Back at CES 2021, Dell announced the Dell 27 Video Conferencing Monitor. If you missed it, this monitor was unlike any other in the company’s lineup. It was dubbed as the first 27-inch QHD video conferencing monitor certified for Microsoft Teams. You could simply tap the Teams button on the monitor, and pull up your chats and call, instantly.

The initial reveal happened in the middle of a pandemic, but the world hasn’t changed much since then, even with vaccines currently rolling out. Many people are still working from home, schooling from home, or depending on video calls in hybrid environments to keep in touch with family, friends, and coworkers. It’s become the new normal and the way to stay safe.

All that said, video conferencing is still important in our current times, as is having a monitor on your desk can expand your productivity, too.

That’s where the Dell 27 Video conferencing monitor comes into the picture. Dell was kind enough to send OnMSFT one for review. After spending a good two weeks with it, we’re certain it is a do-it-all monitor for work from home, and beyond.

Design

Like most modern Dell monitors, the Dell 27 Video Conferencing Monitor (which has a 2560 x 1440 resolution and 60 Hz refresh rate) sports a sleek design that fits in well with any desk or setup. I say this because the minute I took the display out of the box and set it up for our pictures, it felt quite welcoming.

The trapezoid base is minimalistic, and the sleek (fairly thin) monitor arm snaps in easily into the back of the display during setup without any tools. There’s also a hole in the bottom of the arm so you can manage and direct your cables, too.

Note that the arm even lets you swivel the monitor left and right (from 45 degrees in each direction) or up and down-facing (5 to 21 degrees in each direction) without having to move the base itself. You can pull the arm up and down to adjust the monitor to your setup as well (up to 120 mm,) and even pivot the entire display so that it’s vertical, rather than horizontal.

Then there are the slim bezels. These are barely noticeable on the sides, appearing just as a thin black strip. Other than the fabric speaker grills, it is one of the first things I noticed after powering the monitor on. The monitor definitely has that XPS 13 look, with three-sided narrow borders (except for its bottom chin, that is.)

Ports & buttons

But what about the ports? Much like the design, this monitor’s ports do not disappoint. There is a port for everything you need and in almost every corner, too. It is one of the keys to making the monitor a do-it-all hub for work from home and beyond.

Starting on the back of the monitor, you’ll find a security lock and the power connector. There’s then an HDMI 1.4 port, DisplayPort in (with an audio jack above it,) USB-C upstream, DisplayPort out, a USB-B upstream port, a Superspeed USB 3.2 Gen 1 port, another Superspeed USB 3.2 port, and an RJ45 connector.

There are two important notes here. First off, DisplayPort out can be used to daisy chain the monitor to another display if you want. The other note comes in relation to the USB-C port. It carries 90 watts of power and can charge some devices (like a Surface Pro or Go) that are attached via this cable, even when the monitor is off. The USB-C port can also be paired up with the RJ45 jack, too, so you can eliminate the need for hubs or dongles. This is what I ended up doing with my Surface Go 2.

The monitor became the “hub” for my main devices, thanks to its plethora of ports, especially on the front-end. That’s where, under the chin of the monitor, you’ll find Superspeed USB, a headphone jack, as well as a USB-C downstream port.

I loved these extra ports on the front, as they proved useful for plugging in a mouse and also charging my phone when using the monitor with my Surface via USB-C. Again, another reason why the monitor functions as a hub for me. It cut out the need for my usual dongle.

This is especially important when working from home, too. No one has the time to go looking for dongles for use with a laptop or monitor in the middle of meetings.

Then there are the buttons. The power and control buttons are tucked away at the bottom right corner of the monitor, right behind the LED indicator light. I like the location, as it makes it obvious where to touch to get access to the controls, especially late at night or early in the morning when lighting is poor.

The navigation button, meanwhile, is a joystick. I enjoyed this because it makes menus easy to navigate and switching between different inputs easy, without having to press multiple buttons. Note that the monitor has KVM support, too, as we’ll get into later on. This lets you connect two PC sources to the monitor and switch between them with a single keyboard and mouse.

Microsoft Teams functionality

The real highlight of this monitor is the Microsoft Teams functionality. As I hinted, the monitor is one of the only certified for Microsoft Teams. That’s because of the Teams touch buttons built into the lower-left corner of the display, as well as the 5MP webcam which we’ll get into the next section. There’s a couple of ways these buttons come into play in the day-to-day use of the monitor for myself.

The first way is being able to open Teams really easily. During my workday, Teams often will get sent to the background a lot, when I am working on articles, or browsing through web pages. When a notification comes in, instead of searching for the Teams window, I just pressed the Teams button on the monitor. It instantly pulls Teams up and to my attention. The button even flashes when I have a notification, too.

A second way the Teams functionality comes into play is with the volume controls. During calls, you’d usually need to manually adjust the volume using Windows’ sliders or controls. With this monitor, you can easily control call volume without using your computer itself, even when connected via headphones on that headphone jack.

Just set your finger on the touch controls on the front, and you’re good to go. The same goes for the microphone mute switch, too, which lets you mute your mic quickly on the fly. Just be aware, for the Teams controls to work, you’ll need to be plugged into USB-C, or have your PC connected to the display’s USB-B upstream port when using Displayport or HDMI. In our testing, without that USB-C or USB-B connection to your PC, the buttons will do nothing other than standard volume control.

Webcam quality & sound quality

Other than the Teams buttons, the other big part of this Dell 27 Video Conferencing Monitor is the pop-up webcam. This webcam functions with the display via USB-C with a single cable, or when you plug the display into your PC via the HDMI or DisplayPort paired with the USB-B upstream port. You can push it into and out of the top of the monitor when you do and don’t need it.

In technical specs, it’s a 5-megapixel wide-angle webcam, with IR and Windows Hello built-in for passwordless sign-in to your PC. Dell says you get 30 frames per second and 178 degrees of view from the video feed. As a 5 megapixel camera, you’ll get more than twice the details and zoom of traditional webcams that you find on laptops and tablets.

I tested the webcam in a Teams call, and though Teams had issues connecting to it on our main Surface Go 2 PC (it worked fine on a secondary PC,) the quality was definitely there. The person on the other end of the call could make out blemishes in my faces, as well as the colors of the brown leather sofa, and other details in the room around me thanks to the wide-angle lens. It’s hard to find a webcam of this high quality on a monitor, and I can see this monitor being useful for conference rooms for this reason. The webcam is definitely razer-sharp, as Dell puts it.

