Microsoft Dynamics CRM Global Premiere Event kickoff and Microsoft Dynamics Convergence 2013 EMEA

REDMOND, Wash. — Oct. 30, 2013 — Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq “MSFT”) on Wednesday announced the details of live webcasts for the Global Premiere Event for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2013 and Convergence 2013 EMEA, the Microsoft Dynamics community business conference from Barcelona, Spain, Nov. 4 and 5.

The Microsoft Dynamics CRM Global Premiere Event will feature Microsoft executives and highlight how customers around the globe are using the new Microsoft Dynamics CRM release to create compelling customer experiences and bring those experiences to life. The event will also showcase the new release in action.

What: Microsoft Dynamics CRM Global Premiere Event

When: Monday, Nov. 4, 2013, 5:30–7 p.m. CET

(8:30–10 a.m. U.S. PST and 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m. U.S. EST)

Where: Fira Barcelona Gran Via Conference Centre, Barcelona, Spain

Live webcast

information: The live webcast will begin at 5:30 p.m. CET. Viewers may register and access the webcast at Microsoft Dynamics CRM Global Premiere Event.

Microsoft kicks off its Convergence 2013 EMEA with an opening keynote that puts a spotlight on the amazing business transformations Microsoft Dynamics customers are experiencing using modern business solutions. Business leaders from the region will share the stage with Kirill Tatarinov, executive vice president, Microsoft Business Solutions, and Jean-Philippe Courtois, president, Microsoft International, and discuss how their businesses are thriving. Tatarinov will also use the keynote to share a vision of how organizations can grow and succeed by connecting in new ways with their customers.

What: Microsoft Convergence EMEA 2013 keynote

Who: Kirill Tatarinov, executive vice president, Microsoft Business Solutions, and Jean-Philippe Courtois, president, Microsoft International

When: Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2013, 9:30–11 a.m. CET

(12:30–2 a.m. U.S. PST and 3:30–5 a.m. U.S. EST)

Where: Fira Barcelona Gran Via Conference Centre Barcelona, Spain

Live Webcast

Information: The live webcast of the keynote address will begin at 9:30 a.m. CET. Viewers may access the webcast at http://www.microsoft.com/dynamics/convergence/emea13.

Transcript Information: A replay and transcript will be available within 24 hours on the Convergence 2013 EMEA website.

More information and news from Convergence 2013 is available at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/presskits/dynamics.

Those who want to follow and engage with the Microsoft Dynamics Twitter community can do so at @MSDynamics using #ConvEMEA13.

About Microsoft Dynamics

At the heart of every successful business are the people who make things happen. Microsoft Dynamics designs modern business solutions that empower individuals with intuitive tools that allow them to do their best work. Our proactive, easy-to-use business applications adapt to the way people and systems work, enabling businesses to rapidly deploy and be forward-looking in an ever-changing world.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

Note to editors: For more information, news and perspectives from Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft News Center at http://www.microsoft.com/news. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft’s Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at http://www.microsoft.com/news/contactpr.mspx.

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You’re invited! Details of Xbox One global launch events announced

Get ready to party before the party: Major global launch events are slated in the hours leading up to the Xbox One’s release at 12:01 a.m. Nov. 22 around the world, and you are invited.

Marquee events are planned in major cities including New York City, Los Angeles, London, Berlin, Paris, Vienna, Sao Paulo, Toronto and Sydney, reports Lisa Gurry, editor of Xbox Wire.

The festivities will be showcased in a live broadcast airing on Spike TV, beginning at 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT, also on Xbox.com and on Xbox Live.

“In the U.S., the ultimate midnight celebration will take place in Times Square in New York City,” Gurry writes. “The world of Xbox One will come to life as zombies, Roman soldiers and supercars converge on the Best Buy Theater, where awaiting fans will be among the first in America to receive their consoles and countdown to midnight with great games, entertainment and special surprises.”

The “pinnacle of the evening will be a performance by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, streamed outside the Best Buy Theater, and attended by 1,000 lucky fans who will experience the ultimate Xbox One launch,” she writes. “The first 1,000 people in line outside the Best Buy Theater in Times Square who purchase an Xbox One or Xbox One game will enjoy the concert in-person and the opportunity to enjoy special gameplay experiences with ‘Forza Motorsport 5,’ ‘Ryse: Son of Rome,’ ‘Dead Rising 3,’ ‘Killer Instinct’ and other Xbox One game titles.”

In Los Angeles, Xbox fans are invited to Milk Studios, which will be turned into a “gamer haven, with gameplay stations for the new games.” The first 500 gamers who buy an Xbox One or Xbox One game will enjoy an exclusive concert with deadmau5.

