Forem: Seyi Lufadeju

Establish Transport Rule for External Email Security Awareness

Seyi Lufadeju — Thu, 22 May 2025 09:37:31 +0000

INTRODUCTION

In today’s digital landscape, email security is critical. External emails pose risks such as phishing, malware, and social engineering attacks. Adding a security disclaimer to external emails in Microsoft Exchange Online helps alert users to exercise caution when interacting with messages from outside your organization. This guide provides a step-by-step process to create a transport rule (mail flow rule) in Exchange Online that appends a customizable security message to all incoming external emails. By the end, you’ll enhance user awareness and reduce risks associated with external communications.

Step-by-Step Guide

Prerequisites

- Exchange Online Access:
Admin credentials for Microsoft 365 with permissions to manage mail flow rules.

- Message Content:
Prepare the security disclaimer text (e.g., “Caution: This email originated from outside our organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you trust the sender.”).

Log in to Exchange Admin Center (EAC)

Visit https://admin.exchange.microsoft.com.
Log in using your Microsoft 365 admin account.

Navigate to Mail Flow Rules

In the left pane, select Mail Flow > Rules.
Click + Add a rule and choose Create a new rule.

Configure the Transport Rule

- Name the Rule
Name: External Email Security Disclaimer (or a descriptive name).

- Set Conditions
Under Apply this rule if…, select The sender is located… > Outside the organization.

This targets emails from external domains.

(Optional) Add exceptions under Except if… (e.g., exclude emails from trusted partners).

- Define the Action
Under Do the following…, select Apply a disclaimer > Prepend a disclaimer….

Click Enter text and paste your security message.
Example:

<div style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Calibri; border: 1px solid #ff0000; padding: 10px;">  
<strong>Security Alert:</strong> This email originated from an external source. Avoid clicking links or attachments unless you verified the sender.  
</div>

Note: Use HTML for formatting (supported in modern clients like Outlook and Outlook on the web).

- Additional Settings

Rule Mode: Keep as Enforce.
Audit the rule: Enable if testing.
Priority: Adjust if other rules conflict.

Save and Enable the Rule

Click Next > Finish > Save.

- The rule is deactivated by default; the rule needs to be activated.

- Rule Activated

Test the Rule

Send a test email from an external account (e.g., Gmail) to a user in your domain.
Verify the disclaimer appears at the top of the email body.
Check clients: Outlook, Outlook on the web, mobile devices.

Troubleshooting
Disclaimer Not Appearing:

Confirm the sender is truly external (check headers via Message Trace in EAC).
Ensure no conflicting rules are overriding it (adjust priority in Rules list).

Conclusion

By implementing this transport rule, you add a critical layer of security awareness to your organization’s email communications. The disclaimer serves as a constant reminder for users to scrutinize external messages, reducing the likelihood of successful phishing or malware attacks.

Key Takeaways:

Transport rules are flexible and can be customized further (e.g., adding multilingual disclaimers).
Regularly review the rule’s effectiveness via message trace logs.
Combine this with other security measures (e.g., anti-spam policies, DMARC) for robust protection.

Stay proactive by periodically updating the disclaimer text to reflect emerging threats or organizational policies. With this setup, your users become the first line of defense against email-borne risks.

Hands-On Guide: Assigning a Team Policy, Deleting, and Restoring a User in Microsoft Teams

Seyi Lufadeju — Sun, 13 Apr 2025 14:48:06 +0000

INTRODUCTION

Microsoft Teams policies are critical for governing how users collaborate, communicate, and participate in meetings. However, when users are deleted and restored, understanding how their assigned policies behave is essential for maintaining governance and user experience. This guide walks you through assigning a custom policy to a user, deleting the user, and restoring them to test whether policy assignments persist. This exercise is particularly useful for validating backup/restore processes or troubleshooting policy inheritance in dynamic environments.

1. Assign a Policy to a User in Teams Admin Center

Prerequisites:

Admin access to the Microsoft Teams Admin Center and Microsoft 365 Admin Center.
A custom policy (e.g., Messaging Policy, Meeting Policy) already created (or use an existing one).

- Steps:

Create a Custom Policy (Optional):

Go to Microsoft Teams Admin Center → Navigate to the policy type (e.g., Teams Policies under Teams).
Click + Add to create a new policy (e.g., name it Disabalecreateprivate&sharedchannel). Configure settings and save.

Assign the Policy to the User:

In the Teams Admin Center, navigate to Users → Manage Users.
Search for the target user (e.g., user@domain.com) and click their name.

Under Policies, select the policy type (e.g., Teams Policy) and choose your custom policy (e.g., Disabalecreateprivate&sharedchannel).

Click Save.

Alternatively: Use Bulk Edit in the Teams Admin Center to assign policies to multiple users.

2. Delete the User

Steps:

Go to Microsoft 365 Admin Center → Users → Active Users.
Search for the user (e.g., user@domain.com).
Select the user and click Delete user.
Confirm deletion. The user will move to Deleted Users for 30 days.

3. Restore the Deleted User

- Steps:

In the Microsoft 365 Admin Center, go to Users → Deleted Users.
Find the deleted user and select Restore User.

Follow prompts to restore the account (e.g., reset password, reassign licenses if required).
Click Restore.

4. Verify Policy Assignment After Restoration

- Steps:

Return to Microsoft Teams Admin Center → Users → Manage Users.
Search for the restored user and click their name.

Check the Policies section:

If the previously assigned policy (e.g., Disabalecreateprivate&sharedchannel) is listed, the policy persisted after restoration.
If not, the policy reverted to the global/default policy.

CONCLUSION

This guide demonstrates how to test policy persistence for users in Microsoft Teams through deletion and restoration. Key takeaways:

Directly assigned policies do survive user deletion; restored users revert to the directly assigned policies.

For long-term policy management, prioritize group-based assignments to automate policy enforcement and reduce manual reconfiguration. Always test policy behavior during user lifecycle changes to ensure compliance with your organization’s governance standards. Use tools like PowerShell or the Teams Admin Center to audit policies proactively.

By mastering these steps, you can confidently manage Teams users while ensuring policies align with your organization’s evolving needs.

