Brian Baldock

Majority voting barely improves long-horizon reliability. Thinking tokens, ie: "reasoning" before acting, win every time. Pay for the right compute.
#ThursdayThoughts #AI #LLM #AIAgents

My desk looks like a small tornado passed through, coffee mug, cables, notebooks, and a few rogue spinner magnets that didn’t survive another fidget session.
Some people need calm to focus; I apparently need creative chaos.
Curious, what’s the one item on your desk you can’t live without?

Agent build tip: Plan externally, execute in small, verifiable steps. Cleaner pipelines.
#ThursdayThoughts #AI #LLM #AIAgents

Microsoft Entra Step by Step Deployment Videos The FastTrack team created a growing library of short, scenario-based videos...

👉 m365accelerator.microsoft.com/blogs/Micros...

Entra rollout made easier.
Check out these step-by-step deployment videos for Microsoft Entra, covering hybrid join, Conditional Access, and more. Perfect for IT admins in the trenches.

Link: blog.brianbaldock.net/when-ethical...

Ghost citations, part 2: my 7-step checklist to keep AI-assisted content faithful, accurate, and complete. Move fast—without burning trust.
Link in first reply.

Drift happens when agents read their own bad outputs. Cut context, watch error rate, escalate sooner. Human in the loop!
#ThursdayThoughts #AI #LLM #AIAgents

Tip: Use naming like PIM‑SecOps‑MDE‑Readers so your audit trail reads well.

Step 1: Create the PIM‑enabled group.
Entra → Group → Enable PIM → add Eligible Member assignments (time‑boxed).
Full guide (pics): aka.ms/defpim
#EntraID #PIM #LeastPrivilege

Microsoft Entra ID Quick Config Videos Explore quick Microsoft Entra ID feature setup videos. Learn to deploy Internet Access, Token Protection, and more with step-by-step guides

Here’s the blog 👉 blog.brianbaldock.net/bite-sized-e...

Quick reminder — the Entra ID snackable video series is live, thanks to a big team effort across FastTrack and several partner groups at Microsoft.

They’re short, practical sessions covering everything from Conditional Access to Token Protection. I pulled them into one blog, link below.

When "Ethical AI" cites ghosts Report shows fake sources in ethical AI study; highlights AI hallucinations and the need to verify AI-generated content

Link: blog.brianbaldock.net/when-ethical...

An “ethical AI” report shipped with 15+ fake citations. Why? Hallucinations + humans pasting smart-sounding lines. I share a simple playbook to stop ghost citations and keep trust.
Link in first reply.

💭 Track horizon length, not just accuracy. Tiny per‑step gains can mean big jumps in how far agents run without help.
#ThursdayThoughts #AI #LLM #AIAgents

⚠️ Heads‑up: PIM‑for‑Groups requires Entra ID P2 or Governance licensing AND relevant Defender licensing.

Still giving standing access in Defender XDR?
Use PIM‑for‑Groups + URBAC for JIT, time‑boxed permissions.
Clean guide from Matt Novitsch → aka.ms/defpim

Microsoft Entra ID Quick Config Videos Explore quick Microsoft Entra ID feature setup videos. Learn to deploy Internet Access, Token Protection, and more with step-by-step guides

Check out the full list of videos here: blog.brianbaldock.net/bite-sized-e...

The FastTrack, Product Marketing, GTM, WWL Studios, and Microsoft Learn teams built out a library of Entra ID “snackable” deployment videos. These are short, focused sessions covering everything from Internet Access to Identity Governance and Privileged Identity Management.

#Microsoft365 #EntraID

GitHub - brianbaldock/Set-CopilotForEngage: Set-CopilotForEngage is a mini PowerShell module to help you control access to Copilot and AI Summarization in Viva Engage Set-CopilotForEngage is a mini PowerShell module to help you control access to Copilot and AI Summarization in Viva Engage - brianbaldock/Set-CopilotForEngage

Github repo: buff.ly/n25Fv1D

Manage Copilot in Viva Engage Learn how to manage access policies for Copilot in Microsoft Viva Engage with this comprehensive admin guide and mini PowerShell module

Quick reminder: I built a PowerShell mini-module to simplify Viva Engage policy management (Copilot + AI Summarization).
Org-wide disable → group enables.
buff.ly/lfgVxuh
repo in the first comment 👇
#LazyAdmins #Microsoft365 #M365Copilot #VivaEngage #PowerShell

GitHub - brianbaldock/Set-CopilotForEngage: Set-CopilotForEngage is a mini PowerShell module to help you control access to Copilot and AI Summarization in Viva Engage Set-CopilotForEngage is a mini PowerShell module to help you control access to Copilot and AI Summarization in Viva Engage - brianbaldock/Set-CopilotForEngage

Check out the code repo here: github.com/brianbaldock...

Manage Copilot in Viva Engage Learn how to manage access policies for Copilot in Microsoft Viva Engage with this comprehensive admin guide and mini PowerShell module

Hey #LazyAdmins 😎 I put together a PowerShell mini-module to manage Viva Engage access policies for Copilot + AI Summarization.
The flow: start with an org-wide disable, then enable for groups you choose. Clean, predictable, repeatable. blog.brianbaldock.net/admin-guide-...

A Cook’s Guide to Microsoft Secure Score: Continuous Security Enhance security with Microsoft Secure Score: a prioritized checklist for continuous improvements in identity, devices, apps, and data

When was the last time you looked at your Microsoft Secure Score?
Here’s why I treat mine like a kitchen cleaning list, and how you can too.
blog.brianbaldock.net/securescore
#CyberSecurity #Microsoft365 #SecureScore

A Cook’s Guide to Microsoft Secure Score: Continuous Security Enhance security with Microsoft Secure Score: a prioritized checklist for continuous improvements in identity, devices, apps, and data

When I worked in kitchens, we had a rule: “Always be cleaning.”
Now I use the same mindset in security with Microsoft Secure Score.
New post: blog.brianbaldock.net/securescore
#CyberSecurity #Microsoft365 #SecureScore

Creating Identity for agentic AI Learn best practices for secure identity management in agentic AI systems, ensuring accountability and zero trust in dynamic, scalable environments

ICYMI: My latest post on identity design for AI agents is still fresh.
OBO flow vs service creds, secrets, and audit trails, all covered.
Still relevant. Still useful.
blog.brianbaldock.net/recipe-desig...
#CyberSecurity #AgenticAI

Creating Identity for agentic AI Learn best practices for secure identity management in agentic AI systems, ensuring accountability and zero trust in dynamic, scalable environments

New post: Designing Identity for Agentic AI.
How do agents securely access systems like SQL Server?
I break down two flows (OBO + service creds) + give you a practical checklist.
Check it out 👉 blog.brianbaldock.net/recipe-desig...
#ZeroTrust #AIIdentity

Last week I shared what breaking into my own systems taught me as a defender. From missed file permissions to my first reverse shell—it was eye-opening.

What moment shifted your view on defense?

Catch the full post here: blog.brianbaldock.net/a-better-def...

New blog just dropped: How breaking in made me a better defender.
Offensive security taught me more than I expected; reverse shells, overlooked basics, and how fragile assumptions really are.
What changed your view on defense?
🔗 blog.brianbaldock.net/a-better-def...

Push fatigue + phishing = breach.
Learn how to upgrade your MFA game with phishing-resistant options that actually work.
blog.brianbaldock.net/mfa-beyond-p...
#ZeroTrust #MFA #CyberSecurity