👋 Hi folks, David here with a special Microsoft Ignite edition of AD News!

This post lists all the Active Directory, AD CS and Windows Server sessions at Microsoft Ignite 2026 in one place.

Register for a free digital Microsoft Ignite pass, add these sessions to your schedule, and be the first to catch all the new Active Directory announcements happening Nov 17–20.

🎙️ Breakout sessions

What’s new and what’s next for Windows Server

Windows Server 2025 is a tour de force. Join this demo-filled session for the latest release news and a preview of the next version of Windows Server. We’ll cover Hyper-V, Active Directory, Storage, and Networking, while showing how the next release raises the bar for security, performance, and AI. Don’t miss it.

Register for session · Thu, Nov 19 · 10:15 AM PT

• Speakers: Elden Christensen (Microsoft), Neil Hinnant (Microsoft)

Future-proof your App: Prepare for evolving Windows security standards

Help your organization’s applications stay secure, compatible, and deployable at scale. Learn how Baseline Security Mode, service deprivileging, NTLM-to-Kerberos migration, code signing, and Admin Protection can strengthen security while reducing support and future migration costs. Hear how Adobe is adopting some of these technologies into their security strategy.

Register for session · Thu, Nov 19 · 5:15 PM PT

• Speakers: Brandon Bray (Microsoft), Mariam Gewida (Microsoft), Michael Draper (Adobe)

📼 On-demand sessions

Pre-recorded sessions you can watch any time.

Prepare for the next wave of AI and identity cyber risk

Managing AI initiatives while navigating the potential risks to your cyber resilience? You aren’t alone. Agentic and generative AI are multiplying the number of non-human identities (NHIs), secrets, and access paths in your environment. Explore how these shifts are changing the risk profile of Active Directory, Entra ID, and Okta, and what IT and cybersecurity teams can do now to stay ahead of AI-related threats.

Register for session · Partner session

Extend Microsoft ADCS for the AI and post-quantum era

Microsoft ADCS is a proven foundation, but CA sprawl, shorter certificate lifetimes, AI and post-quantum security are increasing operational pressure. Learn how Entrust helps simplify and govern ADCS environments, strengthen lifecycle management, protect critical CA keys with crypto-agile nShield HSMs, and preserve Microsoft investments while building a more resilient, post-quantum-ready PKI.

Register for session · Partner session

• Speaker: Robert Hann Hann (Entrust Inc)

Strengthen identity recovery across Entra ID and hybrid environments

As organizations rely more on Microsoft 365, identity is essential to business continuity. Access to email, applications, devices, collaboration, and administration depends on Microsoft Entra ID, while many organizations still operate Active Directory and hybrid identity environments. Learn where recovery gaps emerge, how administrative and synchronization failures disrupt operations, what Microsoft’s native capabilities address, and how to build a more resilient identity recovery strategy.

Register for session · Partner session

• Speaker: Craig Birch (Cayosoft)

🎫 In-person sessions

If you are attending Ignite in person in San Francisco, check out these additional sessions.

🌟 Theater sessions

Cloud management for every Windows Server

IT organizations face growing complexity as they manage distributed environments across datacenters, branch offices, multiple clouds, and edge locations. Arc-enabling Windows Server delivers consistent management wherever workloads run—while also lowering ESU costs, providing free Hotpatching, and helping optimize SQL Servers.

Thu, Nov 19 · 10:45 AM PT

• Speakers: Theo Tran (Microsoft), Cindy Wan (Microsoft)

Build resilience and recover Microsoft operations after compromise

If Active Directory or Microsoft Entra ID were compromised tomorrow, how quickly can your organization restore trusted operations? In this session, explore a practical cyber resilience framework for Microsoft 365, Azure, Active Directory, and Entra ID. Learn how to protect critical data, detect threats across your Microsoft environment, and recover trusted applications, identities, and data with confidence, using immutable recovery points, threat-informed recovery, and resilient infrastructure.

Thu, Nov 19 · 10:45 AM PT · Partner session

• Speakers: Jason Bradley (Microsoft), Rob Sadowski (Cohesity), Jed Wallace (Cohesity)

From partners and the community

Identity first: Build business resiliency across Azure and M365

Rackspace and Rubrik explore business resiliency beyond backup, starting with identity. See how to sequence recovery across Microsoft Entra ID and Active Directory, Microsoft 365 data, and Azure infrastructure. Learn about immutable backups, rapid restoration, air-gapped protection, and the importance of a tested recovery runbook. Leave with a practical model for restoring identity, access, data, and infrastructure in the right order.

Tue, Nov 17 · 2:35 PM PT · Partner session

• Speaker: Zachary Symm (Rackspace Technology)

Before we get into our weekly newsletter, let me introduce myself and tell you a little about my background.

I’m David, and I’m from the Czech Republic. I love traveling and wandering around in the middle of nowhere (and I’m also a big fan of cacti 🌵😄, idk why).

I’ve been working with Active Directory for over 8 years, and for the past 6 years, I’ve been heavily focused on cybersecurity topics related to Active Directory and Windows operating systems.

I work as a consultant, which has given me the opportunity to see dozens, if not close to a hundred, different IT environments. It’s been an amazing experience and has taught me a lot about what production environments actually look like, rather than how they’re supposed to look on paper.

In 2024, I founded Horizon Secured with the goal of sharing more practical cybersecurity knowledge about Active Directory and Windows through online courses, technical posts, and guides. It still surprises me, but since then, I haven’t missed a single week of sharing technical insights with my audience!

What started as a small personal project has turned into an amazing journey. It has given me opportunities to speak at conferences, sponsor events, connect with other professionals, and give something back to the cybersecurity community. It also played a big part in helping me become a Microsoft MVP, something I’m incredibly grateful for!

And that brings me here!

For the past 6 years, I’ve been following cybersecurity news and research almost daily, both for myself and, later, for Horizon Secured. Now I’m excited to expand that effort and share some of the most interesting news, research, and stories from each week with you here.

I’ll do my best to focus on things that are actually useful and relevant to those working with Active Directory and Windows Infrastructures in general.

And of course, if you ever have questions or need help with any of the topics I’ve mentioned, don’t hesitate to reach out!

💙 Thank you for having me, and let’s get into our first newsletter!

- David