Christmas and New Year Business Hours 2023

 

We would like to thank all our valued clients for their custom this year and take the opportunity to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

 

Please note our office opening hours during this period as below:

  • Friday 22nd December – 08.30am to 4.00pm
  • Monday 25th December – CLOSED
  • Tuesday 26th December – CLOSED
  • Monday 1st January – CLOSED
  • Tuesday 2nd January – CLOSED

 

If you require emergency assistance for business critical incidents during these times please email support@boxportable.com, log a service request at https://support.boxportable.com or call 01224 54 54 54.

 

We’re open for business as usual on all other days, our standard office hours are 8:30am until 5:30pm.

Microsoft System-Preferred Multifactor Authentication

 

Microsoft have announced the commercial release/general availability of system-preferred multifactor authentication (MFA).

System-preferred multifactor authentication (MFA) prompts users to sign in by using the most secure method they registered. For example, if a user registered both SMS and Microsoft Authenticator push notifications as methods for MFA, system-preferred MFA prompts the user to sign in by using the more secure push notification method. The user can still choose to sign in by using another method, but they’re first prompted to try the most secure method they registered.

A new number-matching feature will be become the default for all organizations using Microsoft Authenticator prompting users to confirm a number before approval to sign in.

This feature is a safeguard against accidental/blind approvals by users, as well as MFA fatigue attacks. This is a known tactic by attackers after they’ve obtained a user’s password. The attackers are still blocked by the secondary authentication method, so they just send second-factor authentication approval requests repeatedly to the victim until one of them gets used. The number-matching security feature somewhat defeats MFA fatigue attacks by making the end user explicitly enter a two-digit number to approve the access request.

Another safeguard offered on the Microsoft Authenticator app is the additional context feature. With this enabled, the app requesting the sign-in credentials as well as the location of the requester is identified.

For further information on this feature please click here.

Microsoft Cloud Price Change Announcement

Consistent global pricing for the Microsoft Cloud

Microsoft is taking several steps to align the pricing of Microsoft Cloud products globally, meaning customers will have consistent pricing reflecting the exchange rate of the local currency to the US dollar (USD). As such pricing for Microsoft products will increase 9% effective from the next billing cycle date.

In the future, Microsoft will assess pricing in local currency as part of a regular twice a year cadence, taking into consideration currency fluctuations relative to the USD. This will provide increased transparency and predictability for customers globally and move to a pricing model that is most common in our industry.

The Microsoft Cloud continues to be priced competitively, and Microsoft remains deeply committed to the success of its customers and partners. We will continue to invest to enable customers to innovate, consolidate and eliminate operating costs, optimize business performance and efficiency and provide the foundation for a strong security strategy that customers around the world have come to rely on.

 

FAQs

 Why are Microsoft making these changes?

In some regions, Microsoft customers and partners have been able to purchase Microsoft products at up to 40% lower prices versus global US dollar levels for several months. These changes are to realign regional prices closer to USD pricing which may result in increases or decreases depending on local currency fluctuations.

What is the change being made?

Beginning in 2023, Microsoft will implement a more defined and transparent cadence to provide better Commercial Cloud pricing alignment across regions. Partners and customers with pricing in local currencies will be able to plan for pricing alignment to USD and global parity at semi-annual intervals, subject to market conditions.

Why is Microsoft changing local currency pricing at a semi-annual cadence?

Microsoft regularly assesses the impact of its local pricing for software products and online services to ensure there is alignment across regions. Moving to a semi-annual cadence will enable greater transparency for our customers on the timing of pricing adjustments and ensure a clear and consistent approach to pricing.

Does Microsoft decrease prices?

Yes, Microsoft has decreased prices most recently in New Zealand and Taiwan. As part of the new semi-annual cadence prices will be aligned up or down to maintain global pricing alignment.