Azure AD Bulk User Updates

Azure AD Bulk User Actions

From time to time, we need to execute a collective action on Azure AD user accounts based on different needs. For example, let’s say that you decided to activate MFA company-wide, but your users do not have phone information in Azure AD. Or, let’s say you have decided to use a product like Sign & Go. You want your employees to include their titles in their signature, but in this case, opening Azure AD and editing everyone’s profile one by one is a very laborious task, especially if you have employees with 3-digits or more.

When you have such a task ahead, all you have to do is to create an employee list and fill it with parameters that need to be edited. We will save this file in CSV format and apply these changes to our users very quickly thanks to some powershell commands. Let’s see how we can do this with an example.

Let’s create an excel file and fill it as follows. In this example, we will edit both department and mobile phone information of our users. We will have three users as follows.[/mk_fancy_title][mk_image src=”https://peakup.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/1-user_list.png” image_size=”full” align=”center”][mk_padding_divider][mk_fancy_title size=”20″ font_family=”none”]I download these users, and get the CSV file I need from Azure AD.[/mk_fancy_title][mk_image src=”https://peakup.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/3-edit_list.png” image_size=”full” align=”center”][mk_padding_divider][mk_fancy_title size=”20″ font_family=”none”]What I need in this list are the department and mobile phone columns, and of course the UserPrincipalName to be able to distinguish the user. You can delete other columns if you want, we don’t need them. In order to simplify the view, I delete these columns and fill the other columns as needed.[/mk_fancy_title][mk_image src=”https://peakup.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/4-edit_list.png” image_size=”full” align=”center”][mk_padding_divider][mk_fancy_title size=”20″ font_family=”none”]My list is all ready now. I save and close the file and change its name as “user_list.csv”. If you want to create and complete this list manually, you need to select “CSV UTF-8 (Comma Delimited)” when saving the file.[/mk_fancy_title][mk_image src=”https://peakup.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/5-save_list.png” image_size=”full” align=”center”][mk_padding_divider][mk_fancy_title size=”20″ font_family=”none”]The reason we chose UTF-8 is for the Turkish characters not to be disrupted; The reason we chose Comma delimited is that the “Import-CSV” command we will use in a moment breaks these files by the “,” character by default. Therefore, we should be careful not to use the “,” character in the file.

Now we have what we need. Now, we will create a Powershell connection to Azure AD and trigger the bulk edit process. Follow the set of commands below.

# Let’s connect to Azure AD.

Connect-AzureAD

# Now, let’s import our CSV file.

$userlist = Import-Csv C:Tempuser_list.csv

# Now we will execute an action

# for all our uses  in our list with a for loop.

foreach ($line in $userlist) {

$upn = $line.UserPrincipalName

$user = Get-AzureADUser -Filter “userPrincipalName eq ‘$upn'”

if ($user) {

try{

$user , Set-AzureADUser -Department $line.department -mobile $line.mobilephone

} catch {

Write-Warning “$upn user found, but FAILED to update.”

}

}

else{

Write-Warning “$upn not found, skipped”

}

}

here are two points you need to pay attention to here. The first is the parameters. The department is already obvious, but there are 3 parameters regarding the phone number.

-FacsimileTelephoneNumber : Fax number

-Mobile : GSM

-TelephoneNumber : Fixed line/Office phone

We will prefer the mobile parameter. To see other parameters that we can use, you can access the document of the relevant command here.

The second point we need to pay attention to is the variables we write as “$line.department”. Here, the part after “.” should match the column name in our CSV file. However, capital letters are not important.

Let’s see the result together:[/mk_fancy_title][mk_image src=”https://peakup.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/6-show_result.png” image_size=”full” align=”center”][mk_padding_divider][mk_fancy_title size=”20″ font_family=”none”]You can save and run the set of commands above  as a .ps1 file or you can edit the parameters here according to your needs. You can execute this action for as many users as you want. If I need to add a final note, if there are sections in the list that you will leave blank, write “-” instead of leaving it blank and save it. Otherwise, Powershell doesn’t detect these parts and returns errors right away. I hope you enjoyed reading. Wish you all a great day 😊[/mk_fancy_title][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Get rid of your Local AD

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Get Rid of Your Local AD

 

We wanted to spare a whole article to AD connectivity since we have been getting rid of our local resources recently. If you have migrated from your local environment to O365 or Azure and you no longer need on-prem services, you may want to consider removing AD dependency. We have decided to implement this plan, which we have been keeping pendent for a long time, with the new year. However, it is always important to be cautious. That’s why we decided to move our users one by one or in small groups instead of going to the M365 Admin Center and deactivating AD Connection. Now, let’s go through the steps together.

