Microsoft Ignite Announcements 2021- Security

Passwordless Authentication Now Available

Passwords have proven to be one of the weakest points in an organization’s security and one of the more painful points of user experience.  Microsoft is working to create a better user experience and a more secure environment with these new security features.  Azure AD now allows an organization to quickly define authentication methods like FIDO2 keys, text messages, and Authentication apps. Authentication Policies are then layered on the authentication methods. Windows Hello for Business is now fully integrated into this experience. In addition, Microsoft announced the new Temporary Access Pass feature providing a one-time use secondary form of authentication that can be used to setup a new user or configure a new FIDO2 key, as an example.

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Azure Sentinel Updates Announced

Microsoft is streamlining security management with more connectors, Microsoft 365 integration, automation, and machine learning. Microsoft Defender tools are now more deeply integrated into Sentinel offering more data and insights, quick navigation between the tools, and full synchronization. Sentinel is also adding 30 new platform connectors including tools like Cisco Meraki, Cisco Umbrella, and Salesforce Cloud. Sentinel is expanding the integration with Azure Logic Apps to allow rapid automation of security tasks and especially multi-task operations. Many pre-built Logic Apps are included with Sentinel as well. Finally, new machine learning tools are being added with Jupyter notebook support, IntelliSense on notebooks, and templates to help jumpstart machine learning efforts.

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