Now, for the speakers and audio. Dell includes dual 5W integrated speakers onboard the monitor, as well as a noise-canceling microphone. During calls, the speakers definitely amplified the sound of the person on the other end of the call. On a test Teams call, my friend’s voices were crisp and clear, so much so I even heard the click-clack of her partner typing on the keyboard (he was sitting in the room adjacent to her.)

The microphones, meanwhile, were able to mute out the music coming from outdoors, when I hopped on a Teams for Personal call with another friend. But don’t let that limit you to just Teams and video calls. Dell says you can use these microphones with Cortana, too, to improve your productivity as, well as other assistants like Amazon Alexa via the desktop app.

Display quality

I want to end this review by mentioning the display quality. The contrast ratio on the LED panel gets up to 1000: 1, and the color support hits up to 16.78 million. The panel also has an anti-glare coating, an 8ms normal response time, and a 5ms ray to gray fast response time.

The aspect ratio comes in at 16:9. According to our colorimeter, it also covered 99% of the Adobe sRGB spectrum and showed about 250 cd/m2 of brightness. Note that the resolution caps out 2560 x 1440, and the refresh rate at 60 Hz. For higher resolutions, you’ll have to check out the Dell 34 Curved WQHD monitor, which is the larger version of this smaller sibling.

Naturally, this all means the monitor is technically intended solely for productivity and not for gaming. I was able to stack windows side by side and multitask on this monitor. Images appeared crisp and bright, especially when it comes to web pages and black-on-white text. I really enjoyed writing articles and getting work done.

Videos, meanwhile, played nicely. I watched an episode of Spongebob Squarepants on this monitor, and the yellow in Spongebob’s skin and the blue in the sky were quite lively. Though catered for productivity, I also did hook up the monitor to my Google Chromecast Ultra and played Watch Dogs Legion. The visual experience was quite pleasing, especially with the integrated speakers. It felt like I was playing on my dedicated TV.

Day two and I just found out that this is also a pretty good monitor for Google Stadia too. Playing Watch Dogs Legion via the Chrome Cast Ultra and it's pretty ????????. Vibrant colors! The built in speakers also make it like a TV. Impressive stuff for a conference monitor. pic.twitter.com/qOERJrL6k7

— Arif Bacchus (@abacjourn) March 31, 2021

I can see this monitor being used as a TV, when not in the office or home if need be. There are different presets in the settings to choose from accordingly that can work for this. You can either pick Movie, Game, Warm, Cool, or choose your own custom color. Sharpness Aspect Ratio, Contrast, brightness, and other settings can be changed via the menu, too. Dell is always great with this stuff.

Extra features

I mentioned multitasking multiple times throughout my review, but Dell does take things a bit further with this monitor. You can actually connect two PCs to the monitor and display the content at the same time with picture-by-picture support.

You can also use the KVM (keyboard – video – mouse) functionality to edit content from two different PCs. Not to forget, Dell also has the Dell Easy Arrange feature, too, which can organize multiple applications into up to 38 preset templates and 5 customizable layouts with a single PC.

This picture in picture support and KVM is done through Dell Display Manager and set up through a wizard. It’s quite cool to play with, especially if you own multiple PCs like me. You can plug two PCs into one, and enjoy both at the same time!

Worth the money

If you’re in need of a monitor for your home setup, then it’s hard to not suggest the Dell 27 Video Conferencing Monitor. The ease of use with Microsoft Teams, built-in high-quality webcam, sleek design, speakers, and noise-canceling microphones make it a monitor that you don’t want to pass on for work or school. Not to mention, USB-C compatibility and all the other software you can install on your PC to expand out the monitor’s use is great. You can buy it now via Dell for $719.

Microsoft has released today a 64-bit version of its OneDrive for Windows sync client in public preview. The new 64-bit version of the app doesn’t include any new features, but it should run more efficiently on PCs running a 64-bit version of Windows 10.

“The 64-bit version is the right choice if you plan to use large files, if you have a lot of files, and if you have a computer that’s running a 64-bit version of Windows,” the OneDrive team explained today. Be aware that the OneDrive 64-bit version is can only be installed on AMD64 devices, and for now Windows 10 on ARM PCs only support the 32-bit version of the sync client.

In the Microsoft 365 Admin center, the company also announced that the new 64-bit version of OneDrive will automatically replace the 32-version when it starts rolling out to all Windows users later this month. If you don’t want to wait, you can download the public preview of the OneDrive 64-bit client from this link.

Microsoft has announced a new capability that allows users to present their slides directly from PowerPoint for Windows to a Teams meeting. The feature was first announced at Spring Ignite 2021 last month, and the update is now gradually rolling out in preview to Office Insiders in the beta channel (Build 13926.20000 and later).

With PowerPoint Live in Teams, users will now be able to present their PowerPoint presentations with one click. The new tool is designed to make virtual presentations a lot easier and intuitive for both the presenter and meeting participants. It will allow presenters to see notes, slides, and a meeting chat all in a single view.

The feature also enables meeting participants to personalize their own experience by engaging with the shared slides and other content more flexibly. It’s a significant improvement for people with learning disabilities and will help them to read and learn at their own pace.

To try out this feature, presenters need to join a meeting or a call from the Microsoft Teams desktop app. After that, open the presentation in PowerPoint for Windows to present in a Teams meeting. There are two access points for presenters to launch a Teams session. They can either click the “Present in Teams” button in the top right corner of the screen or head to the “Start Slide Show” tab and then select the Present in Teams option.

As of this writing, the PowerPoint Live feature is currently limited to Office Insiders on Windows. Microsoft noted that it is available for people with an active Office 365 E5/A5, Office 365 E3/A3, or Microsoft 365 for Government subscription. The Microsoft 365 roadmap suggests that the company also plans to launch this capability for web users next month, though its release date is subject to change.

Microsoft turned 46 on April 4th and the tech giant’s social media team has decided to celebrate this milestone on Twitter by taking a look back at the rather long and amusing history of the company’s logos in a special thread.

The Twitter thread started with a black and white image of the first company logo from 1975 which can be seen below.

Groovy. Microsoft’s first logo was introduced in 1975. pic.twitter.com/dsPGidN4wP

— Microsoft (@Microsoft) April 5, 2021

Interestingly, an alternate version of this logo from 1975 with the “Micro” stacked on top of the “soft” was also used back in the day. This version has now been colorized with a 1970s color palette (see top image) and is currently the Microsoft Twitter account’s new profile photo. It’s definitely a change from the modern design aesthetic currently used by most companies.