 

Actually, the action we are supposed to execute is pretty simple. First, we will create a new OU that won’t be synched by the AD Connect.[/mk_fancy_title][mk_image src=”https://peakup.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/0-new-ou.png” image_size=”full” align=”center”][mk_padding_divider][mk_fancy_title size=”20″ font_family=”none”]Now we will move the users we will take out of sync here.[/mk_fancy_title][mk_image src=”https://peakup.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/1-move_user.png” image_size=”full” align=”center”][mk_padding_divider][mk_fancy_title size=”20″ font_family=”none”]Now, we will trigger a delta sync on AD Connect so for the change to be reflected upwards.[/mk_fancy_title][mk_image src=”https://peakup.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/2-sync-delta.png” image_size=”full” align=”center”][mk_padding_divider][mk_fancy_title size=”20″ font_family=”none”]Since we took the user to an OU that was not synced, O365 naturally deleted that user.[/mk_fancy_title][mk_image src=”https://peakup.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/3-confirm-user-deleted-1.png” image_size=”full” align=”center”][mk_padding_divider][mk_fancy_title size=”20″ font_family=”none”]Now we will recycle the user. But since the user has no counterpart to synchronize locally, it will be a “cloud user”.[/mk_fancy_title][mk_image src=”https://peakup.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/4-restore-user.png” image_size=”full” align=”center”][mk_padding_divider][mk_fancy_title size=”20″ font_family=”none”]Let’s check if our user has come back or not.[/mk_fancy_title][mk_image src=”https://peakup.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/5-confirm-user-restored.png” image_size=”full” align=”center”][mk_padding_divider][mk_fancy_title size=”20″ font_family=”none”]Finally, we will empty the Immutable ID value of the user so that this value does not hinder us later if we attempt to synchronize or move again.[/mk_fancy_title][mk_image src=”https://peakup.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/6-delete-immut-id.png” image_size=”full” align=”center”][mk_padding_divider][mk_fancy_title size=”20″ font_family=”none”]Let’s check the action we have completed.[/mk_fancy_title][mk_image src=”https://peakup.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/7-confirm-immut-id.png” image_size=”full” align=”center”][mk_padding_divider][mk_fancy_title size=”20″ font_family=”none”]And that’s it! Now our user looks like it has been created in O365 from the very beginning. We open the Admin Center and check the latest status and when we look at the column that says “Synchronization Status” next to the user, we see the cloud icon.[/mk_fancy_title][mk_image src=”https://peakup.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/8-confirm-user-oncloud.png” image_size=”full” align=”center”][mk_padding_divider][mk_fancy_title size=”20″ font_family=”none”]Now our user has nothing to do with AD Connect or local AD. If you want to do these all together, all you need is to create a CSV file and then run the following sets of commands.

 

First, create a very simple file in Excel as below. One column is enough for us.[/mk_fancy_title][mk_image src=”https://peakup.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/9-user-list.png” image_size=”full” align=”center”][mk_padding_divider][mk_fancy_title size=”20″ font_family=”none”]Save this file as follows. CSV, UTF-8, Comma delimited (This part is important for Powershell to be able to read the file correctly).[/mk_fancy_title][mk_image src=”https://peakup.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/10-save-list.png” image_size=”full” align=”center”][mk_padding_divider][mk_fancy_title size=”20″ font_family=”none”]Open a powershell window on your local AD server and run the following commands.

 

$users2move = Import-Csv C:dosyayoluusers2move.csv

$users2move , FOREACH-OBJECT {get-aduser -Identity $_.USERPRINCIPALNAME ,Move-ADObject -TargetPath “OU=CloudUsers,OU=HQ Staff,OU=PeakUp,DC=cloudbond365,DC=com”}

 

In the second command, you need to edit the targetpath parameter according to yourself.

With this command, the users in the csv file are moved to the OU that will not be synchronized. Now, a delta synchronization is triggered on AD Connect. At this point, you can observe the result with the “get-msoluser -returndeletedusers” command.

