News


Microsoft Adds Windows Phone OEMs, Describes Windows Phone 8.1

Microsoft on Sunday announced it was more than tripling the number of Windows Phone hardware partners, as well as described a few changes coming to its smartphone platform.

Microsoft Updates Windows Azure with Management Improvements

Microsoft Cloud and Enterprise Vice President Scott Guthrie outlined several new Windows Azure management improvements in a blog post last week.

Metalogix's Idera Buy Bears Fruit with SharePoint Backup Tool

Four months after acquiring Idera's SharePoint business, Metalogix this week released its first backup and recovery tool designed solely for protecting SharePoint environments.

Microsoft Replaces Office Web Apps with 'Office Online'

Microsoft's Office Web Apps product is now named "Office Online" and can now be accessed easily from the front page of Office.com, the company announced this week.

Office 365's E-Mail Encryption Service Hits General Availability

Microsoft's Office 365 Message Encryption service, unveiled in November, is now commercially available, the company announced this week.

Windows XP Support Deadline Does Not Apply to Embedded Systems

Most Windows XP Embedded versions will live on for a few more years, even as the Windows XP desktop OS loses "extended" support on April 8, Microsoft clarified this week.

Microsoft Officially Launches OneDrive Cloud Storage

Microsoft on Wednesday officially transitioned its SkyDrive cloud storage to the new OneDrive, though Windows 8 users will have to wait a bit longer to access the rebranded service.

Lync-Skype Chief: 'Era of Universal Communications Is Here'

Microsoft's top executive for Lync and Skype declared the start of a new era of communications and offered a bold user-number prediction at the second annual Microsoft Lync Conference on Tuesday.

Microsoft To Deliver New Dynamics CRM Components in Q2

Microsoft will launch two new Windows Azure-hosted Dynamics CRM services and a new release of Dynamics CRM Online in the second quarter of this year, the company said on Tuesday.

Microsoft Simplifies Yammer Access for Office 365 Users

Thanks to "user mapping" technology, Office 365 users no longer have to sign in to Yammer to access the enterprise social networking product, Microsoft said on Tuesday.

Microsoft To Release SQL Server 2012 SP2 'Later This Year'

Service Pack 2 (SP2) for SQL Server 2012 will arrive "later this year," Microsoft announced on Thursday.

Google, VMware Partner To Bring Windows Apps to Chromebooks

Google and VMware this week announced a VDI deal in which Google's Chromebook laptops will be enabled to run Windows desktops and Windows apps.

Office 365 Gets Multifactor Authentication at No Cost

Microsoft this week added free multifactor authentication support to its standalone Office 365 plans, as well as to the Midsize Business, Enterprise, Academic and Nonprofit Office 365 plans.

Nokia Reportedly Planning To Launch Android Phone

Nokia, whose handset business is in the process of being acquired by Microsoft, will debut a Google Android-based smartphone later this month, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Windows Server 2012 R2 Storage Spaces Get Dell Support

Dell's PowerEdge Servers, its SAS Host Bus Adapters, as well as its PowerVault MD1200 and MD1220 storage enclosures now support Windows Server 2012 R2's "storage spaces" feature, Dell said Tuesday.

Analysis: Orgs Must Adapt to Microsoft's Faster Windows Cadence

Microsoft's faster release cycle for its Windows operating system should be a signal for organizations that they can no longer rely on past upgrade strategies, according to research firm Gartner.

Microsoft To Roll Out Two Key Dynamics GP Releases in 2014

Microsoft recently laid out the roadmap for its Dynamics GP enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution, highlighting two important releases coming by year's end.

Power BI for Office 365 Hits General Availability

Microsoft's so-called "self-service business intelligence" product, Power BI for Office 365, hit the general availability milestone on Monday.

Microsoft Raising License Costs Under Server and Cloud Enrollment

Organizations may see higher licensing costs with the launch of Microsoft's new Server and Cloud Enrollment (SCE) agreements, according to licensing expert Paul DeGroot.

Sony To Divest VAIO Brand, Exit PC Business

Consumer electronics giant Sony announced on Thursday that it plans to sell off its VAIO line of PCs in a move that effectively takes the Japan-based company out of the PC market.