The latest technology news - December 2024

Welcome to our monthly roundup of the hottest tech updates in the worlds of Microsoft Azure (Windows 365, Azure Virtual Desktop, Cloud PC, and infrastructure), VMware by Broadcom, Omnissa, GitHub, HashiCorp, Azure DevOps, and other partners. This series will have must-read articles, each offering a deep dive into these cutting-edge platforms’ latest technological advancements, news, and trends.

In today’s fast-paced tech landscape, staying informed is key! That’s why we’re here to make it easy for you. Each month, we’ll handpick the most insightful and informative articles that covers:

• DAAS, VDI, End User Computing (EUC), Endpoint Management and Apps
• Cloud
• Virtualization
• Infrastructure As Code (IaC)/DevOps

So let’s dive into the December 2024 top tech insights.

DAAS / VDI / EUC / ENDPOINT / APPS MANAGEMENT

General

• How to download PSAppDeployToolkit. Learn more
• My 2025 Predictions for Azure Virtual Desktop, Windows 365, AI, & EUC – The Future Is Here! Learn more
• Deploy Microsoft 365 apps with the Office portal. Learn more
• Streamlining application management with PSADT and Microsoft Intune – Part 1 Learn more part 2 Learn more
• Master Windows 11 Language Packs in 2024! Learn more
• MDT has an end date. Learn more
• What’s New in Windows ADK for Windows 11 24H2 (December 2024). Learn more

Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD)

• AVD Community newsLetters. Learn more
• Azure Virtual Desktop deployment with Bicep. Learn more
• Azure Virtual Desktop deployment with Bicep - Part 2. Learn more
• Azure Security Baselines for Azure Virtual Desktop-Backup and Recovery. Learn more
• AVD On Azure Local - 01 Introduction. Learn more
• AVD On Azure Local - 02 Demonstrating A Quick AVD Deployment. Learn more
• AVD On Azure Local - 03 Planning And Designing For AVD On Azure Local. Learn more
• Unidirectional clipboard for Azure Virtual Desktop and Windows 365. Learn more
• Custom Image Templates part 1. Learn more
• Custom Image Templates part 2. Learn more
• Custom Image Templates part 3. Learn more
• Custom Image Templates part 4. Learn more

Windows 365 (W365) / CloudPC

• The latest weekly W365 newsletter. Learn more
• What’s new in Windows 365 Enterprise. Learn more
• Unlocking the Power of Windows 365 in 2025: Your Ultimate Learning Guide. Learn more

Omnissa | Horizon | VMware EUC

• Weekly VMware Enduser Computing Updates by Julius Lienemann. Learn more
• Omnissa weekly EUC newsletter. Learn more
• Designating Omnissa Horizon Administrator Permissions with PowerShell. Learn more
• Secure access to Omnissa UAG using HashiCorp Boundary with Transparent Sessions. Learn more
• Expectations for Omnissa in 2025. Learn more
• Unlocking the Power of Omnissa Dynamic Environment Manager with templates for Office 365 and Windows 11. Learn more
• Omnissa Access On Premises 24.12 release. Learn more
• Omnissa Horizon Client 2412 (8.14.0) download available. Learn more
• Omnissa App Volumes 2412 release notes. Learn more
• Omnissa ThinApp 2412 Release Notes. Learn more
• The upcoming Horizon release will require the new Omnissa license format (Preview). Learn more

Intune

• Weekly Intune newsletter by Andrew Taylor. Learn more
• What’s new in Microsoft Intune. Learn more
• Simplifying Desktop Shortcut Deployment with Intune. Learn more
• How does Windows Administrator protection works on your personal device. Learn more
• Personal Data Encryption: Secure Your Personal Files, the Right Way. Learn more
• New release of Autopilot Branding available. Learn more
• Windows 11… Can we upgrade already?. Learn more
• Control or even block the new Outlook client migration. Learn more
• Application deployment in Windows 365: recommended practices. Learn more
• The new Outlook is preinstalled on Windows 11 (23H2 and later) and this is how you uninstall it using PowerShell and Microsoft Intune. Learn more

