In the News

Microsoft announced that it has made a deal to acquire Secure Islands, an Israeli company that focuses on protecting companies’ data. The acquisition will help Microsoft level up its Azure Rights Management Service, which lets companies protect files individually and in bulk with tools that ensure they aren’t opened or modified by people who are unauthorized to do so. Secure Islands’s services include data classification technology that automatically detects the creation of new files from a variety of sources and then applies a protection policy to it.

Mcrosoft Dynamics AX, an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system that consolidates business operations into a single, familiar Microsoft technology platform, now supports the unique requirements of automotive manufacturers. A new solution, the Crowe Automotive Accelerator for Microsoft Dynamics AX, was developed by Crowe Horwath LLP.

Gesture-based data analytics, as depicted in science-fiction thriller movie Minority Report, could soon become an everyday reality. The future of computing as we know might transform completely into something in which users could browse through mountains of data by using simple gestures. Scott Guthrie, Executive Vice-President, Cloud & Enterprise Group, Microsoft, spoke to BusinessLine about how the company is building that future with the combination of cloud, analytics and its futuristic virtual reality gadget HoloLens.

icrosoft launched Cortana in India via Windows 10 Insider Preview builds 10532+ Windows phone 8.1 for users in India. Microsoft India director (Windows Business Group) Vineet Durani had had annonced in July that Cortana will be made available to Insiders (developers with Microsoft) first, and later to consumers. The users would be able to use ‘virtual assistant’ Cortana to find data, track information, set reminders, etc.

Microsoft has revealed the first 104 Xbox 360 games that will be backwards compatible on the Xbox One once the feature goes live with the New Xbox One Experience. The full list includes Mass Effect, Mirror’s Edge, Halo: Spartan Assault, Gears of War 1 to 3 and Judgment, Beyond Good & Evil HD, Assassin’s Creed II, Sonic CD, Shadow Complex, Just Cause 2, Kameo and many more.

Microsoft and Red Hat has announced a partnership that will help customers embrace hybrid cloud computing by providing greater choice and flexibility deploying Red Hat solutions on Microsoft Azure. As a key component of today’s announcement, Microsoft is offering Red Hat Enterprise Linux as the preferred choice for enterprise Linux workloads on Microsoft Azure. In addition, Microsoft and Red Hat are also working together to address common enterprise, ISV and developer needs for building, deploying and managing applications on Red Hat software across private and public clouds.

Zoho Corporation the parent company of Zoho.com, ManageEngine, and WebNMS, announced a strategic partnership with Microsoft to contribute towards Microsoft’s O365 Marketplace, Azure Marketplace, and the mobility of Windows at Microsoft’s Future Unleashed event, held in Mumbai, India, last week. Zoho Corporation will work together with the Microsoft local cloud to enhance customer experience and redefine productivity.

India’s largest direct seller Amway is working with technology major Microsoft to digitise its brick-and-mortar stores. Stores here imply outlets, where Amway distributors can place orders and collect their goods from the company.There are 154 such Amway stores located in 150 cities in the country, with the company now looking to introduce a digital wall in each of these physical stores that will allow distributors to directly place orders, make payments and pick-up their goods without human intervention.

Halo 5: Guardians has had a rather incredible and successful launch and some of the top execs at Microsoft have been spending the week making sure 343 Industries gets a loud round of applause. Halo 5: Guardians raised more than $400 million in revenue from and hardware sales in the short period since the game was released.

Microsoft has acquired Mobile Data Labs, creator of the MileIQ app and maker of productivity solutions for mobile professionals. The Mobile Data Labs team will continue to build and offer mobile productivity solutions and look to take advantage of insights from Office 365 and the Office Graph.Rajesh Jha, Corporate Vice President, Outlook and Office 365 explains that Mobile Data Lab’s MileIQ app takes advantage of sensors in modern mobile devices to automatically and contextually capture, log and calculate business miles, allowing users to confidently claim tax deductions.