Microsoft quietly rolled out Windows Server 2022 earlier this week . According to this Windows Server 2022 lifecycle support page, Windows Server 2022 reached general availability on Aug. 18.
The Visual Studio Subscriptions download page for developers lists the availability of “Windows Server 2022 Languages and Optional Features.” However, the full product bits didn’t appear to be there on release day.
Announcement Date Speculation Microsoft, remarkably, has not given public notice about the commercial product release of its latest Windows Server product. Some speculate that Microsoft is waiting till Sept. 1 to announce Windows Server 2022’s commercial release, when Microsoft’s product terms may be available:
Microsoft’s product terms publications, which list updated pricing for its products, typically arrive on the first of the month. Microsoft’s typically announces a product GA before the product terms are published, which essentially means that the product is announced, but you can’t buy it until the first of the month.
Microsoft announced earlier this week that it is planning to hold an online Windows Server Summit event on Sept. 16, which is a public event but requires registration to attend. That Sept. 16 date also could be the target announce date Microsoft intends.
Windows Server 2022 was at the release-to-manufacturing (RTM) stage back in June. However, it was also called a “preview” at that time. It was an odd description, since “RTM” is old Microsoft nomenclature for finished software bits that undergo testing by original equipment manufacturers prior to a final product release. In other words, RTMs aren’t previews.
Windows Server 2022 Editions and Features Microsoft is planning to release a Standard edition, a Datacenter edition and a Datacenter Azure edition of Windows Server 2022, with Core and Desktop installation options. The products will get updated via the long-term servicing channel release model (Microsoft has dropped the semiannual channel update option (for all supported Window Server products.)
Windows Server 2022 has some notable new features. On the security side, it has Secured Core boot protection, TLS 1.3 protocol use by default and Domain Name System over HTTPS encryption. Communications will be better protected from viewing with Server Message Block (SMB) over QUIC capability. The server also will have SMB compression for speedier file access.
Global Governments have implemented concerted measures to increase the scrutiny of AML/CFT processes and controls, to fight financial crimes.
In December 2020, the UAE Cabinet adopted the formation of the Executive Office of theAnti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism with an aim to follow the international requirements in this sector. The Ministry of Economy (MoE) sent out e-mails to all companies with a link to the Annual AML/ CFT Risk assessment form along with deadlines for each category of DNFBPs.
All Designated Non-Financial Businesses and Professions (“DNFBP’s) must register on a “goAML portal” before 31 March 2021. So any ‘grace period ‘ is well over.
The goAML portal is a integrated platform used to file Suspicious Transaction Reports (STRs) and/or Suspicious Activity Reports (SAR).
“It is your obligatory duty under the Federal Decree Law 20 of 2018 and Article 20(2) of Cabinet Decision No. (10) of 2019, to have procedures in place to report Suspicious Transactions to manage anti-money laundering (“AML) and counter terrorist financing (“CFT”). This system will allow you to help authorities identify criminal and suspicious activity.Failure to register on goAML may result in severe penalties invoked by the Ministry of Economy. We therefore urge you to treat this notice as a matter of priority and complete your application to ensure access to the goAML system.“
Non- compliance to this will attract fines up to AED 5 Million! In addition to the financial sector, this regulation applies to all Designated Non-Financial Businesses and Professions (DNFBP), and the members of their boards of directors, management, and employees, established and/or operating in the territory of the UAE. They are applicable to all such natural and legal persons in the following categories:
• Auditors and accountants; • Lawyers, notaries and other legal professionals and practitioners; • Company and trust service providers; • Dealers in precious metals and stones; • Real estate agents and brokers; • Any other Designated Non-Financial Businesses and Professions (DNFBPs) not mentioned above.
All such businesses must:
• register with the Financial Intelligence Unit (go AML)
• enroll on the Committee for Commodities Subject to Import and Export Control system (Automatic Reporting System for Sanctions List).
The “Wave 2” of the annual release plan for Dynamics 365 Business Central version 19 product launch is planned for October. Microsoft has publicly announced new features spanning from the platform’s expansions to new countries to new onboarding features and to the application and development features. (………. details listed here are subject to change).
