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It’s the Friday before ITOps Talks: All Things Hybrid and there is a ton of news to discuss.  Highlights this week include: ARM Template Specs is now Public Preview, MFA methods changes for hybrid customers, Resource instance rules for access to Azure Storage now in public preview, IoT Hub IP filter upgrade and the Microsoft Learn Module of the week.


 


 


ARM Template Specs now Public Preview
 
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Is sharing ARM templates across an org challenging? Angel Perez shares how Template Specs, new resource type for storing ARM templates in resource groups, enables faster sharing, deployment, and role-based access control on ARM templates. As a native solution, ARM Template Specs will enable users to bring all their ARM templates to Azure as a resource and securely store and share them within an Azure tenant. 


 


Further information and the ability to provide feedback can be found here: ARM Template Specs Announcement


 


MFA methods changes for hybrid customers
 
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The previous announcement made in November shared that Microsoft was working towards simplifying the MFA management experience to manage all authentication methods directly in Azure AD. The change was successfully rolled out to cloud-only customers and work has begun to make this transition smooth for hybrid customers.  Starting February 1, 2021, Microsoft will be updating the authentication numbers of synced users to accurately reflect the phone numbers used for MFA. 


 


If your organization uses Azure AD Connect to synchronize user phone numbers, the following post will be important for you: Changes to managing MFA methods for hybrid customers


 


Resource instance rules for access to Azure Storage now in public preview


You can now configure your storage accounts to allow access to only specific resource instances of select Azure services by creating a resource instance rule. Resource instances must be in the same tenant as your storage account, but they may belong any resource group or subscription in the tenant.


 


Learn more reguarding the public preview here: Configure Azure Storage firewalls and virtual networks


 


Action Required: Upgrade IoT Hub IP filter before 1 February 2022


The upgraded IP filter for IoT Hub protects the built-in endpoint, blocks all IP ranges by default, and is easier to configure. With the new enhancement, Microsoft has announce the retirement of classic IP Filter which will take place on February 1, 2022. To avoid service disruption, you must perform the guided upgrade before the migration deadline, at which point the upgrade will be performed automatically.


 


Learn more about our secure capabilities here and upgrade steps here: IoT Hub classic IP filter and how to upgrade


 


Community Events



  • ITOps Talks: All Things Hybrid – A new type of event that allows you to watch sessions on your time.  Focusing on “All Things Hybrid” the event, the sessions will focus on hybrid based cloud strategies and resources at a 300 level.

  • Microsoft Ignite – Few details available on the upcoming event.  Stay tuned for more details as they become available.
     


MS Learn Module of the Week


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Windows Server deployment, configuration, and administration


Learn how to configure and administer Windows Server 2019 securely using the appropriate management tool. Learn to deploy Windows Server and perform post-installation configuration
 


This learning path can be completed here: Windows Server deployment, configuration, and administration


 


Let us know in the comments below if there are any news items you would like to see covered in the next show. Be sure to catch the next AzUpdate episode and join us in the live chat.


 

Brought to you by Dr. Ware, Microsoft Office 365 Silver Partner, Charleston SC.