam, please do let us know how you get on with your journey!

Duplicate collection entry of type (0x800700b7)

by Contributed | Nov 4, 2020 | Technology

This article is contributed. See the original author and article here.

Here is the error message displayed for one of the applications after I enabled Failed Request Tracing in the IIS server:

Cannot add duplicate collection entry of type ‘add’ with unique key attribute ‘path’ set to ‘*’

Solution

Since the error message mentions a duplicate record, check the web.config for identical definitions:

1. Enable Failed Request Tracing


2. Add a rule


3. If the issue occurs, check web.config file. Are there identical Failed Request Tracing rules?

If there are no duplicates, check the rules in tracing module at all application, site, and server levels in IIS Manager. Make sure there are no conflicting rules.

If the issue still persists, add the line below into web.config. It will remove all existing rules to prevent duplication.

<remove path="*" />

The entire configuration of the Failed Request Tracing rule in the web.config:

<configuration>
    <system.webServer>
        <tracing>
            <traceFailedRequests>
                <remove path="*" />
                <add path="*">
                    <traceAreas>
                        <add provider="ASP" verbosity="Verbose" />
                        <add provider="ASPNET" areas="Infrastructure,Module,Page,AppServices" verbosity="Verbose" />
                        <add provider="ISAPI Extension" verbosity="Verbose" />
                        <add provider="WWW Server" areas="Authentication,Security,Filter,StaticFile,CGI,Compression,Cache,RequestNotifications,Module,FastCGI,WebSocket" verbosity="Verbose" />
                    </traceAreas>
                    <failureDefinitions statusCodes="500" />
                </add>
            </traceFailedRequests>
        </tracing>
    </system.webServer>
</configuration>

Note: In my case, the environment this issue occurred had two IIS servers pointing to the same web.config (located in a network share).

CLSID failed (800700b7)

by Contributed | Nov 4, 2020 | Technology

This article is contributed. See the original author and article here.

If IIS Manager doesn’t open because of the error below, it may cause delays in maintenance and migrations.

The error message:

Creating an instance of the COM component with CLSID from the IClassFactory failed due to the following error: 800700b7

Solution

This issue may happen after an in-place upgrade, migration, Windows updates or any other operation that works with system libraries. There is likely a corrupted or missing system file.

There are a couple things to check if you run into this issue:

• Check Event Viewer to find out information about the root cause


• Collect Process Monitor trace and look for any failures. Don’t be surprised if everything looks good in the trace because the root cause may hide behind a SUCCESS message. Take another trace from a working server and compare them

If logs and traces don’t provide a lead, here are a few things to try (Test if IIS Manager opens successfully after each step):

1. Uninstall IIS Management Tools in Server Manager and install them back


2. Check if IIS Admin Service starts in Services window


3. Perform iisreset 


4. Run aspnet_regiis -I 


5. Check the permissions on this folder: c:programDataMicrosoftcryptoRSAmachineKeys
   Make sure Everyone has Read/Write and Administrators have all permissions


6. Reinstall .NET Framework


7. If nothing works, uninstall IIS and install it back

W3C Logging Service failure (ID 6005)

by Contributed | Nov 4, 2020 | Technology

This article is contributed. See the original author and article here.

In some cases, Event Viewer may display “W3C Logging Service failed to connect to the pipe server” error after application pool recycles.

The error message:

Root Cause

W3logsvc process maintains pipeline to the worker process to get detailed information of each request so it can log data accordingly.

This event error happens if the pipeline connection is not available anymore.

Solution

If this error happens during application pool recycle and it doesn’t cause any issues with the application, it’s okay to ignore it.

In the scenario I troubleshot, it was happening at 4am which is the time for the regular application pool recycle. There were occurrences during the day but when I look into them, I saw application recycles right before the Event ID 6005 so they are also expected.

Note: In the my case, the issue started occurring the application is migrated from Windows Server 2012 R2 to 2019.

Using IoT and Azure to Help with Family Chores

by Contributed | Nov 4, 2020 | Technology

This article is contributed. See the original author and article here.

Intro 

At Microsoft Ignite 2020, Scott Hanselman showcased how he is using Azure, IoT (Internet of Things), and Developer Tools to help his family manage household chores. 