Dynamics 365 Business Central availability in new countries
Starting from the 2021 Wave 2 release, Dynamics 365 Business Central will be available in the following new countries:
Argentina
Bulgaria
Chile
Myanmar
Puerto Rico
Slovakia
Ukraine
These new availabilities are achieved through partner-led localizations available on AppSource + built-in language module.
New features on the Application layer
Both Finance and Supply Chain areas will receive improvements on
. Availability of more fields on different entities for customizing pages via personalization (directly by the end-user).:
The availability of fields related to Vendor information’s on the Get Receipt Lines page or information related to customer’s orders on the Get Shipment Lines.
The Bank Accounts page now displays the Balance at Date and Balance at Date (LCY).
General Journals and Recurring General Journals can now display the External Document No.
Information about weights and volume are available in all sales documents and purchase documents (you can add the Unit Gross Weight, Unit Net Weight, Unit Volume, and Units per Parcel via personalization).
Add the Expected Receipt Date field to the Purchase Quotes, Purchase Quote Archives, and Purchase Orders pages.
Job-related columns can be added to all purchase documents.
Add the Transfer Order Receipt and Shipment Quantities fields to the Item Card page.
Add the Description 2 field to all sales, service, purchase drafts, and posted and archived document lines.
Add the Source Type and Source No. fields to the General Ledger Entries page for better analysis.
Use requisition and planning worksheets to enter plans ofwhat you need to order and then create the orders for both physical inventory items and non-inventory items (such as services) to have a unified process.
Non-inventory items will support locations, and the location information will be copied in the item ledger, values, and job ledger entries records. You will be able to perform statistics for the location, also for services.
The Payment Reconciliation Journal will be improved with the following capabilities:
Separate number series
Posting preview
Ability to reverse the G/L register posted through the journal
The Bank Reconciliation page will be improved with the following capabilities:
Bank ledger entries are now filtered, so only ledger entries after the statement’s ending date are displayed.
When applying auto-matching, the user can decide not to overwrite any of the already matched entries or to overwrite all.
Many-to-1 matching is now possible, so many bank statement lines can be matched against one bank ledger entry.
When you transfer differences to be posted in a general journal, the entries will be auto-matched when you return to the bank reconciliation, reducing the redundant manual step.
Production processes like planning worksheets, order planning, capable-to-promise can now use information about bills of materials and routes defined in the stock-keeping units (SKU).
You will be able to specify a rounding precision for the base unit of measures to avoid rounding problems when using alternative units.
An alternative unit of measure for items can now be synched also with Dynamics 365 for Sales.
The new release will also remove the old sales documents reports (204..207) in favor of new sales document reports supporting Word Layout (1304..1307). You can ether use the new layouts (recommended) or clone the old layout to a custom layout and then continue using the cloned custom layout.
Data export to Excel. You will be able to export in excel lists embedded in a part on a page, such as Sales Lines on the Sales Order pageor lists on a fact box pane. The Open in Excel action downloads a static copy of your list as an Excel file, applying your filters and sort order just as shown on the screen.
For reports, you can now select to export the report data to Excel on the request page. The Excel file will only include the raw data and not the report layout.
It will be useful for troubleshooting or data analysis. . Just go to the report’s request page and select the Send to menu. Here you have a new option now: Microsoft Excel Document (data only):
When you select this option, the report is rendered to include data only (data without the layout) and the raw dataset is presented in an Excel file. The Excel file contains the value of each field and the value of each variable and caption defined in the report. The exported dataset is the same dataset that is streamed to the reporting engine component of Business Central. When you have binary data inside the report, this is not exported into Excel (obviously) but it gives you an indication of the byte size. It works also for reportextension’s data.
Consider it as a “report inspector” for developers and consultants. Users must have the Allow Action Export Report Dataset To Excel permission assigned (you can assign the Troubleshooting Tools or Export Report Excel permission sets to them).
You can also export report data exported also as XML.
Integration with Dataverse, Dynamics 365, and Power Platform improvements
Dataverse integration. Use Integration Field Mappingto filter and choose the data to synchronize and how to couple records (this will avoid writing extensions with custom business logic for synch).
