�How is Microsoft?� �It must be amazing!� �What are you working on?�

This is how the conversation goes with anyone who knows of my July 16 start date as a Microsoft employee.

If you missed my announcement (because I�recorded a video�instead of blogging about it), I�ve joined the Cloud Developer Advocates who report through to Azure engineering. I�m part of a new, global team focusing on IT Operations in Microsoft�s cloud. We have strong connections to our technical �IT Pro� communities, to help make Azure and its resources even better for people who are wrangling virtual machines, storage, backups, identity management etc etc.

For most small businesses reading this article, I�ve lost them with the headline. A Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB) is likely to be something they�ve never heard of, let alone considered. Yet more small businesses are becoming Cloud-friendly, especially with their adoption of Software as a Service applications. Funny thing is, some security-focused IT professionals would never consider using Cloud services without a CASB.

I had the pleasure of spending some time with a company called Forcepoint, in Austin, Texas, as a Tech Field Day delegate. David Coffey (VP Research & Development) says �How do you secure things that you don�t own or manage?� IT Pros understand that challenge. Traditionally we�ve focused on securing the devices that you use and the networks that you access. We�ve put firewalls between your PC and the Internet and we�ve prevented you from using random USB sticks. Today�s challenge for IT is ensuring security from your iPad in an airport lounge, to corporate data in the Cloud.

There�s a buzz in my technical world this morning with the announcement that Office 2019 will not be available as MSI files, but will only be a Click to Run (C2R) product.

If that went right over your head, you may not be an IT Pro, and you can ignore the rest of this message.

If that has you breaking out in a cold sweat, let me clear up some confusion about the difference between MSI and C2R.

I see so many people running to a technology because other people said it was good. That�s how our trusted referral society works, but it�s rarely the tech that solves the problem � it�s how you use it.

Modern collaboration tools are the hot topic right now, whether you prefer Slack or Microsoft Teams.

So I wrote my thoughts on the 5 tips to ensure success with tools like those, and published them on our company website:

Want to know a productivity hack to tidying up all those loose ends? � Schedule some time away from the office. There�s no motivation like an immovable deadline!

Next week I�m travelling to Sydney for three Microsoft events. This time I�ve booked an AirBnB and the family are coming with me. I�m looking forward to some quality time with them, when I�m not mingling with my tech friends.

You�ll find me:

After the announcement of Microsoft 365, I�d pushed it into the �look at this�later� pile. A recent Microsoft presentation at a reseller event�flicked the switch for me on how Microsoft 365 Business�could really help SMBs who are still stuck on Windows 7 or Windows 8, and how the device management can help with Macs, Android and iOS.

I blogged about my thoughts for 24�7 IT Connection:�https://24x7itconnection.com/2017/10/17/microsofts-strong-smb-story-with-microsoft-365-business/

If you�re looking for more technical information on Microsoft 365, here are blogs from some fellow Microsoft MVPs. If you have any other good resources, feel free to leave them in the comments:

I�ve been daydreaming about replacing my home theatre speakers, since our ageing amplifier died. The sleek, silver Sony box was impressive in its day but that was over 18 years ago. Now we�ve got all the wireless and internet connected things, I�m spoilt for choice. I�ve done some online research but I�m not a detailed, melancholic personality type. An instore demonstration of the Bose and Sonos systems has me convinced that Sonos is the way to go. But I�m still unsure about handing over that amount of money right now for some nicer sounds. Ultimately, my purchasing transaction is likely to be handled by someone in a retail store � hopefully someone who treats us better than the last guy we dealt with.

If I was living the entrepreneurial dream, this article may have started off differently.

Aside from the strive to use modern collaboration tools, many people still live in email as their main form of business communication. Microsoft�s �any device� approach means we�re seeing more support for Outlook and other Office apps on the Mac, but there are still some functionality differences.

Here are a couple of features that are missing on the Mac, which have recently been flagged by the Office team as in development or preview: