Information Technology Navigator

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 These changes focus on addressing vulnerabilities associated with outdated authentication protocols and app access permissions that could increase risks to organizations.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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The Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) is on track to become a core requirement for defense contractors. However, before CMMC can be included in Department of Defense (DoD) contracts, a key regulation must take effect: Title 48 of the Code of Federal Regulations (48 CFR).

If your organization does business with the DoD—or hopes to—you need to understand this rule and how it will impact your eligibility to win and maintain government contracts.

What Is 48 CFR?

48 CFR is part of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) System, which governs how the federal government procures goods and services. Within this system, the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) adds DoD-specific rules. The 48 CFR rule specifically integrates CMMC 2.0 into the DFARS. In short, this rule establishes cybersecurity requirements as a contractual obligation—not just policy guidance.

How 48 CFR Connects to CMMC 2.0

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Pure recently launched its Pure Storage AI Copilot, which uses telemetry and AI models to assist IT teams in diagnosing performance issues, detecting security incidents such as ransomware, and simplifying storage management. This natural language assistant enables customers to check array performance, identify capacity concerns, and assess data security compared to their peers. It offers a significant advancement in troubleshooting and remediation for storage administrators.

AI Copilot Key Capabilities:

• Natural Language/Conversational Interface
  Ask plain-English questions (e.g., “Which volumes have high latency?”) and receive clear, actionable answers and remediation steps.
• Troubleshooting
  Automatically diagnoses storage performance issues such as latency, utilization, or hardware issues through step-by-step AI-guided analysis.
• Cyber Resilience & Security

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Earlier this month, Pure Storage and Nutanix announced a partnership to deliver a deeply integrated solution that delivers operational efficiency for storage-intensive workloads, including AI applications. This combined solution brings together Nutanix hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) integrated with Pure’s high-performance FlashArray.

Daymark has longstanding, strategic channel partnerships with both Pure and Nutanix. We’re excited about how this integrated solution can help our customers maximize their investments by providing a modern and simplified IT infrastructure. Here are highlights of the newly announced features and benefits:

Simplified Infrastructure with Maximum Performance

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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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On October 15, 2024, the final rule for the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) program was officially published. This rule, codified as 32 CFR, becomes effective on December 16, 2024. The CMMC journey began in 2019 with DFARS Case 2019-D041, and after four years of development, the rule is now finalized. Let’s take a look at the history of the CMMC timeline, what's to come, and how organizations can prepare for what is next.

CMMC Rulemaking Timeline

The rulemaking process illustrated in the graphic below shows a high-level workflow from the Government Accountability Office (GAO).

Figure 1: GAO Federal Rulemaking

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One of the most common cyberattack vectors is compromised credentials. Malicious actors with access to AI technologies have increased the sophistication and effectiveness of their attacks. The rise in phishing attacks and malicious actors gaining access to AI technologies has resulted in sharp increases in credential theft. In addition to credential theft, token theft or hijacking is also on the rise. Staying one step ahead of the bad guys is a constant battle for organizations of every size.

Why is This Critical Now? The Deadline is Looming.

In March 2023, Microsoft announced the deprecation of managing authentication methods in the legacy multifactor authentication and self-service password reset (SSPR) policies. Beginning September 30, 2025, authentication methods can't be managed in these legacy MFA and SSPR policies.

Enter Microsoft Entra ID!

Getting Started with Entra ID

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