Microsoft was founded on April 4, 1975. #NewProfilePic and banner to help us celebrate our 46 years in style. ???? pic.twitter.com/oWym4uDi2R

— Microsoft (@Microsoft) April 4, 2021

As of the time of this writing, the Microsoft logos for 1980 and 1982 have also be posted. The next logo, that from 1987, will likely be added to the thread in a new tweet sometime later today with the 2012 logo, which is in use in today, following soon after.

The Blibbet. Microsoft unveiled a new logo in 1982. pic.twitter.com/YnippUaXW2

— Microsoft (@Microsoft) April 7, 2021

In addition to the nostalgic logos, the Microsoft Twitter account has also been posting a bit about the old Altair computers which the company was involved with back in the day. Definitely worth checking out of you’re a fan of retro tech.

BASIC for the Altair 4K and 8K was Microsoft’s first shipping product, and its first format was paper tape. ???? Pictured below is an actual copy of the original software. pic.twitter.com/nOIO50xSKA

— Microsoft (@Microsoft) April 6, 2021

Do you have a favorite Microsoft logo? Let us know what your favorite is in the comments below and then follow us on Twitter for more Microsoft news.

The Microsoft Edge team has just announced the release of Dev Channel branch build 91.0.845.2. This is a small build, but it does come with an improvement for the passwords manager, and the usual bug and reliability fixes. Here’s a look at what you need to know.

First things first, we’ll get into the added features. New is the ability to select and delete multiple passwords at the same time from edge://settings/passwords. Also new is the ability to quickly toggle between two tabs on Mac via a keyboard shortcut. Capping out the new features is a Certificate Management Settings page on Linux and also a message to explain that Vertical Tabs can’t be collapsed when IE mode tabs are open.

Now, for the reliability improvements and changed behaviors. This week, Microsoft has fixed crashes when closing the browser, as well as when navigating to certain websites, and when opening menus from the downloads popup menu. Other changed behaviors and fixes can be seen below.

• Fixed an issue where sync sometimes fails with error code NETWORK_CONNECTION_UNAVAILABLE (ERR_SSL_CLIENT_AUTH_CERT_NEEDED).
• Fixed an issue where logging into certain websites sometimes fails.
• Fixed an issue where certain videos don’t play.
• Fixed some issues where Application Guard windows sometimes fail to open.
• Fixed an issue where extensions installed via management policies sometimes fail to install.
• Fixed an issue where multiple Edge shortcuts are sometimes present on the Windows Start menu.
• Fixed an issue where certain popups like the website permission prompt or the downloads menu appear cut off or with unexpected scroll bars to see all content.
• Fixed an issue where Web Capture area selection doesn’t appear to work on certain websites.
• Fixed an issue where disabling standalone IE and then navigating to a site that’s set to open in standalone IE sometimes results in an infinite loop of popups stating that “This action is restricted.”
• Fixed an issue where the button to enter Kids Mode is sometimes missing from the profile flyout.
  Temporarily disabled Web Capture on Linux
• Fixed an issue where signing into the browser with a personal Microsoft account (after there’s already one signed in) in order to verify it causes a crash on Linux.

Known issues are the same as previous releases, with no new ones to take note of this week. Other than that, there’s nothing else to note, but if you’re on the Canary channel, you can look forward to a new security feature that will result in the browser now requiring authentication before auto-filling passwords. Happy downloading, Edge Insiders, and remember to send your feedback to Microsoft if you come across any bugs.

Microsoft has just released the Windows 10 Insider build 21354 for Dev channel testers, which brings new personalization for news and interests in the taskbar and improvement to display settings. If News and Interests is still gradually rolling out to Insiders in the Dev channel, those who already have the feature will notice a “Manage interests button” at the top of the window that will allow them to choose the topics they’re interested in.

This build also introduces a new “Tune your feed” feature in the left part of the “My interests” page. “This experience makes it easy to explore and follow publishers from our partner ecosystem and select example articles that pique your interest,” the Windows Insider team said today.

Another new feature in this build is the ability to turn off Content adaptive brightness control (CABC) in the Display settings via Settings > System > Display. CABC can improve battery life on laptops but also lead to unexpected brightness changes, and the Windows Insider noted that disabling CABC has been a top-requested feature from Insiders.

The build 21354 also adds a new page in the settings app for managing webcams or ONVIF IP cameras connected to your local network. “Each camera has a “Configure” button that lets you make changes to the default brightness and contrast – letting you get rid of the pesky backlight that always shadows your face in your video calls,” the Windows Insider team explained. You can find this new page at Settings > Devices > Camera.

Insiders installing the build 21354 will also notice that Microsoft Paint is now updated via the Microsoft Store and has a Fluent Design-inspired icon. Snipping Tool is getting the same treatment, and both Paint and Snipping Tool have been promoted out of the Windows Accessories folder in the Windows 10 Start Menu.

In other changes related to Start Menu, the Windows Accessories, Windows Administrative Tools, Windows PowerShell, and Windows System folders have now been removed from the Start Menu and all apps within these folders can now be accessed via the new Windows Tools entry point. This is all part of an ongoing effort to re-organize all the admins and system tools in Windows 10, but all these apps will still appear in Windows Search.

You can find a list of other minor changes, bug fixes, and known issues in the build 21354 below:

Changes and Improvements

• [News and interests] As mentioned previously, we have enabled the ability to deselect “Open on hover” in the “News and interests” taskbar options. This is based on your feedback.
• The default path to access Linux files from Windows using the Windows Subsystem for Linux has been changed from `\\wsl\\` to `\\wsl.localhost\\` to improve performance and reliability. You will still be able to access Linux files using `\\wsl$\\`.
• Under Settings > Update & Security > Change active hours, you will find the toggle turned on for “Automatically adjust active hours for this device based on activity”, if you have never adjusted this feature. We are starting a roll out a change for Insiders that makes this setting on by default. With this setting turned on, Windows Update will be able to schedule automatic restarts when you are typically not using your device more accurately.
• As of the latest versions of Microsoft Edge, all pinned sites (regardless of what version you were using when you pinned them), should now use the taskbar behavior described here without you first having to unpin and re-pin the site.
• On ARM64 devices, you can now toggle compatibility settings for x64 applications.
• Under Settings > Personalization > Device usage, you can select all the ways you plan to use your device to get customized suggestions for tips, tools, and services.