PowerShell Commands for SharePoint Administration Guide

Seyi Lufadeju — Sat, 05 Apr 2025 22:10:11 +0000

Introduction to PowerShell Commands for SharePoint Online

PowerShell is a powerful scripting tool that simplifies SharePoint Online management, allowing administrators to automate tasks like site creation, user management, and more. The SharePoint Online Management Shell provides cmdlets starting with "SPO" for tenant and site collection administration. Below, I detail ten important commands, focusing on creating sites, adding members, listing sites, and related tasks, along with how to list all available cmdlets.

NOTE: Check and Install the Module
Next, check if the SharePoint Online Management Shell module is installed by running this command in an elevated (administrator) PowerShell session:

Get-Module -ListAvailable -Name Microsoft.Online.SharePoint.PowerShell

If nothing appears, the module isn't installed. To install it, run:

Install-Module -Name Microsoft.Online.SharePoint.PowerShell

Detailed Command Explanations
Here are ten key PowerShell commands for SharePoint Online, each with syntax, examples, and explanations:

Detailed Analysis of Ten Important Commands

Below is a detailed breakdown of each command, including syntax, examples, and explanations, ensuring a thorough understanding for SharePoint administrators.

- Connect-SPOService

Description: Establishes a connection to the SharePoint Online Administration Center, a prerequisite for other SPO cmdlets. It maintains a single connection per PowerShell session, requiring disconnection for different organizations by delegated partner administrators.
Syntax: Connect-SPOService -Url
Example: Connect-SPOService -Url https://contoso-admin.sharepoint.com
Explanation: This cmdlet is crucial for initiating management sessions, ensuring administrators can execute subsequent commands. It requires SharePoint Online administrator permissions, and for more details.

- Get-SPOSite

Description: Retrieves one or more site collections, useful for listing all sites or filtering by specific criteria.
Syntax: Get-SPOSite [-Identity ] [-Limit ] [-Filter ] [-Detailed]
Example: Get-SPOSite
Explanation: This cmdlet lists site collections, with options to filter by URL or get detailed information. It's vital for inventory management.

- Set-SPOSite

Description: Updates properties of an existing site collection, such as title, storage quota, or sharing settings.
Syntax: Set-SPOSite -Identity [-Title ] [-StorageQuota ] [-ResourceQuota ] [-LockState ] [-SharingCapability ] [-AllowSelfServiceUpgrade ] [-DenyAddAndCustomizePages ]
Example: Set-SPOSite -Identity https://contoso.sharepoint.com/sites/newsite -Title "New Site Title"
Explanation: This cmdlet allows modifications to site settings, enhancing flexibility in administration

- Remove-SPOSite

Description: Deletes a site collection, moving it to the Recycle Bin for potential recovery.
Syntax: Remove-SPOSite -Identity [-NoWait]
Example: Remove-SPOSite -Identity https://contoso.sharepoint.com/sites/newsite
Explanation: Essential for site cleanup, this cmdlet ensures sites can be restored if needed

- New-SPOSiteGroup

Description: Creates a new SharePoint group in a site collection, assigning permission levels.
Syntax: New-SPOSiteGroup -Site -Group [-PermissionLevels ]
Example: New-SPOSiteGroup -Site https://contoso.sharepoint.com/sites/newsite -Group "New Group" -PermissionLevels "Contribute"
Explanation: This cmdlet is crucial for managing access control, creating groups for specific permissions

- Add-SPOUser

Description: Adds a user or security group to a SharePoint group, facilitating user management.
Syntax: Add-SPOUser -Site -LoginName -Group
Example: Add-SPOUser -Site https://contoso.sharepoint.com/sites/newsite -LoginName user@contoso.com -Group "Members"
Explanation: This cmdlet adds users to groups, granting permissions, with documentation at Add-SPOUser.

- Get-SPOUser

Description: Lists users in a site collection, with options to filter by login name or group.
Syntax: Get-SPOUser -Site [-LoginName ] [-Group ]
Example: Get-SPOUser -Site https://contoso.sharepoint.com/sites/newsite
Explanation: Useful for auditing user access

- Set-SPOTenant

Description: Configures tenant-wide settings, such as sharing capabilities and user interface options.
Syntax: Set-SPOTenant [-AllowDownloadingNonWebViewableFiles ] [-AllowEditing ] [-CommentsOnSitePagesDisabled ] [-DefaultSharingLinkType ] [-DisableBackToClassic ] [-ExternalServicesEnabled ] [-NoAccessRedirectUrl ] [-SharingCapability ] [-ShowAllUsersClaim ] [-ShowEveryoneClaim ] [-ShowEveryoneExceptExternalUsersClaim ] [-UsePersistentCookiesForExplorerView ]
Example: Set-SPOTenant -SharingCapability ExternalUserSharingOnly
Explanation: This cmdlet manages global settings, crucial for tenant-wide policies

- Get-SPOTenant

Description: Displays current tenant-wide settings for verification and auditing.
Syntax: Get-SPOTenant
Example: Get-SPOTenant
Explanation: Essential for reviewing tenant configurations

- New-SPOSite

Description: Creates a new site collection for the current company, failing if a deleted site with the same URL exists in the Recycle Bin.
Syntax: New-SPOSite -Url -Owner -StorageQuota [-Template ] [-Title ] [-LocaleId ] [-TimeZoneId ] [-ResourceQuota ] [-NoWait] [-CompatibilityLevel ]
Example: New-SPOSite -Url https://contoso.sharepoint.com/sites/newsite -Owner admin@contoso.com -StorageQuota 1024 -Template STS#0
Explanation: This cmdlet is essential for site creation, specifying URL, owner, storage quota, and template (e.g., STS#0 for team sites). It supports modern and classic site types, requiring administrator permissions

Get-SPOSite | Select Title, Url, Template, StorageQuota | Export-Csv -Path

Detailed Explanation and Analysis:

Get-SPOSite:

This cmdlet is used to retrieve all site collections in a SharePoint Online environment. It provides a list of existing sites, pulling data about each site collection.

Pipeline (|):

In PowerShell, the pipe (|) operator is used to send the output of one cmdlet as input into another cmdlet. This allows for efficient chaining of commands to manipulate and format data.