 

Now let’s write the UserPrincipalName part of our users in the csv file completely. I mean, let’s edit and save it as [email protected].[/mk_fancy_title][mk_image src=”https://peakup.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/11-last-list.png” image_size=”full” align=”center”][mk_padding_divider][mk_fancy_title size=”20″ font_family=”none”]Once we import our csv file again, we will first return it from the recycle bin with the following commands, and then empty the Immutable ID value.

 

$users2move = import-csv C:dosyayoluusers2move.csv

$users2move , restore-msoluser

$users2move , set-msoluser -ImmutableId “$null”

$users2move , Get-MsolUser , select userpri*, immu*

 

With the last command, we will get a list of the users we have processed with their Immutable ID values. Of course we expect the second column to be blank.

 

That’s it. 😊 Our users are now “Cloud Users” independent of the local. From now on, we will continue to manage via Azure AD. I hope you enjoyed reading this article. Have a great day 😊[/mk_fancy_title][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row]

We have been awarded with the Great Place to Work Certificate

[mk_page_section][vc_column width=”1/6″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][mk_fancy_title color=”#000000″ size=”20″ font_family=”none”]PEAKUP, that can make quick decisions as the tech sector requires, act flexible, learn and apply quickly, and carefully follow the developments in the world with a young and highly professional team, has been awarded with the Great Place to Work Certificate for two years in a row after being evaluated by the employees.

The Great Place to Work Certificate is given to companies that have strengthened the culture of trust within the company and are deemed successful by their employees. PEAKUP, that has taken important steps in increasing the motivation and confidence in the company, implements many different projects and methods for its employees. In their offices, where they prioritize fun and comfort in their working environment, there are game machines, resting areas, specially decorated spaces separated according to colors, a large library, a conversation and chat area and a music area consisting of various instruments. The moment you enter the office, neon lights, colorful rooms, a Chevrolet model car, a swing where you can swing, and a young smiling team greet you.

PEAKUP’s investments in human resources include personal development trainings on employee satisfaction and loyalty, flexible rights, in-house motivation and confidence-boosting practices, as well as career development opportunities for the employees.

“The Investment in Human Resources and Employee Satisfaction Are the Source of Our Success”

PEAKUP CEO Ahmet Toprakçı stated that there is a great teamwork behind PEAKUP’s rapid growth in a short period of time and added: “The happiness of the team that formed PEAKUP has always been at the forefront for us. The peace of our work environment, our sense of trust in each other and our open communication environment have always taken us forward. Every decision we made for our team, and every work we did have provided us with sustainable growth and this has come back to us as a success. The work we do and the methods we apply show that we have been awarded with the Great Place to Work certificate for two years in a row in a well-deserved way. I would like to thank our wonderful team for their efforts, which helped us to get this certificate once again.”[/mk_fancy_title][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/6″][/vc_column][/mk_page_section]

We held our Data Security Practices event

[mk_page_section][vc_column width=”1/6″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][mk_fancy_title color=”#000000″ size=”20″ font_family=”none”]Data security has become even more important, especially with the remote work being widespread during the pandemic. At this point, solutions for secure digital work are even more important to prevent data loss. So, we organized an online event on data security, which we think you might be interested in, and that can give an idea about the proactive measures taken by companies in different visions.

We talked about the following topics and answered the questions people have been curious about in our free online event where we focused on preventing data leakage, minimizing the IT workload and reducing the budget allocated for this. We kindly thank all our participants who joined our event.

 

  • [DLP] Data Loss Prevention: Content-based data protection.

Preventing sensitive data from leaking out, ensuring the user to be warned and preventing data loss with policies.

You can protect the content in Exchange emails, Microsoft Teams chats and channel messages, and any SharePoint or OneDrive libraries, and also select specific locations for a policy.

  • [AIP] Azure Information Protection: Data classification and automatic labeling solution.

It is a cloud solution that enables your e-mails and documents such as World, Excel, PDF to be classified, labeled and protected as “confidential information, sensitive data…” and at the same time allows you to monitor the data inventory in these documents.

  • [MCAS] Microsoft Cloud App Security: Application-based data protection

Enables the cloud applications to be more visible and the activities of these applications to be more traceable. You can control the passage of critical data between applications in a more secure way. It is a cloud solution that provides prevention of data leaks by controlling permissions and shares, detecting violations in your cloud environment and preventing data loss that may occur as a result.[/mk_fancy_title][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/6″][/vc_column][/mk_page_section]

OFFICE INSIDER – WHAT HAPPENED IN JANUARY?

