Today, we welcome Gears 5 fans to Sera as Gears 5 officially releases around the world. Gears 5’s Early Access period began on Thursday at 9pm local time and has been has been a hit with critics, who have describe the game as “a spectacular return to form” and “the best Gears of War game yet.” In addition to buying the standard edition, you can also play it now with Xbox Game Pass. If you haven’t already joined Xbox Game Pass, you get your first two months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for $2 (and if you are already an Xbox Game Pass for Console or Xbox Live Gold member, you can also upgrade your existing pre-paid months and still get two months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for $2).
“Gears 5 is the culmination of an incredible journey after three years of passion and dedicated work by our studio team,” said Rod Fergusson, Studio Head at The Coalition. “We set out to challenge expectations for when fans play a new Gears of War game, and are proud to share Gears 5 with the world.”
Let’s talk about last night. Wow. A big heartfelt thank you to everyone who attended #GearsInk and to everyone behind the scenes for making this event possible. Was an honour to be tattooed along side legends like @TheJohnDiMaggio and @LauraBaileyVO. Enjoy the game! pic.twitter.com/Ao1sMiS0V5
That’s just the beginning – after today’s launch, we’ll continue to use Operations to evolve your Gears 5 Multiplayer Experience with free new modes, maps, characters, customization items and more. With all of this free content, plus a regular cadence of exclusive cosmetic items in the Gears 5 Store, we think this will be the most dynamic and exciting post-launch Gears has ever had. Speaking of bonus multiplayer items, remember to download and play by September 16 to unlock the Terminator Dark Fate Character Pack.
For more information on the Gears of War franchise, stay tuned to Xbox Wire or follow Gears on Twitter @gearsofwar.
In 2014, we introduced the fan-favorite military-inspired Forces series for the Xbox Wireless Controller. Today, we’re introducing a new take on one of the most popular designs from the series – the new Xbox Wireless Controller – Midnight Forces II Special Edition. The Xbox Wireless Controller – Midnight Forces II Special Edition features the modern blue camouflage-pattern you love plus textured grip to help you stay on target in the heat of the battle and a 3.5mm stereo headset jack to plug in for a fully immersive gaming experience. Like all Xbox Wireless Controllers, the Xbox Wireless Controller – Midnight Forces II Special Edition comes with Bluetooth technology for gaming on Windows 10 devices or Samsung Gear VR and custom button mapping through the Xbox Accessories app to customize your controller just the way you like it.
Make your camo-inspired gaming set complete with the officially licensed Midnight Forces II Special Edition Xbox Pro Charging Stand by Controller Gear. This charging stand is built with the same high-quality materials as Xbox Wireless Controllers so it’s always an exact match, while the magnetic contact system ensures a perfect fit and secure charge every time. Each Xbox Pro Charging Stand comes with a premium charging stand, battery cover, rechargeable battery and 6-foot power cord.
The Midnight Forces II Special Edition Xbox Pro Charging Stand and the Xbox Wireless Controller – Midnight Forces II Special Edition are available today at Microsoft Store in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. The controller is also available online through Wal-Mart in U.S. and Canada starting today and coming to their physical stores beginning mid-October.
Whetu Paitai’s always been good at building.In fact, he might still be a builder in Australia if it weren’t for two things: a broken leg and a promise kept. Thanks to life’s strange twists he’s back home in the Coromandel, but instead of putting up houses, he’s reconstructing the world of his Tīpuna (ancestors).
The path was laid almost a decade ago, when Whetu was in hospital with a broken leg. A university lecturer in the same ward raved to him about Minecraft. When Whetu suggested his daughter try the game she was instantly hooked – and so was he. The pair bonded over their shared passion for creating digital worlds.
Fast forward a few years, and Whetu,now a father of four, often wished his tamariki (children) could connect with their culture by learning to speak tereo Māori, something he’d never learned to do. A promise to his wife saw them return to New Zealand and he’s never looked back since.
Now Whetu has not only reconnected with his culture and heritage, immersing his children in teao Māori (the Māori world), he’s found a new calling: designing games that introduce his culture to countless other children. His latest is a brand-new world built for Minecraft: Education Edition, Ngā Motu (The Islands), giving students a taste of what life was like in a traditional Māori pā (fortified village).
[embedded content]
There’s great value in little things
Whetu is the founder of Piki Studios, a game design company he runs while home-schooling his children on the remote Coromandel Peninsula.The leap from builder to educational games developer may seem like a big one, but Whetu remembers being drawn to technology from an early age.