The Problem

Scott, like more and more people who are working from home, realized that there had to be a better way to stay in front of the need to do additional chores around his home. With everyone at home, things like dishes, garbage, and general chores add up fast. He wanted to be able to see at a glance the current list of chores that needed to be completed, real-time status of chores that can change quickly over time, and to be notified when certain chores were needed to be complete, for instance garbage.

The Solution

Scott already leverages a DAKboard, which allows customization of a display via a website. On his DAKboard, Scott can put his work/personal calendar, family photos and the weather all on a monitor that sits in his kitchen. He wanted to be able to add a “heatmap” of sorts to his DAKboard that would show parts of the house that notable chores are (garbage cans for instance) and what the “status” of them are in real-time. This way, if he sees that a chore needs to be done, the family can respond. 

There are a few things at play here. 

• Sensors: Most of the chores rely on items that are not “smart”, so external sensors and an IoT solution will be needed.


• Web: The heatmap requires real-time updates, so a web solution that offers such will be needed.


• Notifications: Finally, he wants to be notified when the threshold is met of a certain chore instantly, so a communication mechanism is needed.

With the above requirements, we can start to build a solution. The solution will require an IoT device that will poll the status of a particular chore. The device will update a datastore via a service and the heatmap will be a web application that will sync with the value of the datastore in real time. With that, we landed on the below solution architecture.

To build the solution, we knew that an IoT device would be needed to monitor the status of the chore. We decided on a Raspberry Pi with a connected . In the case of garbage status, the sensor was attached to the inside of the lid of the garbage can. The sensor could then check the level of the garbage in the can and update the chore datastore via an Azure Function written in Node.js. When the datastore is updated, another Azure Function, written in C#, is triggered that compares the current level to the threshold, and if it is met, a notification is sent.

For the notification, we relied on recently announced Azure Communication Services to send an SMS. When the notification function determines a message needs to be sent, it will leverage a phone number obtained via Azure Communication Services and the chore assignee will get a message from that number. Azure Communication Services is configured via the Azure Portal, more information can be seen at the GitHub repository for the ChoresIOT solution. Working against Azure Communication Services is seamless, as it is included in the already existing Azure SDK (software development kit). There is also an Azure Logic App connector for Azure Communication Services that you can leverage.

For the heatmap UI, we need to leverage a web technology that allows real-time communication with the function that manages the datastore. The technology that was decided on was Azure SignalR Service. The complete application leverages ASP.NET Core Blazor WebAssembly in .NET 5 configured to integrate with Azure SignalR Service. Because we are leveraging WebAssembly, we are able to deploy the application to any host since a backend server is not required. We deployed the web application to Azure Static Web Apps, a new service in Azure where you can host applications that do not require a connected backend server. Finally, since the solution is using Azure SignalR Service, when the chore datastore is updated, the heatmap will update automatically whenever the threshold for a particular chore is met.

Now that the solution is complete, whenever a chore status is updated via the Raspberry Pi, the datastore will be updated via the Azure Function. Once the datastore is updated, the other Azure Function will check the status the chore threshold and send an SMS if needed. Finally, the heatmap will be updated in real-time. This end to end experience can be seen below during the Microsoft Ignite 2020 session.

As you can see in the video, when Scott puts trash into the garbage, the heatmap automatically updates and he receives an SMS message, powered by Azure Communication Services. 

What’s Next?

The ChoresIoT GitHub Repository lists out all the parts needed to setup a similar solution at home. Take a look at the source code and contribute or ask questions if interested. For more information on Azure Communication Services and how to enable telephony-over-IP communications features to your applications, be sure to check out the documentation.

Also be sure to check out the free services that you can create in Azure today.

November Webinars & Remote Work Resources

by Contributed | Nov 4, 2020 | Technology

This article is contributed. See the original author and article here.

November Edition Sections:

• Highlighted 


• Microsoft Teams – IT Admins & Planning


• Microsoft Teams – End Users & Champions


• Security & Compliance


• Blogs & Articles of Interest

Highlighted

Remote Working Federal Training

The Microsoft Federal Customer Success team will be taking a holiday break from trainings. You can watch previous versions on-demand here.