MSIX App Attach / WinGet

• Windows Package Manager REST Source Reference Implementation 1.9.1. Learn more

Microsoft Azure

Microsoft 365 / Entra / AD

• Entra.News - Your weekly dose of Microsoft Entra. Learn more
• How to check for a healthy Defender for Endpoint environment? Learn more
• Managed Identity Permission Manager – v. 1.0.0.3 is out! Learn more
• Automating Certificate Management with keyvault-acme. Learn more
• Azure Windows Server Lab Environment. Learn more
• How to run a successful Azure migration project. Learn more
• How to Download All User OneDrive Files. Learn more
• Migrating From AD to Entra ID - How to Successfully Navigate the Cloud Transformation Journey. Learn more
• Cybersecurity Expert Reacts To M365 Defaults [Detailed Breakdown]. Learn more

Microsoft Azure

• John Savill’s Weekly Update. Learn more
• Use multi tenant managed identity in Azure Automation. Learn more
• Learn About Containers And Kubernetes For Az-900 Exam Prep.Learn more
• Azure Storage Access Tiers: Hot, Cool, Cold & Archive Explained. Learn more
• Effortlessly access cloud resources across Azure tenants without using secrets. Learn more
• URGENT - Azure CDN from Edgio Shutdown 15th January 2025 - ACT NOW!. Learn more
• Performance Benchmarks with Azure Premium Disks. Learn more
• Code To Cloud : Exploring Azure Linux 3.0. Learn more

Windows

• Deploy Windows Server 2025 security baselines locally with OSConfig. Learn more
• Securing Local Administrator Accounts with Windows LAPS: A Get Started Guide for Windows Server Environments. Learn more
• Windows 11 24H2 Issues might occur with media which installs the October or November update via Media Integrated. Learn more
• Hyper-V Overview. Learn more

VMware by Broadcom

• The VCF Certification Exams. Learn more
• Your 12 Days of Holiday Lab Cheer – The VCP-VCF Administrator Exam Guide. Learn more
• My Home Lab Setup. Learn more
• 4 Steps to Converting a VMware vSphere Environment to VMware Cloud Foundation. Learn more
• Brand New Hands-on Labs Content Released!. Learn more
• Sharing a single NVMe device with NVMe Tiering, ESXi-OSDATA & VMFS Datastore? Learn more
• CPU Support Deprecation and Discontinuation In vSphere Releases. Learn more

Infrastructure as Code (IaC) / DevOps

General

• How I Used ChatGPT to Create My First Ansible Playbook. Learn more
• A Very Special Gift from VS Code. Learn more
• Storing Windows BitLocker recovery keys in HashiCorp Vault. Learn more
• Learning Infrastructure as Code (IaC): Pipelines Part #1. Learn more
• Learning Infrastructure as Code (IaC): Pipelines Part #2. Learn more

GitHub

• Announcing a free GitHub Copilot for VS Code. Learn more
• Build custom virtual machine images with GitHub Actions and Azure. Learn more

Hashicorp Terraform

• Terraform Test Mocks. Learn more
• A name for thy role definitions. Learn more
• Debugging the azure rm provider with VScode. Learn more
• Getting Started with Terraform on Azure. Learn more

PowerShell / Azure Cloud Shell / Bicep

• No Passwords, No Problem: Secure Azure Authentication with MSAL & PowerShell - Ben Reader - PSC… Learn more
• TokenMagician, A PowerShell module that will help you get tokens from Entra ID using a managed identity as federated credential. Learn more
• Windows Sandbox: PowerShell and Application Workspace for Powerful Application Testing. Learn more
• DevOpsCeption - Managing Azure DevOps using PowerShell and Azure DevOps. Learn more
• Getting Started with Azure Bicep for Beginners. Learn more
• Bicep on the Go - IaC for Azure. Learn more
• Windows Server 2025 Management. Learn more
• Getting Started with Graph. Learn more
• PowerShell Function for the cmd.ms website. Learn more
• Mastering Azure FinOps: #3 – Azure Resource Tagging with PowerShell Scripts. Learn more
• Azure Active Directory PowerShell examples for Application Management. Learn more

Other

• HPE VM Essentials 60-Day, 6 Sockets evaluation. Learn more
• Proxmox Datacenter Manager - First Alpha Release. Learn more

Upcomming Events

• Dutch VMUG UserCon 2025, March 12 2025. Learn more
• Experts Live June 3, 2025 - Call for speakers. Learn more