News


Windows 10 Update Goes from 'Optional' to 'Recommended'

Microsoft has bumped up Windows 10 from being an "optional update" in Windows Update to being a "recommended update," which could lead to some unexpected migrations.

Microsoft To Double Minimum Seat Requirements for EA

Starting this July, Microsoft will double the number of seats required for organizations to qualify for Microsoft Enterprise Agreement (EA) sales.

iPad Pro, Surface Pro Make Gains in Bad Tablet Market

The "detachable" tablet segment, which includes Microsoft's Surface and Apple's iPad Pro, was the lone bright spot in an otherwise poor year for tablet sales, according to recently released data from IDC.

First Microsoft Azure Stack Preview Sees Daylight

As promised, Microsoft released the first technical preview of its new Azure Stack offering on Friday.

Microsoft Posts Windows Azure Pack Support Timeline

A whitepaper released by Microsoft on Wednesday outlines its roadmap plans for the Windows Azure Pack.

Microsoft's Q2 Financials: Cloud Up, Windows Down

Microsoft posted growth in its cloud business, mixed results on the productivity and business processes business, and declines in the unit that includes Windows OEM revenues and devices in its second-quarter results reported Thursday.

Microsoft Tells OEMs To Warn PC Buyers of Support Issues

Microsoft is requiring its hardware partners to alert buyers of Intel Skylake-based PCs about impending support deadlines.

Microsoft Boosts Office Online Integration with Outside Cloud Services

Users of Microsoft's Office Online service can now co-author files in real time even if those files are stored in third-party cloud storage services like Box, Citrix ShareFile, Dropbox and Egnyte.

Microsoft Readies First Preview of Azure Stack

The first technical preview of Microsoft's new Azure Stack solutions will be released on Friday, according to a Microsoft announcement.

VMware Layoffs Begin, vCloud Air Unit Takes Brunt

VMware, whose parent company is set to be acquired by Dell as part of the largest deal in IT history, reportedly began laying off employees this week, just ahead of its fourth-quarter earnings announcement.

Support Clock Ticking for Some Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 PCs

A list of of Intel Skylake-based PCs that can run Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 but will have truncated Windows product lifecycle support was released by Microsoft late last week.

SharePoint 2016 Nears Finish Line with New Release Candidate

Microsoft on Wednesday issued release candidates (RCs) of its upcoming SharePoint Server 2016 and Project Server 2016 products.

Former Microsoft Dynamics Chief Tatarinov Now CEO of Citrix

The restructuring effort at Citrix Systems Inc. hit a major milestone on Wednesday, when the company appointed Kirill Tatarinov to the position of CEO.

Microsoft Pledges $1 Billion Cloud Investment for Nonprofits

Microsoft plans to contribute $1 billion in cloud resources over the next three years to nonprofit organizations, the company said this week.

Survey: Most Windows 10 Migrations Will Be Completed this Year

A poll by Microsoft partner Adaptiva (sign-up required) indicates that most organizations that have started the Windows 10 migration process intend to complete them by year's end.

Microsoft Warns of Changes to Windows Support Policies

New PC hardware improvements and emerging chip technologies from AMD, Intel, Nvidia and Qualcomm will have an impact on the lifecycle support policies of Windows 10, Windows 7 and Windows 8.1, Microsoft announced recently.

Microsoft, AWS and Google Scrap over Cloud Costs

Barely two weeks into the new year, the top three players in the public cloud arena have already started another tussle over their ever-declining cloud costs.

Microsoft Expanding Windows 10 Push to Small Businesses

Microsoft's Windows 10 upgrade push will soon expand to organizations, the company said on Wednesday.

Microsoft Officially Drops Support for Windows 8

Windows 8 passed its "extended support" deadline this week, exposing its users to potential security risks.

Skype Gets Analytics Boost with Microsoft's Event Zero Buy

Microsoft on Wednesday announced it has acquired technology from Event Zero, an Australia-based maker of software tools for Skype for Business with a focus on operations reporting.