Microsoft Teams: Master working from home

Working from home offers the opportunity to maintain your workflow while allowing flexibility in how and where you get your work done. Shifting to a remote worker status can be an adjustment as you look for ways to balance home and work life, maintain focus and be fully productive. Microsoft Teams can help you stay connected to your team while providing access to all of the tools and resources you need to get your work done. Join us to learn tips that can help set you up for success as you transition into a ‘work from home’ scenario. During this session, we’ll share: (1) Guidance for setting up your home environment for work, (2) Best practices for maintaining your workflow while working at home, (3) Tips for staying connected to your team while remote, and (4) Insights for effectively supporting a remote team.

• On-Demand Session


• Monday, November 9, 2020 at 6am PT

Microsoft Teams – IT Admins & Planning

Microsoft Teams: Plan your upgrade (Start here!)

Discover everything you need to facilitate a successful upgrade to Teams. By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to: (1) Understand why a formal plan is crucial for upgrade success, (2) Identify the steps to the upgrade success framework, (3) Recognize common attributes of successful customers, and (4) Create and implement their own upgrade plan. The audience for this session is All (Business Sponsors, IT Admins, User Readiness/Change Manager, Project Lead).

• On-Demand Session


• Tuesday, November 3, 2020 at 7am PT


• Tuesday, November 10, 2020 at 7am PT


• Wednesday, November 11, 2020 at 9am PT


• Thursday, November 12, 2020 at 11am PT


• Tuesday, November 17, 2020 at 7am PT


• Wednesday, November 18, 2020 at 9am PT


• Thursday, November 19, 2020 at 11am PT

Microsoft Teams: Identify your upgrade approach

Determine the most suitable approach based on your current Skype for Business implementation and upgrade goals. By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to: (1) Understand common scenarios and upgrade approaches, (2) Visualize the user experience for each approach, and (3) Determine the optimal upgrade approach for your organization.  IT Admins are the primary audience for this session.

• On-Demand Session


• Tuesday, November 3, 2020 at 6am PT


• Tuesday, November 3, 2020 at 9am PT


• Tuesday, November 3, 2020 at 4pm PT


• Tuesday, November 10, 2020 at 6am PT


• Tuesday, November 10, 2020 at 9am PT


• Tuesday, November 10, 2020 at 4pm PT


• Tuesday, November 17, 2020 at 6am PT


• Tuesday, November 17, 2020 at 9am PT


• Tuesday, November 17, 2020 at 4pm PT

Microsoft Teams: Implement your upgrade approach

Execute your defined upgrade approach as part of your formal upgrade plan. By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to: (1) Recognize the upgrade settings in your O365 tenant admin portal, (2) Understand technical tips and considerations for a successful upgrade, and (3) Apply the appropriate settings in the Portal to execute your upgrade. The primary audience for this session is IT Admins.

• On-Demand Session


• Thursday, November 5, 2020 at 6am PT


• Thursday, November 5, 2020 at 9am PT


• Thursday, November 5, 2020 at 4pm PT


• Thursday, November 12, 2020 at 6am PT


• Thursday, November 12, 2020 at 9am PT


• Thursday, November 12, 2020 at 4pm PT


• Thursday, November 19, 2020 at 6am PT


• Thursday, November 19, 2020 at 9am PT


• Thursday, November 19, 2020 at 4pm PT

Teams Chalk Talk: Taking charge of AV quality experiences

Are you looking to ensure users have optimal experiences with meetings and voice capabilities in Teams? During this session, we’ll discuss tools, reporting and best practices to help you manage service quality — from establishing a proactive  strategy to resolving common quality issues as they arise. We’ll build upon best practices from Teams experts and make it real with examples of common scenarios that may arise as your organization embraces meetings and voice capabilities in Teams. Join us for an expert-led workshop for guidance on key resources and actionable insights to manage audio and video quality with Microsoft Teams. Your users will thank you for it! After this session, you will be able to: (1) Define key service metrics and user experience factors for quality, (2) Recognize concepts and metrics in core tools and resources that help you assess usage and quality, (3) Identify key indicators of poor experience in common scenarios and relevant actions to address, and (4) Establish a proactive quality management strategy to ensure optimal user experience.

