How to configure a Graphical PowerShell Dev/Admin/Support User Interface for Azure/Office365/Microsoft Identity Manager

16th of January, 2017 / / No Comments

During the development of an identity management solution I find myself with multiple PowerShell/RDP sessions connected to multiple environments using different credentials often to obtain trivial data/information. It is easy to trip yourself up as well with remote powershell sessions to differing environments. If only there was a simple UI that could front-end a set of PowerShell modules and make those simple queries quick and painless. Likewise to allow support staff to execute a canned set of queries without providing them elevated permissions.… [Keep reading] “How to configure a Graphical PowerShell Dev/Admin/Support User Interface for Azure/Office365/Microsoft Identity Manager”

How to create an Azure Function App to Simultaneously Start|Stop all Virtual Machines in a Resource Group

6th of January, 2017 / / 6 Comments

Just on a year ago I wrote this blog post that detailed a method to “Simultaneously Start|Stop all Azure Resource Manager Virtual Machines in a Resource Group”. It’s a simple script that I use quite a lot and I’ve received a lot of positive feedback on it.
One year on though and there are a few enhancements I’ve been wanting to make to it. Namely;

  • host the script in an environment that is a known state.
… [Keep reading] “How to create an Azure Function App to Simultaneously Start|Stop all Virtual Machines in a Resource Group”

How to use a Powershell Azure Function to Tweet IoT environment data

29th of November, 2016 / / No Comments

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/76015/BlogImages/FunctionIOTWeather/Azure%20Function%20Twitter.png

Overview

This blog post details how to use a Powershell Azure Function App to get information from a RestAPI and send a social media update.
The data can come from anywhere, and in the case of this example I’m getting the data from WioLink IoT Sensors. This builds upon my previous post here that details using Powershell to get environmental information and put it in Power BI.  Essentially the difference in this post is outputting the manipulated data to social media (Twitter) whilst still using a TimerTrigger Powershell Azure Function App to perform the work and leverage the “serverless” Azure Functions model.… [Keep reading] “How to use a Powershell Azure Function to Tweet IoT environment data”

How to use a Powershell Azure Function App to get RestAPI IoT data into Power BI for Visualization

29th of November, 2016 / / No Comments

Overview

This blog post details using a Powershell Azure Function App to get IoT data from a RestAPI and update a table in Power BI with that data for visualization.
The data can come from anywhere, however in the case of this post I’m getting the data from WioLink IoT Sensors. This builds upon my previous post here that details using Powershell to get environmental information and put it in Power BI.  Essentially the major change is to use a TimerTrigger Azure Function to perform the work and leverage the “serverless” Azure Functions model.… [Keep reading] “How to use a Powershell Azure Function App to get RestAPI IoT data into Power BI for Visualization”

Auto-Acceleration for SharePoint Online

22nd of November, 2016 / / No Comments

Working with one of my colleagues recently, we were tasked with implementing Smart Links to speed up the login processes for a client’s SharePoint Online implementation.
The client was working towards replacing their on-premises implementation of SharePoint and OpenSpaces with SharePoint Online. The issue they faced was that when when a user tries to access a SharePoint Online site collection and is not already authenticated with Office 365, the user will be directed to the default Microsoft Online login page.… [Keep reading] “Auto-Acceleration for SharePoint Online”

SQL Always on Availability – Database addition to existing Availability Group via PowerShell

21st of November, 2016 / / No Comments

In this particular post, I am going to share steps for adding a database into an SQL Always On Availability group. This can be done both via GUI or PowerShell, but here my focus would be on PowerShell in order to make it simple and automated.
For this particular scenario, I am going to add a new database on an already existing AG. New database can be created or restored via a valid backup. I am assuming SQL AG is already setup and we are going to add databases in AG.… [Keep reading] “SQL Always on Availability – Database addition to existing Availability Group via PowerShell”

Using an Azure Function to search the FIM/MIM Metaverse, create a Set and update the Set membership in the the FIM/MIM Service

18th of November, 2016 / / No Comments

Introduction

This is the third and last post in this series of integrating Microsoft Identity Manager with Azure Functions.
The first detailed how to use an Azure Function to retrieve data from the MIM Service Server. The second detailed how to use an Azure Function to retrieve data from the MIM Sync (Metaverse) Server.
This third post combines the two and then performs an action in the MIM Service. The practical purpose of this could be functions like “find all users in location y” and “enable them for entitlement x” or “add an attribute value on each of their objects”.… [Keep reading] “Using an Azure Function to search the FIM/MIM Metaverse, create a Set and update the Set membership in the the FIM/MIM Service”

Using Azure Functions with the Lithnet MIIS Automation Powershell Module to query your Microsoft Identity Manager Metaverse

16th of November, 2016 / / No Comments

This is the 2nd blog continuing on from this post which is an introduction to using Azure Functions with the Lithnet FIM/MIM Powershell Modules. If you haven’t read that one please do so to get up to speed before this one as it has more detail around the setup.

Overview

This post details similar functionality to the first post but with integration to the FIM/MIM Synchronisation Server and the FIM/MIM Metaverse rather than the FIM/MIM Service.… [Keep reading] “Using Azure Functions with the Lithnet MIIS Automation Powershell Module to query your Microsoft Identity Manager Metaverse”

Get Users/Groups/Objects from Microsoft/Forefront Identity Manager with Azure Functions and the Lithnet Resource Management Powershell Module

14th of November, 2016 / / No Comments

Introduction

As an Identity Management consultant if I had a $1 for every time I’ve been asked “what is user x’s current status in IDAM”, “is user x active?”, “does user x have an account in y?”, “what is user x’s primary email address?”, particularly after Go Live of an IDAM solution my holidays would be a lot more exotic.
From a Service Desk perspective IDAM implementations are often a black box in the middle of the network that for the most part do what they were designed and implemented to do.… [Keep reading] “Get Users/Groups/Objects from Microsoft/Forefront Identity Manager with Azure Functions and the Lithnet Resource Management Powershell Module”

Complex Mail Routing in Exchange Online Staged Migration Scenario

15th of October, 2016 / / No Comments

Notes From the Field:

I was recently asked to assist an ongoing project with understanding some complex mail routing and identity scenario’s which had been identified during planning for an upcoming mail migration from an external system into Exchange Online.
New User accounts were created in Active Directory for the external staff who are about to be migrated. If we were to assign the target state, production email attributes now, and create the exchange online mailboxes, we would have a problem nearing migration.… [Keep reading] “Complex Mail Routing in Exchange Online Staged Migration Scenario”