The Tech Blog of Dan Usher

Author: Dan

  • QNAP Friends… Update your firmware…

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    Unless you’re running your servers, devices and other items that connect to a network of some sort in a pile of concrete at the bottom of a lake (perhaps a Great Lake) disconnected from the world, it may be time to go and start checking your firmware. I know that it’s one of the most…

  • Azure: Public Preview of Serial Console

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    I have to say that this is crazy that Microsoft Azure now supports a Serial Console for Virtual Machines (at least in Public Preview).  Check out the blog entry over here – https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/updates/azure-serial-console/ I decided to give it a little try to see more and it works like a champ. Very cool to see this capability…

  • Don’t lose your identity in the Cloud…

    Don’t lose your identity in the Cloud…

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    If you happen to log into your Office 365 Admin Portal on a regular basis good on you – though perhaps you can get most of your alerts through the Office 365 Admin app on your phone. If you do happen to log in though and you’re using Directory Synchronization by way of either Azure…

  • How do I remove my domain name from Office 365?

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    So you have a proof of concept Office 365 instance and you realize that you want to take things to Production, but you also realize that you want to keep your POC tenant up and oeprational. Caveat, you went through and applied your Domain Name to your tenant thorugh another registrar.  How do you get…

  • Are you blocking Office 365?

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    One of the funnier things that I run into every so often is when someone’s Office 365 implementation isn’t working because their firewall administrator is following the age-old practice of least permission.  Definitely, a good way to keep your environment secure, and I wouldn’t tell you not to go down this path… but you probably want…

  • Azure: Setting up a custom domain for Office 365 by way of Azure Active Directory

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    If you’re like me, sometimes you like to do things a little more efficiently and elegantly through PowerShell or through the Azure portal when it deals with the underlying infrastructure that’s associated with an Office 365 tenant. If you’re using Office 365 you’ve established a tenant with a .onmicrosoft.com name.  Reminder PSA: You can’t change…

  • Security and Compliance with Office 365

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    If you’ve signed up for Office 365 and kicking the tires? Consider checking some of the capabilities that you get with the Security and Compliance Portal within Office 365.  How do you get there? If you head over to https://protection.office.com you’ll be prompted to log in with your Work ID.  Once you’re in you’ll be able…

  • Office 365: Managing your users through PowerShell

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    If you’re like me, then you tend to find yourself wanting to automate as much as possible, or at least be able to work with sets of data in a way that quickly allows you to get to the root of an issue rather than clicking through endless screens of information. In case you were…

  • Office 365: How to become an Office Insider

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    Microsoft continues to provide iterative changes to the Microsoft Office productivity suite. At one point in time Microsoft was deploying changes on a very frequent basis. While this was helpful for many users that were excited to see new bits flowing to their computing desktops on a regular basis, the amount of change fatigue became…

  • Don’t turn into a pumpkin because of DirSync with your Office 365 system

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    I feel like I may have already mentioned this on the Twitter, but I feel like I need to put out a reminder PSA for folks that perhaps were asleep at the terminal or looking at their iPhone playing Pokemon Go… DirSync and AzureAD Sync Service will no longer connect as of 1 January 2018.…