• Thursday, November 5, 2020 at 10am PT


• Tuesday, November 10, 2020 at 6am PT


• Wednesday, November 11, 2020 at 7am PT


• Wednesday, November 11, 2020 at 4pm PT


• Thursday, November 12, 2020 at 10am PT


• Tuesday, November 17, 2020 at 6am PT


• Wednesday, November 18, 2020 at 7am PT


• Wednesday, November 18, 2020 at 4pm PT


• Thursday, November 19, 2020 at 10am PT

Teams Chalk Talk: Apps in Teams Fundamentals

Join Microsoft Teams experts as we review how you can deploy commonly-used applications directly within Teams, enabling your users to work more efficiently and effectively by accessing everything they need in a single interface. This foundational workshop covers basic capabilities across app management and security. With over 400 out-of-the-box applications available (and growing), you’re sure to find an app, or two, that your team can begin using today in Teams. After this session, you will be able to: (1) Identify suitable apps to meet the needs for your organization, (2) Recognize common attributes of successful app deployment, (3) Navigate security and compliance considerations for Teams’ apps, and (4) Determine the next steps to deploy an app to your environment.

• Thursday, November 5, 2020 at 7am PT


• Tuesday, November 10, 2020 at 8am PT


• Thursday, November 12, 2020 at 7am PT


• Tuesday, November 17, 2020 at 8am PT


• Thursday, November 19, 2020 at 7am PT

Teams Chalk Talk: Get to Teams – Zero to Production

Microsoft Teams can help your employees stay connected and collaborate with each other, especially in the current unprecedented time where remote work is a reality of employees around the world. Being able to chat, do video meetings and collaborate on Office documents within Teams can help companies stay productive. Whether you are a small business, a non-profit or a large organization, you can get started with Teams within Microsoft 365 or Office 365 suite – even before deploying any other Office app or service. Join Microsoft Teams experts as we review Teams implementation for collaboration, chat and meetings. We’ll share key configurations, considerations, best practices, and resources to get your users up and running quickly. After this session, you will be able to: (1) Recognize key success factors for technical and user readiness, (2) Identify pre-requisites and tenant setup for your environment, (3) Install the Teams clients appropriate for your organization, (4) Configure policies that enable your preferred user experiences, and (5) Leverage collaboration features to enhance remote work scenarios.

• On-Demand Session

Teams Chalk Talk: So…you want to make calls with Microsoft Teams?

Are you ready to add PSTN calling capabilities to Microsoft Teams? Join Microsoft Teams Engineering subject-matter-experts as they demystify the options for adding PSTN calling to Teams, provide you with best practices for configuring calling options and show you how to monitor call quality. After this session, you will be able to: (1) Understand the history of voice services in Microsoft products, (2) Identify what calling options in Microsoft Teams are right for you, (3) Configure your calling options in the Teams admin portal, and (4) Monitor and use call quality tools in Teams.

• Wednesday, November 18, 2020 at 8am PT

Enabling Remote Work with Microsoft Teams: Manage Guest Access in Microsoft Teams

When: Thursday, November 5, 2020 at 9:00am PT | The recent shift to remote, hybrid and on-premise work has IT professionals across every industry looking for more solutions and support for deploying Microsoft Teams. That’s why we’re excited to launch this new live webcast series. In Episode 9, which is one of the most requested episodes, we’ll feature tips, tricks and gotchas on managing guest access in Microsoft Teams. Be sure to add this event to your calendar!

Office Hours: Managing Windows 10 Devices & Updates

To support your efforts to deliver and deploy updates to the Windows 10 devices being used by remote, onsite, and hybrid workers across your organization, and manage those devices effectively, we are continuing our series of weekly “office hours” for IT professionals here on Tech Community. During office hours, we will have a broad group of product experts, servicing experts, and engineers representing Windows, Microsoft Endpoint Manager (Microsoft Intune, Configuration Manager), security, FastTrack, and more. They will be monitoring the Windows 10 servicing space and standing by to provide guidance, discuss strategies and tactics, and, of course, answer any specific questions you may have. Office hours are text-based; there is no audio or virtual meeting component. To post a question, you just need to be a member of the Tech Community. Simply visit the Windows 10 servicing space and click Start a new conversation. At the start of office hours, we’ll pin a post outlining the individuals on hand, and their areas of expertise. Can’t attend at the designated time? Again, no problem. Post a question in the Windows 10 servicing space up to 24 hours in advance and we’ll make sure we review it during office hours.