Fixes

• [Gaming] We fixed an issue where certain games may crash, will not sync save data when a game is played on a different device, or will not save when a new game is installed.
• [File Explorer] We fixed an issue resulting in all folders pinned to Quick Access in File Explorer disappearing if you installed Build 21343. Please note that this fix prevents the issue from occurring going forward, it will not bring back the ones that were unpinned if you installed the impacted build previously.
• [File Explorer] We fixed an issue resulting in some Insiders experiencing that the entire folders section of Quick Access was missing after installing the previous flight.
• We fixed an issue impacting Search reliability in the previous flight.
• [News and interests] Fixed an issue where news and interests could occlude other content on the taskbar especially on smaller screens.
• We fixed an issue where the tooltip text for items in Start’s Power button menu wasn’t displaying correctly.
• We fixed an issue resulting in a crash if you entered WinPE and tried to enable Narrator using WIN + CTRL + Enter.
• We fixed an issue resulting in some Insiders experiencing a bug check with error SYSTEM_THREAD_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED when rebooting or shutting down in the previous flight.
• We fixed an issue that could result in a bugcheck when starting WSL.
• We fixed an issue that could result in the Windows Update Settings page showing progress dots but never loading.
• We fixed an issue where navigating to Power and Sleep in Settings would crash Settings.
• We fixed the issue where a random toggle that didn’t do anything was appearing under Settings > Personalization > Lock screen.
• We fixed an error resulting in some Insiders recently seeing an error when trying to add a password to a local account that was created without a password.
• We fixed an issue where if you opened the Pinyin IME settings via Search, the Settings page would be unexpectedly blank.
• We fixed an issue that could result in your desktop background going black after snapping an app to the side of your screen.
• We fixed an issue where some of the text in Snipping Tool wasn’t displaying correctly.
• We fixed an issue causing the Handwriting Input Panel to not work for pen input on ARM64 PCs.
• We fixed an issue impacting clipboard history reliability.
• We fixed an issue resulting in characters being duplicated in certain apps when typing with the Korean IME.
• We fixed an issue resulting in not being able to insert composition strings when typing with an IME after copying and pasting a text box in PowerPoint.
• We fixed an issue resulting in key events being lost when renaming files in File Explorer while typing with an IME.
• We fixed an issue where when typing with the Japanese or Chinese IMEs in certain apps that have their own UI for IME candidates, the IME candidates were not displayed in the app’s UI.
• The fix we mentioned in Build 21327 to address an issue where a toggled key on the touch keyboard had the wrong background color is now rolling out to all Insiders in the Dev Channel.
• We fixed an issue causing an increase in login time in the previous flight.
• We fixed an issue resulting in some Insiders finding that boot time was longer in the previous flighting.
• We fixed an issue resulting in the network button on the login screen not working and potentially crashing.
• We fixed an issue causing some logins to hang on a black screen. If you continue to see a similar problem, please file a new feedback in Feedback Hub.
• We fixed an issue that could result in freezes when watching videos in Chromium-based browsers in recent Dev Channel builds.

Known issues

• We’re looking into reports of the update process hanging for extended periods of time when attempting to install a new build.
• [News and interests] Pressing ESC key to dismiss an opened context menu in the flyout dismisses the whole flyout instead.
• [News and interests] Sometimes the news and interests flyout cannot be dismissed with pen.
• [ARM64] Insiders who installed the preview version of the Qualcomm Adreno graphics driver on the Surface Pro X may experience reduced brightness of the display. This issue is fixed with an updated version of the preview graphics driver at https://aka.ms/x64previewdriverprox. If you are experiencing this issue, please see the feedback collection for more information.
• We’re investigating an issue where elements of Search (including the search box in File Explorer) are no longer displaying correctly in dark theme.
• We’re working on a fix for an issue introduced in the previous flight impacting WSUS users where the “Check online for updates from Microsoft Update” option is greyed out. If you are impacted, you can run the following command from an elevated Command Prompt to set the reg key so that scan will check Microsoft servers:
  • reg add “HKLM\Software\Microsoft\WindowsUpdate\UX\Settings” /f /v ScanMicrosoftOnly /t REG_DWORD /d 0x01

Then click the regular “Check for updates” button in Windows Update Settings. Please note, if the scan needs to be done repeatedly the reg key will need to be re-added each time, as scanning reads and erases the key.

• Due to an issue with migrating the shortcuts into the new Windows Tools location, This PC shows up with the display name “computer.” We already have a bug fix on the way to address this issue.
• Some non-administrative apps, such as 3D Viewer and Print 3D, that were previously in the Windows Accessories folder are now in Windows Tools. These app shortcuts will be moved back into Start with an upcoming bug fix. They are still searchable and accessible via Windows Tools in the meantime.
• The Windows Camera App currently does not respect the default brightness setting set via the new Camera Settings page.
• Some cameras currently may not support adjustment in the Camera Settings App when the camera is also in use by another app.
• Accessing the virtual GPU is broken for Windows and Linux guests, adding a vGPU to a VM will have no effect and the VM will continue running with software rendering

Last but not least, the Windows Insider team explained today the build 21354 is coming from the CO_RELEASE branch instead of the RS_PRERELEASE branch. “Just like we did back in October when we released builds from the FE_RELEASE branch, we are practicing our ability to change which branch flight builds from. As our engineers work in development cycles internally, we may prioritize work being done in a specific branch and may need to move Insiders between branches,” the blog post reads.

The Windows Insider team added that Microsoft is treating builds from the CO_RELEASE branch the same as builds from the RS_PRERELEASE branch, though this probably doesn’t tell the full story. Presumably, “CO_RELEASE” refers to the Windows 10 “Cobalt” release planned for the second half of 2021, also known as Windows 10 version 21H2. Microsoft isn’t discussing what to expect from 21H2 yet, but several reports have been suggesting a big design update for Windows 10 codenamed “Sun Valley” internally.

If you want to do a clean install of the Windows 10 Insider build 21352, ISOs are available from this page.

Halo: The Master Chief Collection is getting a new update on PC and Xbox today to celebrate the launch of Season 6 “Raven.” Players can expect unique themed armor sets, vehicle skins, weapon skins, and more customization options to unlock, with a new batch of challenges to complete for season points.

Today’s update also introduces the Exchange, a new feature allowing players to spend points on unique customizations from past Seasons or limited-time challenges. A new “Waterfall” map for Halo 3 Custom Games is also making its debut with this patch, and players can also try a new “Escalation Slayer” game variant to try in Halo: Reach, Halo 4, and Halo 2: Anniversary.

Prepare to go Raven mad.

