Monday, January 27, 2020

Microsoft Previews New App Reporting and Consent Tools in Azure AD


Microsoft last week described a few Azure Active Directory improvements for organizations wanting to connect their applications to Microsoft's identity and access service.

The company released a couple of previews to that end. One preview aims to help IT pros find apps in their computing environments that are using Active Directory Federation Services (ADFS) but can switch to using Azure AD instead. A second preview sets up a workflow for end-users to request access to applications when denied access. Lastly, Microsoft announced improvements to applications that are pre-integrated with the Azure AD service.

ADFS Activity Report Preview

One of the improvements is an ADFS "activity report" preview, which is accessible in the Azure Portal under the "Usage & Insights" resource, according to this Microsoft Azure document. IT pros can use the activity report to find applications that are currently using ADFS (a Windows Server role) but that are capable of switching over to using the Azure AD cloud-based service.

The ADFS activity report preview "assesses all AD FS applications for compatibility with Azure AD, checks for any issues, and gives guidance on preparing individual applications for migration," the document explained.

It's possible to run migration tests on these applications and fix issues. Reports data can be seen by IT pros with roles such as "global administrator, report reader, security reader, application administrator, or cloud application administrator," the document explained.

Admin Consent Preview

Another improvement is an "admin consent workflow" preview, which sets up a permission-request process when end users attempt to use unauthorized applications, according to this document. Currently, if an application requires access to organizational data, end users attempting to sign into it may get "a generic error message" that directs them to their IT administrator, but the message doesn't specify the person to contact, the document explained.

With the admin consent workflow preview turned on, end users will get a workflow that lets them send e-mails to the account administrator or a designated reviewer, requesting approval to use the application. "To approve requests, a reviewer must be a global administrator, cloud application administrator, or application administrator," according to the document. Users have to offer a reason why they want to use the app, which gets sent in the e-mail.

IT pros can turn on the admin consent workflow preview, if wanted, via the Azure Portal if they are a global administrator. However, granting consent to one end user appears to grant consent to all end users.

Here's how Microsoft's document expressed it:


    If you're concerned about granting admin consent and allowing all users in the tenant to use the application, we recommend that you deny the request. Then manually grant admin consent by restricting access to the application by requiring user assignment, and assigning users or groups to the application. For more information, see Methods for assigning users and groups.

Azure AD App Gallery Highlights


Microsoft announced some highlights for applications integrated via the Azure AD App Gallery.

Azure AD now supports "federated single sign-on" for the following Azure AD App Gallery applications: Blue Access (Blue Cross/Blue Shield health insurance), Freshworks (CRM and IT service management), Hootsuite (social media management), Netskope Cloud Security and Terraform Enterprise.

In addition, the following Azure AD App Gallery apps now have support for automated user provisioning: Harness (a DevOps platform), Infor CloudSuite (ERP), iProva (AI), RingCentral (unified communications) and Templafy (business document templates).

Azure AD supports integration with four app types, according to this Microsoft document. First, some apps are pre-integrated for single sign-on access and get housed in the Azure AD Gallery. Second, there are non-Gallery apps, which can be integrated with Azure AD if the app "renders a username and password field, supports SAML or OpenID Connect protocols, or supports SCIM [System for Cross-Domain Identity Management]." Other Azure AD-supported apps include "on-premises Web apps" that tap into the Azure AD Application Proxy service, plus "custom line-of-business applications."

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Microsoft's Big Surprise Spoiled As Surface 7 Leaks

It's called Surface 7 and it seems ready to take on the mid-range tablet market, Chromebook cloud-based market and bring Qualcomm to the Surface portfolio along with the unconditional Intel and the possible introduction of AMD through the laptop Surface Omar Sohail of WCCFTech reports:

  •     In terms of performance, Microsoft Surface 7 is expected to have Qualcomm's ARM-based Snapdragon 8cx under the hood. Although Qualcomm's previous press details revealed that the Snapdragon 8cx was powerful enough to take on Intel's quad-core i5-8250u designed for ultrabooks, recent comparative evaluation results reveal Qualcomm's silicon is even lower than Intel's offer.

  •     Fortunately, the benefit of having a Snapdragon 8cx means that the device will probably also offer always active 4G LTE. The report also states that the USB-A and MiniDisplayPort connections will be removed in favor of USB-C, as this will help the device achieve a much thinner design.

Where would this new tablet fit in the Surface family?