• Thursday, November 19, 2020 at 9am PT


• Thursday, December 17, 2020 at 9am PT

Microsoft Teams: Ready your end users

Design a user readiness strategy to help your users love and adopt Teams. By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to: (1) Recognize factors that influence user acceptance and adoption, (2) Define core value messaging for Teams in your organization, and (3) Outline your awareness, training and support activities. The audience for this session is: User Readiness/Change Manager.

• On-Demand Session


• Wednesday, November 4, 2020 at 7am PT


• Tuesday, November 10, 2020 at 10am PT


• Wednesday, November 11, 2020 at 7am PT


• Wednesday, November 11, 2020 at 4pm PT


• Tuesday, November 17, 2020 at 10am PT


• Wednesday, November 18, 2020 at 7am PT


• Wednesday, November 18, 2020 at 4pm PT

Microsoft Teams – End User & Champions

Get Started with Microsoft Teams

Whether you are switching from Skype for Business or brand new, join us to learn the basics of how to use Teams to chat with your colleagues and collaborate on projects. Through a series of live demonstrations and best practices, you’ll leave this session with everything you need to start using Teams. After this session, you will be able to: (1) Set up your profile and notifications in Microsoft Teams, (2) Use chat and calling for 1:1 and group conversations, sharing and collaboration in Microsoft Teams, (3) Schedule and conduct meetings in Microsoft Teams, and (4) Align your team and teamwork in Microsoft Teams.

• On-Demand Session


• Monday, November 2, 2020 at 3pm PT


• Wednesday, November 4, 2020 at 8am PT


• Tuesday, November 10, 2020 at 5am PT

Microsoft Teams: Master working from home

Working from home offers the opportunity to maintain your workflow while allowing flexibility in how and where you get your work done. Shifting to a remote worker status can be an adjustment as you look for ways to balance home and work life, maintain focus and be fully productive. Microsoft Teams can help you stay connected to your team while providing access to all of the tools and resources you need to get your work done. Join us to learn tips that can help set you up for success as you transition into a ‘work from home’ scenario. During this session, we’ll share: (1) Guidance for setting up your home environment for work, (2) Best practices for maintaining your workflow while working at home, (3) Tips for staying connected to your team while remote, and (4) Insights for effectively supporting a remote team.

• On-Demand Session


• Monday, November 2, 2020 at 12pm PT


• Monday, November 9, 2020 at 6am PT

Run Effective Meetings with Microsoft Teams

Have you spent significant time and resources to prepare for a meeting and still felt it wasn’t productive? Have you attended a meeting only to leave feeling like not much was accomplished? Join this class to learn how to make your meetings engaging, productive and effective. Microsoft Teams can help make your meetings worth showing up for. After this session, you will be able to: (1) Use Teams for your entire meeting experience, (2) Record your meeting, making it easy for those who couldn’t attend to get caught up, (3) Keep important meetings at your fingertips by pinning them for easy access, and (4) Assess which audio and video devices are best for your meeting needs.

• On-Demand Session


• Friday, November 6, 2020 at 8am PT


• Monday, November 9, 2020 at 3pm PT


• Friday, November 13, 2020 at 6am PT

Go Deeper with Microsoft Teams: Leverage pro tips and tricks for Microsoft Teams

Designed for those who are already familiar with Microsoft Teams, our ‘Go Deeper’ sessions offer insights and best practices. Learn how Teams can help organize your workday and make it easier to stay connected with colleagues. Learn tips and tricks for managing and organizing work and communications in Teams. After this session, you will be able to: (1) Leverage formatting best practices to help get your messages noticed (and responded to), (2) Easily find files, chats and projects, (3) Implement strategies to manage and organize your work, and (4) Simplify your workday. Note: This session was previously called ‘Learn tips for taking Microsoft Teams to the next level – Part 2’.

