Pedro Hernandez

Microsoft has taken a major step in preparing Power BI, the software maker’s cloud-based business intelligence and data analytics product, for the Internet of Things. Power BI’s real-time streaming datasets feature is now generally available, along with the ability to output data from Azure Stream Analytics to Power BI streaming datasets, announced Microsoft Power BI […]

Visual Studio 2017 is on its way, but first Microsoft is busy whipping many of the IDE’s (integrated development environment) components into shape. After briefly pulling the latest Visual Studio 2017 Release Candidate from its website on Jan. 26 after Microsoft discovered a bug affecting the setup process, it returned with some highly-anticipated enhancements, among […]

Earlier this month, Microsoft offered a sneak peek at the new privacy settings the software giant plans to include in its forthcoming Creators Update for Windows 10. Now, members of the Windows Insider early-access program can take some of those new controls for a spin. In build 15019, the Windows 10 setup experience now includes […]

The IT industry is responding to an executive order signed on Jan. 27 by U.S. President Donald Trump, which sparked protests at airports, a lawsuit from the American Civil Liberties Union and intervention from a federal court judge over the weekend. The controversial measure bars citizens of seven countries with Muslim-majority populations—Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, […]

Given how Azure is helping to lift Microsoft’s bottom line, it’s no wonder Microsoft is updating its cloud services and software lineup at a dizzying pace. Among several new announcements, the company said today that Azure SQL database and data warehouse customers are no longer required to switch to a separate tool to access and […]

Microsoft reported strong second quarter fiscal year 2017 (2QFY17) earnings on Jan. 26, laying to rest any doubts that the software giant could transition to a cloud computing company. Azure revenues climbed a whopping 93 percent, or 95 percent using constant currency calculations that account for exchange rate fluctuations. “These results show continued strength in […]

On the heels of a disturbingly convincing Gmail phishing scam, Microsoft is warning email users of other crafty schemes, this time involving PDF attachments. PDF, short for the Portable Document Format pioneered by Adobe, is a popular method of distributing content online. Cyber-attackers are banking on its ubiquity, particularly in the workplace, to ensnare office […]

Cloud computing services continue to be a major contributor to Microsoft’s booming revenue growth as the company reports its earnings for the second quarter of fiscal year 2017 ending Dec. 31, 2016. Beating Wall Street expectations, the Redmond, Wash., technology giant reported $26.1 billion in revenue (non-GAAP). Financial analysts had expected Microsoft to book sales […]

Microsoft continues to wage war on phishing attacks and email scams. In an update to Microsoft’s email security service, Office 365 Advanced Threat Protection, the software giant is making it tougher for dangerous links within email messages to escape attention. On Jan. 25, the company announced the availability of a new feature dubbed URL Detonation, […]

In another “mobile-first” move, Microsoft has extended its early access program for the Office productivity suite to iPhone and iPads users. “The Office Insider program is now available for iPhone and iPad, building on the program’s expansion over the last year and more,” wrote Kirk Koenigsbauer, corporate vice president of Microsoft Office, in a Jan. […]