Season 6 of MCC, “Raven” is officially here – and with it, new animated visors, back accessories, skins, Fireteam Raven armor, and more! What are you unlocking first?

???? https://t.co/1xyHiylw5u pic.twitter.com/urCAbz5MC6

— Halo (@Halo) April 7, 2021

This latest patch also brings support for mouse & keyboard on Xbox consoles, as well as Field-of-View (FOV) and Crosshair Position options on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S. Halo: MCC already supports input-based matchmaking across Xbox and PC, but support for mouse & keyboard on consoles has been a top-requested feature.

The full patch notes for Halo MCC Season 6 can be found on this page, and it’s important to note that the long-awaited Custom Game Browser isn’t included in today’s update. “We don’t have an exact timeline of when we will be able to debut it to players, but it will be coming in a future flight for players to experience and give feedback on in much better shape than where we were at,” 343 Industries in a recent Dev & Flighting update.

Halo: The Master Chief Collection is currently 50% off on the Microsoft Store and Steam, but the Xbox and PC versions of the Halo anthology are also free-to-play with Xbox Game Pass. If 343 Industries is still hard at work on Halo Infinite to be released in Fall 2021, it’s good to see that Halo: MCC keeps receiving new content as we approach the 20th anniversary of the release of Halo: Combat Evolved.

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Halo: The Master Chief Collection

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Halo: The Master Chief Collection

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Last year, Microsoft Teams introduced the ability to pop out chats, apps, and meetings into separate windows. The company is apparently planning to expand this functionality to live events in Teams. The Microsoft 365 roadmap suggests that the feature is currently under development, and it’s coming in mid-May.

Multi-window support for live events was originally requested on the Microsoft Teams UserVoice forum back in July 2020. Currently, producers manage the live events within the primary window of the app. It’s a bit annoying for users, forcing them to switch between different windows multiple times.

Fortunately, the company is aware of this limitation, and it’s finally working to address this problem. With this update, producers will see a separate window experience for managing events in Microsoft Teams. The new window will offer all functionalities and features that are currently available in the in-window user experience.

The ability to manage live events in a dedicated window should make it easier for producers to spread their workflow across the desktop and it should help them to effectively manage their event. If you have yet to try live events, we remind you that Microsoft has extended the temporary limit increase for Microsoft 365 live events until June 30, 2021.

To lead off its spring 2021 lineup of devices, Dell has announced a plethora of new monitors and gaming laptops. At the front of the pack is the new Alienware m15 R5, which introduces AMD’s speedy Ryzen 5000 chips, as well as a 1140p and 240Hz display to Alienware’s lineup of laptops. Additionally, Dell is also launching new gaming monitors and a more budget-friendly Dell G15 Ryzen Edition laptop, too.

Alienware m15 Ryzen Edition R5

We’ll start first with the Alienware m15 Ryzen Edition R5. Though the design of this hasn’t changed over generations (Alienware is just introducing a new interior color called Dark Core,) the changes inside are what matter. The laptop can be configured all the way up to a Ryzen R9 5900HX CPU and an RTX 3080 graphics card. This makes it the first time in 14 years that Dell is introducing an AMD option to the main Alienware lineup, which is usually reserved for Intel-only chipsets.

Note that the Alienware m15 Ryzen Edition R5 also comes with up to QHD 240Hz or FHD 360Hz panels. There’s also user-upgradeable 3200Mhz DDR4 memory for the first time on an Alienware 15-inch notebook. And finally, Dell is making history as this laptop is the first gaming laptop with switches made by Cherry MX. It’s designed to make it feel like you’re using a mechanical keyboard. Prices start at $1,793.98 come April 20.

Dell G15 & G15 Ryzen Edition

For something a little cheaper, Dell is also introducing the G15 Ryzen Edition. These laptops now come with a redesigned look, featuring a two-sided, narrow-bezel screen, as well as an Alienware-inspired thermal design with a vent on the back hinge to maximize airflow for optimal cooling. Under the hood, meanwhile, there are the same Ryzen processors as the Alienware m15 Ryzen Edition R5, but with the GPU maxing out with the RTX 3070.

You’ll find the G15 Ryzen Edition in four new colors — Dark Shadow Grey, Specter, Green with Speckles, and Phantom Grey with Speckles, with Obsidian Black. Pricing on this starts at $900, with availability coming May 4. An Intel version will also come on April 12 for $900.

New Dell Gaming Monitors

To pair up with these new laptops Dell is also introducing four new gaming displays. These include the Dell 25, Dell 27, Dell 32 Curved Gaming Monitors, and the Dell 34 Curved Gaming Monitor. The Dell 25 Gaming Monitor is all about the 240Hz refresh rate and 1ms response time. It also has support for both NVIDIA GSync and AMD FreeSync for lag-free gaming.

Meanwhile, for more immersive gaming, there are the 3 new curved VA gaming monitors in either the 27-inch, 32-inch, and 34-inch sizes. The Dell 27 and 32 Curved Gaming Monitors feature QHD resolution and 165Hz refresh rate and 2ms response time. The Dell 34 Curved Gaming Monitor features WQHD resolution and a 144Hz refresh rate. These monitors sport AMD FreeSync.

All of these displays feature Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) output for gaming consoles. The Dell 25 Gaming Monitor will come to the US on May 27. The Dell 27 and 32 Curved Gaming Monitors will come on June 22, and the Dell 34 Curved Gaming Monitor on May 27. Pricing was not shared.

A brief look at Java

Java has been a force to be reckoned with for nearly 25 years. It came with the promise of “write once, run anywhere”, the idea was to allow developers to compile their applications down to bytecode which could run on any platform which supported its Java virtual machine sometimes also referred to as a runtime environment.

Billions of devices and computers run Java. Although its use has declined lately, chances are in the early 2000s you were installing applications on your computer which required the deployment of the Java virtual machine. Fast forward to the year 2021 and there seems to be renewed interest in the platform. Microsoft itself runs a wide variety of Java powered systems behind their Azure cloud. In fact, some of their biggest IPs are backed by Java, a couple worth mentioning are LinkedIn, Yammer and some editions of Minecraft.

Microsoft OpenJDK

Microsoft supporting this development platform through OpenJDK is huge for developers that have invested heavily in it for the past few years and decades. it will become the default distribution for Java on Azure in the near future and the transition promises to be seamless.

