In short, the pledge encourages companies to tackle attacks and malicious activities as a unit, regardless of borders. It looks to increase safety on the internet, educate citizens, and work on strengthening international standards. Microsoft has been fighting against the attacks of Russia’s Fancy Bear for some time, seizing domains and using them to gather intelligence. It also played a key role in dicovering election tampering in last year’s French election....

Desktop Analytics has been in preview since it was launched in September 2018. Users can leverage the suite to iron out compatibility when upgrading Windows 10 and Office 365. For example, organizations can use the tool to sort applications ahead of an upgrade. Desktop Analytics is a suite that helps smooth out compatibility when upgrading Windows 10 and Office 365. In its announcement, Jared Spataro, corporate vice president for Office and Windows marketing said the tool can be used by companies for sorting apps before upgrades....

1 Microsoft Layoffs 2017: SME and Enterprise Customer Units2 Job Cutting UPDATE July 4, 2017 12:19 CEST: Microsoft has confirmed a restructure of its sales and marketing organization via internal memos to employees. July 3, 2017 17:22 CEST: Bad Microsoft layoff news: The company is preparing to layoff thousands of employees from all around the world. The move is reported to be centred around reorganizing its salesforce. Microsoft is currently in its best position in years, making solid revenue and enjoying growth across most key products, so the move is related to a change in strategy....

Despite its new-found love for Linux, one expert believes Microsoft has a long way to go to atone for past problems. Specifically, free-software leader Richard Stallman says Microsoft’s top execs previously targeted open source in the past. Most famous of the Linux attacks was former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, who described the platform as a “cancer”. Former Windows chief Jim Allchin said the open source idea was both un-American and a killer of intellectual property....

In a blog post, Microsoft explains how the new Azure gateway allows users to move data to the cloud and maintain it on-premises. The company has made the gateway support Azure Logic Apps right now, but it will also support Azure Analysis Services. That additional support will come “in the next few months”. Customers accessing the on-premises gateway for the first time will see a number of important new features....

“So now we can finally reveal that Mixer is integrated StreamElements into and we will continue to iterate on it to ensure it fits all of your streaming needs.” StreamElements is a leading service that is popular amongst game streamers. It provides tools for people to customize and design the layout of their screen during streams. These layouts are hosted on the cloud. Furthermore, StreamElements provides a selection of free pre-made steam layouts....

Specifically, the agency has offered advise for companies that have rushed to deploy Office 365 amidst the COVID-19 outbreak. In the advisory, CISA says it sees organizations that have not rolled out security for Office 365 in a robust way. “In recent weeks, organizations have been forced to change their collaboration methods to support a full ‘work from home’ workforce,” CISA notes in the new alert. “O365 provides cloud-based email capabilities, as well as chat and video capabilities using Microsoft Teams....

Azure Sphere was created by Microsoft to bring more security to devices in a connected environment. The new NXP Semiconductor i.MX 8 will come with Microsoft’s Pluton security system and connect to Azure Sphere Security Service. Under this service, device security will be automatically updated, while potential threats will be surfaced. “At a time when the opportunity of innovation is limited only by imagination, security is a persistent challenge. Our collaboration with NXP enables our partners to fully realize the opportunity in front of them by delivering intelligent security that is responsive and always learning,” said Galen Hunt, Distinguished Engineer and Managing Director, Microsoft Azure Sphere....

During its Surface Duo announcement, Microsoft confirmed the dual-screen device will be just 4.8mm thick. That’s not a lot of room for battery. Considering the Duo has two screens, it is likely to consume more battery than a regular smartphone. A recently applied Microsoft patent shows how the company wants to make it easier for users to keep track of their battery consumption. Specifically, the company describes a battery meter that will display more information....

Office 365 Planner makes it easier for businesses to manage teamwork operations, allowing the creation of team-wide email notifications, project due dates, and visual dashboards. When Microsoft launched Planner in 2016, the company said it simplified workflow management. The Trello competitor is ideal as a Microsoft To-Do integration and Office 365 users will soon use both service together. Microsoft discusses the integration in the latest beta update for Planner on iOS....

