​​Follow-up on Ignite with Ask Microsoft Anything: Microsoft Security edition​​

AI transformation starts with security. This was a major theme across the majority of the big news and reveals from Microsoft Security at Microsoft Ignite 2024. Security discussions also drew big crowds throughout the event, with security-related sessions scoring in the top 10 most-attended sessions on each day of the conference. In this article, we’ll share information on how you can get live answers to your questions about our latest security innovations and announcements from engineering and product teams. And if you missed it, here are just a few of the highlights from Ignite.

AI transformation requires security transformation 

Before Microsoft Ignite officially began, hundreds of security and IT professionals gathered early for the Microsoft Ignite Security Forum to hear from Microsoft Security product leaders about Microsoft’s threat intelligence and AI research, among other security strategy topics. Then on Day 1 of Microsoft Ignite, the event kicked off with an exciting keynote speech that dove into how Microsoft is creating powerful new opportunities across its platforms as the era of AI takes shape—including in security. Microsoft Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Satya Nadella kicked off the keynote’s discussion of security innovations by highlighting changes coming to Microsoft Purview.

“In the age of AI, data governance takes on an even more critical, central, important role,” said Nadella.

The keynote ended with Executive Vice President of Microsoft Security Charlie Bell, joined by Corporate Vice President, Microsoft Security Business, Vasu Jakkal. The two gave an overview of today’s security landscape and the innovations Microsoft Security is driving to help defenders rise to its challenges.

“Security is job number one in the age of AI,” said Jakkal, highlighting that one of the most critical use cases of trustworthy AI is supporting security professionals. Microsoft itself recently put generative AI in the hands of its security teams with Microsoft Security Copilot and used generative AI developed in its research labs to identify potentially-exposed credentials that could have been used by cyberthreat actors. These security leaders also shared how securing and governing AI and the data it uses can help empower AI innovation and to help unify and simplify security for all. 

Among the most exciting news was the announcement that Microsoft Security Exposure Management is now generally available. This new innovative solution provides security professionals with a graph-based approach to proactive threat protection. It dynamically creates a comprehensive view of the entire attack surface, allowing the exploration of assets and their changing relationships with login credentials, permissions, and other ways users connect to company data. This enables more thorough assessments of your organization’s security posture and exposure. 

Microsoft also shared the latest report on the Secure Future Initiative (SFI), prioritizing security above all else, establishing leading governance and frameworks to manage threats at scale, and better deterring even the most powerful and well-funded cyberthreat actors in the world. In part, this will be done through minimizing excessive permissions, reducing credential-related risks, and establishing and maintaining comprehensive asset inventories. 

There was also a lot of interest around Microsoft Security Copilot. Nearly 70% of the Fortune 500 already use Microsoft 365 Copilot.¹ The Copilot stack has already begun empowering users to build even more ambitious products, and this trend is likely to continue with the announcement of Azure AI Foundry, which gives organizations the power to design, customize, and manage next-generation AI apps and agents at scale. Microsoft Security Copilot is now embedded in the Microsoft Entra admin center, delivering new identity management capabilities. The solution will also be adding new capabilities across Microsoft Intune, Microsoft Purview, Azure Logic Apps, and across the Microsoft Partner Ecosystem. 

And during the Microsoft Security General Session, entitled Security Innovation to Strengthen Cyber Defense in the Age of AI, speakers Joy Chik, Rob Lefferts, Michael Wallent, Herain Oberoi, and Vasu Jakkal discussed how AI can be used to enhance cyber defense mechanisms by predicting, detecting, and responding to cyberthreats more efficiently. AI-driven cyberthreat detection, for instance, is already helping to identify patterns and anomalies in network traffic. AI can also enhance automated incident responses to further minimize negative effects on organizations. The session also explored potential future trends in AI and its evolving role in cyber defense strategies. 

Join us for the Microsoft Security Ask Microsoft Anything (AMA) series

Now that the news from Ignite is out, Microsoft Security is keeping all the wonderful conversations started throughout the week going with the Tech Community Live: Microsoft Security edition series of AMA sessions. These sessions will be held on Tuesday, December 3, from 7:00 AM to 11:30 AM PT, and will feature Microsoft subject matter experts—all of whom will be prepared to share in-depth content in their areas of expertise and to answer your technical questions. Each session will be streamed for viewers across LinkedIn, X, and YouTube, but if you have a burning question you want the experts to answer, make sure to add the sessions to your calendar to join the discussions live on Tech Community.  

