Top 10 Microsoft IT Headlines of 2020: IE 11 End-of-Support, SameSite Cookie Issues and More -- Redmondmag.com

Microsoft support timelines, deadlines and delays were big news over the past year.

10. Microsoft Adds Single Sign-On Access for All Azure Active Directory Users (May 4)
SSO is a facility for end users, allowing them to log in once and have access to various applications without having to go through the same identity verification process each time. [Read here]

9. Microsoft Touts Split Tunneling with VPNs To Support Remote Workers (March 26)
Microsoft this week advocated for the split tunneling networking approach to support remote workers, rather than send all traffic through a corporate virtual private network (VPN). [Read here]

8. Office 365 Excel Users Can Now Import Table Data from PDF Files (Aug. 7)
The ability to grab table data from PDF files seems like it should already have been there in Excel, but it's just rolling out now. [Read here]

7. Microsoft Updates Its TLS 1.3 Support Plans in Windows, Office 365 and .NET (Aug. 20)
TLS 1.3 is expected to provide better protection on the client authentication side by preventing interference and adding encryption to the client certificate. [Read here]

6. Microsoft Rolls Out Crisis Communication App, Promotes Free Teams Use Amid Coronavirus Fears (March 5)
Microsoft on Wednesday announced a new Crisis Communication App to help keep track of employees and their work status during emergencies. [Read here]

5. Microsoft Ending Workflows for SharePoint 2010 Online Next Month (Aug. 7)
Organizations using workflows with SharePoint 2010 Online have fewer than three months to react to Microsoft's end-of-support announcement. [Read here]

4. Basic Authentication Extended to 2H 2021 for Exchange Online Users (April 3)
The end date for Basic Authentication on Exchange Online previously was Oct. 13, 2020, but Microsoft is now pushing it out due to uncertainties surrounding the "COVID-19 crisis." [Read here]

3. Microsoft Delaying LDAP Configuration Changes to 2H 2020 (Feb. 4)
Microsoft expects to delay enforcement of configuration changes to the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) until the second half of this year. [Read here]

2. Microsoft Warns SameSite Cookie Changes Could Break Some Apps (Jan. 28)
IT pros could face Web application issues as early as next month with the implementation of a coming SameSite Web change, which will affect how cookies are used across sites. [Read here]

1. Microsoft Outlines End-of-Support Dates for IE 11 and EdgeHTML Browsers (Aug. 17)
Microsoft wants organizations to switch to the new Chromium-based Microsoft Edge browser, which reached the "general availability" release status back in January. [Read here]

Multi-Tenant Organization Hooks Released for Microsoft 365

Microsoft Entra ID's new multi-tenant organization capabilities have reached general availability (GA).
Real-World Ransomware Recovery

Here's how I was (mostly) successful in recovering a family PC infected with malware.
Microsoft Launches Small AI Models Family Phi-3

Recognizing that bigger isn't always better, Microsoft has released its smallest open AI models to date, Phi-3.
Microsoft and OpenAI Continue Global AI Expansions

Microsoft and OpenAI each continued their global expansion this month, with the announcements of new infrastructure investments and service rollouts in new regions, like Asia and the Middle East.
Cisco Warns of Brute Force Attacks Targeting VPNs and Firewalls

Cisco has revealed that a global increase in brute force attacks targeting Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) and other devices is currently taking place.