Integration with Microsoft Teams, The Business Central web client will include a new action to share records to Microsoft Teams in the next release. This will allow you to type a message, choose recipients (team members, groups, or channels), and then send a message with a link to the Business Central record.
Power BI reports inside Business Central. In the next release, embed reports from any of your personal or shared Power BI workspaces (not only from the default workspace).
New features for IT Administrators
When using delegated admins, create job queue entries and set those as ready to run with your delegated admin account. A licensed user from the customer can start the job queue entry to complete the process that the delegated admin created.
A partner, will be able to preload a list of recommended apps into the customer’s system (apps relevant for his business) to act as a “proxy” on AppSource. The customer can then install the preselected apps safely.
The administrator will have a new set of Automation APIs (in addition to the existing ones) that will permit the creation of user groups. New APIs for sharing files in Microsoft 365 will also be available for AL developers (these will permit sharing reports or other files using standard Microsoft 365 capabilities for cloud-based file sharing).
In the new release it is possible to use Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) groups to grant access to environments on a tenant . You will be able to associate an Azure AD group with an environment. The members of that Azure AD group will be synchronized to Dynamics 365 Business Central and granted access to that environment.
In the next release, you will be able to copy environments within and across different environment types, for example:
Production to Production
Sandbox to Sandbox
Sandbox to Production
Also, new log signals related to the environment’s operations will be added to the Business Central operation logs.
It will also be possible to restart an environment from the Admin Center, for example, for troubleshooting purposes.
New features for AL developers
The AL compiler will be improved. When using code analyzers, you will receive a warning on code compilation with additional URLs for documentation that links to the possible cause of the problem and possible solutions.
Another essential and top requested feature that you will see on version 19 is the ability to perform a force-sync on per-tenant extensions.
Breaking schema changes on SaaS are never permitted, but on version 19 (under the partner’s responsibility), you will be able to make breaking schema changes on PTEs. The new force sync schema change can be triggered via the Extension Management page or directly from the tenant’s Admin Center.
Please always remember that with this action, you will lose any data stored in your extension.
When debugging with Visual Studio Code, you will be able to capture the execution timing part of the snapshot from snapshot debugging. Using a new (and cool!) performance profiling editor in VS Code, you will be able to investigate how your code performs.
An important new feature is related to control the source access of your extension’s code. A property in the app.json file called ShowMyCode when enabled, permits debugging the extension and also to download source (PTE) and view code in symbols. This is one of the main problems with debugging. (Many partners have ShowMyCode = false in their extensions, which makes debugging the extension’s code impossibile!f.)
Plans to add new options in the app.json file like AllowDebugSource, AllowDownloadSource, or AllowSymbolsSource to protect the source access effectively. This is when writing a “work in progress” project, and some details could change.
To improve performances of the NST, in the next release, whenyou’re using OData for integrations, you will be able to specify a read-only intent to use the read-only database replica (and then offloading the production database). You will also have a limit on the number of background sessions that you can start from the AL code.
Don’t forget to check for warnings in your code NOW because some of these (marked as v15 or v16) could become errors in the v19 release
Microsoft is planning a set of structural changes to Dynamics 365 Human Resources (D365 HR) that will update the application’s capabilities, align its administration with the rest of the Finance and Operations suite, unify the feature set across the applications, and update licensing of HR capabilities.
The so-called infrastructure merge for D365 HR will result in a single set of features for D365 HR that will account for overlapping HR features in the other Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations (D365FO) apps: Finance, Supply Chain Management, Commerce, and Project Operations.
After the merge is complete, D365 HR will also be able to use Dynamics 365 Lifecycle Services, issue search, and Regression Suite Automation Tool (RSAT). And it will “provide both Microsoft Power Platform extensibility, and a way to extend business logic and feature options,” according to Microsoft.
So HR is back together with the other Finance and Operations apps and you no longer have to integrate between HR and Finance.
If you have one or more of the D365 Finance and Operations apps, but don’t use the HR functionality included in these and you have D365 HR, then make sure your data is the same structure because, sometime in the future your apps will be merged and you will have the same database, so the data needs to be aligned. If you do have a big differences, then you have some work to do.