“When I was a kid I enjoyed computers, but the geeky stereotype didn’t fit with the Kiwi view of being a boy. I grew up in Harataunga (Kennedy Bay), surrounded by bush.Computers went on the back-burner.”
When he returned to New Zealand, and still a massive Minecraft fan, Whetu was seduced afresh by digital technology, so he retrained. Armed with new digital skills, he found himselfhelping out with the adminat his children’s kohangareo (Māori-language preschool), and a lightbulb went on: “If I could be involved that much in my kids’ education, how much more involved could I be?”
Whetu realised that by marrying his passion for IT with education, he could help other children learn the language and culture too by creating fun new resources.
And so his game building began. He started by creating an online game, Mahimaina (Minecraft in tereo Māori), to help children learn the language, joined by around 100 students. More games are set to follow, both online and traditional board games, which Whetu hopes will be used by schools and whānau (families) around the country.
“There’s great value in little things,” he says.“For a child,seeing their culture represented on major global platforms is incredibly empowering.”
It was exactly what one of the world’s largest tech companies was looking for.
Last year, Microsoft came knocking. Would Whetu like to create a uniquely Aotearoa (New Zealand) resource for Minecraft: Education Edition?
A voyage through Aotearoa
“It blew our minds,” says Whetu. “I knew Minecraft, but it wasn’t till we explored Minecraft: Education Edition, tweaked it, played with it and saw all the additionalthings it could do that we realised all the potential. This will open up so much more space for Māori and all Kiwis to learn and play in the Māori world.”
Minecraft: Education Edition brings the world of Minecraft to classrooms around the world, offering hundreds of free lessons as well as a global educator community. Immersive game-based learning helps students build key 21st century skills including creativity, collaboration and STEM. Educators across New Zealand are already using Minecraft to transform learning, from learning programming with Hour of Code to designing sustainable villages and even reconstructing Gallipoli in-game.
Whetu is the first to create a brand-new world immersed in teao Māori.Characters based on his children and their friends guide young players as they walk through Ngā Motu, from the impressive waka hourua (sea-going canoe) at the beach to the pā with its wharenui (large meeting house) decorated with kōwhaiwhai(painted panels) and tukutuku (woven lattice).Pātaka,rua (food storage areas) and a hāngī pit for cooking can also be found in the pā.
Whetu has gone into painstaking detail to make sure everything has a uniquely Aotearoa flavour, right down to the kumara (sweet potato) gardens where children can create new buildings.The resource packs swap typical swords for more appropriate patu (clubs) and even the mobswill have Kiwi kids feeling right at home.
Whetu’s younger daughter requested her favourite bird, a pīwaiwaka (fantail), you can interact with a native kunekune pig and even an extinct moa, New Zealand’s famous giant bird, complete with sound recreated by the experts at national museum Te Papa. Children can learn words in tereo Māori from the guides, or via in-game exercises.
In future iterations, intrepid voyagers will be able to visit the taniwha (guardian) in the harbour and collect kaimoana (seafood) near some pink terraces that may remind New Zealanders of the long-lost Pink Terraces, destroyed by a volcanic eruption more than 100 years ago. All of these will add to children’s glossary of Māori words and understanding of Māori history and narratives.
“I would love the kura (schools) to build their own pā or wharenui, explore the world on their own and learn how to care for the moa,” Whetu says.
“We’re believers in learning being organic, being able to explore all the elements, because nothing in our lives exists in isolation. Our mission is for everyone to be able to play these games and see more than just what a waka is – they’ll be able to see how it fits into that whole world,” Whetu explains.
A “serendipitous” opportunity
This philosophy is exactly why Microsoft New Zealand’s Sam McNeill and Anne Taylor came to Piki Studios.
“Whetu’s so passionate about education and helping all kids, not just his own, understand our indigenous culture and that really shines through when you speak to him. He’s a natural teacher,” says Anne, Education Lead for Microsoft New Zealand.
“The creativity and attention to detail with which Whetu has approached this project just blew us away. What he’s created goes way beyond what we could ever have expected.”
Whetu acknowledges getting the call from Microsoft was daunting, being a small family business dealing with a large multinational corporation. It was a relief to find he was working with people who shared the same values and goals.
“A better opportunity couldn’t have presented itself. Straight off the bat, Sam and Anne knew teao Māori, believing in dealing honestly and genuinely with indigenous people, and we never lost any of that closeness that is so important. It was truly serendipitous.”
