<link>http://chriswait.ing/</link></image><item><title>Personal Microsoft 365 Lab Environment</h1> <article> <h1>Personal Microsoft 365 Lab Environment</h1> <p>Wed, 03 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000</p> <p>I am building a personal Microsoft 365 lab environment using my <code>chriswait.ing</code> domain as a safe space for hands-on learning and testing.</p> <h2 id="planned-areas">Planned Areas</h2> <ul> <li>Custom domain configuration and Exchange Online testing</li> <li>Entra ID users, groups and administrative roles</li> <li>Microsoft Intune enrolment and configuration policies</li> <li>Compliance policies and Conditional Access</li> <li>Microsoft Defender for Business</li> <li>Windows Autopilot testing and documentation</li> </ul> <h2 id="purpose">Purpose</h2> <p>The lab will let me test features away from production environments, create practical technical write-ups and build confidence across endpoint management and Microsoft 365 administration.</p> <h2 id="status">Status</h2> <p>This project is currently in the setup phase. Progress and lessons learned will be documented as the environment is built.</p> </article> <article> <h1>Why I Built chriswait.ing</h1> <p>Wed, 03 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000</p> <p>I created <code>chriswait.ing</code> as a practical portfolio and technical notebook.</p> <p>My day-to-day work involves user support, Microsoft 365, endpoints, SharePoint, Teams, device deployment and solving the types of issues that do not always fit neatly into a certification module.</p> <h2 id="what-i-will-document">What I Will Document</h2> <ul> <li>Microsoft 365 lab setup and configuration</li> <li>Intune and endpoint management testing</li> <li>SharePoint and Teams administration lessons</li> <li>Technical troubleshooting write-ups</li> <li>Certification learning notes</li> </ul> <h2 id="the-goal">The Goal</h2> <p>The goal is simple: turn practical work and continued learning into useful documentation, while building a public record of the skills I am developing.</p> </article> <article> <h1>Teams Rooms and Meeting Collaboration Support</h1> <p>Fri, 01 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000</p> <p>Meeting room technology needs to be reliable for people who simply want to walk into a room and start a meeting.</p> <h2 id="scope">Scope</h2> <ul> <li>Supporting Microsoft Teams meeting-room workflows</li> <li>Assisting with room calendar and resource mailbox behaviour</li> <li>Troubleshooting meeting access, invitations and room displays</li> <li>Contributing to suitable room hardware planning</li> </ul> <h2 id="practical-focus">Practical Focus</h2> <p>My work in this area centres on reducing complexity for users and ensuring the meeting experience is straightforward, particularly when multiple locations or organisers are involved.</p> <h2 id="key-takeaway">Key Takeaway</h2> <p>Reliable meeting spaces depend on both correct configuration and clear meeting practices. Technology works best when the user process is simple.</p> </article> <article> <h1>SharePoint Administration and Access Governance</h1> <p>Sun, 01 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000</p> <p>Supporting SharePoint Online for a nonprofit environment involves balancing easy collaboration with clear, appropriate access.</p> <blockquote class="border-l-4 border-neutral-300 dark:border-neutral-600 pl-4 italic text-neutral-600 dark:text-neutral-400 my-6"> <p>Public case study note: internal site names, groups and permission details are deliberately excluded.</p> </blockquote> <h2 id="scope">Scope</h2> <ul> <li>Supporting users with SharePoint and OneDrive access issues</li> <li>Reviewing and simplifying permissions where appropriate</li> <li>Helping ensure restricted areas remain restricted to the correct groups</li> <li>Assisting with document collaboration and site usability</li> </ul> <h2 id="approach">Approach</h2> <p>Permission issues are often not solved by simply granting access. I focus on understanding what users genuinely need, how the site is intended to be used and whether group-based access provides a cleaner long-term solution.</p> <h2 id="key-takeaway">Key Takeaway</h2> <p>Good SharePoint administration is less about one-off fixes and more about maintaining understandable access structures that users and administrators can trust.</p> </article> <article> <h1>Microsoft Intune Device Management Rollout</h1> <p>Thu, 01 May 2025 00:00:00 +0000</p> <p>A modern endpoint management rollout completed for a nonprofit environment supporting both staff and remote users.</p> <blockquote class="border-l-4 border-neutral-300 dark:border-neutral-600 pl-4 italic text-neutral-600 dark:text-neutral-400 my-6"> <p>Public case study note: organisation-specific information, identities and internal configurations have been intentionally generalised.</p> </blockquote> <h2 id="objective">Objective</h2> <p>Move supported Windows devices towards consistent, manageable and secure configuration through Microsoft Intune and Entra ID.</p> <h2 id="areas-implemented">Areas Implemented</h2> <ul> <li>Device enrolment and Entra joined endpoint support</li> <li>Compliance requirements for Windows devices</li> <li>BitLocker configuration and recovery-key management</li> <li>Local administrator control using Windows LAPS</li> <li>OneDrive configuration for user files and known folders</li> <li>User assistance during migration and device transition</li> </ul> <h2 id="my-contribution">My Contribution</h2> <p>I provided onsite support during rollout, assisted with affected devices and users, validated practical device behaviour, and helped bridge the gap between policy design and day-to-day user experience.</p> <h2 id="lessons-learned">Lessons Learned</h2> <p>A successful endpoint rollout is not only about policy configuration. Communication, device readiness and user support are just as important as the technical settings.</p> </article> <article> <h1>Outlook Classic Deployment via Intune</h1> <p>Mon, 07 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0000</p> <p>A targeted application deployment project to provide Outlook Classic on managed Windows devices without unnecessarily installing additional Microsoft 365 desktop applications.</p> <h2 id="requirement">Requirement</h2> <p>Some users required Outlook Classic on managed devices while maintaining a simple, user-friendly installation process.</p> <h2 id="solution">Solution</h2> <p>Configured <strong>Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise</strong> through Intune with Outlook selected as the required application component, then assigned it as an available application through Company Portal.</p> <h2 id="outcome">Outcome</h2> <p>The approach provided a reliable self-service installation experience and gave users access to the required Outlook desktop client using an Intune-managed method.</p> <h2 id="lessons-learned">Lessons Learned</h2> <p>Where a supported first-party Intune deployment option meets the requirement, it is preferable to overcomplicating packaging or scripting.</p> </article> </main></body></html>