I touched upon controversy in that opening and nothing has quite stoked the flames quite like how Windows 10 collects data. Users are concerned Microsoft is aggressively farming data and giving them little choice. It is something that has earned the company criticism from regulators and advocacy groups. Microsoft has worked towards easing concerns with a number of measures. The latest is called Windows Diagnostic Data Viewer, another way for Windows 10 users to keep tabs on the company....

1 Four areas of insights2 How to start In the announcement blog post, the company notes that the content pack combines the intelligence of the usage reports, launched in March 2016, with the interactive capabilities of Power BI. Thanks to the Office 365 adoption content pack, admins get their hands on usage and adoption insights. That way, administrators will be able to easily train employees on how to use new software....

Now, Microsoft has announced Visual Studio 2017 Preview version 15.2. According to the release notes the new version brings several new features including the Data science and analytical workload. This new workload provides a one-click install of all your data analysis needs. It includes support for Python, R, F#, and their respective packages/distros. The workload helps users enable the acquisition, analysis, and visualization of data all the way through to building and deploying machine learning models....

Cortana on Skype would give users the ability to ask the assistant to complete basic tasks, or make entries to the calendar. Microsoft has shuttered the service instantly, so messaging the Cortana bot now brings no response. Microsoft has been sending out notices to users saying the bot is “no longer supported in Skype”, although existing conversations will stay open until April 30. With the rise of Alexa on Windows 10, Cortana is increasingly being moved towards being a productivity-focused virtual assistant....

Microsoft is removing the feature that allowed users to stream over-the-air TV from a USB antenna to the Xbox app on iOS and Android. Microsoft sent the following message to Reddit user icecreamman37 confirming the removal: “You may have streamed TV content using a USB TV tuner from your Xbox console to the Xbox app. In 30 days, the Xbox app on iOS and Android will no longer support this functionality....

The PrintNightmare situation has plagued Windows 11 since the OS made its debut in the fall of 2021. Microsoft has had its share of Windows printing problems through the PrintNightmare problem. PrintNightmare started from an exploit PoC accidentally leaking online in June 2021, to Microsoft later issuing an emergency out-of-band patch. While the situation was different, Windows 11’s printer issues have also come to the 2022 Update (22H2). It is worth noting the PrintNightmare was specifically the June 2021 exploit problem....

Project HAMS (Harnessing Automobile for Safety) automates licensing by removing a trainer from the vehicle. Instead, a smartphone is docked to the windshield of a car. Microsoft says HAMS will allow Indian authorities to better police licensing discrepancies. India has a problem with driving tests. Numerous loopholes exist that allow motorists to get licensed without taking an assessment. A survey by SaveLIFE Foundation found 59% of participants didn’t complete a test to get their license....

According to Microsoft, the goal is to bring more security to protect laptops running Windows 10. The company says firmware issued by OEMs often has more privilege than the Windows kernel, allowing attacks to be perpetrated more easily. With secured-core PCs, Windows 10 devices will come with a more secured platform out of the box. Integrated hardware, software, and firmware come in the package. Microsoft points out OEMs will have to meet certain security requirements to get a certification....

He also revealed that recruiter Lindsey McQueeney would be joining the team, who formerly worked for THQ, Crystal Dynamics, and Google. Microsoft is still looking for Art and Technical director, so her help may be invaluable. The information was found on the LinkedIn of studio head Darrel Gallagher, who held executive roles at Activision, Square Enix, and Crystal Dynamics. Though the post was quickly removed, it’s now live again....

His statement follows a paper by AI Now, which contains Google and Microsoft employees. In it, the group calls for regulation and highlights how it can be used to undermine civil liberties. The paper came after news that the secret service wants to test the technology around the white house. “We believe that the only way to protect against this race to the bottom is to build a floor of responsibility that supports healthy market competition....