Vision Desktop Share

Vision Desktop Share begins rolling out to Windows Insiders
Share your whole desktop with Copilot and show it what you see! Copilot can then help analyze content, provide insights, and answer your questions in real time. Vision Desktop Share is beginning to roll out across all Insider channels via the Microsoft Store in markets where Windows Vision is enabled. Stay tuned as these features are gradually rolling out!

Learn More about Vision Desktop Share

ITIL Implementation

Introducing ITIL How to Implement

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The new PeopleCert Plus exclusive addresses an important gap in the digital transformation journey: how to effectively use ITIL® to navigate and lead transformative change. While many organizations recognize the value of ITIL in managing IT services, few resources have bridged the theory with practical guidance for real-world transformation initiatives. PeopleCert now have the “ITIL How to Implement Official Book” that offers clear, actionable insights into aligning ITIL practices with strategic change, enabling leaders to harness ITIL not just as an operational tool, but as a catalyst for enterprise-wide value creation. By doing so, it fulfils an urgent need for structured, adaptable guidance in an era where transformation is constant and complexity is the norm.

ITIL How to Implement includes:

·       A transformation model: four layers, twelve stages, and twenty-four steps.

  • Three types of patterns: initiation patterns, governance patterns, and execution patterns.
  • A toolbox: description of twenty six methods and tools supporting various transformation activities.

The guidance in this book is flexible, structured, scalable, innovative, and supported by proven concepts, methods, and tools. ITIL How to Implement addresses the volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous nature of today’s business and technology environments and helps organizations to find the balance between manageability and flexibility.

The transformation model

The transformation model offered by this guidance includes layers, stages, and steps. The layers apply to any transformation; the stages and steps vary depending on the selected execution pattern.

Figure 3.1 The four layers of the transformation model

The four layers are governance, positioning, execution, and learning.

Governance: direction and boundaries are established while allowing for flexibility. Effective governance creates alignment between transformation and organizational strategy, ensuring efforts deliver meaningful value while preventing excessive control.

Positioning: the best-fitting approach for each situation is determined through contextual assessment. Through positioning, applying standardized methods to diverse contexts is avoided by matching approaches to the actual nature of each challenge.

Execution: changes are carried out using methods matched to context–whether ordered, complex, or chaotic. Through execution, opportunities are transformed into real-world actions through appropriate activities and techniques based on contextual understanding rather than habit.

Learning: insights are captured to improve current work and build future capability. Mechanisms are created to gather information, extract meaning, and apply understanding in ways that enhance transformation effectiveness over time.

The patterns

The guidance describes three types of patterns:

Execution patterns: describe how the execution of initiatives and activities within a transformation varies depending on the complexity of the context; this guidance covers ordered, highly predictable contexts, complex environments where traditional approaches designed for ordered contexts are not effective, and unpredictable contexts when an urgent need (e.g. a significant external event) requires the organization to transform in order to move from a chaotic to a manageable state.

Initiation patterns: describe common triggers of transformations at the organization and SVS level, and explain their impact on the transformation layers, stages, and steps so that the approach to change is clear and consistent.

Governance patterns: help organizations to understand their established approach to governance, as well as identify and adopt the optimal approach to the governance of a particular transformation. When the established BAU governance pattern is not suitable, the ITIL How to Implement Official Book helps to bridge the gap and maintain effective oversight throughout the transformation.

Methods and tools

The How to Implement Official Book includes twenty six methods and tools that may be used at different stages of the transformation model. Descriptions of the transformation model stages, steps, and patterns include references to the relevant methods and tools.

What is in it for you?

This Official Book has four key target audiences:

Sponsors and owners of transformation initiatives: Sponsors or owners are accountable for setting the direction, securing support, and ensuring successful outcomes from the transformation. This guide provides a flexible model to align transformation goals, enable effective governance, empower teams, monitor progress, and utilize the right tools for lasting success.

People involved in carrying out the transformation work: This guide provides managers and teams with a practical, step-by-step approach to manage transformation by defining and adapting activities across governance, positioning, execution, and learning layers. It helps apply the right execution pattern while aligning work with transformation goals using initiation patterns. The guide also offers a toolbox of methods and tools to support each step and encourages professional development focused on relevant practices.