The group were determined to ensure all the translations were accurate. Two professional translators, Hemi Kelly and Piripi Walker, worked with Whetu and the team to translate the language pack for the game, including the instructions. There were even some new words for some of the more in-game Minecraft items.
“It was important to make sure teao Māori was respected as its own being, the mana (status) and cultural IP of each artefact upheld and maintained throughout the process,” Whetu says.
The most difficult part was the timeframe, just five short weeks. Luckily Whetu was supported by other Māori working in the tech space, making it a truly collaborative process. And of courseWhetu’s children acted as in-house quality assurance – keeping Dad on top of his game.
First Harataunga, then the world?
Soon Ngā Motu will reach an audience beyond New Zealand, as Piki Studios is now an official member of the Minecraft Partner Program, enabling it to add to the resources available in the global Minecraft Marketplace. For now, the game will be available to classrooms in New Zealand, as part of Microsoft’s Schools Agreement that provides resources such as Minecraft: Education Edition to every State and State-Integrated school.
“Ngā Motu is a truly amazing resource for Kiwi students and teachers and we know they’re going to absolutely love exploring and building on this world,” says Anne.
“It’s not just Whetu’s children. We showed it to some of our global colleagues and the excitement in the room was just palpable.”
Te waihanga anō i ngā ao tuku iho mā ngā poraka mariko
Mai anō e taunga ana a Whetu Paitai ki ngā mahi waihanga. Ina, tērā pea e mahi waihanga tonu ana ia i Ahitereiria engari nā ēneimea e rua: i whati te waewae me te ū ki te kupu oati. Nā ngā āhuatanga o te ao kua tau atu ki te wā kāinga i Hauraki, engari kāore ia i whakatū whare, kei te whakatūtū kē anō ia i te ao o ōna tīpuna.
He mea whakatakoto tēnei ara i tōna tekau tau ki mua, i te wā i rō hōhipera a Whetu nā te whatinga o tōna waewae. I te waha pakaru haere tētahi kaiako whare wānanga ki a ia mō Minecraft. I te meatanga a Whetu ki tana tamāhine kia whakamātauria e ia te kēmu i tino rawe rawa atu ki tana tamahine – me iaanō. Ka hono tahi rāua i runga i tō rāua kaingākau ki te waihanga ao matihiko.
Ka huri ngā tau, kua whā ngā tamariki ināianei a Whetu, me tana manako kia hono ana tamariki ki tō rātau ao Māori mā te ako ki te kōrero i te reo Māori, kāore hoki a Whetu i mōhio ki tōna reo. Nā tana kupu oati ki tana hoa wahine ka hoki mai rātau ki Aotearoa, kāore mo te hoki whakamuri.
Nā, kua hono atu a Whetu ki tōna ao Māori, koinei hoki te ao o ana tamariki, kua whai ia te tino oranga mōna: te waihanga kēmu me te tūhono atu i tōna ahurea ki ngā tamariki huhua. Ko tāna mea hou rawa ko tētahi ao tino hou mō Minecraft: Te Putanga Mātauranga, Ngā Motu, e pā atu ai ngā ākonga ki te āhua o te ao i roto i tētahi pā Māori.
He mea nui kei roto i ngā mea iti
Nā Whetu i whakaara ake a Piki Studios, he kamupene waihanga kēmu e whakahaerehia ana e ia i a ia e kura ana i ana tamariki i te kāinga i te takiwā mamao o Hauraki. Ko te whakaaro pea he tino nui te neke mai i te mahi waihanga ki te waihanga kēmu mātauranga, engari i maumahara a Whetu ki tana kaingākau ki te hangarau i a ia e paku ana.
“I ahau e tamariki ana he rawe ki ahau te raweke rorohiko, engari kāore i ū te āhua o te ihu rorohiko ki te whakaaro o te iwi o Aotearoa mō te āhua o te tama. I pakeke mai ahau i Harataunga, i waenganui o te ngahere. Ka whakarerea ngā rorohiko.”
I tana hokinga mai ki Aotearoa, ā, ka mutu e kaingākau tonu ana ki a Minecraft, i riro te wairua o Whetu ki ngā hangarau matihiko, nā ka hoki ia ki te ako. Ka riro mai i a ia ōna pūkenga matihiko hou, ka huri ia ki te āwhina i te kōhanga reo o ana tamariki me ngā mahi tari, ā, i reira ka taka mai he whakaaro ki a ia. “Mēnā e pēnei rawa te nui o taku uru ki te mātauranga o aku tamariki, kia pēhea te whakawhānui kē atu i tōku uru atu?