More than 10,000 retail locations in 13 countries will open their doors at 12:01 a.m. on Nov. 22 to welcome fans, and many retailers have their own special events, ranging from free giveaways to entertainment on-site to visual spectacles.

To get your party planning started, head over to Xbox Wire.

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Suzanne Choney
Microsoft News Center Staff

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Window Server for Embedded Systems now available to take on the most critical challenges

On Friday Windows Server 2012 R2 for Embedded Systems became generally available.

“We think this is going to become the product for purpose-built, next-generation, enterprise class server appliances,” said Partha Srinivasan, product manager, Windows Embedded Server and SQL Products in a post on the Windows Embedded Blog. “With this edition, enterprises and OEMs [original equipment manufacturers] now have a lot more capabilities and a host of improvements they can leverage to enhance performance, save space and ensure nearly constant uptime.”

For one thing, he noted, the Windows Embedded team has substantially improved the product’s virtualization capabilities. This is good news for OEMs in particular, which have been utilizing virtualization to consolidate the physical architecture of their solutions and improve the return on investment of their products.

“R2 also features a host of upgrades designed to improve performance in a day-to-day, real-world way,” Srinivasan said. “The time it takes to complete a live migration has been cut in half. We’ve increased data transfer rates to 10 gigabits per second, greatly enhancing speed. We’ve also added support for USB access in guest VMs, making it easier to perform software deployment and file management. These improvements will enable OEMs to offer better products to support real world scenarios where optimized load balancing and live migration are critical.”

The combination of those two areas means that not only can you run a smaller number of server appliances, but you can do so at a higher capacity. This should result in some very interesting scenarios for operating high-performance solutions in reduced-space environments. Lufthansa Systems has already developed a small-footprint server appliance for use in airplanes, to facilitate in-flight entertainment.

Head on over to Srinivasan’s post for more on the R2 release, including its improved Storage Tiers feature, security and SMD Failover Cluster feature, which has been optimized to where total recovery time is less than 20 seconds between the system going down to being completely back online. You’ll find out how critical that is for OEM partners like Motorola Solutions, whose PremierOne computer-aided dispatch system — based on Windows Server 2008 R2 for Embedded Systems — is transforming the way 911 operators communicate with officers and first responders in the field.

To read more about Windows Server 2012 R2 for Embedded Systems, visit the product page and Srinivasan's previous blogs.

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Steve Clarke
Microsoft News Center Staff

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Microsoft enters into cooperation agreements to accelerate African innovation

NAIROBI, Kenya — Oct. 24, 2013 — While attending DEMO Africa, Microsoft Corp. on Thursday announced strategic cooperation agreements with three incubator organizations across the African continent to enable startups, innovators and Africa’s developer community to grow their skills and build businesses with Microsoft technologies. Under the recently launched Microsoft 4Afrika Initiative, Microsoft has entered into agreements with CcHUB in Nigeria, DTBi in Tanzania and AfriLabs, the pan-African hub network.

The cooperation aims to offer the communities working in these hubs increased access to software, skills development opportunities and a means through which innovative startups can access capital investment, benefit from international outreach and scale their businesses to the world through Microsoft’s cloud computing solutions.

The Co-Creation Hub, or CcHUB as it is commonly known, is Nigeria’s first innovation lab and pre-incubation space designed to catalyze creative social technology ventures. It is a place for technologists, social entrepreneurs, government and investors in and around Lagos to co-create new solutions to address business opportunities and social needs in Nigeria.

The Dar Teknohama Business Incubator, commonly known as DTBi, is a registered and autonomous entity established by the Tanzanian Commission for Science and Technology to promote information and communication technology (ICT) innovation and entrepreneurship, contributing to job creation and enhanced economic health in Tanzania.

AfriLabs is a network organization that connects incubator hubs across the continent in order to promote the growth and development of the African technology sector. AfriLabs has 20 member organizations in Cameroon, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Uganda and Zambia.

Microsoft will work with each organization to:

Support the startup community with Microsoft BizSpark memberships and access to business networking and capital investment opportunities. BizSpark is a global program that helps startups grow into successful businesses through software support and a vibrant ecosystem that delivers exceptional business advantage.

Enable developers to access the latest events and workshops on Microsoft’s newest development technologies through relevant community events.

Provide Microsoft devices, including Windows Phones and Windows-based tablets, for testing applications and other software developed by the local IT communities.

Enable them to benefit from the 4Afrika Internship program, which will provide them access to the pool of talent graduating as 4Afrika interns as potential hires for their own facilities.

Enable them to benefit from the 4Afrika Volunteer program, which will provide them with access to the pool of Microsoft employees volunteering in Africa as visiting trainers and mentors at their own facilities.