As far as I’ve read from the notes, you will now have to buy D365 HR and start using that license. (As with Project oeprations)
If you have one or more of the D365 Finance and Operations apps and use the HR functionality included in those, but don’t have D365 HR then you get added functionality and a system Microsoft is improving
Some new HR features:
Improvements to leave and absence app in Teams
New features :
Users can edit or cancel their existing submitted or approved leave requests.
Managers can view their direct reports’ leave balances while reviewing leave requests.
Calendar enhancements will allow users to view a companywide calendar or their extended reports’ availability calendar, based on their roles and permissions.
Improved extensibility options
There are some functionalities in the F&O apps that will help with extensibilities, and it will be easier to use the Power Platform tools. We can also hope for improved integrations.
Manage employee sick leave
This is not planned for public preview until March 2022, with no set GA date, but its a major current gap (field by Synergy D365 GCC localised Payroll module.)
The planned functionalities are:
Open-ended sick leave requests.
Return-to-work notices.
Sick leave reporting.
Management and approval of sick leave requests.
Current licensing
The current licensing on Dynamics 365 Human Resources (as it is in July 2021) is $120 per user per month when HR is your only Dynamics 365 app. If you have other apps and those same users will have access to HR, then the attach license cost is $30 per user per month.
A recent study by Kaspersky reveals that organisations in the Middle East faced 161 million malware attacks over the past year. T. Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain and Egypt saw a large spike in malware attacks, which increased by 67%, 64%, 45% and 32%, respectively. Qatar and the UAE had lower increases of 16% and 7%.
Turkey accounts for around a quarter of malware attacks in the region (44 million), followed by Egypt (42 million), UAE (34 million), Oman (14 million), Kuwait (11 million) and Bahrain (5 million).
Cyber criminals now target their attack strategies, to focus on advanced persistent threat (APT) type attacks to steal sensitive data form organisations. The growth in digital transformation and the increase in remote working resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, has made countries of the Middle East an attractive target. In a cloud age of any-time any-device access, from anywhere and staff who work remotely and access corporate networks from their personal devices, companies must contend with a rapidly expanding attack surface. Personal devices might not have adequate level protection and once compromised and an employee logs into the network, criminals might get access to sensitive data or encrypt data and cripple the organisation.
The No More Ransom project celebrates its fifth anniversary today after helping over six million ransomware victims recover their files and saving them almost €1 billion in ransomware payments.
No More Ransom is an online portal launched in July 2016 as a public-private partnership created by law enforcement and industry leaders (Europol’s European Cybercrime Centre, the National High Tech Crime Unit of the Netherlands’ police, McAfee, and Kaspersky).
Today, the No More Ransom project includes 170 partners worldwide, including BleepingComputer, who joined the project in 2018. https://www.nomoreransom.org/
“The decryptors available in the No More Ransom repository have helped more than six million people to recover their files for free,” Europol said.
“This prevented criminals from earning almost a billion euros through ransomware attacks. Currently offering 121 free tools able to decrypt 151 ransomware families, it unites 170 partners from the public and private sector.”
Image: Europol
How does it work?
No More Ransom aims to help victims recover their encrypted files, raise awareness of the ransomware threat, and provide ransomware victims and the general public with direct links to report attacks.
To get a decryptor, you have to upload two encrypted files and the ransomware note via No More Ransom’s Crypto Sheriff, which will try to match them against a list of available decryption tools.
Should a match be found you will get a link to a suitable ransomware decryptor that comes with detailed instructions on how to unlock files.
When no decryptor is available, you are advised to check again for a match in the future since new unlock tools are added to the database regularly.
Ransomware victims are advised to never pay as this will finance the criminals future attacks but, instead to take measures to both prevent and to lessen the damage of such attacks:
Regularly back up data stored on your computer. Keep at least one copy offline.
Do not click on links in unexpected or suspicious emails.
Browse and download only official versions of software and always from trusted websites.
Use robust security products to protect your system from all threats, including ransomware.
Ensure that your security software and operating system are up-to-date.
Be wary while browsing the internet and do not click on suspicious links, pop-ups or dialogue boxes.
