AWS Solution Architect Associate Exam – update due (in 2018?)
zulfikar I recieved an email from AWS today inviting me to sit a new Beta exam for the AWS Solution Architect Associate certification. Due to the rapidly evolving nature of cloud…
Office 365 and the backup/data loss conundrum
With GDPR on the horizon and many organisations rapidly moving to Office 365, Azure services, Skype for Business and SharePoint online it seems many are not 100% clear on the…
Azure VM, Active Directory and a Dedicated Disk
Installing the AD DS role onto a Azure virtual machine? Creating a Domain Controller in the cloud? Are you sure you want to do this? For all Domain Controllers you…
Did Microsoft Decode the Future in 2016? Not really
Microsoft Future Encoded Billed as an event where the future direction of Microsoft (and its partner network) would head in the next 3-5 years I thought it worth heading to…
Eid al-Fitr 2016AD 1437AH
So, I predicted at the beginning of this month that Saudi will announce Eid al-Fitr as Wednesday 6th July and therefore completing 30 fasts for Ramadan (for those who started…
Ramadan 2016AD, 1437AH – Clarity from Chaos
As usual confusion as to when Ramadan begins this year is abound. IT really does surprise me as to how a LOT of people cannot get their heads around basic…
DirSync, Azure AD Sync – Support Ends April 13, 2017
Official Microsoft support for DirSync (x64, single forest) and Azure AD sync (multiple forests) ends within a year on April 13th 2017. The information was only sent by email last…
Hyperconvergence – what (the heck) is it?
The latest buzzword in virtualization, yet for me the technology it describes is old hat (in the I.T. world old hat isn't all that long ago). Let me explain...traditionally a…
Understanding why Online Security is important
Understanding why Online Security is important I could dive into the usual do’s and don’ts of security but within 5 minutes most of you would have switched off or started…
Lync no more
'Skype for Business' is here. After Microsoft's acquisition of Skype 4 years ago this month they have been (slowly) integrating it with their own live communications offering Lync (previously 'Live…
Being told what to do…
...when those things are idiotic! One of those days. It started well, plenty of time to head down the M40 and get to Staines. Google Maps kindly estimated my ETA…
Activate the AD Recycle Bin
You've finally got rid of those Windows Server 2003, you're ready to upgrade your AD DS Functional Levels to either 2008 or 2012. Now you finally can and want to…