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Welcome to the Microsoft Cloud IT Podcast!

The weekly newsletter to accompany our podcast about Microsoft 365 and Azure. Scott and Ben are a couple of IT Pros that with a long history with Microsoft products. Recently Ben focuses primarily on Microsoft 365 but does a fair amount in Azure, and Scott spends most of his time in Azure, but with a history in SharePoint and Microsoft 365 still enjoys that side of things as well. We started this podcast over 5 years ago and continue to enjoy chatting weekly about various topics and technically in Microsoft 365 and Azure, specifically as it relates to IT Pros.

Podcast Episode 435 cover titled “Power BI Meets Git and MCP,” featuring a three-way road with Power BI, Git, and MCP icons representing the convergence of AI, version control, and Power BI development.
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Episode 435: Power BI Meets Git and MCP

Episode 435: Power BI Meets Git and MCP Hello Reader, The next episode of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro podcast has been released! Listen Online Power BI development is starting to look a little more like software development—and AI is becoming part of the workflow. In Episode 435 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast, Ben and Scott explore two Power BI MCP servers currently in preview and how they can help with tasks like writing DAX, cleaning up data models, and turning a collection of tables...

Podcast Episode 434 cover titled “Reading the Spec Sheet on Microsoft’s Agentic SOC,” featuring a digital security shield with a keyhole between bug and checklist icons against a blue cybersecurity network background.

Episode 434: Reading the Spec Sheet on Microsoft's Agentic SOC Hello Reader, The next episode of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro podcast has been released! Listen Online Microsoft describes Project Perception as a “workforce of AI agents” for security operations. But once you get beyond that description, what does the technology actually require from your organization? In Episode 434 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast, Ben and Scott read through the details of Microsoft’s Agentic SOC to...

Podcast Episode 433 cover titled “Passkeys, Passwords, and the End of SMS MFA,” featuring a brass padlock on a laptop keyboard and a handwritten password note representing the shift toward passkeys and passwordless authentication.

Episode 433: Passkeys, Passwords, and the End of SMS MFA Hello Reader, The next episode of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro podcast has been released! Listen Online Having MFA enabled used to be one of the biggest authentication goals for IT teams. Today, the question is becoming more specific: What authentication methods are your users actually using? In Episode 433 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast, Ben and Scott discuss Microsoft’s move toward passwordless, phishing-resistant authentication...

Podcast Episode 432 cover titled “AI-Era Consulting Billing for Microsoft Cloud Delivery,” featuring a smiling consultant working on a laptop, representing modern Microsoft cloud consulting and AI-driven professional services.

Episode 431: Agent Governance Is the New App Governance Hello Reader, The next episode of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro podcast has been released! Listen Online Artificial intelligence is changing the consulting industry—but not in the way many people expected. In Episode 432 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast, Ben and Scott discuss how AI is transforming Microsoft 365 and Azure consulting by changing what clients expect from technology partners and how consulting value is measured. In this...

Podcast Episode 431 cover art titled “Agent Governance Is the New App Governance,” featuring a cloud with a gear icon connected to circuit lines, surrounded by circular arrows representing the AI agent lifecycle. The artwork also includes security-themed

Episode 431: Agent Governance Is the New App Governance Hello Reader, The next episode of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro podcast has been released! Listen Online AI agents are becoming a standard part of the Microsoft 365 ecosystem, and with that comes an entirely new set of governance challenges. In Episode 431 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast, Ben and Scott discuss why agent governance is the new app governance and what IT administrators should be thinking about today before AI agent...

Podcast Episode 430 cover art titled “Scouting Out Microsoft Scout” featuring a smiling AI robot holding a magnifying glass against a futuristic digital background with network connections, binary code, and Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast branding.

Episode 430: Scouting out Microsoft Scout Hello Reader, The next episode of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro podcast has been released! Listen Online In Episode 430 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast, Scott and Ben take a hands-on look at Microsoft Scout, the new desktop AI application announced at Microsoft Build. This episode moves beyond the announcement headlines to explore what onboarding, setup, and daily use actually look like—from automations and model personalities to licensing,...

Podcast Episode 429 cover featuring a discussion about LLM wikis, Obsidian vaults, markdown knowledge systems, and AI workflow tools.

Episode 429: Getting started with LLM Wikis Hello Reader, The next episode of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro podcast has been released! Listen Online In Episode 429 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast, Scott and Ben explore a practical and increasingly popular concept: LLM wikis. The idea is simple but powerful—build a structured markdown-based knowledge vault that AI can reason over to help surface concepts, connections, and insights over time. In this episode, we cover: Building a personal...

Episode 428 cover art for the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast featuring the title "Migrating Group Policy to Microsoft Intune" over a dark purple digital network background with a global map overlay.

Episode 428: Migrating Group Policy to Microsoft Intune Hello Reader, The next episode of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro podcast has been released! Listen Online In Episode 428 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast, Ben and Scott unlock the secrets to modernizing your IT management by ditching pesky on-prem GPOs and embracing the future with Intune. Here is what they cover: How to export and analyze legacy GPOs using AI-assisted tools Recreating policies as clean, manageable configuration...

Podcast Episode 427 cover featuring hands typing on a laptop with AI workflow graphics representing Microsoft 365 Copilot Cowork and enterprise collaboration tools.

Episode 427: Copilot Cowork Hands-On Experiences Hello Reader, The next episode of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro podcast has been released! Listen Online In Episode 427 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast, Ben and Scott share some of their recent hands-on experiences with Microsoft 365 Copilot Cowork. The conversation goes beyond the feature list and focuses on what it actually feels like to work with these tools in day-to-day scenarios, especially when data security and governance come into...

Cover art for Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast Episode 426 comparing Claude Cowork and Microsoft 365 Copilot Cowork with a person thinking and AI logos on either side.

Episode XXX Episode Title goes here.... Hello Reader, The next episode of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro podcast has been released! Listen Online This week’s episode takes a closer look at a comparison that’s starting to come up more often: Claude Cowork vs Microsoft 365 Copilot Cowork. While the names are similar, the way these tools work is very different. Claude Cowork runs locally on your desktop, giving it direct access to your files and support for MCP server connections. Microsoft 365...