For people interested in Microsoft technologies
Microsoft Entra's July 2026 updates introduce several identity and access improvements, led by the general availability of Entra Backup and Recovery and new BYOD support for Global Secure Access. Microsoft also previewed stronger Conditional Access controls for AI agents and announced security enhancements in Microsoft Authenticator, giving IT teams more resilience, flexibility, and governance options.
AT&T used Microsoft Foundry Managed Compute and AMD GPUs to build its OTel2.0 telecom AI models at trillion-token scale. The deployment highlights how Azure customers can combine open models, heterogeneous GPU infrastructure, and faster provisioning to reduce costs and accelerate production AI development.
Microsoft has expanded Microsoft Entra integrations with SAP to help organizations modernize identity management as they move away from SAP IDM and other on-premises tools. New capabilities for provisioning, account discovery, OAuth 2.0 authentication, and SAP role governance can help IT teams unify lifecycle management and access governance across SAP and non-SAP apps.
Microsoft’s Q2 2026 email threat report shows a major 92% drop in Tycoon2FA-linked phishing following disruption efforts, alongside declines in QR code and CAPTCHA-gated phishing. However, defenders should note that attackers are shifting tactics, with Teams-based social engineering, credential phishing, and fast-moving business email compromise campaigns continuing to pose significant risk.
Microsoft detailed how its OneDrive and SharePoint teams measure AI and agentic quality across Copilot experiences, from rapid regression checks to offline benchmarking and customer-grounded validation. The framework matters for IT leaders because it shows how Microsoft is working to improve trust, accuracy, and reliability for enterprise content and workflow scenarios at scale.
Microsoft Entra ID is tightening the security of branded sign-in pages by retiring support for custom CSS positioning properties starting October 26, 2026. Organizations that use these properties in company branding should review and remove them now to avoid layout changes and maintain a trusted sign-in experience.
Microsoft has partnered with AXA XL to bring Microsoft Defender Experts Cybersecurity Incident Response directly to cyber insurance policyholders. The move aims to speed up containment and recovery by aligning security, legal, executive, and insurance workflows before an incident occurs.
Microsoft has announced new Microsoft Entra Internet Access and Private Access capabilities to secure AI, web, and private app traffic with Zero Trust controls. The update adds public preview features for network DLP, AI agent controls, and agentic scenarios, while generally available features expand secure access for BYOD, kiosk devices, and MCP traffic visibility.
Microsoft has made the Migration Policy Analyzer generally available to help organizations assess Azure AD B2C custom policies before moving to Microsoft Entra External ID. The tool generates a structured migration assessment, helping IT teams understand current implementations, identify gaps, and prioritize migration work faster.
Microsoft has expanded Copilot in SharePoint with new content creation, file management, automation, and skills capabilities, while also making the experience on by default for Microsoft 365 Copilot licensed users. The July 2026 updates matter because they help teams turn SharePoint content into documents, dashboards, and workflows faster, with stronger governance and a more transparent chat experience.
Microsoft used Black Hat USA 2026 to spotlight how attackers are abusing trusted software, identities, cloud services, and AI systems to scale attacks. The company also highlighted ongoing npm supply chain investigations, new Microsoft Defender Experts capabilities, and research sessions that give security teams practical guidance for defending trust paths.
Microsoft reports increased ACR Stealer activity targeting enterprises through ClickFix social engineering, with two intrusion chains using WebDAV, Python loaders, MSHTA, obfuscated PowerShell, and steganography. The campaigns focus on stealing browser credentials, session tokens, and sensitive documents, making early detection and user awareness critical for defenders.