Information Technology Navigator

Key Innovations and Insights from the Heart of Microsoft HQ

Microsoft Security Engineering Airlift is an exclusive, invitation‑only event designed to bring together Microsoft’s top engineering teams with a select group of their most strategic and technically advanced partners. A group of my Daymark colleagues and I had the privilege of attending this event for an opportunity to gain unprecedented access to product groups, roadmap insights, and advanced security engineering guidance directly from the teams that build Microsoft’s cybersecurity technologies.

At the core of Microsoft Security’s mission is a powerful motto: “Make the world a safer place for all.” This vision guided the 2026 Microsoft Security Engineering Airlift, held at Microsoft headquarters, as we explored the latest advancements in protecting our digital world. The central theme of the event focused on the dual commitment to security for AI and AI for security, recognizing that artificial intelligence serves both as a powerful tool and a critical asset that must be protected.

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Why Relying on Native Microsoft 365 Protection Isn’t Enough 

As more organizations transition to Microsoft 365 (M365) for email, collaboration, and file storage, it’s easy to assume that your data is fully protected in the cloud. However, relying solely on Microsoft’s native capabilities could leave your business vulnerable to data loss, human error, and cyber threats. In this blog post, we’ll explore five compelling reasons why investing in a dedicated M365 backup solution is essential for safeguarding your business-critical information.

1. Microsoft Does Not Natively Back Up Your Data

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As organizations continue to prioritize data governance, compliance, and information protection, Microsoft Purview has emerged as a powerful suite of tools to meet these needs. But not all Purview capabilities are created equal.

In this article, we’ll break down the primary differences between Microsoft 365 E3 and Microsoft 365 E5 Purview features, helping you understand what’s available out-of-the-box with E3 and what additional value E5 brings to the table.

Baseline Capabilities with E3

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Microsoft has introduced Microsoft 365 Business Premium for GCC High, a tailored solution for small and mid-sized organizations in the Defense Industrial Base (DIB). This offering provides a cost-effective path to compliance with CMMC 2.0 and NIST 800-171, while maintaining the strict security and sovereignty standards of the GCC High environment.

✅ What Does GCC High Business Premium Include?

The new Business Premium for GCC High license mirrors much of the functionality of the commercial Business Premium suite but operates within Microsoft’s U.S. Government Community Cloud High (GCC-High) environment. Key features include:

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Microsoft is introducing a new detection capability in Microsoft Defender for Office 365 to help protect your organization from a growing threat known as email bombing. This form of abuse floods mailboxes with high volumes of email to obscure important messages or overwhelm systems. The new “Mail Bombing” detection will automatically identify and block these attacks, helping security teams maintain visibility into real threats.

Email bombing is a tactic to hide important emails by flooding your inbox with irrelevant ones. For instance, an attacker might order expensive items using your Amazon account and bury the confirmation emails. If you own a domain, they could be trying to transfer it. They may also hide transaction confirmations if they accessed your bank or financial accounts. Ultimately these attacks are designed to distract you, the target, from the “real” email they do not want you to see.

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In today's threat landscape, identity is the new perimeter—and for most organizations, Microsoft Active Directory (AD) and Entra ID (formerly Azure AD) are that perimeter. When compromised, these systems expose everything: users, access, applications, and core business operations. For CISOs and IT leaders tasked with securing and sustaining identity services, traditional recovery methods often fall short—too slow, fragmented, or insecure for today's hybrid enterprises.

Rubrik’s Hybrid Identity Recovery delivers the speed, visibility, and resilience modern organizations require, enabling businesses to bounce back quickly from ransomware, insider threats, or operational failures—without reintroducing risk.

The Threat Landscape is Escalating:

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Microsoft is making changes to their Secure Future Initiative (SFI) and the principle of “Secure by Default.” The updates to Microsoft 365 default settings will strengthen your tenant’s security and meet essential benchmarks. These changes focus on addressing vulnerabilities associated with outdated authentication protocols and app access permissions that could increase risks to organizations.

When this will happen:

These changes will begin rolling out in mid-July 2025 and are expected to be completed by August 2025.

How this affects your organization

The following settings will be updated:

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Is your organization ready to modernize its security operations with Microsoft Azure Sentinel — but unsure where to start? Whether you're just beginning your Sentinel journey or looking to maximize your existing investment, Daymark’s expert-led Proof of Concept (PoC) provides the hands-on experience and technical guidance you need.

Protecting your organization from sophisticated cyber threats requires more than isolated tools and fragmented systems. Microsoft Azure Sentinel — a cloud-native Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) and Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response (SOAR) solution — offers a unified approach to modern security operations — but success depends on knowing how to deploy and use it effectively.

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Is your organization struggling to balance mobile security with employee productivity? Are you confident that only secure, compliant devices can access your business applications? You are not alone. In today’s hybrid and mobile-first work environment, organizations face the challenge of securing corporate data while ensuring employees can work efficiently from anywhere. Without a comprehensive mobile device management (MDM) solution, companies risk data breaches, unauthorized access, and compliance violations.

Daymark’s Microsoft Intune Workshop

Daymark is here to help. With our Microsoft Intune Workshop, your organization can learn how to gain complete control over mobile security, streamline IT operations, and empower your workforce with seamless and secure access to business applications—no matter where they work.

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In today’s cloud-driven world, controlling cloud costs without sacrificing performance is a key challenge. Microsoft Azure FinOps (Financial Operations) is a framework that brings a strategic approach to managing cloud expenditures, transforming it from a guessing game into a structured process. For businesses utilizing Azure, learning FinOps fundamentals can unlock new cost-saving opportunities and enhance collaboration across finance, IT, and business teams.

Daymark Solutions’ comprehensive Azure FinOps workshop offers hands-on labs, expert-led discussions, and interactive exercises designed to teach critical cost management skills. Participants dive into rightsizing Azure resources, managing orphaned resources, and leveraging Azure’s unique cost-saving options like Azure Hybrid Benefit, Reserved Instances, and Azure Savings Plans. Each session balances theory with practical exercises to build a solid foundation for financial governance within Azure environments.

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