Select Title, Url, Template, StorageQuota:

This portion of the command uses the Select-Object cmdlet (implicitly invoked by Select). It is used to specify which properties of the site collections retrieved by Get-SPOSite should be included in the output.
Title: The display name of the site collection.
Url: The web address where the site collection can be accessed.
Template: The template type used to create the site collection (e.g., team site, communication site).
StorageQuota: The storage limit set for the site collection, usually specified in megabytes.

Export-Csv -Path:

The final part of the command utilizes the Export-Csv cmdlet to export the selected site properties into a CSV (Comma-Separated Values) file.
The -Path parameter specifies the location and name of the CSV file where the output will be saved.
When using -Path, it's essential to replace it with an actual file path (e.g., -Path "C:\SitesInfo.csv") to direct the output correctly.

Conclusion

Mastering these PowerShell commands empowers administrators to automate SharePoint tasks efficiently. From creating sites with New-PnPSite to auditing tenants via Get-PnPTenantSite, these cmdlets reduce manual effort and ensure consistency. Always validate parameters and handle errors using Try/Catch blocks in scripts. For advanced scenarios, combine these commands with tools like Export-CSV or Azure Automation to build scalable solutions. By integrating PowerShell into your SharePoint workflow, you unlock unparalleled control over your environment’s lifecycle management.

A Step-by-Step Guide to Migrating Files to Microsoft 365 Using the Migration Agent

Seyi Lufadeju — Sun, 30 Mar 2025 21:05:15 +0000

Introduction

Migrating your organization's files to Microsoft 365 is a transformative step that brings numerous benefits, such as enhanced collaboration, robust security, and seamless access to cutting-edge Office applications. By utilizing SharePoint, Teams, and OneDrive, your team can work more efficiently and productively in a cloud-based environment. To streamline this process, Microsoft provides the Migration Manager, accessible through the SharePoint Admin Center. This powerful tool allows you to set up multiple servers as "agents" to scale your migration efforts, ensuring a smooth and efficient transition. In this guide, we will walk you through the detailed process of downloading and using the Migration Agent to migrate your files to Microsoft 365, empowering your organization to fully leverage the cloud's capabilities.

Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Prepare for Migration
Before initiating the migration process, ensure that you have the necessary permissions and access in place:

Access to the SharePoint Admin Center: You must have SharePoint Administrator privileges or equivalent permissions to use the Migration Manager.
Administrative Rights on the Computer: The Migration Agent needs to be installed on a computer or virtual machine (VM) where you have administrative rights.
Read Access to File Shares: The Windows credentials used during agent setup must have read access to the file shares you intend to migrate.

Proper preparation ensures a seamless setup and execution of the migration process.

Step 2: Download and Install the Migration Agent

Follow these steps to download and install the Migration Agent:

- Sign in to the SharePoint Admin Center:

Open your browser and log in to the SharePoint Admin Center using your SharePoint Admin credentials.

- Navigate to the Migration Center:

From the left-hand menu, select Migration to access the Migration Center.

- Download the Agent Setup File:

In the "For file shares" section, click Get started.

Switch to the Agents tab and click Add.
Click Download agent setup file to obtain the latest version of the Migration Agent.

- Install the Agent:

Locate the downloaded setup file on your computer or VM and run it.
Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.
During the setup, you’ll be prompted to enter:

Your SharePoint Admin credentials to authenticate with Microsoft 365.
Windows credentials with read access to the file shares.

Once installed, the agent runs as a service, connecting your on-premises source to your Microsoft 365 destination.

Repeat this process on additional computers or VMs if you need multiple agents to handle larger migrations.

Step 3: Set Up Migration Tasks

With the agent installed, you can now configure migration tasks:
Create a New Migration Task:

In the Migration Center, click Add task.

Choose between:
Single source and destination: Ideal for migrating a few file shares.
Bulk migration: Suitable for multiple file shares using a CSV file.

- Specify the Source and Destination:

Source: Input the file share path (e.g., \contoso\fileshare).

Destination: Select the Microsoft 365 location—SharePoint site, OneDrive, or Teams—and provide the corresponding URL or account details.

- Configure Task Settings:

Assign a friendly name to your task for easy identification.
Optionally, assign the task to a specific agent group if multiple agents are available.
Adjust any additional settings, such as filters or permissions, as needed.

- Schedule or Run the Task:

Choose to run the task immediately or schedule it for a later time.
Click Run to start the migration process.

The Migration Manager can automatically distribute tasks across available agents, optimizing the migration workload.

Step 4: Monitor Migration Progress

Keep track of your migration tasks using the Migration Manager dashboard:

- View Task Status:

Return to the Migration Center to see the status of each task (e.g., Queued, In Progress, Completed).

- Download Reports:

After a task completes, download summary and detailed reports.
These reports provide valuable insights, including migrated files, errors, or warnings encountered during the process. Monitoring ensures you can address any issues promptly and verify the migration’s progress.

Step 5: Verify and Finalize Migration

Once the migration is complete, take these final steps:
Check Migrated Content:

Visit the destination (SharePoint, OneDrive, or Teams) to confirm that all files have migrated successfully.
Verify that permissions and metadata are intact as expected.

Rerun Tasks if Necessary:

If new or updated files need to be migrated, rerun the task to perform an incremental migration.
This step ensures that your data is fully transitioned and accessible in Microsoft 365.

Conclusion

Migrating files to Microsoft 365 using the Migration Agent from the SharePoint Admin Center is a straightforward yet powerful process that can revolutionize how your organization operates. By following this step-by-step guide, you can seamlessly transition your files to the cloud, unlocking enhanced collaboration, security, and productivity through Microsoft 365’s innovative tools. The Migration Manager simplifies the process by providing an intuitive interface, automated task distribution, and detailed monitoring capabilities. Embrace this opportunity to modernize your workflow and ensure a successful migration today!

Comprehensive Guide to Building a CI/CD Pipeline in AWS with GitHub

Seyi Lufadeju — Sun, 30 Mar 2025 20:08:00 +0000

Introduction

CI/CD (Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery) pipelines are foundational to modern software development, enabling teams to automate building, testing, and deploying code. Benefits include:

Faster Delivery: Automate repetitive tasks to release updates rapidly.