I kite a Whetu mā te hono i tōna kaingākau mō te ao rorohiko ki te mātauranga, ka taea e ia te āwhina i ētahi atu tamariki ki te ako i te reo me ngā tikanga mā te waihanga i ngā rauemi pārekareka hou.
Nā, ka tīmata tana mahi waihanga kēmu. I tīmata ia mā te waihanga i tētahi kēmu tuihono, Mahimaina (ko Maincraft i roto i te reo Māori), hei āwhina i ana tamariki ki te ako i te reo, me ngā ākonga tata ki te 100. He nui atu anō ngā kēmu kei te whai mai, ngā kēmu tuihono me aua kēmu papa anō, ā, ko te tūmanako o Whetu ka whakamahia e ngā kura me ngā whānau puta noa i te motu.
Hei tāna, “He mea nui kei roto i ngā mea iti.” “Mō tētahi tamaiti, ka nui te whakamana i te kite i tō rātau ao e whakaaturia ana ki ngā pūhara ā-ao nui.”
Koinei tonu te mea e kimihia ana e tētahi o ngā kamupene hangarau nui rawa o te ao.
I tērā tau i whakapā mai a Microsoft. Kei te hiahia a Whetu ki te waihanga i tētahi rauemi ahurei ki Aotearoa mā Minecraft: Education Edition?
Te hīkoi i Aotearoa
“I tino mīharo mātau,” te kī a Whetu. “I te mōhio ahau mō Minecraft, engari nō te hōpara haere i a Minecraft: Education Edition, i rāwekewekehia, i pureihia e mātau, ā, ka kite i ngā mea tāpiri ka taea kātahi ka mārama ki tōna kaha ka taea. He nui ake te wāhanga ka tuwhera mai i tēnei mō te Māori me ngā tāngata katoa o Aotearoa ki te ako me te purei i roto i te ao Māori.”
Ka heria mai e Minecraft: Education Edition te ao o Minecraft ki ngā akomanga puta noa i te ao, e tuku ana i ngā akoranga koreutu maha rawa me tētahi hapori whakaako ā-ao. Ka āwhina ngā akoranga ā-kēmu rumaki i ngā ākonga ki te whakapakari i ngā pūkenga rau tau 21, tae atu ki te auahatanga, mahi tahi me te STEM. Kei tewhakamahia kētia e ngā kaiwhakaako hei takahuri i ngā akoranga, mai i te ako i te papatono mā te Hour of Code mai i te waihanga i ngā pā toitū, me te aha me te waihanga anō i a Karipori i rō kēmu.
Ko Whetu te mea tuatahi ki te waihanga i tētahi ao hou rawa i roto katoa i te ao Māori. Ka ārahina ngā kaitākaro tamariki e ngā kiripuaki, i takea mai ēnei i ana tamariki me ō rātau hoa, i a rātau e hīkoi haere ana i Ngā Motu, mai i te waka hourua ātaahua i tātahi ki te pā me te wharenui me ōna kōwhaiwhai, tukutuku hoki. Ka kitea anō i roto i te pā ko ngā pātaka, rua me rua hāngī mō te tunu kai.
He tino hōhonu rawa te āhua o ngā iroirotanga i oti i a Whetu kia mau ai te āhuatanga ake o Aotearoa, tae atu ki ngā māra kūmara e taea ai e ngā tamariki te waihanga whare hou. Kua whakakapia i roto i ngā kete rauemi ngā hoari mō ngā patu, ka mutu ka tino taunga ngā tamariki o Aotearoa ki ngā māpu.
I tono a te pekepoho kōtiro a Whetu i tana tino manu te pīwaiwaka, ka taea e koe te pāhekoheko me tētahi poaka kunekune me tētahi moa kua korehāhā me ngā tangi i hangaia anō e ngā mātanga o Te Papa. Ka taea e ngā tamariki te ako i te reo Māori mai i ngā kaiārahi, mā ngā tūmahi i rō kēmu rānei.
I roto i ngā auau o muri mai ka taea e ngā kaumoana te toro ki ngā taniwha i roto i te whanga me te kohikohi kaimoana e tūtata ana ki ngā parehua, ā, ka hoki pea ngā whakaaro o ngā tāngata ki Ōtūkapuārangi kua ngaro noa atu, i riro atu i roto i tō pahūtanga puia neke atu i te 100 tau ki mua. Ka tāpiri ēnei mea katoa ki te kete kupu a ngā tamariki me te whakawhānui i tō rātau mōhio ki te hītori me ngā kōrero a te Māori.