• On-Demand Session


• Thursday, November 5, 2020 at 5am PT


• Thursday, November 12, 2020 at 10am PT

Go Deeper with Microsoft Teams: Build collaborative workspaces in Microsoft Teams

Designed for those who are already familiar with Microsoft Teams, our ‘Go Deeper’ sessions offer insights and best practices. Learn how Teams can help organize your workday and make it easier to stay connected with colleagues. Explore ways to determine the best approach for creating workspaces for projects and workgroups. After this session, you will be able to: (1) Determine the best approach for your collaboration needs (chat versus teams & channels), (2) Create workspaces for your team to provide the best teamwork experience​, and (3) Determine best practices in Microsoft Teams​ to enhance productivity. Note: This session was previously called ‘Learn tips for taking Microsoft Teams to the next level – Part 1’.

• On-Demand Session


• Tuesday, November 3, 2020 at 3pm PT


• Wednesday, November 4, 2020 at 5am PT


• Tuesday, November 10, 2020 at 10am PT

Integrate apps to do more in Microsoft Teams

Do you want to get more done in Teams? Receive targeted and timely updates? Access services directly through Teams? Apps let you complete tasks, receive updates and communicate. This session introduces you to the key activities needed to get started with adding applications, bots and connectors in Microsoft Teams today. Through a series of live demonstrations and best practices, you’ll leave this session with everything you need to start using apps in Teams. After this session, you will be able to: (1) See how applications, bots and connectors can help you be more efficient while working in Teams, (2) Select an application, bot or connector for your workspace, (3) Install an application, bot or connector, and (4) Use an application, bot or connector in your workspace.

• On-Demand Session


• Wednesday, November 4, 2020 at 12pm PT


• Monday, November 9, 2020 at 1pm PT


• Thursday, November 12, 2020 at 5am PT

A practical guide for managing sharing with OneDrive

With today’s reality of remote work and online learning, people need the ability to share content—documents, presentations, photos, videos, lesson plans, you name it—to get work done. And because of this, security around internal and external sharing is more important than ever before. While the ability to share content with colleagues both inside and outside the organization helps people stay productive and connected, you must protect against risks. Accidental sharing of sensitive information or sharing with unintended recipients can pose a threat to the integrity and privacy of your data, people, and devices. OneDrive helps you define secure, virtual perimeters for sharing content, educate people about your policies for secure collaboration, and monitor how people share to discover and address gaps. In this practical guide, you’ll learn about how you can easily manage secure external sharing. | Related: OneDrive Tips for Beginners and Pros

Security & Compliance

Microsoft 365 Virtual Training Day: Meeting Organizational Compliance Requirements

Leverage the intelligent and integrated Microsoft solutions to help your organization achieve its compliance goals by joining the Microsoft 365 Virtual Training Day: Meeting Organizational Compliance Requirements free one day online training session. Level 200-300 (Intermediate to Advanced) content. Technology covered: Data classification, labeling, governance, policy violation remediation, eDiscovery, audit, risk assessment. In this session you will: (1) Learn to use intelligence to identify, protect and govern your important data, (2) Learn to intelligently identify and remediate critical insider threats and risks, (3) Learn how to use the latest eDiscovery and audit capabilities to find relevant data and respond efficiently, and (4) Learn how to simplify and automate IT risk assessment.

• Wednesday, November 18, 2020 from 9am – 1pm PT


• Wednesday, December 9, 2020 from 9am – 1pm PT

Customer Immersion Experience: Protecting Assets and Empowering Your Defenders

Today’s workforce can work from anywhere, on any device, and on any app. Security teams need to understand threat signals from disconnected products and optimize security with minimal complexity. During this 2-hour interactive session, you will explore how to: (1) Safeguard users from malware attacks such as phishing and spoofing with Office 365, (2) Use the Windows Defender ecosystem to proactively monitor and protect your users, (3) Utilize Office 365 ATP to help protect users from bad links and attachments, and (4) Let machine learning and automation protect users from threats. Each session is limited to 12 participants, reserve your seat now.