Improved Quality: Catch bugs early with automated testing.

Reduced Errors: Minimize manual intervention in deployments.

Scalability: Easily adapt pipelines to handle growing workloads.

Step 1: Prepare Sample Code

Create a Simple Web Application

Step 2 Push Code to GitHub

Create a new repository on GitHub.
Commit and push your code:


git init
git add README.md
git commit -m "first commit"
git branch -M main
git remote add origin https://github.com/lufadeju/MyDemoRepo.git
git push -u origin main

Step 3: Create an Amazon EC2 Linux instance and install the CodeDeploy agent

In this step, you create the Amazon EC2 instance where you deploy a sample application. As part of this process, create an instance role that allows install and management of the CodeDeploy agent on the instance. The CodeDeploy agent is a software package that enables an instance to be used in CodeDeploy deployments. You also attach policies that allow the instance to fetch files that the CodeDeploy agent uses to deploy your application and to allow the instance to be managed by SSM.

To create an instance role

Open the IAM console at site.
From the console dashboard, choose Roles.
Choose Create role.

Under Select type of trusted entity, select AWS service.>> Under Choose a use case, select EC2.>> Under Select your use case, choose EC2. Choose Next: Permissions.

Search for and select the policy named AmazonEC2RoleforAWSCodeDeploy.
Search for and select the policy named AmazonSSMManagedInstanceCore. Choose Next: Tags.

Choose Next: Review. Enter a name for the role (for example, EC2InstanceRole).

Note
Make a note of your role name for the next step. You choose this role when you are creating your instance.

Choose Create role.

To launch an instance

Open the Amazon EC2 console at https://console.aws.amazon.com/ec2/.
From the side navigation, choose Instances, and select Launch instances from the top of the page.

In Name, enter MyCodePipelineDemo. This assigns the instance a tag Key of Name and a tag Value of MyCodePipelineDemo. Later, you create a CodeDeploy application that deploys the sample application to this instance. CodeDeploy selects instances to deploy based on the tags.
Under Application and OS Images (Amazon Machine Image), locate the Amazon Linux AMI option with the AWS logo, and make sure it is selected. (This AMI is described as the Amazon Linux 2 AMI (HVM) and is labeled "Free tier eligible".)

Under Instance type, choose the free tier eligible t2.micro type as the hardware configuration for your instance.
Under Key pair (login), choose a key pair or create one.
You can also choose Proceed without a key pair.

For the purposes of this tutorial, you can proceed without a key pair. To use SSH to connect to your instances, create or use a key pair.

Under Network settings, do the following.
In Auto-assign Public IP, make sure the status is Enable.
For the created security group, choose HTTP, and then under Source type, choose My IP.

Expand Advanced details. In IAM instance profile, choose the IAM role you created in the previous procedure (for example, EC2InstanceRole).
Under Summary, under Number of instances, enter 1..
Choose Launch instance.

Step 4: Create an application in CodeDeploy

In CodeDeploy, an application is a resource that contains the software application you want to deploy. Later, you use this application with CodePipeline to automate deployments of the sample application to your Amazon EC2 instance.

First, you create a role that allows CodeDeploy to perform deployments. Then, you create a CodeDeploy application.

To create a CodeDeploy service role

Open the IAM console at https://console.aws.amazon.com/iam/).
From the console dashboard, choose Roles.
Choose Create role.

Under Select trusted entity, choose AWS service. >> Under Use case, choose CodeDeploy. >> Choose CodeDeploy from the options listed. Choose Next. The AWSCodeDeployRole managed policy is already attached to the role.

Choose Next.

Enter a name for the role (for example, CodeDeployRole), and then choose Create role.

To create an application in CodeDeploy
Open the CodeDeploy console at https://console.aws.amazon.com/codedeploy.

If the Applications page does not appear, on the menu, choose Applications.

Choose Create application.

In Application name, enter MyDemoApplication.
In Compute Platform, choose EC2/On-premises.
Choose Create application.

To create a deployment group in CodeDeploy
A deployment group is a resource that defines deployment-related settings like which instances to deploy to and how fast to deploy them.

On the page that displays your application, choose Create deployment group.

In Deployment group name, enter MyDemoDeploymentGroup.
In Service role, choose the ARN of the service role you created earlier (for example, arn:aws:iam::account_ID:role/CodeDeployRole).
Under Deployment type, choose In-place.

Under Environment configuration, choose Amazon EC2 Instances.>> In the Key field, enter Name.>> In the Value field, enter the name you used to tag the instance (for example, MyCodePipelineDemo).

Under Agent configuration with AWS Systems Manager, choose Now and schedule updates. This installs the agent on the instance. The Linux instance is already configured with the SSM agent and will now be updated with the CodeDeploy agent.

Under Deployment configuration, choose CodeDeployDefault.OneAtaTime.

Under Load Balancer, make sure Enable load balancing is not selected. You do not need to set up a load balancer or choose a target group for this example.

Choose Create deployment group.

Step 5: Create your first pipeline in CodePipeline

You're now ready to create and run your first pipeline. In this step, you create a pipeline that runs automatically when code is pushed to your CodeCommit repository.

To create a CodePipeline pipeline
Sign in to the AWS Management Console and open the CodePipeline console at http://console.aws.amazon.com/codesuite/codepipeline/home.

Open the CodePipeline console at https://console.aws.amazon.com/codepipeline/.
On the Welcome page, Getting started page, or the Pipelines page, choose Create pipeline.

On the Step 1: Choose creation option page, under Creation options, choose the Build custom pipeline option. Choose Next.

In Step 2: Choose pipeline settings, in Pipeline name, enter MyFirstPipeline.
CodePipeline provides V1 and V2 type pipelines, which differ in characteristics and price. The V2 type is the only type you can choose in the console. For more information, see pipeline types. For information about pricing for CodePipeline, see Pricing.
In Service role, choose New service role to allow CodePipeline to create a service role in IAM.
Leave the settings under Advanced settings at their defaults, and then choose Next.

In Step 3: Add source stage, in Source provider, choose GitHub Via OAuth App.
Choose Next.