“Ka nui taku hiahia kia hangaia e ngā kura ā rātau ake pā, wharenui rānei, te hōpara i te ao me te ako me pēhea te tiaki i te moa,” te kī a Whetu.
“E whakapono ana mātau ka pā noa mai ngā akoranga, mā te āhei ki te hōpara i ngā āhuatanga katoa, i te mea e kore e noho wehe motuhake tētahi mea i roto i ō tātau ao. Ko tā mātau whāinga kia taea e ngā tāngata katoa ēnei kēmu, ā, ka whānui ake tā rātau kite i tētahi waka – ka kite kē rātau i te urunga atu ki roto i te ao whānui,” te whakamārama a Whetu.
He whai wāhitanga i “tūpono noa atu
Koinei tonu te tikanga whakaaro i haere atu a Sam McNeill rāua ko Anne Taylor o Microsoft New Zealand ki a Piki Studios.
“He tino ngākaunui a Whetu ki te mātauranga me te āwhina i ngā tamariki, kaua ko āna anake, kia mārama ki tō tātau ahurea taketake, ā, ka kitea puta tēnei i ā koe e kōrero ana ki a ia. He tino kaiako ia,” te kī a Anne, Kaiārahi Mātauranga mō Microsoft New Zealand.
“I tino mīharo rawa atu mātau ki te auaha me ngā iroirotanga katoa i roto i ngā mahi a Whetu mō tēnei kaupapa. Kua eke kē atu ia ki āna mahi ki te taumata i manakohia e mātau.”
I kī ia i āhua wehi ia i te waeatanga mai a Microsoft, ina he pakihi whānau iti mātau e whakariterite ana me tētahi kāporeihana nui nō te ao whānui. I tau ia i tana kite i te mahi tahi ia me ngā tāngata he ōrite ngā uara me ngā whāinga.
“Kāore i tua atu i tēnei whai wāhitanga. Mai i te tīmatanga, i mōhio a Sam rāua ko Anne ki te ao Māori, e whakapono ana me pono me tika te mahi me te iwi taketake, ā, he mea nui kāore i ngaro taua āhuatanga piri tata. He āhuatanga tino tūpono noa.”
I tino nganga te rōpū ki te whakarite kia tika ngā whakamāoritanga. E rua ngā kaiwhakamāori ngaio, ko Hemi Kelly rāua ko Piripi Walker i te taha o Whetu me te rōpū ki te whakamāori i te kete reo mō te kēmu, tae noa atu ki ngā tohutohu. I puta hoki ētahi kupu hou mō ētahi tuemi a MineCraft ake.
“He mea kia manaakitia te ao Māori, te pupuri i te mana me ngā rawa hinengaro ahurea o ia taonga puta noa i te tukanga,” te kī a Whetu.
Ko te mea uaua rawa ko te wā, e rima noa iho ngā wiki. I waimarie a Whetu i tautokona ia e ētahi atu Māori e mahi ana i roto i ngā mahi hangarau, ā, he tukanga tino mahi tēnei. Me te aha, nā ngā tamariki a Whetu i whakaū i te kounga – kia eke aia Whetu ki runga rawa atu.
Ko Heretaunga i te tuatahi, ā, ko te ao ā muri ake?
Kāore e roa ka tae a Ngā Motu ki ngā minenga o te ao i tua o Aotearoa, ina kua uru a Piki Studios hei mema whaimana nō te Kaupapa Pātui a Minecraft, e taea e ia ngā rauemi te tāpiri tuihono i roto i te Wāhi Tauhokohoko o Minecraft i te ao whānui. I tēnei wā, ka wātea mātau ki ngā akomanga puta noa i Aotearoa, he wāhanga tēnei nō te Whakaaetanga Kura a Microsoft e tuku ana i ngā rauemi pērā i a Minecraft: Education Edition ki ia kura Kāwanatanga, Kura Tāuke hoki.
“He rauemi tino whakamīharo a Ngā Motu mā ngā ākonga o Aotearoa me ngā kaiako me tō mātau mōhio anō ka tino rawe rawa atu ki a rātau te te hōpara me te waihanga i roto i tēnei ao,” te kī a Anne.