In addition, the partnership with AfriLabs will support the development of sustainable and scalable working environments across the continent, such as technology hubs and incubation centers, to stimulate entrepreneurship and support African startups. Microsoft will work with AfriLabs to help startups working in these hubs become successful technology companies driving innovation, employability, competitiveness and growth in Africa.

Mteto Nyati, vice chair of the 4Afrika Advisory Council and managing director of Microsoft South Africa, will speak at DEMO Africa this week. In advance of the event, he said, “Microsoft sees boundless potential in African youth, developers and entrepreneurs, and we view the collaborative efforts with these innovation hubs across the continent as strategic and crucial opportunities for us to extend our support to their ecosystems. Through the 4Afrika Initiative, we are deeply committed to helping accelerate African innovation, and we hope these efforts will help us reach more people who are looking to turn their great ideas into a reality that can empower their community, their country and Africa at large.”

The Microsoft 4Afrika Initiative is designed to help Africa improve its global competitiveness. By 2016, various 4Afrika efforts spanning the continent, such as these new collaborations, will help place tens of millions of smart devices in the hands of African youth, bring 1 million African small and medium-size enterprises online, upskill 100,000 members of Africa’s existing workforce, and help an additional 100,000 recent graduates develop skills for employability, 75 percent of which Microsoft will help place in jobs.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

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Microsoft unveils state-of-the-art Cybercrime Center

REDMOND, Wash. — Nov. 14, 2013 — Microsoft Corp. on Thursday announced the opening of the Microsoft Cybercrime Center, a center of excellence for advancing the global fight against cybercrime. The Cybercrime Center combines Microsoft’s legal and technical expertise as well as cutting-edge tools and technology with cross-industry expertise, marking a new era in effectively fighting crime on the Internet.

Each year, cybercrime takes a personal and financial toll on millions of consumers around the globe. The Cybercrime Center will tackle online crimes, including those associated with malware, botnets, intellectual property theft and technology-facilitated child exploitation. The work done at the Cybercrime Center will help ensure that people worldwide can use their computing devices and services with confidence.

“The Microsoft Cybercrime Center is where our experts come together with customers and partners to focus on one thing: keeping people safe online,” said David Finn, associate general counsel of the Microsoft Digital Crimes Unit. “By combining sophisticated tools and technology with the right skills and new perspectives, we can make the Internet safer for everyone.”

The Cybercrime Center is located on Microsoft’s campus in Redmond, Wash. The secured facility houses groundbreaking Microsoft technologies that allow the team to visualize and identify global cyberthreats developing in real time, including SitePrint, which allows the mapping of online organized crime networks; PhotoDNA, a leading anti-child-pornography technology; cyberforensics, a new investigative capability that detects global cybercrime, including online fraud and identity theft; and cyberthreat intelligence from Microsoft’s botnet takedown operations.

The Cybercrime Center includes a separate and secure location for third-party partners, allowing cybersecurity experts from around the world to work in the facility with Microsoft’s experts for an indefinite period of time. The dedicated space enriches partnerships across industry, academia, law enforcement and customers — critical partners in the fight against cybercrime. With nearly 100 attorneys, investigators, technical experts and forensic analysts based around the world, the Microsoft Cybercrime Center is well positioned to make it safer for people online worldwide.

“In the fight against cybercrime the public sector significantly benefits from private sector expertise, such as provided by Microsoft,” said Noboru Nakatani, executive director of the INTERPOL Global Complex for Innovation. “The security community needs to build on its coordinated responses to keep pace with today’s cybercriminals. The Microsoft Cybercrime Center will be an important hub in accomplishing that task more effectively and proactively.”

More information about the Cybercrime Center can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/news/presskits/dcu. Customers are encouraged to visit http://www.microsoft.com/security to learn about malware and help ensure their computers are not infected; if malware is present, the site offers tools to help remove the infection. All computer users should exercise safe practices, such as running up-to-date and legitimate computer software, firewall, and antivirus or antimalware protection technologies. People should also exercise caution when surfing the Web and clicking on ads or email attachments that may prove to be malicious.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

Note to editors: For more information, news and perspectives from Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft News Center at http://www.microsoft.com/news. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft’s Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at http://www.microsoft.com/news/contactpr.mspx.

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Try out Xbox One at a Microsoft store now and get entered for the 'Forza Motorsport 5' Living Room Sweepstakes

Can’t wait to experience Xbox One when it launches Nov. 22? Well, you don’t need to wait that long – Microsoft retail stores will be giving visitors an advance opportunity to dive into the gameplay experience all day, every day, leading up to launch.

“We love to play and have fun with our customers and local communities, and an advance preview of Xbox One is one additional way we are bringing amazing Microsoft experiences directly to you,” says David McAughan, chief operating officer, Microsoft Retail Stores, in an Xbox Wire post on Friday.