People affected by the transformation: This guide helps those involved in organizational transformation understand what to expect and how to participate. It explains how transformations are planned and executed through a flexible model that considers stakeholder needs, clarifies how governance patterns affect decision-making and opportunities for involvement, highlights how execution patterns influence the pace and style of change, and provides insights to support professional growth and career development.

Consultants supporting transformation initiatives: Consultants bring external expertise to help organizations navigate transformations by diagnosing needs with initiation patterns, recommending appropriate governance models, coaching on tailored execution patterns, guiding the application of the transformation model with suitable tools and facilitation, and introducing proven methods for engagement, analysis, planning, and evaluation.

Quick Machine Recovery

How Windows 11 Quick Machine Recovery works

A new Windows 11 feature called Quick Machine Recovery is designed to restore PCs quickly after boot failures. On a failed boot, QMR initiates a step-by-step process that diagnoses the issue, connects to Windows Update, searches for solutions and applies fixes. In test scenarios, the process took under four minutes. QMR is still rolling out and works best on newer devices, but it aims to dramatically reduce recovery time for users and businesses alike.

Full Story: Computerworld (8/7) 

Threat Detection

Dual Role of AI: Protection and Threat Detection

AI is transforming IT, #cybersecurity, and tech through intelligent threat detection, proactive cloud security, and risk management. It’s a catalyst for innovation and data-driven decisions, but also poses threats. Explore AI’s dual role as protector and threat at our event, and stay competitive in the evolving AI field.
Register now!

The Matrix now Activated.

Disable Excel workbook links 

Microsoft to disable Excel workbook links to blocked file types

Microsoft has announced that it will start disabling external workbook links to blocked file types by default between October 2025 and July 2026.

After the rollout, Excel workbooks referencing blocked file types will display a #BLOCKED error or fail to refresh, eliminating security risks associated with accessing unsupported or high-risk file types, including, but not limited to, phishing attacks that utilize workbooks to redirect targets to malicious payloads.

This change is being introduced as a new FileBlockExternalLinks group policy, which expands File Block Settings to include external workbook links.

Read the full article: Microsoft to disable Excel workbook links to blocked file types

Outlook Recall Message

Recall or replace a sent email in Outlook

Try it!

If you’re using the Microsoft Outlook app or Outlook.com, and if you and your recipients are all on Microsoft Exchange or Microsoft 365 and in the same organization, you can recall or replace an email message that you sent.

Important: If your account is a MAPI or POP account, recall won’t work.

  1. Select the Sent Items folder.
  2. Select or double-click the message so it opens in another window.
  3. Select File > Info.
  4. Select Resend or Recall and select one of the two options.
    1. Select Recall This Message… to delete or replace a sent message.
    2. Select Resend This Message… to send a message again with the option to update content or change recipients.
  5. Select the Tell me if recall succeeds or fails for each recipient check box.
  6. Select OK. Note: If you selected Delete unread copies and replace with a new message, the original message opens for editing. When you select Send, the original email message will be deleted from the recipient’s mailbox and replaced with the newly edited one.

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IT Support

Tech support specialists’ vital role in IT operations

Tech support is typically seen as the least desirable of IT roles due to lower pay and challenging interactions with users, but it’s an attractive option since it typically requires minimal education and experience, making it accessible. Tech support also provides opportunities for remote work, dynamic tasks and stable employment, and the experience in the field can lead to higher-paying IT positions.

Full Story: ITPro Today (7/21) 

Patch Tuesday

Microsoft’s Patch Tuesday rolls out 130 fixes

Microsoft has addressed 130 vulnerabilities in its latest Patch Tuesday update, including a critical remote code execution flaw in SPNEGO Extended Negotiation and an information disclosure issue in SQL Server. The update also resolves issues in BitLocker and Windows Hyper-V.

Full Story: The Hacker News (India) (7/9) 

DNS Records

Microsoft corrects DNS records, tests OTP email issue fix

Microsoft is addressing a DNS misconfiguration that has disrupted the delivery of one-time passcodes for Exchange Online users. The issue, deemed a critical service problem, affects users receiving encrypted emails via Gmail and Yahoo. Microsoft has corrected the DNS records and is testing the solution with affected users.

Full Story: BleepingComputer (7/2)