Cloud Computing


Microsoft Launches Office 365 for Education, Readies Live@edu Migrations

Office 365 hit its one-year anniversary on Wednesday, an occasion Microsoft marked by launching a free Education edition as well as announcing a schedule for Live@edu migrations starting this summer.

Tech-Ed Europe: Microsoft Demos Cloud-Based App Management

Microsoft on Tuesday gave Tech-Ed Europe attendees a preview of how application management works using the Windows Intune and Windows Azure Active Directory services.

Microsoft Buys Social Networking Site Yammer for $1.2 Billion

Microsoft is acquiring enterprise social networking company Yammer Inc. for $1.2 billion in cash, Redmond officials said on Monday.

System Center 2012 SP1 Gets Windows Server 2012 Support in CTP2

Microsoft released the second community test preview (CTP2) of System Center 2012 Service Pack 1 last week. A beta of SP1 is expected to be released in the second half of this year.

Amazon Prowls for Partners, Launches Marketplace

Not always seen as the most partner-friendly cloud provider, Amazon Web Services (AWS) is taking key steps to reverse that perception.

Tech-Ed: Windows 8 Is 'Better' than Windows 7, Microsoft Says

Microsoft focused on the basics of Windows 8 during its Day 2 Tech-Ed keynote on Tuesday.

Tech-Ed: Microsoft Releases Next Version of Windows Intune

IT has reached another inflection point beyond the client-server era, said Satya Nadella, Microsoft's president of Server and Tools Business, during Day 1 of Microsoft's Tech-Ed event in Orlando, Fla.

Microsoft Revamps Windows Azure with IaaS, Hybrid Cloud Enhancements

Microsoft is planning the most significant upgrade yet to its Windows Azure service, giving the cloud platform long-awaited Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) capabilities and support for Linux instances.

WPC 2012 Session Agenda: Heavy on the Cloud

If the initial session list is any indication, Microsoft is stacking its forthcoming Worldwide Partner Conference with lots of Windows Azure, Office 365 and Dynamics CRM content. But its staple products will get their turns in the spotlight, too.

8 Security Opportunities for Partners

IT security is having a banner year, and channel partners are reaping the benefits. From protecting Macs and PCs to securing the cloud, there's no shortage of great channel opportunities based on emerging threats, surging technologies and vendor momentum. Here are a few of them.

Google Expands Chromebook Laptop Line, Updates Chrome OS

Google on Tuesday announced the expansion of its Chromebook laptop line and some improvements to its Chrome operating system, potentially setting the stage for a battle against the traditional PC model.

Cloud Portability: Here Are Your (Non-Microsoft) Options

From Cloud Foundry to OpenStack, more vendors are promising portability to customers who don't want to be tied to Microsoft's cloud.

Microsoft Releases Dynamics NAV 2013 Beta to Partners

Microsoft recently opened the beta of Dynamics NAV 2013 (previously code-named "NAV 7") to Microsoft partners.

Microsoft Exec: Dynamics Business Is Worth 'Over a Billion Dollars'

Microsoft executives shined a spotlight on the Dynamics product line during a recent financial analyst event focusing on Microsoft Business Solutions (MBS).

Microsoft Exec: Windows Azure Users Are in 'High Tens of Thousands'

A Microsoft executive explained the company's cloud-centric corporate strategy on Tuesday at a financial analyst event.

Microsoft Prepares To Phase Out 'Windows Live' Brand

In preparation for Windows 8's release, Microsoft is planning to kill its "Windows Live" branding over the next few months.

How 'Cloud' Isn't Helping the Cloud

What changes with the cloud is very simple. Instead of just hardware and software, we now integrate hardware, software and services. So why don't many partner companies believe in it?

Quest Reveals Office 365 Migration Tools

Microsoft Gold Certified partner Quest Software recently unveiled its line of solutions for businesses migrating to Office 365 and Exchange Online.

Microsoft Updates SkyDrive; Google Answers with Google Drive

Microsoft detailed several major changes to its SkyDrive storage service on Monday, including a reduction in the amount of free storage provided.

MPN Small Business Competency: More Benefits, Bigger Price Tag

When Microsoft rolls out the Small Business competency next month, partners will find a program that is more expensive to join than the popular Small Business Specialist Community (SBSC), but also far more loaded with benefits and focused on cloud.