In Step 4: Add build stage, choose Skip build stage, and then accept the warning message by choosing Skip again. Choose Next.
In Step 5: Add test stage, choose Skip test stage, and then accept the warning message by choosing Skip again.
Choose Next.
In Step 6: Add deploy stage, in Deploy provider, choose CodeDeploy. In Application name, choose MyDemoApplication. In Deployment group, choose MyDemoDeploymentGroup, and then choose Next step.
In Step 7: Review, review the information, and then choose Create pipeline.

The pipeline starts running after it is created. It downloads the code from your CodeCommit repository and creates a CodeDeploy deployment to your EC2 instance. You can view progress and success and failure messages as the CodePipeline sample deploys the webpage to the Amazon EC2 instance in the CodeDeploy deployment.

Congratulations! You just created a simple pipeline in CodePipeline.

Next, you verify the results.

To verify your pipeline ran successfully

View the initial progress of the pipeline. The status of each stage changes from No executions yet to In Progress, and then to either Succeeded or Failed. The running of the pipeline should be complete within a few minutes.

After Succeeded is displayed for the action status, refresh the demo page you accessed earlier in your browser.

To Get the link go to the EC 2 instance and copy the ip address

The updated webpage is displayed.

Conclusion

This guide outlines how to automate software delivery using AWS CI/CD services (CodePipeline, CodeDeploy) and GitHub. By integrating these tools, teams can streamline building, testing, and deploying code with minimal manual intervention.

A Comprehensive Guide to Creating Custom Permissions for Files on SharePoint Sites

Seyi Lufadeju — Thu, 27 Mar 2025 21:30:21 +0000

Introduction

In today’s collaborative work environments, securing sensitive data while enabling efficient teamwork is critical. Microsoft SharePoint, a widely used platform for document management and collaboration, offers robust permission settings to control access to content. By default, SharePoint inherits permissions from parent sites, libraries, or folders, but there are scenarios where custom permissions for individual files are necessary—such as restricting access to confidential documents, complying with data governance policies, or managing project-specific resources.

This guide provides a step-by-step approach to creating and managing custom permissions for files on SharePoint sites. You’ll learn how to break inheritance, design tailored permission levels, assign access to users or groups, and maintain a secure yet flexible environment.

Understanding SharePoint Permissions

Key Concepts:

Permission Inheritance: By default, files inherit permissions from their parent library, folder, or site. Custom permissions require breaking this inheritance.
Permission Levels: These define actions users can perform (e.g., Read, Edit, Full Control). SharePoint allows customization of these levels.
Users vs. Groups: Assign permissions to SharePoint groups (recommended) or individual users for streamlined management.

When to Use Custom Permissions:

Restricting access to sensitive files (e.g., financial reports, HR documents).
Granting temporary access to external collaborators.
Enforcing the principle of least privilege.

Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Custom Permissions

1. Plan Your Permissions Structure

Identify Requirements: Determine which files need unique access and who requires permission (users/groups).
Follow Least Privilege: Grant only the necessary level of access (e.g., Read instead of Edit).
Use Groups: Create or leverage existing SharePoint groups for easier management.

2. Break Permission Inheritance
To apply custom permissions to a file, you must first break inheritance from its parent library/folder:

Navigate to the SharePoint document library.
Right-click the target file and select Manage Access (modern interface) or Shared With > Advanced (classic experience).

Click Stop Inheriting Permissions to sever the link to the parent’s permissions.

3. Create Custom Permission Levels
If default levels (e.g., Read, Contribute) don’t meet your needs, create a custom permission level at the site level:

Go to Site Settings > Site Permissions > Advanced Permissions Setting > Permission Levels.

Click Add a Permission Level, name it (e.g., "View Only – No Download"), and select specific permissions (e.g., View Items but not Open or delete).

Save the level.

4. Assign Permissions to Users/Groups

On the file’s permissions page (Advanced Settings),click on users to Remove Users Permission

click Grant Permissions
Enter the names/emails of users or groups.
Select the desired permission level (e.g., custom "View Only" or default "Read").
Click Share to apply.

5. Apply Permissions to the File
After breaking inheritance and assigning permissions, the file will now have unique access settings.

Repeat for other files as needed, but avoid over-customizing to prevent complexity.

6. Test and Validate
Log in as a test user to verify access.

Use SharePoint’s Check Permissions tool (under Site Permissions) to audit access.

7. Maintain and Monitor

Regular Audits: Review permissions quarterly to remove outdated access.
Documentation: Track custom permissions in a spreadsheet or SharePoint list.
Leverage Tools: Use SharePoint’s Access Requests and Sensitivity Labels for scalable governance.

Conclusion

Custom permissions in SharePoint empower organizations to balance security and collaboration effectively. By breaking inheritance, tailoring permission levels, and assigning access strategically, you can safeguard sensitive files while enabling seamless teamwork. However, over-customization can lead to administrative overhead, so always prioritize simplicity and regular audits.

With this guide, you’re equipped to implement granular file-level permissions confidently. Combine these practices with SharePoint’s broader governance tools—such as sensitivity labels and compliance policies—to build a secure, efficient, and user-friendly document management ecosystem.

Comprehensive Guide to Creating a SharePoint Leave Request System

Seyi Lufadeju — Sat, 22 Mar 2025 12:32:28 +0000

INTRODUCTION

In today’s fast‐paced work environment, streamlining leave management can boost efficiency and transparency. This guide will show you how to build a dedicated SharePoint site to manage leave requests. In our scenario, the site will have six members: five workers who submit leave requests and one manager responsible for approving or rejecting them. One worker will receive full permissions on the leave request list (allowing, for example, advanced modifications or administrative tasks on that list), while the other four workers are given edit permissions. The manager will process the requests by approving two and rejecting three. Additionally, custom views will allow each member to quickly see the status of their submissions.

This guide provides a step-by-step approach to creating a SharePoint site for managing employee leave requests. The solution includes:

A Team Site with six members (five workers, one manager).
A Leave Request List where workers submit requests.
Permissions: One worker has full control over the list, while others can only edit their own requests.
Approval Workflow: The manager approves/rejects requests, and all members see their request status.

Step 1: Create a SharePoint Team Site

Navigate to SharePoint Admin Center:
Go to your organization’s SharePoint portal.
Click Create site > Team site.