It is worth noting that Microsoft has Surface Go in the portfolio, this tablet with Windows 10 has been aimed at business customers, specifically at the point of sale and in factories and warehouses. Assuming Go will continue (and there is no indication that it is a dead end), then there is room for a much more consumer-friendly tablet. That would be surface 7.

Microsoft has been here before. Together with the Surface 3 Pro with Intel technology, the Surface 3, a smaller specification tablet that uses the Intel Atom chipset, was installed. While Surface Pro 3 introduced the new form factor of Surface tablets and it could be said that it was the first of the professional tablets that could replicate the power of a desktop computer or a high-end laptop, the Surface 3 entered the Tablet market dominated by the iPad.

There was a small sweet spot for the Surface 3, the biggest commitment was the Atom chip and the challenges associated with a low power chip, and Microsoft refused to fight for that little place. There was no Surface 4 ... until now.

The information we have about Surface 7 suggests that it will be for Surface Pro 7 what Surface 3 was for Surface Pro 3. It will have a similar style, but it will be smaller and will be aimed at a smaller set of applications.

Five years after Surface 3, Surface 7 will be able to make better use of cloud services (something that Microsoft is especially strong about) and online experiences

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Through the browser. That will overcome the obvious issue of application compatibility if Surface 7 uses a Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset.

I hope Surface 7 is Microsoft's answer for both Apple's iPad and Google’s Chromebook platforms.

As Microsoft is expected to announce the new Surface devices this week in New York, we don't have much time to find out if Surface 7 will be the equivalent of Redmond to "One More Thing."

Monday, January 14, 2019

Windows 7 KMS Activation Issues Caused by Microsoft Mistake, Not an Update



On January 8th, 2019, Windows 7 machines that were activated through Key Management Service (KMS) started receiving a "Windows is not genuine" notification indicating that the Windows license was not valid. It turns out this this problem was not caused by a January 2019 Patch Tuesday update, but rather by a change on Microsoft's activation servers.

In an support article released on January 10th, Microsoft explains that the activation issue was caused by a code change on their Microsoft Activation and Validation servers

A recent update to the Microsoft Activation and Validation unintentionally caused a "not genuine" error on volume-licensed Windows 7 clients that had KB 971033 installed. The change was introduced at 10:00:00 UTC on January 8, 2019, and was reverted at 4:30:00 UTC on January 9, 2019.

Note This timing coincides with the release of the “1B” January 2019 updates (KB 4480960 and KB 4480970) that were released on Tuesday, January 8, 2019. These events are not related.

Windows 7 devices that have KB 971033 installed but did not experience this issue between the time of the change (10:00:00 UTC, January 8, 2019) and the time of the reversion of that change (4:30:00 UTC, January 9, 2019) should not experience the issue that is described in this article.

This code change affected Windows 7 machines that had the KB971033 update installed and were activated by KMS. The supported versions of Windows 7 that can be activated by KMS are:

  •     Windows 7 Professional
  •     Windows 7 Professional N
  •     Windows 7 Professional E
  •     Windows 7 Enterprise
  •     Windows 7 Enterprise N
  •     Windows 7 Enterprise E
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For any machines that were affected, they would have seen warnings that state "Windows is not genuine", "This copy of Windows is not genuine", or 0xC004F200 errors.


Not Genuine Warning

Microsoft suggests that users uninstall the KB971033 update from any Windows 7 machines that are activated through KMS.

"We strongly recommend that you uninstall KB 971033 from all volume-licensed Windows 7-based devices," states Microsoft's support page. "This includes devices that are not currently affected by the issue that is mentioned in the "Symptoms" section."

If KB971033 is installed on a computer, users can uninstall it by issuing one of the following commands from an elevated command prompt.

wusa /uninstall /kb:971033

or

dism /online /Remove-Package /PackageName:Microsoft-Windows-Security-WindowsActivationTechnologies-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~7.1.7600.16395

Once you remove the update, you should restart the computer.

