In the News

Microsoft is releasing a new SharePoint, introducing phone apps designed to fix the product’s lack of mobile integration, and updating the OneDrive file-sharing apps. The software maker will offer free migrations for customers of its Office cloud software who want to switch to OneDrive from Box or Google Drive. Jeff Teper, Microsoft Vice President who founded the SharePoint business, said, “We’ve played a bit of catch up with the niche file-sharing solutions.”

Microsoft wants to make an ecosystem of intelligent digital assistants that use contextual and personal information to rapidly deliver customized services. The company’s vision is to replace applications with bots, that take action triggered by keywords. Facebook Messenger just got added, which increases the reach of bots using Microsoft’s Bot Framework tremendously. Users can interface with these intelligent digital assistants using a feature phone as well.

Windows 10 is on pace to power 20% of all Windows desktop systems by the end of June. Data from Net Applications pegged Windows 10’s user share, a proxy for the percentage of personal computers worldwide that ran the OS at 15.3% in April, a 1.2-percentage point increase from the month prior. Net Applications tallied unique visitors to clients’ websites to come up with its measurements. Microsoft intends to release the year’s major upgrade to Windows 10, dubbed “Anniversary Update,” this summer.

Microsoft announced the availability of Dynamics CRM Online services from its local datacenters in India. Bhaskar Pramanik, Chairman, Microsoft India, said, “We are the first hyper-scale global cloud provider to offer cloud services from local datacenters in India. With a complete portfolio of cloud services Microsoft Azure, Office 365, and now Dynamics CRM Online, we will continue to lead the market by offering ‘cloud-on-your-terms’. In the first six months of our local cloud launch, we have seen 50 of top 100 companies listed on the BSE, adopt Microsoft cloud to drive their digital transformation.”

Microsoft’s E3 2016 will focus not just on Xbox, but also Windows 10. This is the first time that the company will focus on PC gaming at E3 since they started attending the convention. Microsoft will be airing their E3 showing on Spike TV, as well as live on Xbox, and on xbox.com. Halo Wars 2, Gears of War 4, Sea of Thieves, ReCore, Forza Horizon 3, and Crackdown 3 might be some of the games to be showcased.

Paragon Solutions, an advisory consulting and systems integration firm, announced it has renewed its Microsoft Silver Competency in Content and Collaboration. As a member of the Microsoft Partner Network, Paragon has continually achieved Microsoft Partner competency certification for its SharePoint expertise since 2009. Microsoft Partner competencies enable partners to demonstrate their capabilities and expertise with Microsoft’s technology portfolio.

The Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider Program allows intY to distribute and provide direct billing, sell combined offers and services, as well as directly provide, manage and support Microsoft cloud offerings to partners and customers. Phil Sorgen, Corporate Vice President, Worldwide Partner Group, Microsoft, said, “To meet the growing demand of our cloud-based solutions, we’re thrilled to expand the capabilities for cloud partners under the Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider Program. By joining the Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider Program, partners will deepen customer relationships and expand business opportunities in the cloud.”

Solano Labs, a leading provider of continuous integration and deployment solutions, announced beta support for universal compute resources for its Solano CI software-as-a-service (SaaS) continuous integration platform, and invites developers to participate in its Microsoft Azure and IoT beta trials.

Microsoft has acquired Solair, an Italian builder of software, that helps businesses connect and manage their Internet-connected devices. The acquisition strengthens Microsoft’s offerings in the nascent Internet of Things, the catchall name for the proliferation of sensors and Internet connectivity in homes and businesses.

Microsoft has outlined the timetable it will use to drop browser support for sites that secure traffic with SHA-1 certificates. The move is a part of an Internet-wide plan to rid the Internet of the weaker encryption. With the delivery of the Windows 10 Anniversary Update slated to ship sometime this summer, both Internet Explorer and Edge will stop displaying a lock icon for sites that reply on a SHA-1 certificate.