My experience with Java has not been smooth from a development perspective, Although not necessarily was it directly related to writing code, I wrestled with getting SonarQube up and running on a Windows Server a few months ago. This is a tool many developers are familiar with as its used for scanning code for quality. I have been spoiled with seamless and automatic deployments of .NET runtime when deploying applications, and the process of standing up the environment which allowed SonarQube to run was a bit of a challenge. Hopefully Microsoft throwing their weight behind Java means a better and smoother experience for both developers and consumers of Java powered applications.

What are your thoughts on these investments from Microsoft into “competing” development platforms? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. For learn more about OpenJDK check out the official Microsoft website.

It’s been a while but it looks like Gamerscore leaderboards are finally returning to the Xbox mobile apps in the very near future. The announcement was made by Microsoft’s Larry Hryb this morning who revealed on his personal Twitter account that the feature was currently being tested in the Beta version of the iOS Xbox app.

Those users who are currently testing the Xbox Beta app on iOS should be able to see the new leaderboard today.

Monthly leaderboards have been added to the Xbox Mobile app (beta). Go to your profile in the app to check it out and see how you rank against your friends. pic.twitter.com/E7BnHkMGL0

— Larry Hryb ????????☁ (@majornelson) April 6, 2021

Leaderboards that rank friends by how much Gamerscore they’ve earned in a current month have long been a staple of the Xbox gaming experience and were present in previous versions of the Xbox mobile and PC apps. They were removed, however, as part of the recent design revamp which was considered very odd by most as the feature has been a favorite of gamers ever since it was introduced.

Are you looking forward to the return of the Gamerscore leaderboard in the Xbox apps? Let us know why or why not in the comments below and then follow us on Pinterest and Twitter for more Xbox gaming news.

Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable starting at $1,409.40

Lenovo clearly has its sights set on Microsoft and its Surface Pro line with its own thin and light ThinkPad X12 Detachable.

While Microsoft released a follow-up to its Surface Pro 7 in the form of a spec bump and a new title in the Surface Pro 7 Plus, there is still an unsatiated audience craving some easily visible and accessibility improvements to the company’s flagship computer.

Microsoft may or may not deliver a device in 2021 that addresses the wants and needs of longtime fans and consumers of the Surface Pro line. Fortunately, it seems other PC makers are finally ready to re-compete for the detachable market with devices that arguably rival the industry frontrunner.

Enter the Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable.

Yes, Lenovo began re-entering the detachable market in 2020 with its Yoga Duet 7i for international markets last Spring after exiting it in 2017 with its Miix 720, but now it’s expanding both its geographic footprint and audience reach with its new X12 PC.

Hardware

The X12 Detachable follows similar design tenants of Lenovo’s ThinkPad line that include the company’s premiere 12-point military grade spec requirement, to the lightweight magnesium chassis. I’m not sure what sort of oleophobic coating Lenovo has tossed on the outside portion of the tablet PC, but unlike other matte black ThinkPad’s, the X12 Detachable seems pretty resistant to collecting oily fingerprint smudges across its body. The reduced oil accumulation appears to contribute to the retained grippiness of the PC when it’s used in tablet mode.

Another reason a buyer might want to make use of the tablet mode of the X12 more often than other detachables is the balanced weight profile of the device. At 1.67lbs or 760g, Lenovo’s computer feels every bit as comfortable held in the hand from its initial detached state as it does an hour in. I know it feels hyperbolic to gush about the reduction of 0.03lbs or 15g from its closest competitor in the Surface Pro 7, but it surprisingly makes a difference in the hand.

Aside from the feel in hand, the X12 does make a host of other design changes that set it distinctly apart from its Surface Pro 7/Plus cousin. Among the hardware changes are thinner bezels. While the bezels aren’t as razor thin as the Surface Pro X, they are still significantly reduced compared to other Surface Pro’s. The reduced bezels also enabled the overall footprint of the X12 Detachable to remain concise at 283.3mm x 203.5mm x 8.8mm or 11.15″ x 8.01″ x 0.34″. The slightly smaller 12.3″ FHD screen contributes to its comparatively smaller footprint than the Surface Pro 7 Plus at 13.5″, however, because of the reduced bezel profile the net screen real estate is roughly the same.

Another welcomed change is the application of an anti-reflective and anti-smudge screen which has been something of contention for a long time Surface Pro user. Anit-reflective and anti-smudge coating on the screen adds a certain level of polish that’s lacking on the Surface Pro side as well acknowledges the device’s long-term use as a viable tablet solution. With anti-reflective coating, the viewability in both indoor and outdoor usage is very nice as well as not having to be tethered to a wipe cloth because of my OCD about smudge-free screens.

While the X12 offers fewer pixels to peep than the Surface Pro 7 Plus at FDH (1920 x 1280) IPS resolution, its 400 nits of brightness, Corning Gorilla Glass, and coating technologies more than make up for it. The color gamut for the X12 closely matches that of the Surface Pro 7 Plus at 75% of DCI-P3 color gamut measurements where the Pro 7 Plus sits at 76%.

Further inspecting the hardware, the X12 comes with a similar if not identical hinge-enabled kickstand supporting up to 160-degrees of flexibility. Lenovo’s hinge engineering is arguably better than Microsoft’s own Surface hinge tech, so the fluid-rigidness of the X12’s kickstand positioning is every bit as good if not better than the Pro 7’s.

The X12 begins to differentiate itself further away from the Surface Pro 7 Plus with its port game. While the Surface Pro 7 Plus offers a single USB-C, USB-A, and earphone/mic jack, the X12 offers two USB-C ports with one supporting Thunderbolt 4, a Nano-SIM slot for 4G LTE support, and a Kensington lock slot in addition to the headphone/mic combo jack.

The keyboard, which is included in the box (point Lenovo), is just as good as any other Lenovo keyboard, albeit a bit cramped. As it succumbs to the limited footprint of the X12, the overall typing experience on the keyboard takes some time to get used to. The familiar U-shaped chicklet keys of the X12 keyboard are springy as expected and that’s in large part because the keyboard is just thicker than Microsoft’s Surface Type Cover. The X12’s keyboard is by no means garishly thick but it’s noticeably thicker when compared to Microsoft’s Type Cover and it’s not a bad thing. The added thickness adds a layer of protection to the overall X12 package when it’s closed. Unlike the Surface Pro 7 Plus which feels like jewelry comparatively, a closed X12 feels rugged enough to be tossed around with nary a second thought.

If there were any negatives about the hardware, they would stem from Lenovo’s inability to come up with an elegant pen solution. Ten years in and Lenovo is still trying to push pen loops as a viable answer to “where do I put this pen?” Despite engineering embedded pen housings in their Yoga solutions, the X12 still forces its included pen into its laughable pen-loop housing that’s attached to the keyboard. It’s a nitpick of epic proportions in the grander scheme of value and productivity but still feels inelegant compare to the magnetism engineering of the Surface Pro 7 or even the embedded housing of Lenovo’s own Yoga line.

