Pedro Hernandez

Microsoft’s recently released Windows 10 April 2018 Update for PCs contains a bevy of new features that are valuable to IT departments. Soon, the software maker will be bringing some of that improved IT-friendliness to HoloLens, its mixed-reality headset. Lorraine Bardeen, general manager of Mixed Reality Workplace at Microsoft, announced that the Windows 10 April […]

Microsoft, Accenture’s Applied Intelligence unit and Azure cloud services specialist Avanade, are teaming up to deliver artificial intelligence (AI) applications that fit the needs of enterprises and the industry verticals in which they operate. Although Microsoft has no shortage of developer tools and cloud services that help organizations harness the power of AI, the Redmond, […]

Best exemplified by the HoloLens headset, mixed reality is Microsoft’s vision of Windows-powered augmented and virtual-reality experiences that span a wide variety of uses, particularly in enterprises. Whether it involves exploring placement options for industrial equipment on factory floors or analyzing business data from a different perspective, Microsoft envisions workplaces where donning mixed-reality gear is […]

Microsoft has acquired Semantic Machines, a conversational artificial intelligence startup, the software giant announced on May 20. Financial terms were not disclosed. Based in Berkeley, Calif., Semantic Machines specializes in AI systems that can carry on conversations. It’s a step up from command-driven AI experiences, where virtual assistants like Apple’s Siri, Google Assistant and Microsoft’s […]

Flock has added a lightweight process automation tool to its team messaging and collaboration app, a move that founder and CEO Bhavin Turakhia says can improve workplace productivity by drastically reducing the time it takes users to complete tasks in small and midsized business (SMB) environments. Whether onboarding a new hire, fielding an IT service […]

Microsoft is already using machine learning and other artificial intelligence technologies to help enterprises ward off cyber-security threats, break language barriers and give harried workers more control over their Outlook calendars. Now, in observance of Global Accessibility Awareness Day, May 17, the Redmond, Wash., software maker is turning its attention to Microsoft 365 users in […]

When it comes to wrangling SQL, providing a multi-platform tool is only part of Microsoft’s efforts to establish deeper connections with the database administrator and developer communities. In March 2018, Microsoft added an Extension Manager to SQL Operations Studio, a database management tool for Windows, macOS and Linux that works with SQL Server, Azure SQL […]

Surface Hub, Microsoft’s touch- and stylus-enabled digital whiteboard for enterprise group collaboration and video conferencing, is getting a big update in 2019. In a May 15 announcement, Panos Panay, chief product officer at Microsoft, offered the public its first peek at the Surface Hub 2. Sporting a new look and shedding the thick bezels of […]

Although somewhat overshadowed by the many cloud-focused announcements at this year’s Build developer conference, the Power BI group at Microsoft also unveiled some major new updates to the desktop client used to create reports on the cloud-enabled business intelligence and data analytics platform. In the May 2018 update of Power BI Desktop, Microsoft introduced an […]

Microsoft is hoping to make HoloLens a part of the factory floor worker’s toolkit with two new mixed-reality apps. Mixed reality is Microsoft’s take on augmented and virtual reality (AR and VR) powered by Windows and backed by an increasing number of the company’s enterprise software offerings. Unveiled during the software giant’s Build 2018 developer […]

Microsoft’s next major Windows 10 feature update, code-named Redstone 5, is starting to take shape. Whereas helping users make the most of their time is the theme of the recently released Windows 10 April 2018 Update, early indications are that Microsoft is focused on reducing friction between application experiences for multitaskers for the next release. […]

Harnessing cloud computing, artificial intelligence and the internet of things (IoT) to help usher in an era of ubiquitous computing has been a key theme of Microsoft’s Build developer conference in Seattle this year (May 7-9). During the event, Microsoft unveiled a number of new tools that empower enterprises with the ability to control legions […]