Pedro Hernandez

About

Pedro Hernandez is a writer for eWEEK and the IT Business Edge Network, the network for technology professionals. Previously, he served as a managing editor for the Internet.com network of IT-related websites and as the Green IT curator for GigaOM Pro.

Surface Hub Support in OMS Arrives Ahead of Device Availability

Microsoft Operations Management Suite (OMS), the company’s software-as-a-service IT management offering, now supports Surface Hub, suggesting that the massive device is nearing release. First unveiled nearly a year ago, Surface Hub is an 84-inch, Windows 10-powered all-in-one system that incorporates Office, OneNote and Skype for Business for interactive meetings and video conferencing. Competing against enterprise […]

Microsoft Previews Windows 10-Powered POS Systems

At this week’s Big Show, the National Retail Federation’s conference in New York City, Microsoft is showing off a Windows 10 point-of-sale (POS) solution aimed at providing more engaging customer experiences at brick-and-mortar shops. “The new Windows 10 POS solution will transform traditional, stationary workstations into interactive mobile experiences,” said Jeremy Korst, general manager of […]

Microsoft Acquires Maker of Minecraft for the Classroom

Having already achieved commercial success among video gamers, Microsoft is now on a mission to bring Minecraft to classrooms. The company is acquiring MinecraftEdu from Teacher Gaming LLC and “investing in a new and expanded version of Minecraft for the classroom called Minecraft Education Edition,” said Anthony Salcito, vice president of Worldwide Education for Microsoft, […]

Skype Translator Now Available to All Windows Users

For nearly three and a half months, Microsoft has been rolling out its Skype Translator technology to millions of Windows users. This week, the company crossed the finish line. “This takes Skype one step closer to our mission of empowering people to do more, even across languages,” stated Microsoft in a Jan. 13 announcement on […]

Microsoft Exchange Online Protection Combats ‘Peer Phishing’

Microsoft is combating email-based insider spoofing, making it harder for the employees of Exchange Online Protection customers to fall for phishing emails that appear to come from their bosses and work colleagues. Insider spoofing, also known as “peer phishing,” refers to “a phisher impersonat[ing] high-ranking company executives by spoofing the company’s email domain,” explained Shobhit […]

Outlook for Android and iOS Can Now Schedule Skype Calls

Outlook has learned a few new tricks for early 2016. Microsoft has updated its Outlook for Android and iOS apps, incorporating a new time-saving feature for users who rely on Skype to place voice or video calls. Now, users can add preset Skype sessions directly within the Outlook app. “When creating a new event on […]

Microsoft Adds CxO-Themed Event to 2016 Conference Slate

Microsoft events are well-attended by developers, IT managers and administrators. Now the company is shifting its attention to the C-suite. Envision, Microsoft’s new conference for high-level executives, will take place April 4 to 6 in New Orleans, the Redmond, Wash., technology giant announced this week. Registration is currently open and requires a Microsoft account, which […]

Microsoft Teases Improved Skype for Business With UC Commander Buy

Microsoft’s quest to unseat Cisco in the competitive market for collaboration solutions has taken the company Down Under. The Redmond, Wash., software titan has acquired technology from Australian unified communications specialist Event Zero to improve Skype for Business’ analytics, reporting and management capabilities, the companies announced today. The deal’s financial terms were not disclosed. Zig […]

Microsoft R Server Is Free for Developers and Students

As part of a major push into big data analytics, nearly a year ago Microsoft announced it was acquiring Revolution Analytics, the largest commercial software and services provider for R, the popular open-source statistical computing language. Signaling that the integration process is essentially complete—the deal closed on April 6—Microsoft’s Joseph Sirosh, corporate vice president of […]

Microsoft Bids Farewell to Pre-Internet Explorer 11 Browsers

Only Internet Explorer 11 and Edge are left standing after Microsoft pulled support for IE 8, 9 and 10 today. As warned by the Redmond, Wash., software giant, Jan. 12 marks the date the company stops issuing updates and security fixes to the older versions of the browser software, which has been the default Windows […]