Configure Site Details:

Name: "Leave Management Site".
Add a description (optional).

Under Privacy, select "Private".
Select the default site language for your site. You can't change this later.
Click Next.

- Add Members:

Add the manager’s email under "Add additional owners".
Add five workers’ emails under "Add members".
Click Finish.

Step 2: Create a Leave Request List

Navigate to the New Site:
Open the newly created site.

- Click + New > List > Blank list.

Name the List:

Title: "Leave Requests".
Click Create.

Add Columns:

Default "Title" column: Rename to Leave Type (e.g., Vacation, Sick).
Start Date: Column type = Date.

Follow the same step for the below columns

Requester: Column type = Person
End Date: Column type = Date.
Status: Column type = Choice (Options: Pending, Approved, Rejected).
Comments: Column type = Multiple lines of text.

Step 3: Configure Permissions

Goal:

staff 1: Full control over the list.
Staff 2-5: Edit only their own items.
Manager: Approve/reject requests.

Break List Inheritance:

- Go to Leave Requests list > Settings (⚙) > List settings.

- Under Permissions, click Permissions for this list.

- Click Stop Inheriting Permissions.

- Remove Default Groups:

Select Members and Visitors groups > Remove User Permissions.

Assign Custom Permissions:

Staff 1 (Full Control):

Click Grant Permissions.
Enter Staff 1 (Hagital JanGrp1) email or name.
Select Full Control > Share.

Staff 2-5 (Edit Access):

Click Grant Permissions.
Enter Staff 2-5 emails.
Select Edit > Share.

Manager Permissions:

The manager is already in the Owners group (Full Control).

- Restrict Item Editing:

Go to List Settings > Advanced Settings.

Under Item-level Permissions:
Set Edit access to Only their own.

Step 4: Enable Content Approval

- Configure Versioning:

Go to List Settings > Versioning Settings.

Under Content Approval, select Yes.
Click OK.

Update Status Column:

The default Approval Status column will now track requests as Pending/Approved/Rejected.

Step 5: Test the Workflow

- Staffs Submit Requests:

Staff 1 add items via + New.
Status defaults to Pending.

Staff 2 add items via + New.
Status defaults to Pending.

Staff 3 add items via + New.
Status defaults to Pending.
Staff 4 add items via + New.
Status defaults to Pending.

Staff 5 add items via + New.
Status defaults to Pending.

Manager Approval/Rejection:

Manager navigates to Dashboard.

Select a request > Edit.

Update Status to Approved or Rejected.
Add Comments (optional).

Follow the same step to Approve or Reject for other Staffs

NOTE : All the approved leave request is visible to all staffs in the department (ie Hagital Grp2 Dashboard)

- Hagital Grp3 can see his leave request which was rejected and can also see other staffs leave request which was approved

Conclusion

I’ve successfully built a SharePoint site for managing leave requests with granular permissions and approval workflows. Key outcomes:

Staff 1 manages the list with full control.
Staff 2–5 submit and edit their own requests.
Manager approves/rejects requests via dashboard.

All members view personalized statuses.

This solution ensures transparency, accountability, and streamlined communication for leave management.

Hands-On Guide: Configuring a Static Website on Amazon S3

Seyi Lufadeju — Sun, 16 Mar 2025 14:50:42 +0000

Introduction

Static websites, composed of HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and media files, are ideal for portfolios, blogs, or landing pages. Amazon S3 offers a cost-effective, scalable solution to host static sites without managing servers. This guide walks you through hosting a sample website on S3, covering bucket creation, permissions, and testing. By the end, you’ll have a live site accessible via an S3 endpoint URL.

Step-by-Step Guide

Create an S3 Bucket Step 1.1: Log into the AWS Management Console, navigate to S3, and click Create bucket.

Step 1.2: Name your bucket (e.g., my-static-website-123). Ensure the name is globally unique.

Step 1.3: Select a region (e.g., us-east-1).
Step 1.4: Take the default settings
Step 1.5: Click Create bucket.

2. Enable Static Website Hosting

Step 2.1: Navigate to the Properties tab.

Step 2.2: Scroll to Static website hosting and click Edit.

Step 2.3: Select Enable, then specify: Index document: index.html Error document: 404.html

Step 2.4: Click Save.

3. Configure Bucket Permissions

Step 3.1: Go to the bucket’s Permissions tab.
step 3.2: Click Edit on Block public access (bucket settings) to unblock public access

Step 3.3: Under Bucket Policy, paste this JSON (replace my-static-website-123 with your bucket name):


{
  "Version": "2012-10-17",
  "Statement": [
    {
      "Sid": "PublicReadGetObject",
      "Effect": "Allow",
      "Principal": "*",
      "Action": "s3:GetObject",
      "Resource": "arn:aws:s3:::my-static-website-123/*"
    }
  ]
}

Step 3.3: Click Save.

4. Upload Sample Website Files

- Click on upload after adding the Files and Folders

- You should have a successful notification after uploading

5. Test the Website

Step 5.1: Under Static website hosting, note the Bucket website endpoint (e.g., http://my-static-website-123.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com).

Step 5.2: Open the URL in a browser. You should see your uploaded content.
Step 5.3: Test the error page by visiting an invalid path (e.g., http://my-static-website-123.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com/invalid).

Conclusion
I’ve successfully hosted a static website on Amazon S3! This setup is ideal for low-cost, high-availability sites.

By leveraging S3’s simplicity and scalability, you can focus on content creation while AWS handles infrastructure. Explore advanced features like versioning for backups or S3 events for serverless workflows to further optimize your site.

Step-by-Step Guide: Creating a SharePoint Site with Custom Permissions

Seyi Lufadeju — Wed, 12 Mar 2025 21:46:21 +0000

INTRODUCTION

SharePoint is a powerful collaboration platform that allows teams to manage documents, workflows, and permissions efficiently. In this guide, I’ll create a SharePoint site for 9 members, set up 3 document folders, and configure granular permissions so that:

Each folder is accessible by 3 unique members.

Each folder contains 3 files, with each file accessible by 1 unique member (subset of the folder’s 3 members).

This ensures secure, role-based access to sensitive data. Let’s begin!

