Stories by Mary Branscombe

How machine learning ate Microsoft

At the Strata big data conference yesterday, Microsoft let the world know its Azure Machine Learning offering was generally available to developers. This may come as a surprise. Microsoft? Isn't machine learning the province of Google or Facebook or innumerable hot startups?

Microsoft delivers Office mobile management in Intune update

The updates Microsoft has made to its Intune PC and device management service this week are partly catching up to other MDM systems with features like containers for apps and files, a managed browser and bulk enrollment for iOS devices. But they also add unique options for managing Office apps on iOS and Android.

Microsoft Pulse 2.0 polling and analytics service launches in beta

CNN used it for polling during the recent gubernatorial debates in Florida and on the "Magic Wall" on election night; Fox News uses it to follow the mood of the U.S. during the president's State of the Union addresses. Now Microsoft is launching its Bing Pulse real-time polling service as a free self-service beta that anyone can use to get feedback from their audience via phones and tablets during an event.

Does Skype for Web mean WebRTC is ready for prime time?

Microsoft's upcoming Skype for Web service will use the new WebRTC standard so it works in all modern browsers -- but not right away: Early users will have to download a plugin that's only available on Mac and Windows.

SkyKick promises simpler migration to Office 365

As Office 365 continues to gain customers, migration tools to help them move into the cloud are becoming more popular. SkyKick already has a comprehensive service that consultants and resellers can use to manage all the steps of a migration, from estimating licence costs and choosing from the many different Office 365 plans to tracking down PST files on user PCs and moving data from file shares and old email systems into the cloud.

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