Ctrl+Alt+Azure

Microsoft has put the Active Directory Tier Model on GitHub, MIT-licensed, with a deployment engine, a drift auditor, and around 1,700 tests. This used to be consulting material that Microsoft deployed to you as a paid engagement, so the obvious question is: why now? We start with that question, and also consider whether Active Directory is still worth your attention.
(00:00) - Intro and catching up.
(03:55) - Show content starts.
Show links
- Repository
- FAQ
- What's new in Windows Server 2025 (the AD DS section)
- Microsoft Learn - Enterprise access model
- Microsoft Digital Defense Report 2025

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Microsoft is retiring natively provided SMS and voice authentication in Entra ID, and the clock is ticking: passkeys become the default experience on September 1, 2026, and Microsoft-provided telecom delivery is fully retired on February 1, 2027.  We walk through the timeline, what admins should do now to find and migrate affected users, and when the new Security Store telecom providers make sense. We also cover the everyday struggle: moving Microsoft Authenticator to a new phone without locking yourself out.
(00:00) - Intro and catching up.
(05:00) - Show content starts.
Show links
- Passkeys by default | MS Learn
- Transfer Authenticator to a new phone  
- SMS/voice usage analyzer script  
- Plan a passkey deployment  
- End-user communication templates

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In this week's episode, we talk about recent experience in moving away from Ghost and WordPress for blogs, and building a static site with Astro. Since it will be hosted in Azure, we will talk about the experience, the AI-assisted build, and the overall experience. Join us to learn how many mistakes we made, and learn from our failures! :)
(00:00) - Intro and catching up.
(03:00) - Show content starts.
Show links
- 046 - Azure Static Web Apps with Elio Struyf | Ctrl+Alt+Azure
- Astro
- Azure Static Web Apps hosting plans
- Tobi’s blog
- Jussi’s blog

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In this week's episode, we look at recent Microsoft Tech updates. By popular request, we're expanding our scope beyond Azure to include Microsoft 365, Power Platform, and related Microsoft platforms and capabilities. What's new? What's interesting? What's retiring?
(00:00) - Intro and catching up.
(01:55) - Show content starts.
Show links
- Retirement: Azure Blueprints
- Public Preview: Document PII playground sample in Microsoft Foundry NextGen
- GA: Document PII NextGen Playground in Azure AI Language
- Public Preview: Azure Migrate with GitHub Copilot modernization integration for code assessments
- GA: Client-side data integrity protections in Azure Blog Storage
- GA: ICMP support for Azure Standard V2 NAT Gateway
- GA: Log Analytics Summary Rules experience
- Microsoft certification updates

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In this week's episode, we go back to basics to discuss ways to access resources secured by an Entra tenant. This is the bread and butter of Azure, and it's a good time to revisit these basics to understand why they are more relevant than ever in 2026. Join us in refreshing your knowledge on App Registrations, Service Principals, and Managed Identities!
(00:00) - Intro and catching up.
(03:20) - Show content starts.
Show links
- Application and service principal objects in Microsoft Entra ID
- What are managed identities for Azure resources?
- Managed identities FAQ (system vs user-assigned, no app object)
- Give us feedback!