Here’s a quick summary of each AMA session, including when it will be taking place and what will be covered: 

7:00 to 8:00 AM PT: Security Copilot   

We’ll be jumping into Microsoft Security Copilot bright and early. Find out how to respond to cyberthreats quickly and assess risk exposure in minutes. The product team will also be sharing how to help you configure Security Copilot and process signals at machine speed, while saving time for any questions you need answers to.

Take a look at these Ignite sessions that might interest you about Security Copilot:

• Optimize with Security Copilot: Real-world insights and expert advice 
• Transform your security with GenAI innovations in Security Copilot 
• One goal, many roles: Microsoft Security Copilot use cases for all 
• Security Partner Growth: Harness the Power of AI in Security Copilot 

8:00 to 8:30 AM PT: Microsoft Entra Suite  

Next up, you can join our panel of experts ready to field questions about the Microsoft Entra Suite. Whether you want to secure access for your employees and extend Conditional Access across your cloud-native and on-premises apps or want to retire old VPNs and automate your organization’s identity lifecycle workflows, our panel will be ready to share insights, best practices, and how Microsoft identity and network access solutions can help.   

Explore Ignite sessions about Entra Suite:

• Security Innovation to Strengthen Cyber Defense in the Age of AI 
• Secure access for any identity to any resource with Microsoft Entra 
• Secure access for your workforce with the new Microsoft Entra Suite 
• Security Partner Growth: The Power of Identity with Entra Suite 

8:30 to 9:00 AM PT: Microsoft Defender for Cloud  

By mid-morning, we’ll have a panel of experts diving into the latest Microsoft Defender for Cloud recommendations and answering your feature-specific questions.  

Ignite sessions worth checking out for Defender for Cloud:

• Mitigate threats using Microsoft Defender for Cloud 
• Secure Azure services and workloads with Microsoft Defender for Cloud 
• Future-proofing AI-driven migrations with Microsoft Defender for Cloud 

9:00 to 9:30 AM PT: Security Service Edge (SSE) 

Join us to explore Microsoft’s Security Service Edge (SSE) partner ecosystem, where we collaborate with top industry leaders to deliver integrated, identity-centric solutions for enhanced security and seamless connectivity. Ask Microsoft Anything about Global Secure Access, learn how our partnerships are simplifying security and networking, and gain insights related to supporting your hybrid workforce effectively.  

Check out these relevant Ignite sessions and blogs covering SSE:

• Microsoft partners for new SASE ecosystem | Microsoft Community Hub 
• Microsoft and Netskope: Unified, identity-centric security | Microsoft Community Hub 
• Accelerate your Zero Trust Journey: Unify Identity and Network Access

9:30 to 10:30 AM PT: Microsoft Security Exposure Management   

Microsoft Security Exposure Management can help experts responsible for maintaining a strong security posture at their organization gain a unified view of their cyberattack surface, investigate cyberattack paths, manage exposure, and better safeguard critical assets. Learn how to get ahead of cyberattackers in this AMA. 

Must-see Ignite sessions featuring Exposure Management:

• Microsoft Ignite Keynote 
• Security Innovation to Strengthen Cyber Defense in the Age of AI 
• Proactive security with continuous exposure management  

10:30 to 11:30 AM PT: Security for AI  

AI adoption is a popular and important topic this year, so join us to prepare your infrastructure to securely adopt AI, to learn the best ways to protect your AI stack and sensitive data, or if you have your own important AI security questions. Microsoft experts on this panel will help you confidently embrace the age of AI with industry-leading cybersecurity and compliance solutions. 

Ignite sessions you may have missed highlighting Security for AI: 

• Security Innovation to Strengthen Cyber Defense in the Age of AI 
• Secure and govern custom AI built on Azure AI and Copilot Studio 
• Secure and govern data in Microsoft 365 Copilot and beyond 
• Scott and Mark learn responsible AI  

Learn more with Microsoft Security

Whether you were at Ignite or not, this live, interactive Tech Community event is one not to miss. And remember that you can also listen in as part of our cross-platform audience or watch any of the sessions at a later time, on-demand.  

And if you’re curious to learn more about the security news and solutions we shared at Ignite, check out the security session recordings.  

​​To learn more about Microsoft Security solutions, visit our website. Bookmark the Security blog to keep up with our expert coverage on security matters. Also, follow us on LinkedIn (Microsoft Security) and X (@MSFTSecurity) for the latest news and updates on cybersecurity. 

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¹Ignite 2024: Why nearly 70% of the Fortune 500 now use Microsoft 365 Copilot, Nov 19, 2024

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Source: Microsoft Security