After the computer is uninstalled and the update has been confirmed to be removed, users should reactivate through KMS using the following commands.

net stop sppuinotify
sc config sppuinotify start= disabled
net stop sppsvc
del %windir%\system32\7B296FB0-376B-497e-B012-9C450E1B7327-5P-0.C7483456-A289-439d-8115-601632D005A0 /ah
del %windir%\system32\7B296FB0-376B-497e-B012-9C450E1B7327-5P-1.C7483456-A289-439d-8115-601632D005A0 /ah
del %windir%\ServiceProfiles\NetworkService\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\SoftwareProtectionPlatform\tokens.dat
del %windir%\ServiceProfiles\NetworkService\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\SoftwareProtectionPlatform\cache\cache.dat
net start sppsvc
cscript c:\windows\system32\slmgr.vbs /ipk [edition-specific KMS client key]
cscript c:\windows\system32\slmgr.vbs /ato
sc config sppuinotify start= demand

For a list of KMS client keys that should be used, please see Microsoft's support page.

Thursday, October 11, 2018

Prototype Microsoft HoloLens headset spotted in NASA video



Update 10/11, 2:35 PM, Eastern Time: It seems that the HoloLens headphones seen in the NASA video are a prototype version of the original developer HoloLens, as pointed out by Road to VR's Scott Hayden. While Microsoft is working on a second-generation version of HoloLens, it's unlikely that the model shown here is that device. We have updated the owner accordingly. The original story appears below.

A prototype of Microsoft HoloLens appeared in a video of NASA this week. Seen by VentureBeat, the video from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory reveals what appears to be a newly designed handset. The headset includes a different visor on the front that seems to better support the glasses and a single adjustable band.

The Kinect sensor is not as visible on the front of the device, and in general it seems much less bulky than the existing HoloLens model that is available today. It is not clear in the video if it is Microsoft's HoloLens 2, or simply a prototype HoloLens headset that NASA is testing. NASA was one of the first Microsoft partners in HoloLens and previously tested the first prototypes of augmented reality headphones. This is likely to be simply a prototype of existing HoloLens headphones, rather than a completely new device.




Microsoft has been working on a second generation of HoloLens, whose code name is Sydney. The new headset will be powered by an ARM-based processor and will include the latest generation of the Kinect sensor and a custom AI chip to improve performance. Microsoft is aiming for a release date of HoloLens 2 for 2019. We contacted Microsoft to comment on the NASA video, but the company says it has nothing to share.

Tuesday, February 20, 2018

Microsoft Just Put Another Nail In The Coffin For Windows Phones


Now it's no secret that the ambitions of Microsoft's smartphones are over, and that its current Windows 10 Mobile operating system hardly has any life support.

So here is another nail in the coffin. On Monday, Microsoft announced in a blog post that no phone with Windows Phone 7.5 or earlier 8 operating systems will no longer receive push notifications. Also, the "Find my phone" function in those operating systems will no longer work.

This will not necessarily affect many users: Windows Phone 7.5 was launched for the first time in 2011 and Windows Phone 8 decreased in 2012. Despite the nomenclature, they were totally different operating systems: Windows Phone 7.5 could not be updated for Windows Phone 8 Neither operating system found a large audience at that time, and it is likely that there are not many phones that use it today, which is part of why Microsoft is currently in this suboptimal smartphone situation in the first place. .

If you are one of the few who use the latest Windows Phone 8.1, which fell in 2014, Microsoft writes that everything will continue to work as usual "at this time". The phrasing here keeps the door open that things could change in the not too distant future.

Meanwhile, Windows 10 Mobile, which was launched in 2015, is still fully compatible with Microsoft. At least, technically: while all its current features continue to work as before, Microsoft announced in October that users can only expect security patches and minor improvements, not new important features or new hardware.

So, yes, here is another milestone in the march to the tomb of Windows on smartphones.

However, hope can still emerge: it is rumored that Microsoft is working on a new folding tablet that could also function as a smartphone. However, if that device reaches the market, it surely will not execute anything that we recognize today as a Windows phone operating system.

Tuesday, December 19, 2017

Microsoft Starts Testing Windows 10’s Timeline And App Tabs Features

Microsoft is launching a great update for Windows 10 testers today, just before the start of the new year. The software giant is implementing Windows 10 compilation 17063 for fast stamp checkers, completed with the timeline feature and the new window tabs that the company revealed last month.


Originally, it was assumed that the timeline would be sent with the Fall Creator Update, which would allow Windows 10 machines to resume applications and activities on all devices. The timeline will allow you to effectively resume where you left off if you are switching between devices with Windows 10. Thanks to the integration of Cortana, this will even extend to some Microsoft applications on iOS and Android eventually. It's a quick way to move from one machine to another, just like Apple's continuity function in iOS and macOS.