Step 1: Create a SharePoint Site

Prerequisites

Microsoft 365 admin or SharePoint admin privileges.
A clear purpose for the site (e.g., department collaboration, project management).

STEPS TO CREATE A SITE

Navigate to SharePoint Admin Center:

Go to Microsoft 365 Admin Center → Show all → SharePoint.

Create a New Site:

Under Sites → Active sites, click Create → Team site or Communication site.

Team site: For collaboration (includes a Microsoft 365 group).
Communication site: For broadcasting information (no group).

Fill in details:

Site name: e.g., "Finance Department Hub".
Site description: "Briefly explain the site’s purpose."
Privacy settings: Choose Public (open to all) or Private (restricted access).

Add Members:

Step 2: Create Document Folders

Navigate to Documents Library:

- Go to your site → Click Documents on the left menu.

Create Folders:

- Click New → Folder → Name Folder (Document Library)

Create 3 New Folder inside (Document Library)
Name the folders Finance, Legal, and Audit.

Step 3: Assign Folder Permissions

For each folder:

Stop Inheriting Permissions:

Hover over the folder → Click ⋮ (More) → Manage access.

Click Advanced settings

Select Stop inheriting permissions → Confirm.

Remove User Permissions

Grant Access to 3 Members:

Click Grant access → Enter 3 member emails or username.

Set permissions to Edit (to allow file uploads).
Uncheck Send an email invitation (optional).
Click Save.

Repeat for Folders B and C with their respective 3 members.

Step 4: Create Files Inside Folders

For each folder (e.g., Audit):

Create Files:

Open the folder → Click New → File (e.g., Word, Excel).

Set Unique File Permissions: Assign each file to one member

Hover over Audit Note → ⋮ (More) → Manage access.

Click Advanced settings → Stop inheriting permissions.

Remove all existing users except Hagital JanGrp1

Repeat for Excel File (Inside Audit folder) with one member (Hagital JanGrp2)
Repeat for Powerpoint File (Inside Audit folder) with one member (Hagital JanGrp3)

Repeat the above steps for members in Finance folder and Legal Folder

Conclusion
I’ve successfully created a SharePoint site with custom permissions to ensure secure collaboration:

3 folders with 3 members each.
3 files per folder, each restricted to 1 member.

Best Practices:

Audit permissions periodically via Site Settings > Permissions.
Use SharePoint groups for easier management in larger teams.
Train members on accessing their designated content.

This structure minimizes data exposure while fostering teamwork. SharePoint’s flexibility ensures your organization’s data remains both accessible and secure.

Detailed Hands-On Guide: Creating a Microsoft 365 SharePoint Site and Setting Up Site Policies

Seyi Lufadeju — Sun, 09 Mar 2025 21:30:42 +0000

Introduction to SharePoint Sites and Governance

SharePoint is a cornerstone of Microsoft 365 for collaboration, document management, and workflow automation. A SharePoint site acts as a centralized hub where teams can store, organize, and share content. However, without proper governance policies and procedures, sites can become disorganized, insecure, or non-compliant.

Why Policies & Procedures Matter

Security: Control access to sensitive data.
Efficiency: Standardize workflows and reduce redundancy.
Auditability: Track changes and user activity.

Step 1: Create a SharePoint Site

Prerequisites

Microsoft 365 admin or SharePoint admin privileges.
A clear purpose for the site (e.g., department collaboration, project management).

STEPS TO CREATE A SITE

Navigate to SharePoint Admin Center:

Go to Microsoft 365 Admin Center → Show all → SharePoint.

Create a New Site:

Under Sites → Active sites, click Create → Team site or Communication site.

Team site: For collaboration (includes a Microsoft 365 group).
Communication site: For broadcasting information (no group).

Fill in details:

Site name: e.g., "Finance Department Hub".
Site description: "Briefly explain the site’s purpose."
Privacy settings: Choose Public (open to all) or Private (restricted access).

Add Owners/Members:

Assign primary owners (admins) and members during setup or later via Settings → Site permissions.

Customize the Site:

Use Edit in the header to modify the layout, add web parts (e.g., Document Library, Calendar), or apply a theme.

Step 2: Configure Site Settings for Governance

A. Set Up Permissions
Manage Access:

Go to Settings (gear icon) → Site permissions.
Use Advanced permissions settings to:

Create unique permission groups (e.g., "Finance Editors", "Finance Viewers").
Break inheritance from parent sites if needed.

External Sharing:

In SharePoint Admin Center → Policies → Sharing, restrict external sharing if required.

Conclusion

Configuring SharePoint site policies ensures your organization balances collaboration with compliance. Start by creating structured sites with clear ownership, then layer policies to enforce governance. Regularly audit policies and engage stakeholders to maintain alignment with organizational goals. With these steps, SharePoint becomes not just a collaboration tool but a secure, scalable platform for long-term success.

Hands-On Guide: AWS S3 Lifecycle Management, EBS Volume, and Snapshot

Seyi Lufadeju — Tue, 04 Mar 2025 21:47:02 +0000

INTRODUCTION TO CORE CONCEPTS

1.1 Amazon S3 (Simple Storage Service)

- What is S3?
Amazon S3 is an object storage service that offers scalability, durability, and security. It allows you to store and retrieve any amount of data at any time.

- Storage Classes:

Standard: For frequently accessed data.
Infrequent Access (S3-IA): For less frequently accessed data (lower cost than Standard).
Glacier/Deep Archive: For archival data with retrieval times from minutes to hours.

- Lifecycle Management:
Automates transitioning objects between storage classes or deleting them after a defined period.

1.2 Amazon EBS (Elastic Block Store)

- What is EBS?
EBS provides block-level storage volumes for EC2 instances. Volumes persist independently of EC2 instance lifecycles.

Volume Types: SSD (e.g., gp3, io2) for high IOPS, HDD (e.g., st1) for throughput-intensive workloads.
Snapshots: Point-in-time backups of EBS volumes stored in S3.

2. Prerequisites

An AWS account with IAM permissions for S3, EC2, and EBS.
AWS CLI installed and configured (aws configure).
Basic familiarity with Linux commands and SSH.

3. Hands-On Implementation

Task 1: Create an S3 Bucket, Upload Files, and Configure Lifecycle Management

- Step 1: Create an S3 Bucket
Via AWS Console:

Go to S3 > Create bucket.

