News


SP1 Coming Next Year for Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2

Service Pack 1 for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 will be released "within the first half of calendar year 2011," Microsoft announced this week.

Survey: IT Stuck in Manual Mode Despite Active Directory's Promises

According to a recent study, administrators in Windows environments are still doing much of their administrative legwork the old-fashioned way: by hand.

Dell Kace Offers Free 'Secure Browser' Virtualization Tool

Dell Kace today rolled out a free browser virtualization solution that can help protect against Web threats.

Microsoft Releasing Windows Phone 7 to Developers

Microsoft's Windows Phone engineering team announced yesterday that Windows Phone 7 Series has reached the technical preview stage.

Microsoft Stands Firm on MPN Changes for Now

Microsoft's decision last week to offer Gold and Silver tiers to its new partner network has done little to console those who will effectively be demoted due to new certification requirements of the new program.

Windows Zero-Day Advisory Issued on USB Drives

Microsoft issued a security advisory on Friday about a Windows vulnerability associated with shortcut icons on USB drives.

Adobe Reader and Microsoft IE Top Web Security Concerns

The majority of Internet security threats come from unpatched vulnerabilities in Adobe Acrobat/Reader and Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser.

DARPA Crowdsourcing Chief Joins Microsoft

DARPA's top crowdsourcing guru is stepping down from his post to join Microsoft, reports Wired.com's Danger Room blog. Peter Lee, head of the agency's Transformational Convergence Technology Office, served only one year with the government.

Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit 5.0 Released

Microsoft last week released the next version of a free tool that provides upgrade advice for those using the company's flagship software products.

GFI Acquires Sunbelt Software, Expands Channel

GFI Software on Tuesday announced the acquisition of Clearwater, Fla.-based Sunbelt Software, a maker of Windows security products.

Microsoft Unveils Windows Small Business Server Previews

Microsoft on Monday announced two new "previews" to come for its Windows Small Business Server product suite.

Windows 7 Downgrade Rights Extended by Microsoft

Microsoft has extended Windows 7 downgrade rights for those buying new PCs from original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).

Microsoft Delivers July Security Patch

Microsoft, as expected, released four fixes in its July security update. Three are rated "critical" and one is deemed "important."

Ballmer: Microsoft's Partners Must Embrace the Cloud

Microsoft's partners should get onboard with Microsoft's business shift to the cloud or be left behind.

Microsoft Releases SP1 Beta for Windows Server 2008 R2

Microsoft today announced the beta release of Service Pack 1 for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2.

IAMCP Gets New International President

Ulises Aguilar Nahle began his six-month term as president of the International Association of Microsoft Channel Partners this week.

Coming This Fall: Windows Azure Cloud Appliances

Addressing one of the key objectives of cloud computing, Microsoft today said its Windows Azure platform will be available as an appliance that can run on customer and partner premises.

Windows Intune Beta 2 Service Now Available

Microsoft rolled out a second beta of its Windows Intune service on Monday, but availability is limited.

'Gold' Gets New Life in the Microsoft Partner Network

Microsoft this week will announce it's bringing back 'gold' and 'silver' to the naming conventions used for partner levels.

Google Averts Censorship Showdown in China

China renewed Google's licenses as an Internet content provider for that country, according to Google's chief legal officer.