automation

If you are tired of managing the On-Premises Data Gateway to trigger Power Automate Desktop flows, this post explores the new Direct Connection feature that allows hosts to connect directly to the cloud. I explain how this preview capability simplifies infrastructure by using machine groups instead of gateways, while also providing enhanced monitoring and statistics for your automation hosts.

After receiving a warning about publicly accessible Azure Storage accounts, I demonstrate how to quickly identify and secure them using Azure Cloud Shell commands. I walk through querying for exposed accounts and provide a simple Bash loop to disable public blob access across all storage accounts in a subscription. This practical guide helps ensure your data remains private while highlighting the importance of proactive security configurations.

I explore the pros and cons of my current devices, comparing the Kindle Oasis’s superior battery life for text against the Surface Go’s struggles with lag and heavy PDFs. As I weigh the cost and utility of upgrading to either an iPad Pro or a Samsung Galaxy Tab S6, I aim to identify the lowest-friction tool for handling both standard ebooks and complex technical documents.

I share my experience building a custom Microsoft Edge extension to replace the default New Tab page, primarily to eliminate the intrusive Bing search toolbar. By leveraging Azure as a backend to serve daily images from Bing’s Image Search API, I demonstrate how to automate this client-side solution using HTML, JavaScript, and CSS.

In this post, I share practical insights on building robust business process orchestrations using Power Automate, Logic Apps, and Azure Functions, drawing from my recent experiences troubleshooting complex implementations. I discuss why starting with Power Automate is often the best approach, while also highlighting its limitations regarding complex logic like recursion to help you avoid creating unmanageable workflow messes.