News


HP Wins Contract To Move Dept. of Veterans Affairs to Office 365

Hewlett-Packard Co. has won a five-year, $36 million contract to transition the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to Office 365 for Government, Microsoft's cloud productivity suite for public-sector agencies.

Former Windows Phone Chief Andy Lees Promoted to New Role

Andy Lees, previously the president of Microsoft's Windows Phone Division, officially has a new title: head of corporate development and strategy.

Microsoft Rolls Out IE 10 'Release Preview' for Windows 7

A "release preview" version of Internet Explorer 10 for Windows 7 is now available for download, Microsoft announced on Tuesday.

Microsoft To Give Windows Azure High-Performance Computing Boost

Slated improvements to Windows Azure are designed for organizations engaged in high-performance computing (HPC) analyses, Microsoft announced Tuesday.

Top Windows Exec Steven Sinofsky Abruptly Exits Microsoft

Steven Sinofsky, president of Microsoft's Windows and Windows Live group, and widely considered a possible successor to CEO Steve Ballmer, has unexpectedly left the company.

Verizon Rolls Out UC Management Services for Microsoft Lync

Enhancing its existing enterprise offerings, Verizon on Thursday released a new unified communications management service for large enterprises in conjunction with Microsoft Lync Server 2010.

Microsoft BizTalk Server 2013 Hits Beta

The beta test version of Microsoft's BizTalk Server 2013 became available on Thursday.

Microsoft Releases SQL Server 2012 SP1, Talks Self-Service BI

The first new service pack for SQL Server 2012 is now available, Microsoft announced on Wednesday at the annual PASS summit event being held this week in Seattle.

Skype Launches Networking Platform for SMBs

Microsoft's Skype team opened its online networking platform for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) to the public on Thursday.

Microsoft Scraps Messenger, Replaces It with Skype

Microsoft is shuttering its Messenger instant-messaging service in favor of Skype's voice-over-IP service, the company announced on Monday.

Next Dynamics CRM Online Update To Feature Yammer, Skype Integration

The Q4 service update to Dynamics CRM Online will be rolled out in mid-December, Microsoft announced on Thursday.

Windows Server 2012 Essentials Available for Download, Hardware Lagging

Microsoft made Windows Server 2012 Essentials, its new server for small businesses and home office users, generally available as a software download on Thursday, but the hardware is still to come.

Microsoft Replaces 'Metro' Name with 'Windows Store App'

Microsoft appears to have officially changed the "Metro" term for the user interface (UI) and app style for Windows 8 to a new "Windows Store app."

Office 2013, SharePoint 2013, Exchange 2013 Released to Volume Licensees

Volume licensing customers can now access Microsoft Office 2013, plus various application servers with the "2013" branding, according to a report by ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley.

Windows Phone 8 To Include 'New Office' Version for Mobile

"The new Office" will be arriving preinstalled on all Windows Phone 8 devices, Microsoft announced on Monday.

Microsoft Stumps for Windows 8, Windows Phone 8 at Build

Microsoft executives pulled out all the stops at Monday's Build 2012 conference kickoff in an effort to lure developers to Windows 8, Surface RT and Windows Phone 8.

Microsoft To Consolidate MPN Competencies in November (CHART)

Microsoft is reducing the number of competencies in the Microsoft Partner Network this month from 29 to 25.

Microsoft Launches Windows Phone 8; Devices To Roll Out in Nov.

Microsoft put in place the last piece of its evolving Windows 8 picture Monday with the official launch of Windows Phone 8 at an event in San Francisco.

SharePoint Costs More than Organizations Realize, Study Finds

SharePoint incurs greater costs and requires more personnel than organizations expect, according to a recent survey sponsored by Microsoft national systems integrator (NSI) partner Azaleos Corp and conducted by Osterman Research.

Ballmer: Business Users Will 'Love' Windows 8 and RT Tablets

Despite tepid enthusiasm among businesses for Microsoft's new tablet-oriented Windows 8 and RT operating system launched last week, the software giant is confident they will move to the new platform.