Enter a unique bucket name (e.g., my-project-bucket-2023).
Select a region (e.g., us-east-1).
Enable versioning (optional)
.
Click Create bucket.

- Step 2: Upload Files
Via Console:

Navigate to your bucket > Upload > Select files > Upload.

- Step 3: Configure Lifecycle Policy
Objective:

Transition objects to S3-IA after 30 days.
Transition to Glacier after 90 days.
Delete objects after 365 days.

Create Lifecycle Rule:

In your bucket, go to the Management tab → Lifecycle rules → Create lifecycle rule.

Rule name: Auto-Transition-Delete.
Rule scope: Apply to all objects.
Transitions: Transition to Standard-IA: 30 days after creation. Transition to Glacier Flexible Retrieval: 90 days after creation.

Expiration:
Delete objects: 365 days after creation.
Click Create rule.

Task 2. Create an EC2 Instance,EBS Volume, Attach to EC2, and Mount
Objective: Provision storage for an EC2 instance.

Step 1 Create an Instance

Select an Instance Type

Choose a hardware configuration:
For testing, select t2.micro (free tier eligible).

Click Next: Configure Instance Details.

Step 2: Create an EBS Volume

- Navigate to EC2 Console → Volumes → Create volume.

Size: Specify size (e.g., 10 GiB).
Availability Zone (AZ): Match the AZ of your EC2 instance (critical!).

Click Create volume.

- Step 3: Attach the EBS Volume to an EC2 Instance

- Attach Volume:

Right-click the new volume → Attach volume.

Instance: Select your EC2 instance.
Device name: Use /dev/sdf (Linux) or /dev/xvdf.
Click Attach.

Step 3: Mount the EBS Volume on Linux

- SSH into the EC2 Instance:

ssh -i "my-key.pem" ubuntu@ec2-13-51-36-103.eu-north-1.compute.amazonaws.com

- Format and Mount:

List disks: lsblk (identify the new volume, e.g., nvme1n1).

Format the volume:

sudo mkfs -t ext4 /dev/nvme1n1

- Create a mount directory:

sudo mkdir /mnt/ebs-volume

- Mount the volume:

sudo mount /dev/nvme1n1 /mnt/ebs-volume

- Auto-mount on reboot:

echo "/dev/nvme1n1 /mnt/ebs-volume ext4 defaults,nofail 0 2" | sudo tee -a /etc/fstab

- Confirm if your Ebs-volume remain persistent after Reboot
Reboot Instance

Re-Connect to Instance

Confirm the Ebs-Volume remained mounted

Task 3. Create an EBS Snapshot

Objective: Backup your EBS volume.

- Step 1: Create a Snapshot
Navigate to EC2 Console → Volumes → Select your EBS volume.

Create Snapshot:
Click Actions → Create snapshot.

Description: Add a name (e.g., my-ebs-backup-2023).
Click Create snapshot.

- Step 2: Verify Snapshot (Optional)
Go to Snapshots in the EC2 console. Your snapshot will appear once complete.

Conclusion

This project provided a hands-on exploration of two foundational AWS services: Amazon S3 for scalable object storage and Amazon EBS for persistent block storage. By completing the tasks, we’ve gained practical experience in automating data lifecycle management, provisioning storage resources, and ensuring data durability through backups. Below is a detailed breakdown of the key takeaways:

Key Achievements

- Automated Data Lifecycle Management with S3:

You configured lifecycle policies to transition objects between storage classes (Standard → S3-IA → Glacier) and delete them after a defined period. This demonstrates how businesses can optimize costs by aligning storage costs with data access patterns.

Real-World Use Case: Archiving logs, media, or compliance data that loses relevance over time but requires long-term retention.

- EBS Volume Setup and Integration with EC2:

By creating, attaching, and mounting an EBS volume, you learned how block storage complements EC2 instances. This is critical for applications requiring persistent data (e.g., databases, file servers).

Challenge Addressed: Ensuring data persists even if the EC2 instance is stopped or terminated.

- Data Protection with EBS Snapshots:

Snapshots provide point-in-time backups stored in S3, enabling disaster recovery. This is essential for compliance (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA) and minimizing downtime.

Deploy a Scalable Web App on Azure using Terraform

Seyi Lufadeju — Tue, 18 Feb 2025 17:59:28 +0000

INTRODUCTION

This guide walks you through deploying a static website on Azure using Terraform. You’ll use Azure Storage for hosting the website and Azure CDN for global scalability and performance. By the end, you’ll have a fully automated infrastructure-as-code setup.

Prerequisites
Azure Account: Create a free account .
Terraform Installed: Download here.
Azure CLI: Installation guide.
Git (optional): To clone the sample code.

Step 1: Set Up Azure Authentication
Authenticate Terraform to manage Azure resources

az login  #Log in to Azure via CLI
az account set --subscription="YOUR_SUBSCRIPTION_ID"

Step 2: Project Structure
Create a directory with the following structure:

terraform-azure-webapp/
├── main.tf           # Terraform configuration
├── variables.tf      # Input variables
├── outputs.tf        # Output URLs
└── www/              # Sample website files
    ├── index.html
    └── style.css

Step 3: Write Terraform Configuration

variables.tf

main.tf

outputs.tf

Step 4: Create Sample Website Files
Add the following files to the www/ directory:

www/index.html

www/style.css

Step 5: Deploy Infrastructure
Run Terraform commands:

terraform init #Initialize providers/modules

terraform plan # Preview changes

terraform apply # Deploy resources (type "yes" to confirm)

After deployment, Terraform will output:

storage_website_url: Direct URL to the storage-hosted website.
cdn_endpoint_url: CDN-accelerated URL.

Step 7: Clean Up Resources
Avoid unnecessary costs by destroying resources:

terraform destroy

Summary
In this project, we:

Used Terraform to automate Azure infrastructure deployment.
Hosted a static website on Azure Storage with HTTPS support.
Accelerated content delivery globally using Azure CDN.
Practiced infrastructure-as-code principles for reproducibility.

This setup provides a foundation for scalable web apps, with Terraform ensuring consistency and reducing manual errors.