Experience

With hardware accounted for, the experience of the X12 is just as impressive as its housing. 2021 will be a showcase of the detachable with Intel or AMD’s chipsets at the core of the competition among PC manufactures. Fortunately, for buyers, Intel’s 11th generation Tiger Lake chips are proving to be powerhouses and AMD’s Ryzen 5000s are no slouches either.

On this particular review model, Intel’s 11th generation chip with support of its own integrated Iris Xe graphics handled everything I threw at it with relative ease. Intel’s 2021 trick of low-power efficiency with the Tiger Lake chip line made using a Core i5-1130 G7 variant feel like using an older and speedier i7. I’ve begun to start adding Adobe’s suite of applications to my daily workload as I add more image editing, video, and audio mixing to my weekly list of tasks, and I was able to easily accomplish all of these tasks without a hitch.

During my day job, as I’ve mentioned ad nauseum here, I work in Excel, PowerPoint, Google Docs, specialized .exe applications, GIMP, Outlook, Adobe Dreamweaver, and dozens of Chrome and Edge tabs, but recently I’ve taken on using Audacity and Adobe Audition to mix and edit a podcast, Adobe Photoshop to edit images, FL Studio to mix music and Filmora to edit videos. Using the X12 was just easy and pleasant an experience as using the Surface Pro 7 Plus. The added GPU gains I experienced with the Surface Pro 7 Plus were mainly because of Intel’s Tiger Lake focus and that same focus and experience carried over to the X12.

I was able to fly through windows, virtual desktops, and even VW’s with only a handful of hiccups, most of which I attribute to putting the device into Insider testing. I didn’t run side-by-side benchmarks for the two devices because, well, I was busy using them for work, but I did manage an export comparison. On the X12, converting a 40-minute video shot in 4K resolution to 1080p for portability took 22 minutes and was two minutes faster than the same conversion on the Pro 7 Plus. Since the Surface Pro 7 Plus and X12 use the same chips, I assume it comes down to the different SSD’s the X12 and the Pro 7 Plus support. The reads and writes on the X12 “felt” faster on average when doing a few anecdotal downloads and uploads to OneDrive.

ThinkPad’s are designed for work and at work-related tasks, the X12 inched out the Pro 7 Plus in several tasks but when it came to things outside of the scope of productivity such as gaming, there was definitely a cliff the device fell off of. Most games run on the X12 were glitchy and dropped frames at identical default settings between the Pro 7 Plus. Dropping games to medium, low, or bare minimum produced slightly better and playable experiences, but the X12 is not meant for native gaming right now. Thankfully, solutions such as Google Stadia and xCloud will help democratize the gaming experience on these ultra-portable detachables soon.

Thanks to the pandemic, I’m going to have to start measuring the video conferencing setup on computers more earnestly and the experience on the X12 is, simply fine. The webcam, mic, and speaker configuration are slightly better than what we experienced in 2019, but it’s still recommended that buyers also invest in a separated webcam, mount, and mic for those more professional feeling video conferencing experiences. For a quick pop-up Zoom meeting to plan a more elaborate meeting (we’ve all had them), the X12’s 5mp is fine but suffers from the same up the nose positioning and tinny sound recording as most other computers on the market now.

Lastly, the whole X12 experience is wrapped up in a device that pushes north of 10 hours for battery life. When running Chrome and even pushing the fans at full blast during encoding, converting, or exporting, I was able to squeeze a solid 6 hours out of the device from start to finish, which isn’t bad for a 12.3-inch portable workstation. Recharging the device was also impressive, where Lenovo’s Rapid Charge technology could get me back up and running at 50% in roughly 20 mins.

Summary

The X12 is every bit as good as the flagship Surface Pro 7 Plus and even manages to outclass it on a handful of occasions. Lenovo took its sweet time to re-enter the detachable market, but it reemerges with a solid hit on its hands for anyone who was looking for a Surface Pro replacement or couldn’t talk their organization into switching contracts. As I mentioned, the in-hand tablet feel of the X12 was preferable to me, offering a bit more ruggedness and grippiness, so for warehouse or in-the-field workers, the military-grade engineering of the X12 may be the right balance between portability and real-world usage. Couple the fact that both the pen and keyboard come bundled in the box, the X12 is a clear winner for anyone who isn’t buying their device based on brand loyalty.

In recent years, Microsoft has been experimenting with new ways to cool its various data centers around the globe. In 2016, Project Natick saw Microsoft put a data center underwater inside submarine-like tubes, but the company may have found a simpler solution with immersing servers into cooling tanks.

“We are the first cloud provider that is running two-phase immersion cooling in a production environment,” said Husam Alissa, a principal hardware engineer on Microsoft’s team for datacenter advanced development. The current experiment takes place at one of the company’s US datacenters on the eastern bank of the Columbia River, and the results are already very promising.

If most data centers these days use air cooling to chill servers, the cryptocurrency industry has been leveraging liquid immersion for quite some time to cool chips that can get really hot. Microsoft has also been experimenting with liquid immersion for high-performance applications such as AI, and saw that power consumption for any given server could be reduced by 5% to 15%.

Compared to air cooling, liquid cooling has the advantage of allowing servers to run at elevated power without overheating. The fluid inside the tank boils at a low 112 degrees Fahrenheit (50° C), and Microsoft has built a closed-loop cooling system where the vapor changes into liquid after getting in contact with a cooled condenser in the tank lid. The result is a technology that could eventually make the process of running servers more environmentally-friendly.

The cooling coils that run through the tank and enable the vapor to condense are connected to a separate closed loop system that uses fluid to transfer heat from the tank to a dry cooler outside the tank’s container. Because the fluid in these coils is always warmer than the ambient air, there’s no need to spray water to condition the air for evaporative cooling, Alissa explained.

Microsoft, together with infrastructure industry partners, is also investigating how to run the tanks in ways that mitigate fluid loss and will have little to no impact on the environment.

Microsoft is still in the experimenting phase right now with its partners designing the couch-shaped tank and the engineered fluid that goes inside it. In the coming months, the software giant plans to perform a series of tests to see if its technology is actually viable.  “If done right, two-phase immersion cooling will attain all our cost, reliability and performance requirements simultaneously with essentially a fraction of the energy spend compared to air cooling,” said Ioannis Manousakis, a principal software engineer with Azure.