“Ehara ko ngā tamariki anake a Whetu. I whakaaturia e mātau ki ētahi o ō mātau hoa o te ao, ā, i pupū mai te whakaongaonga i a rātau.”
Security teams responsible for investigating and responding to incidents often deal with a massive number of signals from widely disparate sources. As a result, rapid and efficient incident response continues to be the biggest challenge facing security teams today. The sheer volume of these signals, combined with an ever-growing digital estate of organizations, means that a lot of critical alerts miss getting the timely attention they deserve. Security teams need help to scale better, be more efficient, focus on the right issues, and deal with incidents in a timely manner.
This is why I’m excited to announce the general availability of Automated Incident Response in Office 365 Advanced Threat Protection (ATP). Applying these powerful automation capabilities to investigation and response workflows can dramatically improve the effectiveness and efficiency of your organization’s security teams.
A day in the life of a security analyst
To give you an idea of the complexity that security teams deal with in the absence of automation, consider the following typical workflow that these teams go through when investigating alerts:
And as they go through this flow for every single alert—potentially hundreds in a week—it can quickly become overwhelming. In addition, the analysis and investigation often require correlating signals across multiple different systems. This can make effective and timely response very difficult and costly. There are just too many alerts to investigate and signals to correlate for today’s lean security teams.
To address these challenges, earlier this year we announced the preview of powerful automation capabilities to help improve the efficiency of security teams significantly. The security playbooks we introduced address some of the most common threats that security teams investigate in their day-to-day jobs and are modeled on their typical workflows.
This story from Ithaca College reflects some of the feedback we received from customers of the preview of these capabilities, including:
“The incident detection and response capabilities we get with Office 365 ATP give us far more coverage than we’ve had before. This is a really big deal for us.” —Jason Youngers, Director and Information Security Officer, Ithaca College
Two categories of automation now generally available
Today, we’re announcing the general availability of two categories of automation—automatic and manually triggered investigations:
Automatic investigations that are triggered when alerts are raised—Alerts and related playbooks for the following scenarios are now available:
User-reported phishing emails—When a user reports what they believe to be a phishing email, an alert is raised triggering an automatic investigation.
User clicks a malicious link with changed verdict—An alert is raised when a user clicks a URL, which is wrapped by Office 365 ATP Safe Links, and is determined to be malicious through detonation (change in verdict). Or if the user clicks through the Office 365 ATP Safe Links warning pages an alert is also raised. In both cases, the automated investigation kicks in as soon as the alert is raised.
Malware detected post-delivery (Malware Zero-Hour Auto Purge (ZAP))—When Office 365 ATP detects and/or ZAPs an email with malware, an alert triggers an automatic investigation.
Phish detected post-delivery (Phish ZAP)—When Office 365 ATP detects and/or ZAPs a phishing email previously delivered to a user’s mailbox, an alert triggers an automatic investigation.
Manually triggered investigations that follow an automated playbook—Security teams can trigger automated investigations from within the Threat Explorer at any time for any email and related content (attachment or URLs).
Rich security playbooks
In each of the above cases, the automation follows rich security playbooks. These playbooks are essentially a series of carefully logged steps to comprehensively investigate an alert and offer a set of recommended actions for containment and mitigation. They correlate similar emails sent or received within the organization and any suspicious activities for relevant users. Flagged activities for users might include mail forwarding, mail delegation, Office 365 Data Loss Prevention (DLP) violations, or suspicious email sending patterns.
Let’s look at each of these automation scenarios in detail:
User reports a phishing email—This represents one of the most common flows investigated today. The alert is raised when a user reports a phish email using the Report message add-in in Outlook or Outlook on the web and triggers an automatic investigation using the User Reported Message playbook.
User clicks on a malicious link—A very common vector used by attackers is to weaponize a link after delivery of an email. With Office 365 ATP Safe Links protection, we can detect such attacks when links are detonated at time-of-click. A user clicking such links and/or overriding the Safe Links warning pages is at risk of compromise. The alert raised when a malicious URL is clicked triggers an automatic investigation using the URL verdict changeplaybook to correlate any similar emails and any suspicious activities for the relevant users across Office 365.
Email messages containing malware removed after delivery—One of the critical pillars of protection in Office 365 Exchange Online Protection (EOP) and Office 365 ATP is our capability to ZAP malicious emails. Email messages containing malware removed after delivery alert trigger an investigation into similar emails and related user actions in Office 365 for the period when the emails were present in a user’s inbox. In addition, the playbook also triggers an investigation into the relevant devices for the users by leveraging the native integration with Microsoft Defender ATP.