Do not use high privilege accounts (accounts with administrator rights) for daily business.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). The Kingdom announced e-invoicing for resident companies, which was published on December 4, 2020. e-invoicing will become mandatory for tax payers from December 4, 2021.
The aims of the e-invoicing mandate are to provide more transparency, and enhance consumer protection and anothee benefit of e-invoicing implementation is the readability of the invoice formats
. Companies registered in Saudi Arabia should immediately start updating or changing their systems and processes to support issuance of e-invoices. This may be a little challenging. However, the key to successful implementation is to start early.
Note that Dubai has also announced similar legislation.
If you need to upgrade or change your system or to .add additional functionality to your systems to comply with the invoicing mandate then please contact us 009714336589
On this blessed occasion of Eid, we wish you and your family good health, wealth and prosperity. And don’t forget to take a reflection on you and your business this Summer.
Microsoft introduced a new capability in some of its products to help organizations ensure their compliance with data privacy regulations, in particular the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Data Controller Oversight Windows collects diagnostic information, and organizations have had rather non-transparent ways of limiting what gets collected. They can just select a pre-set data collection level. Microsoft’s current data collection levels include “Diagnostic Data Off” (previously called “Security”), “Required” (previously called “Basic”) and “Optional” (previously called “Full”). Organizations that use the Windows Update service to keep systems patched need to use the Required option. These nuances, and more, are described here https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/privacy/configure-windows-diagnostic-data-in-your-organization#enable-windows-diagnostic-data-processor-configuration
Microsoft is positioning the Windows diagnostic data processor configuration capability, as being equivalent to having data controller oversight as required by the GDPR.
From the “Configure Windows Diagnostic Data” document:
The Windows diagnostic data processor configuration enables you to be the controller, as defined by the European Union General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), for the Windows diagnostic data collected from your Windows devices that meet the configuration requirements.
According to a European Union glossary entry, “the data controller is the party that, alone or jointly with others, determines the purposes and means of the processing of personal data.” The glossary entry adds that “the actual processing may be delegated to another party, called the data processor.”
It seems that Windows diagnostic data processor configuration capability is mostly conceived as a means for organizations to become compliant with the GDPR with regard to their customers. It’s also an assurance about Microsoft’s data collection practices.
Now generally available, the Windows diagnostic data processor configuration further empowers you to manage your organization’s diagnostic data. It provides you familiar tools to support data subject rights, including managing, exporting, or deleting data stored securely in your Azure tenant. It also lets you benefit from our technology without compromise.
The capability also helps organizations to elete data should they get a customer request to do so, which is also a GDPR prerogative. The customer, in GDPR lingo, is known as the “data subject” in such cases.
Prerequisites to Using Diagnostic Data Configuration There are prerequisites to using the Windows diagnostic data processor configuration capability, which is just supported on devices using “Windows 10 Pro, Education or Enterprise editions, version 1809 with July 2021 update or newer.” In addition, the Windows devices “must be joined to Azure Active Directory.”
The Windows diagnostic data processor configuration capability just applies to data collection by Windows components. It doesn’t apply to the apps running on top of Windows, which have their own data collection practices.
Skype for Business Online retires on July 31, 2021,
We recognize that customers have been working hard to complete their Skype for Business Online-to-Teams transitions by the retirement date. Some customers are going to face significant challenges to finish by July 31, 2021. We also understand the hurdles the past year has presented for organizations worldwide and the increased reliance on communication and collaboration platforms like Skype for Business Online and Teams to ensure business continuity.
Customers will not be able to move online users out of Teams Only mode after retirement.
Coexistence modes enable customers to operate Skype for Business Server/Teams side-by-side experiences until they are ready to move users to Teams Only.
After they’ve been scheduled for a Microsoft-assisted upgrade, Skype for Business Online customers will be able to request a three-month extension of the Skype for Business Online service to help address any remaining technical or organizational readiness issues. Customers can submit requests through the Teams admin center and can expect a response within three business days. Read the latest blog post to learn more.
.(he retirement of Skype for Business Online and corresponding assisted upgrades do not affect the Skype consumer service, Skype for Business Server products and Skype for Business Online operated by 21Vianet (China Sovereign Clouds Instance).)
