Tag: Microsoft365

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Microsoft 365 E5 to get Defender for IoT for free

Introducing Defender for IoT

Microsoft have announced that organisations with Microsoft 365 E5 subscriptions will soon be getting a new “service plan” called “Defender for IoT – Enterprise IoT Security – Enterprise IoT Security”.

As spotted in the Microsoft 365 Message [ID: MC673712] update over the weekend, this service plan will provide both Microsoft 365 E5 customers and those who have the Microsoft M365 E3 add-on [E5 Security] with real-time device discovery, continuous monitoring, and vulnerability management capabilities for up to 5x Enterprise IoT devices (such as printers, scanners, cameras, Smart TVs, VoIP phones) per user license [so an organisation with 2,500 devices will get support for cross the organisation. Additional per-per device licenses will also be available for purchase.

Illustration of "Defender for IOT" - Image (c) Microsoft.

The Internet of Things (IoT) supports billions of connected devices that use both operational technology (OT) and IoT networks. IoT/OT devices and networks are often built using specialized protocols and may prioritise operational challenges over security.

When IoT/OT devices can’t be protected by traditional security monitoring systems, each new wave of innovation increases the risk and attack surfaces across those IoT devices and OT networks.

Microsoft

This will start to roll-out next month (October 2023) and provides tools and insights for protect enterprise IoT networks, including:

  • Tools and insights for protect enterprise IoT networks
  • Agentless IoT device monitoring
  • Support for cloud, on-premises, and hybrid OT networks
  • Support for modern and proprietary Operations technology (OT) protocols
  • Lightweight security micro-agents which allow IT to build security straight into IoT operations and innovations.

Read more on Securing IoT devices for “Defender for IoT – Enterprise IoT Security“

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-gb/azure/defender-for-iot/organizations/overview?view=o365-worldwide

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Microsoft increase Cloud Services pricing inline with Global Pricing and FX

April 23 Price Increase

In what Microsoft call “price harmonisation”, it has been confirmed that Microsoft will be aligning the pricing of their Cloud products and services (for example Microsoft 365) by introducing consistent global pricing for its services across the globe. For many regions, such as the UK and EU, this means price rises as the dollar has continued to fall in recent years again the Euro and Pound.

What and why are prices changing?

Microsoft are aligning costs (like they do today with Azure) to US dollar FX rates which means that customers will have consistent pricing reflected by the exchange rate of the local currency to the US dollar (USD), which is reviewed twice a year.

While a price increase is never well received, it is worth noting that this latest increase relates to their commercial cloud products such as Microsoft 365. Azure is already priced by on regional FX rates and is not affected by this announcement. Microsoft are simply aligning their commercial pricing in line with their competition and their other cloud services.

Countries that use the Great British Pound (GBP), the Danish Krone (DKK), the Euro (EUR), the Norwegian Krone (NOK), and the Swedish Krona (SEK) will all see a price increase from April 1, 2023.

“In the future, Microsoft will assess pricing in local currency as part of a regular twice-a-year cadence, taking into consideration currency fluctuations relative to the USD.

This will provide increased transparency and predictability for customers globally and move to a pricing model that is most common in our industry.

The Microsoft Cloud continues to be priced competitively, and Microsoft remains deeply committed to the success of its customers and partners.”

Microsoft

How much are prices increasing by?

Microsoft has confirmed that the price increase for the following currencies will be:

  • GBP: +9%
  • DKK, EUR and NOK: +11%
  • SEK: +15%

Microsoft have said they are committed to continuing to invest in their cloud services to “enable customers to innovate, consolidate and eliminate operating costs”.

Thoughts and Actions

While a price increase is never well received, it is worth noting that this latest increase relates to their commercial cloud products such as Microsoft 365. Azure is already priced by on regional FX rates and is not affected by this announcement. Microsoft are simply aligning their commercial pricing in line with their competition and their other cloud services.

This therefore represents a good time for organisations to do some “house keeping” to keep licenses and costs in check. For example:

  • Check 3rd party duplicate products you can displace (and use the services included in your Microsoft 365 subscription)
  • Check if you need the tier of license you are using. Would Microsoft 365 E3 deliver what you need? Do you need the same licenses for everyone?
  • Ensure you leverage Fast Track services or your partner to help you adopt and get best value of your investment in Microsoft Cloud
  • Speak to your licensing provider or Cloud Solution Provider to ensure you get the best commercial costs
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Real time co-authoring on protected files is now supported in Microsoft 365 Apps

Microsoft have announced that real-time co-authoring support for encrypted documents (which has been in preview for a while) is now generally available. Co-authoring is a feature that allows users to collaborate on documents across Word, Excel, and PowerPoint for example, but it only worked on files that weren’t protected with encrypted….. until now.

CoAuthoring Proetected Documents
Image (C) Microsoft

 

“With Microsoft 365, when sensitivity labels are used to encrypt Word, Excel, or PowerPoint documents, multiple users can now edit these documents in real-time with AutoSave, empowering teams to do their best work while maintaining protection across the document lifecycle,” Paras Kapadia, Principal Program Manager for Office 365 explained.

Co-authoring support for protected files is supported now on the Web, Windows and Apple Mac clients and will be coming to iOS and Android “soon“.

You must “enable it” to enable it!!

It’s worth noting that unlike many Microsoft 365 features which are “on by default”, organisations who want to use co-authoring on protected documents need to enable this in the Microsoft 365 Compliance Center.

Microsoft 365 Compliance Centre

 

Microsoft also provide full guidance for admins on how to do this here.
Please note: once enabled, you need to contact Microsoft support should you want/need to turn this off for any reason.

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