Email messages containing phish removed after delivery—With the rise in phishing attack vectors, Office 365 EOP and Office 365 ATP’s ability to ZAP malicious emails detected after delivery is a critical protection feature. The alert raised triggers an investigation into similar emails and related user actions in Office 365 for the period when the emails were present in a user’s inbox and also evaluates if the user clicked any of the links.
Automated investigation triggered from within the Threat Explorer—As part of existing hunting or security operations workflows, Security teams can also trigger automated investigations on emails (and related URLs and attachments) from within the Threat Explorer. This provides Security Operations (SecOps) a powerful mechanism to gain insights into any threats and related mitigations or containment recommendations from Office 365.
Try out these capabilities
Based on feedback from our public preview of these automation capabilities, we extended the Office 365 ATP events and alerts available in the Office 365 Management API to include links to these automated investigations and related artifacts. This helps security teams integrate these automation capabilities into existing security workflow solutions, such as SIEMs.
These capabilities are available as part of the following offerings. We hope you’ll give it a try.
Bringing SecOps efficiency by connecting the dots between disparate threat signals is a key promise of Microsoft Threat Protection. The integration across Microsoft Threat Protection helps bring broad and valuable insights that are critical to the incident response process. Get started with a Microsoft Threat Protection trial if you want to experience the comprehensive and integrated protection that Microsoft Threat Protection provides.
Staying connected to access and ingest data in today’s highly distributed application environments is paramount for any enterprise. Many businesses need to operate in and across highly unpredictable and challenging conditions. For example, energy, farming, mining, and shipping often need to operate in remote, rural, or other isolated locations with poor network connectivity.
With the cloud now the de facto and primary target for the bulk of application and infrastructure migrations, access from remote and rural locations becomes even more important. The path to realizing the value of the cloud starts with a hybrid environment access resources with dedicated and private connectivity.
Network performance for these hybrid scenarios from rural and remote sites becomes increasingly critical. With globally connected organizations, the explosive number of connected devices and data in the Cloud, as well as emerging areas such as autonomous driving and traditional remote locations such as cruise ships are directly affected by connectivity performance. Other examples requiring highly available, fast, and predictable network service include managing supply chain systems from remote farms or transferring data to optimize equipment maintenance in aerospace.
Today, I want to share the progress we have made to help customers address and solve these issues. Satellite connectivity addresses challenges of operating in remote locations.
Microsoft cloud services can be accessed with Azure ExpressRoute using satellite connectivity. With commercial satellite constellations becoming widely available, new solutions architectures offer improved and affordable performance to access Microsoft.
Microsoft Azure ExpressRoute, with one of the largest networking ecosystems in the public Cloud now includes satellite connectivity partners bringing new options and coverage.
SES will provide dedicated, private network connectivity from any vessel, airplane, enterprise, energy or government site in the world to the Microsoft Azure cloud platform via its unique multi-orbit satellite systems. As an ExpressRoute partner, SES will provide global reach and fibre-like high-performance to Azure customers via its complete portfolio of Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) satellites, Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) O3b constellation, global gateway network, and core terrestrial network infrastructure around the world.
Intelsat’s customers are the global telecommunications service providers and multinational enterprises that rely on our services to power businesses and communities wherever their needs take them. Now they have a powerful new tool in their solutions toolkit. With the ability to rapidly expand the reach of cloud-based enterprises, accelerate customer adoption of cloud services, and deliver additional resiliency to existing cloud-connected networks, the benefits of cloud services are no longer limited to only a subset of users and geographies. Intelsat is excited to bring our global reach and reliability to this partnership with Microsoft, providing the connectivity that is essential to delivering on the expectations and promises of the cloud.
Viasat, a provider of high-speed, high-quality satellite broadband solutions to businesses and commercial entities around the world, is introducing Direct Cloud Connect service to give customers expanded options for accessing enterprise-grade cloud services. Azure ExpressRoute will be the first cloud service offered to enable customers to optimize their network infrastructure and cloud investments through a secure, dedicated network connection to Azure’s intelligent cloud services.
Microsoft wants to help accelerate scenarios by optimizing the connectivity through Microsoft’s global network, one of the largest and most innovative in the world.
ExpressRoute for satellites directly connects our partners’ ground stations to our global network using a dedicated private link. But what does it more specifically mean to our customers?
Using satellite connectivity with ExpressRoute provides dedicated and highly available, private access directly to Azure and Azure Government clouds.