Last month, Microsoft announced a bunch of time management features coming to Outlook at its spring Ignite conference, including a new calendar board view for web users. Now, the company has announced in the Microsoft 365 Admin Center that the feature will begin rolling out to Targeted Release customers later this month.

The new Calendar board view transforms the existing Calendar experience available in Outlook on the Web. It works much like Trello and provides tools for organizing and managing calendars and meetings. More specifically, users will be able to create a customized board with calendars, tasks, notes, goals, links, files, etc., and manage them all in one place.

At launch, the new board calendar view will only be available in Outlook for the web, and it’s coming soon to commercial and education users, too. But it’s unclear when this new capability will show up in the mobile apps and Outlook for Windows, though. In case you missed it, Microsoft Outlook has recently released a new Suggested times feature for Android users.

Xbox Game Pass will have more great games to play this month in addition to Outriders, Square Enix’s brand new cover shooter that joined the catalog on its launch day, April 1. Rockstar Games’ GTA V, which first joined on Xbox Game Pass for Console between January and May 2020 will come back to the catalog on Thursday, April 8.

GTA V will also be added to the growing list of cloud-enabled games that can be played on Android devices via Microsoft’s Xbox Cloud Gaming technology. This month, Microsoft is also adding touch controls support to 50+ cloud-enabled games such as Sea of Thieves, Gears 5, Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age, Slay the Spire, and more.

In addition to GTA V, Microsoft is also bringing two new sports games to Xbox Games in April, including the baseball game MLB The Show 21. The Sony-developed game will be the first game in the MLB The Show series to be released on Xbox consoles, and Xbox Game Pass subscribers will get to play it on its launch day, April 20. For Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members, the hockey game NHL 21 will also available through EA Play starting April 12.

You can check out the full list of new Xbox Game Pass games coming in April below:

• Grand Theft Auto V (Cloud and Console) – April 8
  
• Zombie Army 4: Dead War (Cloud, Console, and PC) ID@Xbox – April 8
• Disneyland Adventures (Cloud) – April 8
• Rush: A Disney/Pixar Adventure (Cloud) – April 8
• NHL 21 (Console) EA Play – April 12
• Rain on Your Parade (Cloud, Console, and PC) ID@Xbox – April 15
• Pathway (PC) ID@Xbox – April 15
• MLB The Show 21 (Cloud and Console) – April 20

Microsoft usually announces a second wave of new Xbox Game Pass games later in the month, and we hope to see more blockbuster games in the list. In the meantime, Deliver Us the Moon, Gato Roboto, and Wargroove will leave the Xbox Game Pass for Console and PCs catalogs next week on April 15. For Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members, a couple of old Madden and NHL games released before 2019 will also disappear from the EA Play catalog on April 16.

If you have yet to try Xbox Game Pass, we remind you that you can still enjoy your first month of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for just $1. The $14.99/month service includes Xbox Game Pass for Console, Xbox Game Pass for PC, Xbox Live Gold, and Xbox Cloud Gaming on Android devices, and it’s still one of the best deals in gaming in 2021.

Microsoft Teams on the desktop is getting a new Outlook integration that should make it easier for users to share emails in chats and channels. Jeff Teper, CVP of Microsoft 365, announced the news on Twitter, though the feature is now gradually rolling out to Outlook clients globally.

The Share to Teams experience enables Outlook users to share an email or a conversation, including attachments, with a co-worker, group chat, or a Teams channel. When a user clicks the Share to Teams button in Outlook, the app will launch a window in the Teams desktop client (if it’s already installed) or open a new window within the Outlook app.

The Teams desktop app will create a copy of the email and attachments, and the recipients will be able to see the email message in preview, and users will need to click it to view the contents.

The new sharing experience requires the Outlook add-in for Share to Teams. It will be installed automatically when a user runs the Microsoft Teams web or desktop app for the first time after this feature is available in their tenant. To get started, you will need to follow the steps mentioned below:

1. Click the Share to Teams button on the Home tab to open the Share to Teams dialog box.
2. Type the name of the chat or channel and fill in the relevant details in the “Type a message” section.
3. If the email message contains any attachments, select the “Include attachments” checkbox and finally click the Share button.

As of now, the Share to Teams feature is supported on Outlook for Windows, Outlook on the web, and the new Outlook for Mac Preview. However, it’s not clear when it will be available for mobile users. Microsoft noted that It Admins can manage this add-in for individual users, and more details are available on this support page.

Many organizations across the world are beginning to recognize the importance of enhanced network security. With more companies requiring their staff to work from home, more robust security solutions are needed to cover emerging issues that range from unpatched devices to poor best practices adherence. As such, Microsoft has been looking to provide customized solutions that not only cover intrusion detection, but breach mitigation to provide better security to more diverse online environments. In this regard, it has revealed recent discussions with Cloud Security Alliance regarding Zero Trust.

Cloud Security Alliance is a not-for-profit whose main focus is enhancing network security by providing best practices awareness. It also works to enlighten internet users on the benefits of cloud-based security as a holistic approach.

What’s Zero Trust

Zero Trust is a network security solution that is based on the concept that all network connections connected to a system should be vetted regardless of whether they are internal or external connections. The main goal behind the strategy is to ensure that all communications within a network are authenticated before access privileges are granted.

Issues Discussed

In the latest Microsoft – Cloud Security Alliance discussion, ten security managers from companies in the energy, insurance, and finance industries were involved. Some of the points discussed included identity authentication. Identity authentication is typically achieved through IP confirmations and reliance on Unique Device Identification Systems. Multifactor and passwordless authentication methods were also brought up, as well as execution through cryptographic keys, PINs, and biometric data.

Lastly, network and application segmentation strategies were explored. Such procedures help mitigate an escalation of data access privileges by preventing applications from reading what others on a network are doing. This creates a secure environment that can also be used to run virtual testing spaces before full network access is granted.

Microsoft is Providing Zero Trust Services

Microsoft is already providing Zero Trust solutions to its customers. It is partly doing this via the Azure Active Directory (Azure AD). Some of the features available to clients include passwordless authentication using end-to-end security configurations. The setting allows members to log in using biometrics and has been made possible via Windows Hello, and the Microsoft Authenticator app. Some third-party access options are also available for Yubico, AuthenTrend, and Feitian users via the FIDO2 authentication protocol.

In the setup, Azure AD Conditional Access helps to reinforce data access policies on apps to ensure that devices attempting to connect to a network meet minimum access principles.