NEW FEATURES/FIXES

 

You can find and follow all monthly Office insider new features and fixes (updates) on our blog. 👍🏻  Officer insider gets updates and new features regularly. It is important to follow these Office insider updates and use them in terms of increasing your knowledge. Now let’s take a look at what kind of changes happened in Office insider in the month of January.

 

January 29 , Version 2102 (Build 13721.20008)

Excel

Notable fixes

  • We fixed a problem where Excel would unexpectedly quit when you added a Name in the Define Name dialog.

outlook new iconOutlook

Notable fixes

  • We fixed an issue that caused the encryption icon to fail to display for emails sent using the Encrypt Only option.

msproject new iconProject

Notable fixes

  • We fixed an issue where projects with long Cyrillic names could not be opened through Project Center.

 

 

January 22, 2021 , Version 2102 (Build 13714.20000)

Excel, PowerPoint, word new iconWord, outlook new iconOutlook

Government customers: Apply sensitivity labels to your documents and emails

Sensitivity labeling features are now available for customers in the GCC and GCC-H environments.

Learn more >

Excel

Notable fixes

  • We fixed an issue where certain charts using discontinuous ranges of cells would not load when files are re-opened.
  • We fixed an issue where Excel would fail to launch or crash unexpectedly if certain Windows Security exploit protection settings (SimExec, CallerCheck) are in use.

PowerPoint

Notable fixes

  • We fixed an issue related to displaying emojis with color.

word new iconWord

Notable fixes

  • We fixed an issue that prevented real-time typing and presence from being restored after loosing internet connectivity for a period of time.
  • We fixed an issue with coauthoring.

January 15, 2021 , Version 2101 (Build 13707.20008)

outlook new iconOutlook

Share emails in Teams

You can now share emails into your Microsoft Teams chats and channels.

Visio

Premium content library now available

The premium content library is now available in Visio. Easily insert icons and Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) files into your Microsoft Visio documents. Once they’re in place, rotate, color, and resize them with no loss of image quality. This feature is already available in other Microsoft Office apps like PowerPoint and Word.

Learn more >

Word

Notable fixes

  • We fixed an issue where running the VBA macro ExportAsFixedFormat2 fails with an error stating “Presentation (unknown member) illegal value.”

Project

Notable fixes

  • We fixed an issue where when a cost resource was assigned to a milestone task, baseline cost didn’t rollup correctly.

January 8, 2021 , Version 2101 (Build 13704.20000)

Word, outlook new iconOutlook

Dictation updates

It’s now easier to create content with your voice with the new dictation toolbar, voice commands, and auto-punctuation support.

Excel

Notable fixes

  • We fixed an issue where Preview of embedded Excel range in PowerPoint shows incorrect size.

January 1, 2021 , Version 2101 (Build 13624.20002)

Excel, word new iconWord, PowerPoint 

Mandatory Labeling 

Admins can now require users to label their documents and emails with the new Mandatory Labeling policy. To enable this feature, admins can use the M365 Compliance Center and set up a labeling policy that “Require users to label their documents and mails.” To disable this feature, admins can remove the label policy.  

word new iconWord 

Notable fixes 

  • We fixed an issue when editing a commenting post with @mention. 
  • We fixed an issue to make Modern comments more robust. 
  • We fixed an issue with nested scrollbars in the comments pane.
  • We fixed an issue with comment drafts disappearing when creating a new Word instance. 

PowerPoint 

Notable fixes

  • We fixed an issue with Merge Shapes working with text. 

outlook new iconOutlook 

Notable fixes

  • We fixed an issue and now Outlook can take advantage of an Exchange server setting that suppresses the display of the Exchange Online Archive Mailbox to end users. 

OneNote 

Notable fixes

  • We fixed an issue that addresses a rendering issue affecting OneNote. 

 

We compiled all the new features and fixes in January in Office insider.
Hope to see you in our other articles, bye bye. 🙋🏻‍♂️
You can share this article with your friends and family to help them get information about Office insider updates released in the month of January. 👍🏻 

Questions about licensing with Ask to Expert

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Our Ask to Expert series have begun. We answered the questions about licensing that were in the mind of our customers. The Ask to Expert event occurs every two weeks, in the form of instant questions and answers.  We kindly thank all our participants who joined our event.

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