Microsoft Rolls Out More Powerful Surface Machines

Microsoft Upgrades Surface Line With More Powerful Machines

Daily Tech Briefing Oct. 11
Written By
eWEEK Staff
eWEEK Staff
Oct 11, 2018
2 minute read
eWeek content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More

Today’s topics include Microsoft coming out with more Surface laptop models, and KnowBe4 introducing Virtual Risk Officer for security awareness training.

Microsoft has released its most powerful Surface Pro portable laptop, the Surface Pro 6, as well as its new Surface Studio 2 desktop computer and a new Surface Laptop 2 model that claims up to 14.5 hours of battery life.

The Surface Pro 6 has a 12.3-inch PixelSense touch-screen display, a choice of an 8th-generation Intel Core i5 or i7 processor, 8GB or 16GB of memory, and an Intel UHD Graphics 620 chip. Starting at $899, it is available for preorders immediately and will be available starting Oct. 16 in the United States.


The new Surface Laptop 2 is 85 percent faster than the original, thanks to its latest quad-core processor, and starts at $999. The Surface Studio 2 desktop features a 28-inch display and starts at $3,499 for what Microsoft calls its most powerful Surface machine so far.

Cyber-security awareness and training vendor KnowBe4 announced on Oct. 8 that it is adding a Virtual Risk Officer feature to its namesake platform, which provides cyber-security training as well as simulation tools to help improve awareness at organizations.

The Virtual Risk Officer is powered by artificial intelligence machine learning technologies and is intended to provide organizations with feedback and insight into their cyber-risk. The capability is being complemented with an Advanced Reporting feature that provides additional insight into cyber-security operations at organizations.

The KnowBe4 platform update also includes a group report card that provides information to managers on how a given group within an organization responds to phishing simulations and security awareness training.

eWeek 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.

Property of TechnologyAdvice. © 2026 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.