In this latest compilation, Timeline can be accessed through the usual Task View area in Windows 10. Timeline provides an overview of all recent activities, including applications running on a Windows 10 computer at a given time . It's similar to the recent tabs feature in Chrome, where you can resume sets of tabs you were seeing on another device. Cortana will also ask Windows 10 users to resume these activities thanks to the Timeline feature.

Along with Timeline, Microsoft is also testing Sets: its tabbed window feature. Microsoft admits that it can end up calling it another way when it is sent, and the company is only testing sets with a limited number of Windows users today. It establishes adding tabs to windows so that activities can be grouped into a single interface. It is a tabbed navigation, but for each Windows 10 application. Only Windows Universal applications will be initially supported, which will be extended to Office and win32 applications next year.

Microsoft has also added a number of new features elsewhere in this latest Windows 10 trial version. Microsoft Edge collects an updated dark theme with better contrast and more from the company's Fluent Design system in action. Gestures have also been enhanced for precision touchpads, allowing you to pinch and zoom on a trackpad and more.
 


Cortana is also getting a new design in this latest version, with a new home Organizer. You can manage lists and reminders from this interface and access all the skills available in Cortana. Cortana even has a tabbed view to better separate the content, and now you can use the digital assistant to control music playback through Spotify.

Microsoft is also bringing more of its fluid design to Windows 10. The taskbar, the action center, the clock and calendar, and the shared user interface have been updated with subtle changes. Even the My People section of Windows 10 is seeing some settings, with a drag-and-drop reorganization feature and the ability to decide how many people are anchored in the taskbar. The Windows 10 configuration section is also being redesigned to facilitate the search for individual configurations.

This latest Windows 10 trial version also includes more DPI enhancements. Microsoft has been struggling for years to solve DPI scaling problems in Windows, and the company is now introducing a new configuration in the screen configuration to allow Windows to automatically correct the scaling of applications. This is useful if you move to your PC, or if you connect your laptop to a monitor and the resolution and scale change. You can also override DPI settings by application. Microsoft's new version of Windows 10 includes many more changes, and the full list is available in the company's blog post.

Sunday, September 10, 2017

Microsoft’s Continue On PC Feature Is The Future Of Windows, But Needs To Be Better

Microsoft's Continue on PC feature, which introduces a Sharing option on Android devices that allows you to open web pages from your phone on your PC, is a reluctant acknowledgment of the first mobile world we live in, but to live up to it of its potential needs to be much better.

The feature is currently offered in two ways: one as an action contract as in the previous image, which is offered when a URL is available for sharing in multiple applications, including Chrome and web control on Android.

Microsoft's Continue on PC feature, which introduces a Sharing option on Android devices that allows you to open web pages from your phone on your PC, is a reluctant acknowledgment of the first mobile world we live in, but to live up to it of its potential needs to be much better.

The feature is currently offered in two ways: one as an action contract as in the previous image, which is offered when a URL is available for sharing in multiple applications, including Chrome and web control on Android.

However, it is also available in the integrated web browser on Cortana on Android, where the icon (above) is much more prominent.

There it works as in the gallery below:






Users can view a story, click on the icon, they will be offered the option to continue now or continue later, and if you choose now and Edge is open the article will open a few seconds later.

If you decide to continue later, the URL will appear in your Action Center as a notification, which you can click to open the article in Edge.

The idea is relatively good, but there are some problems with implementation. Continue Later seems to be very problematic today, since clicking the notification often does not open the article in Edge. Second, the process is somewhat slow, due to the search for its devices bit, which takes a few seconds. Microsoft should do this in the background and cache the result, so the function works instantly, which will probably promote the use.

Third, of course, there is the persistent complaint that sharing is only for Edge on the desktop, which is not used by 95% of desktop users. Microsoft could easily deploy it as a Chrome feature by simply opening your default browser instead of your preferred browser. If Microsoft insists on using Edge, at least the browser should have a dedicated sidebar for shared URLs, especially Continue Later.

The biggest problem for me, however, is that the feature is not ubiquitous among Microsoft's Android applications. The recently updated Bing application from Microsoft does not include the featured Continue button on the PC, for example, and Microsoft Office applications on Android do not even support the Android Stock Contract. Microsoft should make this a default feature of all your Android applications if you want to weave a PC workflow in the first mobile world.

This, of course, also means that there must be a reciprocal Continue on phone function, but that's a debate for another day.