The Windows 8 refresh code-named Windows "Blue" has just completed its first milestone build (M1), according to ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley.
                    
			            - By Chris  Paoli
- February 19, 2013
 
            
                
	                
                    
                                        
		            
                    Lync 2013 will have similar load balancing requirements as the previous version of Microsoft's unified communications server, according to an expert with Kemp Technologies, one of 12 Microsoft partners that offer qualified load balancer products for Lync.
                    
			            - By Kurt  Mackie
- February 19, 2013
 
            
                
	                
                    
                                        
		            
                    Windows 8 devices, with their built-in security capabilities, could simplify matters for organizations considering bring-your-own-device (BYOD) scenarios, according to Wave Systems Corp., an independent software vendor and board member of the Trusted Computing Group. 
                    
			            - By Kurt  Mackie
- February 15, 2013
 
            
                
	                
                    
                                        
		            
                    Chief information officers named Microsoft their most indispensable "mega-vendor" in Piper Jaffray's quarterly CIO Survey released to its clients this week.
                    
			            - By Jeffrey  Schwartz
- February 15, 2013
 
            
                
	                
                    
                                        
		            
                    In response to questions about Microsoft's market strategy with Windows 8, Chief Financial Officer Peter Klein repeated the same basic response: The Windows 8 ecosystem is still evolving.
                    
			            - By Kurt  Mackie
- February 14, 2013
 
            
                
	                
                    
                                        
		            
                    The third service pack for Exchange 2010, which will enable the older e-mail server to work with some of Microsoft's newer product releases, was released on Tuesday.
                    
			            - By Kurt  Mackie
- February 13, 2013
 
            
                
	                
                    
                                        
		            
                    Microsoft has fallen off the top 10 of Harris Interactive's annual survey measuring the reputations of the most visible companies in the United States, while Amazon.com, Apple and Google are among the top five.
                    
			            - By Gladys  Rama
- February 13, 2013
 
            
                
	                
                    
                                        
		            
                    Wednesday, Feb. 13 will be the last day for Microsoft's Mesh file synchronization service.
                    
			            - By Kurt  Mackie
- February 12, 2013
 
            
                
	                
                    
                                        
		            
                    In a major procedural shift, Exchange 2013 updates will be released as quarterly cumulative updates (CU) starting sometime in this first quarter, Microsoft announced on Friday.
                    
			            - By Kurt  Mackie
- February 11, 2013
 
            
                
	                
                    
                                        
		            
                    The rumored Windows "Blue" might be a wave of frequently issued updates to various Microsoft products, instead of just a new flagship operating system, according to a press report.
                    
			            - By Kurt  Mackie
- February 08, 2013
 
            
                
	                
                    
                                        
		            
                    In preparation for Saturday's launch of the Surface Pro tablet, Microsoft's Surface team on Wednesday fielded questions about the device in a Reddit AMA (ask me anything) session.
                    
			            - By Kurt  Mackie
- February 07, 2013
 
            
                
	                
                    
                                        
		            
                    Microsoft's next-generation Office products will reach general availability in March, the company said.
                    
			            - By Kurt  Mackie
- February 07, 2013
 
            
                
	                
                    
                                        
		            
                    One of the worst-kept rumors on Wall Street affecting the IT industry in recent weeks became official on Tuesday morning, as private equity firm Silver Lake Partners agreed to acquire Dell Inc. in a deal the company values at approximately $24.3 billion. 
                    
			            - By Jeffrey  Schwartz
- February 05, 2013
 
            
                
	                
                    
                                        
		            
                    Parallels on Tuesday unveiled an overhaul of its channel-focused platform for delivering cloud-based services to SMB customers.
                    
			            - By Scott  Bekker
- February 05, 2013
 
            
                
	                
                    
                                        
		            
                    Microsoft recently released an update to Office for Mac 2011 Service Pack 3 that delivers several fixes to the productivity suite.
                    
			            - By Kurt  Mackie
- February 04, 2013
 
            
                
	                
                    
                                        
		            
                    Acme Packet, one of Microsoft's key Lync ecosystem partners, is being acquired by Oracle for $2.1 billion.
                    
			            - By Jeffrey  Schwartz
- February 04, 2013
 
            
                
	                
                    
                                        
		            
                    Echoing Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer's declaration in October that Microsoft is now a "devices and services company," a newly published report indicates that Microsoft's product strategy for 2013 will be focused on tablets and cloud-enabled software.
                    
			            - By Kurt  Mackie
- February 04, 2013
 
            
                
	                
                    
                                        
		            
                    Microsoft lowered Windows Azure price decrease last week for its SQL Reporting Services, which is used for business intelligence-type applications.
                    
			            - By Kurt  Mackie
- February 03, 2013
 
            
                
	                
                    
                                        
		            
                    Microsoft began issuing the Windows Phone 7.8 update for older Windows Phone 7.5-era devices to users this week.
                    
			            - By Gladys  Rama
- February 01, 2013
 
            
                
	                
                    
                                        
		            
                    Technology giants Hewlett-Packard, IBM and Microsoft were ranked among the top 20 companies U.S. consumers trust most with their privacy in a study published this week by research firm Ponemon Institute.
                    
			            - By Gladys  Rama
- January 31, 2013