In this episode of the Need to Know Podcast, we explore the evolving landscape of learning in the Microsoft Cloud ecosystem, with a spotlight on the SMB market. From the latest in Microsoft 365 Copilot innovations to critical cybersecurity updates and the end of CIAOPS Academy, this episode delivers essential insights for IT professionals and business leaders navigating the modern digital workplace.

Resources Explore the tools, communities, and content mentioned in this episode:

• CIAOPS Need to Know Podcast: https://ciaops.podbean.com/ 
• CIAOPS Blog: https://blog.ciaops.com/ 
• CIAOPS Labs: https://blog.ciaopslabs.com/ 
• CIAOPS Brief: https://blog.ciaops.com/tag/cia-brief/ 
• Join the Teams Shared Channel: https://blog.ciaops.com/2022/07/29/join-my-teams-shared-channel/ 
• CIAOPS Merch Store: https://my-store-c5d877-2.creator-spring.com/ 
• Become a Patron: https://www.ciaopspatron.com/ 
• Direct Support: https://ko-fi.com/ciaops 
• Get Your M365 Questions Answered: https://blog.ciaops.com/2025/06/11/get-your-m365-questions-answered-via-email-2/ 
• Test Your Microsoft 365 Speed: https://blog.ciaops.com/2025/07/21/test-your-microsoft-365-speed-in-seconds-for-free/ 
• CIAOPS Email list - https://bit.ly/cia-email  

Announcements

Flight School: Mastering Copilot for IT Pros – https://blog.ciaops.com/2025/11/14/flight-school-mastering-copilot-for-it-pros/ 
Disabling Office Macros via ASR to Meet Essential Eight Requirements – https://blog.ciaops.com/2025/11/13/disabling-office-macros-via-asr-to-meet-essential-eight-requirements/ 
ASD OWA settings check script – https://blog.ciaops.com/2025/11/13/asd-owa-settings-check-script/ 
ASD Mailflow settings check script – https://blog.ciaops.com/2025/11/12/asd-mailflow-settings-check-sript/ 
CIAOPS Academy deprecation notification – https://blog.ciaops.com/2025/11/10/ciaops-academy-deprecation-notification/ 

Show Notes

The next chapter of the Microsoft–OpenAI partnership – https://blogs.microsoft.com/blog/2025/10/28/the-next-chapter-of-the-microsoft-openai-partnership/ Automate with Workflows Agent in Microsoft 365 Copilot (Frontier) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vvk1ScZT-lo Introducing Researcher with Computer Use in Microsoft 365 Copilot – https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/microsoft365copilotblog/introducing-researcher-with-comput… Build apps in minutes with App Builder agent in Microsoft 365 Copilot (Frontier) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v27H_R1ltB0 Microsoft 365 Copilot now enables you to build apps and workflows – https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/blog/2025/10/28/microsoft-365-copilot-now-enables-you Introducing Teams Mode for Microsoft 365 Copilot – https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/microsoft365copilotblog/introducing-teams-mode-for-microso… Introducing MAI-Image-1, debuting in the top 10 on LMArena – https://microsoft.ai/news/introducing-mai-image-1-debuting-in-the-top-10-on-lmarena/ Building human-centric security skills for AI – https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/microsoftlearnblog/building-human-centric-security-skills-… GenAI vs Cyber Threats: Why GenAI Powered Unified SecOps Wins – https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/microsoft-security-blog/genai-vs-cyber-threats-why-genai-p… What’s new in Microsoft 365 Copilot | October 2025 – https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/Microsoft365CopilotBlog/what%E2%80%99s-new-in-microsoft-36… The 5 generative AI security threats you need to know about detailed in new e-book – https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/security/blog/2025/10/30/the-5-generative-ai-security-threats-you-n… SharePoint Showcase highlights: Smarter Copilot responses using metadata with the Knowledge Agent – https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/microsoft365insiderblog/sharepoint-showcase-highlights-sma… Work smarter with Copilot in the People, Files, and Calendar apps – https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/microsoft365insiderblog/work-smarter-with-copilot-in-the-p…
The weakest link: Stolen staff passwords now the biggest cyber threat to workplaces – https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/the-weakest-link-stolen-staff-passwords-now-the-biggest-cyb… Cyber security priorities for boards of directors 2025-26 – https://www.cyber.gov.au/business-government/protecting-business-leaders/cyber-security-for-busines… Secure external attachments with Purview encryption – https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/azurepurviewblog/secure-external-attachments-with-purview-…
What’s New in Microsoft Intune: October 2025 – https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/microsoftintuneblog/what%E2%80%99s-new-in-microsoft-intune… Custom detections are now the unified experience for creating detections in Microsoft Defender – https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/microsoftthreatprotectionblog/custom-detections-are-now-th… 10 ways Microsoft Intune supports a smooth upgrade to Windows 11 – https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/microsoftintuneblog/10-ways-microsoft-intune-supports-a-sm… How Windows 11 and AI are transforming the future of work – https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/windows-itpro-blog/how-windows-11-and-ai-are-transforming-… Security Copilot Agents: The New Era of AI, Driven Cyber Defense – https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/microsoft-security-blog/security-copilot-agents-the-new-er… 6 truths about migrating Microsoft Sentinel to the Defender portal – https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/microsoftsentinelblog/6-truths-about-migrating-microsoft-s… Microsoft named a Leader in the 2025 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for SIEM – https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/security/blog/2025/10/16/microsoft-named-a-leader-in-the-2025-gartn… Extortion and ransomware drive over half of cyberattacks – https://blogs.microsoft.com/on-the-issues/2025/10/16/mddr-2025/ Microsoft 365 Insider Round-Up: October 2025 – https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/microsoft-365-insider-round-up-october-2025-microsoft-365-insider-ub… Making every Windows 11 PC an AI PC – https://blogs.windows.com/windowsexperience/2025/10/16/making-every-windows-11-pc-an-ai-pc/ Microsoft raises the bar: A smarter way to measure AI for cybersecurity – https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/security/blog/2025/10/14/microsoft-raises-the-bar-a-smarter-way-to-… Building a lasting security culture at Microsoft – https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/security/blog/2025/10/13/building-a-lasting-security-culture-at-mic… Satya – My annual letter: Thinking in decades, executing in quarters – https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/my-annual-letter-thinking-decades-executing-quarters-satya-nadella-7…