Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Applications
    • Applications
    • Cloud

    Microsoft Readies IT Pros for Cloudier Future at Ignite Conference

    By
    Pedro Hernandez
    -
    May 4, 2015
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin
      Microsoft

      Microsoft today kicked off the Ignite conference for IT professionals in Chicago with several new announcements that the company says will help businesses better adapt to today’s cloud- and mobile-enabled business processes.

      Taking the place of Microsoft’s Management Summit, Exchange, SharePoint, Lync, Project and TechEd conferences, Ignite reflects the Redmond, Wash., software giant’s own reorganization, according to Satya Nadella, Microsoft’s CEO. On stage during his keynote address, he said his company “felt in this time of change and opportunity, it was very important to bring all our IT communities together.”

      In addition to streamlining Microsoft’s event calendar—and by extension those of conference-goers—Ignite is a showcase for technology and tools that take advantage of the “collective skills and ingenuity” of IT practitioners, according to Nadella. “Every business out there now is a software company, is a digital company,” he said, emphasizing the value of integrated solutions and services that help businesses manage their data, applications and users.

      Today’s announcements revolved around three themes: personal computing, reinventing productivity and intelligent cloud services, Nadella said.

      To help administrators deliver more user-centric IT services, Microsoft unveiled Windows Update for Business, a new management option for the company’s upcoming Windows 10 operating system. The offering ensures that Windows 10 devices are always kept up to date and current with Microsoft’s latest security fixes, but in a manner that the company claims will reduce management costs while enabling administrators to have the last say on when updates are deployed.

      The company also announced a technical preview of System Center Configuration Manager for managing Windows 10 devices. Next week, Microsoft will release updates for Configuration Manager 2012 and 2012 R2 and Intune that will include support for Windows 10.

      On the productivity front, Microsoft announced the public preview of Office 2016, which contains new data loss prevention (DLS), multifactor authentication (Word, Excel and PowerPoint) and information rights management features aimed at helping organizations protect sensitive information. “IT admins can centrally create, manage and enforce policies for content authoring and document sharing. End users will see policy tips or sharing restrictions when the apps detect a potential policy violation,” said Jared Spataro, general manager for Office marketing, in a statement.

      Other business-themed software announcements included the unveiling of Skype for Business Broadcasting for meetings with up to 10,000 attendees and new organizational analytics capabilities in Office Delve that allow businesses to glean insights about their workforces, including employee engagement, reach and even work-life balance. Previews of SharePoint Server 2016 and Exchange Server 2016 are also slated for release later this year.

      In another “cloud-first” move, Microsoft revealed Azure Stack, which brings the core services and user experience that power the company’s own cloud to customer data centers, enabling Azure-backed hybrid cloud deployments of enterprise applications. Based on Microsoft’s acquisition of Active Directory security specialist Aorato, the company announced that its cloud-based Microsoft Advanced Threat Analytics (ATA) service is now available in preview.

      Pedro Hernandez
      Pedro Hernandez is a contributor to 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.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Big Data and Analytics

      Alteryx’s Suresh Vittal on the Democratization of...

      James Maguire - May 31, 2022 0
      I spoke with Suresh Vittal, Chief Product Officer at Alteryx, about the industry mega-shift toward making data analytics tools accessible to a company’s complete...
      Read more
      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Yotascale CEO Asim Razzaq on Controlling Multicloud...

      James Maguire - May 5, 2022 0
      Asim Razzaq, CEO of Yotascale, provides guidance on understanding—and containing—the complex cost structure of multicloud computing. Among the topics we covered:  As you survey the...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×