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Podcasts This Week in IT Copilot Cowork Is Here — But Can You Control the Costs? Copilot Cowork is here but so are Copilot Credits, cost controls and awkward ROI questions. This month, Russell Smith and Craig Birch also dig into Windows Ready Print, NTLM’s future, and Microsoft’s passkey push. Copilot Cowork is generally available but the real story is cost control.

Key Takeaways: IT admins can automatically approve SSO permissions on eligible managed devices. The feature removes extra consent prompts for Microsoft apps and services. This setting is available with the July 2026 security update for Windows 11 versions 24H2 and 25H2. Microsoft is giving IT administrators greater control over the Windows sign-in experience with a new policy that automatically approves Single Sign-On (SSO) permissions on managed devices.

Key Takeaways: Microsoft blocked KB5101650 on some Dell devices due to an Intel driver incompatibility. The affected systems may experience unexpected shutdowns, overheating, and battery drain. Microsoft and Dell are currently working on a fix. Microsoft has identified a compatibility issue affecting some Dell PCs after the installation of the July 2026 Windows 11 Patch Tuesday updates.

Key Takeaways: Microsoft Defender Experts Threat Intelligence provides tailored threat insights and recommendations. Threat intelligence capabilities are now integrated directly into the Defender portal. Microsoft has expanded MDR support to include third-party products and multi-cloud environments.

Key Takeaways: SQL Server migrations to Azure Virtual Machines are now generally available through Azure Arc. Administrators can manage discovery, assessment, migration, and validation from one portal. The built-in monitoring and migration workflows help simplify modernization projects. Microsoft has announced the general availability of SQL Server migrations to Azure Virtual Machines through Azure Arc.

Key Takeaways: Microsoft patched 621 vulnerabilities across its products in July 2026. The release includes 63 critical flaws and two actively exploited vulnerabilities. These updates also introduce new Windows 11 recovery and update management features. Microsoft has released the July 2026 Patch Tuesday updates for Windows 11 versions 26H1, 26H2, and 24H2.

Key Takeaways: AI systems can learn from prompts, feedback, workflows, and organizational context. Companies should treat AI-generated knowledge and evaluations as strategic assets. Nadella recommends private AI learning environments and multi-model strategies to reduce dependency on a single provider. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has warned that organizations may be unintentionally handing over valuable institutional knowledge to AI providers.

Quick answer: the Windows Memory Diagnostic Tool is a built-in Windows tool for checking RAM for possible memory errors. Run it if a PC is repeatedly crashing, freezing, restarting unexpectedly, or showing blue screen errors. If it reports memory errors, treat the result seriously. If it reports no errors, do not assume RAM is definitely healthy. Continue troubleshooting if the symptoms persist.

Key Takeaways: Passkeys will become the default authentication experience in Entra ID starting in September. Microsoft will retire native SMS and voice authentication services in 2027. Organizations should begin migrating users to passkeys and evaluating third-party telecom providers. Microsoft is making a major change to Microsoft Entra ID authentication by introducing passkeys as the default sign-in method for customers starting in September.

Key Takeaways: Microsoft has patched the RoguePlanet vulnerability tracked as CVE-2026-50656. The flaw could allow attackers to obtain SYSTEM-level privileges on affected devices. Technical details and proof-of-concept code were publicly released before the fix. Microsoft has released an update to address a zero-day RoguePlanet vulnerability in Microsoft Defender. This security flaw, CVE-2026-50656, can be exploited by hackers to gain full access to the victim’s computer. ūüé¨ Watch This Week in IT.