• Thursday, November 5, 2020 from 9am – 11am PT


• Thursday, November 5, 2020 from 12pm – 2pm PT

Customer Immersion Experience: Protecting Your Sensitive Information

Data needs to be protected wherever it’s stored and whenever it travels, and you need the tools to monitor policy violations and risky behavior. Join us to explore how to implement a comprehensive and integrated approach across devices, apps, cloud services, and on-premises. During this 2-hour interactive session, you will explore how to: (1) Identify, monitor and automatically protect sensitive information across Office 365, (2) Help classify and protect documents and email, and (3) Use policies to enable BYOD scenarios by protecting data at the app level. Each session is limited to 12 participants, reserve your seat now.

• Thursday, November 19, 2020 from 9am – 11am PT


• Thursday, November 19, 2020 from 12pm – 2pm PT

Microsoft 365 Virtual Training Day: Securing Your Organization

In this training, you will learn how to protect your organization’s identities, data, applications, and devices across on-premises, cloud, and mobile – end to-end using the latest tools and guidance. This event covers intermediate to advanced content (level 200-300) and includes the following technologies: Threat Protection, Information Protection, Identify and Access Management, Security Management. In this workshop you will: (1) Increase level of understanding on how Microsoft delivers security across Microsoft 365, (2) Increase knowledge of security features and solutions, and (3) Connect with local technical experts and FastTrack resources.

• Friday, November 20, 2020 from 9am – 1pm PT


• Wednesday, December 16, 2020 from 9am – 1pm PT

Blogs & Articles of Interest

Public Sector Blog Website | RSS Feed

Microsoft Teams Blog Website | RSS Feed

• Microsoft Teams displays now available! – 28-Oct-2020


• New training resources for Microsoft Teams admins and IT Pros on MS Learn – 27-Oct-2020


• Microsoft Partners with Salesforce to Deliver Microsoft Teams Integration for Sales and Service – 22-Oct-2020


• Introducing Zoho Notebook for Microsoft Teams: Bring your thoughts and teams together – 20-Oct-2020


• Hi5 employee engagement app now integrates with Microsoft Teams – 13-Oct-2020


• What’s New in Microsoft Teams | September 2020 – 08-Oct-2020


• New inclusive features in Microsoft Teams and more | Ignite 2020 Edition – 01-Oct-2020

Office & Microsoft 365

• Microsoft 365 Business Blog Website | RSS Feed


• Microsoft 365 Blog Website | RSS Feed


• Office 365 Blog Website | RSS Feed


• Microsoft Teams Blog Website | RSS Feed


• Microsoft SharePoint Blog Website | RSS Feed


• Excel Blog Website | RSS Feed


• Planner Blog Website | RSS Feed


• Microsoft Forms Blog Website | RSS Feed


• Outlook Blog Website | RSS Feed


• Microsoft Visio Blog Website | RSS Feed


• Workplace Analytics MyAnalytics Website | RSS Feed


• Yammer Blog Website | RSS Feed


• Azure Active Directory Identity Blog Website | RSS Feed

Enterprise identity, mobility, and security

• Azure Active Directory Identity Blog Website | RSS Feed


• Azure Information Protection Blog Website | RSS Feed


• Core Infrastructure and Security Blog Website | RSS Feed

Microsoft Azure and Development

• Azure Customer Advisory Team (CAT) Website | RSS Feed


• Student Developer Blog Website | RSS Feed


• Azure Data Explorer Website | RSS Feed


• Azure Dev Community Blog Website | RSS Feed


• Azure Status Monitoring Blog Website | RSS Feed


• Hardware Dev Center Website | RSS Feed


• Internet of Things Website | RSS Feed


• Premier Developer Blog Website | RSS Feed

Windows, Operations, Management, and Deployment

• IT Operations Talk Blog Website | RSS Feed


• Windows Kernel Internals Website | RSS Feed

Support and adoption

• NEW Microsoft 365 Adoption Portal


• Driving Adoption Blog Website | RSS Feed


• IIS Support Blog Website | RSS Feed


• Intune Customer Success Website | RSS Feed


• Premier Field Engineering Blog Website | RSS Feed


• SharePoint Support Blog Website | RSS Feed


• SQL Server Support Blog Website | RSS Feed


• Tech Community Blog Website | RSS Feed

Misc

• Channel 9 Website | RSS Feed