Stop in at any of the 75 Microsoft store locations in the U.S. and Canada to get hands-on with Microsoft One. Store associates will be on hand to answer questions and make recommendations. And if you come out to try Xbox One at a Microsoft store, you’ll be entered to win the “Forza Motorsport 5” Living Room Sweepstakes. The winner will get a package that includes a “Forza Motorsport”-branded playseat, Polk Audio N1 Gaming SurroundBar, Thrustmaster TX Racing Wheel Ferrari 458 Italia Edition, and a $2,000 gift card to use toward a big screen TV.

So make your way to a Microsoft store today!

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Jennifer Chen
Microsoft News Center Staff

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às 02:29

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State and local governments reap benefits of technology to transform cities

The following post is from Michael Donlan, Vice President, U.S. State and Local Government, Microsoft.

State and local governments are on the leading edge of progress, emerging as the drivers of not only a national, but global economy. Nowhere is this more apparent than at the National League of Cities “Congress of Cities” event in Seattle this week. I’ve enjoyed having the opportunity to engage with leaders from around the country and one thing has been consistent: Our state and local leaders are challenged to deliver more services with less resources at the very time that they are stepping up to big societal challenges.

This is an incredibly challenging position to be in, but new advances in technology are helping government agencies across the U.S. transform cities to drive economic development, better serve citizens and improve a range of efficiencies.

To help these government agencies apply technology in support of their unique needs, our Microsoft CityNext initiative places people-first to enable governments, businesses and citizens to create more sustainable, prosperous and economically competitive cities. Yet it’s not the technology alone that will take cities to the next level. With help from technology, we have an opportunity to innovate and deliver value to customers in core areas around which cities care the most, such as:

Improving Citizen Safety and Security

Like many government agencies today, law enforcement departments are stretched thin, but with a constant rise in new threats, they’re still held responsible for keeping citizens out of harm’s way. To help improve the safety of its citizens, police departments are deploying technology trends such as big data and cloud computing, both of which serve to increase operational effectiveness and efficiency. For example, the Pennsylvania Criminal Justice System implemented a Unified Case Management (UCM) application built on Microsoft Dynamics CRM to provide a common platform and enable information exchange among several departments. By providing streamlined, up-to-the-minute data, case workers, probation officers, and jail guards all have access to the same information eliminating the need to call the probation office or search files for individual warrants which ultimately ensures the safety of officers and citizens.

Empower Mobile Government Workers

State and local government employees, like workers across all enterprises, are expected to be able to manage their workloads from anywhere and keep their productivity levels high. As a means to help meet these needs, many city and county governments are prioritizing efforts to become more mobile. For example, the City of Charlotte in North Carolina deployed Microsoft Dynamics CRM online when it hosted the 2012 Democratic National Convention to provide an effective way to manage resources, public safety, and transportation, while at the same time, evaluate and process event requests from both citizens and organizations participating in convention activities. The City of Philadelphia has also improved communication and efficiency for building field inspectors and in-office managers through the use of Surface Pro devices with the Office 365 cloud solution. This solution allows field inspectors to conduct more inspections weekly, eliminate paper and more efficiently rout to and reschedule resources.

Develop Smart Buildings and Intelligent Infrastructure Systems

Many cities across the U.S. are full of sensors collecting enormous amounts of data on a daily basis, but the problem is many of these systems are disconnected, preventing city officials from being able to analyze data effectively or in a timely manner. To address this issue on our own campus, Microsoft developed a data-driven software solution to create the city of the future. This solution connects disparate systems and allows them to communicate with each other in order to increase efficiency and help detect and fix problems automatically. As a result, we are saving millions of dollars every year. Leveraging similar software, the City of Seattle has joined with Microsoft, Accenture, Seattle 2030 District and Seattle City Light to increase energy efficiency in large commercial buildings across Seattle’s downtown corridor. The goal is to utilize the cloud solution to collect data and provide a prescriptive approach to conserving energy and reducing downtown energy use by 25 percent, with the intention to expand the pilot over the next year.

This is just the beginning, and at Microsoft we’re excited to be a part of the process, in partnership with our City customers. As my colleague Brad Smith is sharing in his keynote today at NLC, we will always be driven by several guiding principles: 1) Transform processes through the efficiency of the cloud while providing industry leading terms and conditions around government regulatory compliance like CJIS and HIPAA 2) Engage citizens and businesses by providing them with real time, integrated information; and 3) Accelerate growth by increasing the skilled workforce, attracting new small businesses, attracting innovators, and unlocking potential of all citizens. We have the resources and creativity to make change impactful for all citizens, and the time is now to take action.

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