In the News

Microsoft announced that its new version of SQL Server will be out of beta and ready for commercial release on June 1. SQL Server 2016 comes with a suite of new features over its predecessor, including a new Stretch Database function that allows users to store some of their data in a database on-premises and send infrequently used data to Microsoft’s Azure cloud. Another marquee feature is the new Always Encrypted function, which allows users to encrypt data at the column level, both at rest and in memory.

Microsoft is seeing immense growth opportunities in sectors such as banking and e-commerce. Microsoft India Chairman Bhaskar Pramanik, in a recent report, said that a host of companies from various sectors are either being powered by Microsoft’s cloud platform or would soon come on board. He said, “We do plan to have customers from the upcoming payments bank segment. It is not just the new payments bank but also existing banks which have all kinds of payment systems. The talks have already started with various clients. Whether it is the new banks or payments bank, we are talking to everybody.”

Microsoft held the spotlight as CEO Satya Nadella spoke to a gathering of hundreds of technology Executives, business and government leaders at Seattle. He was candid about the need for Microsoft to reinvent itself in a world moving away from the personal computer. The company is putting its software on devices outside its Windows comfort zone, building bridges to rivals, and trying to transition its empire of out-of-the-box software to tools delivered over the Internet.

Veritas Technologies, the leader in information management, announced that it has joined the Microsoft Enterprise Cloud Alliance. Chris Lwanga, Principal PM Manager, Microsoft, said, “We are pleased to welcome Veritas to the Microsoft Enterprise Cloud Alliance. As a leader in the backup and information management, their expertise and forward-thinking solutions are a welcome addition to what we can offer to other members of the Alliance. We look forward to working with and sharing our ideas with them for the betterment of enterprise customers.”

Microsoft researcher emeritus and Silicon Valley icon Gordon Bell says, “I’m really proud to be part of that organization.” Microsoft Research is more important to the tech titan than ever. Crucial futuristic products like the HoloLens holographic goggles and Skype Translate came straight out of the company’s science labs. But it wasn’t always this central to Microsoft; it was considered “not appropriate to be a part of what Microsoft was selling.”

Microsoft has made Flow, an IFTTT-like tool, that would connect several services together and allow users to create workflows. The service for now is only available in its preview version. For those unaware, IFTTT or ‘If This Then That’ is a tool that connects several Web services and apps, and allows users to create simple ‘recipes’ or workflows that perform a function if a certain condition is met. For instance, one can create a formula where, if one tweets an image on Twitter, it would automatically be saved to one’s connected cloud storage account.

Employees that need access to certain business data on the go can now build their own app using a tool from Microsoft. PowerApps allows business employees to take data from a variety of sources and create apps that run on phones and tablets without requiring them to do any coding. Applications built with PowerApps, which can run on iOS, Android and the web, can pull data from sources including Dropbox, OneDrive, Dynamics CRM and SharePoint Online.

Microsoft has found a novel way of letting people use its Bing search engine entirely with images. Simply point a smartphone, phablet or tablet at an item or object and take a photo, and Bing should be able to identify it. The updated Bing app for iOS is available to download from the iTunes App Store now.

Facebook has rolled out applications tailored to Microsoft’s latest operating system for the social network as well as its Messenger and Instagram services. Free Windows 10 Facebook and Messenger programs were hitting virtual shelves at the Windows desktop app store, and now an Instagram application powered by the Microsoft operating system has hit the Windows Phone Store.

YASH Technologies, announced its Microsoft Gold application development competency, demonstrating a “best-in-class” ability and commitment to meet the evolving needs in today’s mobile-first, cloud-first world. Phil Sorgen, Corporate Vice President, Worldwide Partner Group, Microsoft, said, “By achieving a gold competency, partners have demonstrated a deep expertise and commitment that puts them at the top of our partner ecosystem. He further said, “These partners’ proficiency of the latest Microsoft technology is instrumental in helping customers continue to drive innovative solutions.”