ExpressRoute provides predictable latency through well-connected ground stations, and, as always, maintains all traffic privately on our network – no traversing of the Internet.
Customers and partners can harness Microsoft’s global network to rapidly deliver data to where it’s needed or augment routing to best optimize for their specific need.
Satellite and a wide selection of service providers will enable rich solution portfolios for cloud and hybrid networking solutions centered around Azure networking services.
With some of the world’s leading broadband satellite providers as partners, customers can select the best solution based on their needs. Each of the partners brings different strengths, for example, choices between Geostationary (GEO), Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) and in the future Low Earth Orbit(LEO) satellites, geographical presence, pricing, technology differentiation, bandwidth, and others.
ExpressRoute over satellite creates new channels and reach for satellite broadband providers, through a growing base of enterprises, organizations and public sector customers.
With this addition to the ExpressRoute partner ecosystem, Azure customers in industries like aviation, oil and gas, government, peacekeeping, and remote manufacturing can deploy new use cases and projects that increase the value of their cloud investments and strategy.
As always, we are very interested in your feedback and suggestions as we continue to enhance our networking services, so I encourage you to share your experiences and suggestions with us.
Well, the interns at Microsoft sure had fun this summer.
While there may be a documentary coming to Netflix that dives deep into what makes Bill Gates tick, the release of “Microsoft the Musical” on YouTube on Friday clearly shows what makes heels click at the software giant he co-founded.
The 8-minute number, which took us about that much time to convince ourselves it was in fact a real thing, features singing and dancing software engineers and data scientists clad in primary-colored clothing. The whole thing is the work of 150 people, including interns and employees.
A description for the video on YouTube is written by Liam McGregor, a data science intern credited with directing, producing and helping to write the musical.
“‘Microsoft the Musical’ was dreamt up and led by interns spending the summer of 2019 at Microsoft,” McGregor wrote. “This Tony Awards-style musical theater opening number is just one of many passion projects that came to life because we were encouraged to bring our whole selves to work. And that’s what we did: 150 people came in on mornings, weekends, and nights to create this outside of (and in addition to) their day jobs.”
After opening with a nod to Gates, cast members dance across the company’s Redmond, Wash., headquarters campus and throughout buildings. A whole host of company accomplishments and product names are dropped throughout — Windows, Office, PowerPoint, Surface, Xbox, HoloLens, Minecraft, Azure … even Clippy gets a mention. And the lyrics, posted in full here, also manage to poke some fun (sorry, Windows Phone):
It’s all happening here… The standard for your office and your home All happening here All around the world our products are well-known! Except for when we tried to make a phone!
“It’s all happening here,” is the constant refrain from the chorus. And while it sure does appear that being an intern at Microsoft affords young people the chance to work on some cutting-edge stuff, a break in the music does lay things on a little thick, as two characters are shown chatting in a company cafeteria.
“How is it that everyone here does so much,” a woman asks her co-worker at the 5:25 mark of the video.
“I know. I don’t get it. Maybe there’s something in the water,” the man replies.
“May I please have a latte and … an extra shot of whatever ingredient it is that makes people here so successful?” the woman says as she orders a beverage.
Alas, there is no special ingredient, because everyone brings their own! Back to the singing and dancing!
(YouTube screen grab via Microsoft the Musical)
“Microsoft’s mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more,” McGregor wrote in his director’s note. “We hope that this speaks to every person who dreams of being part of something big — and especially to those who’ve been wrongly told they can’t be. At some point, we were all in your shoes. You CAN, you SHOULD, and you WILL.”
Here’s a list of credits for those involved in the production, as it shows up on YouTube — along with their titles for jobs they held at Microsoft in the summer of 2019:
Produced and Directed by … Liam McGregor (data scientist intern)
Written by … Liam McGregor (data scientist intern) and Trip Master (explorer intern)
Executive Produced by … Diego Rejtman (GM, global university recruiting) and Sacha Nunn (culture program manager)
Choreographed and Co-Directed by … Swetha Prabakaran (explorer intern)
Protagonists (in order of appearance) … Ryan Hecht (program manager intern), Leslie Richardson (program manager), Alyssa Raqueno (explorer intern)
Bill Gates, the idea … Eleanor Lewis (software engineer intern)
Composed by … Joshua Yang (explorer intern), Trip Master (explorer intern), Liam McGregor (data scientist intern)
Orchestrated and Conducted by … Peter Yang (software engineer intern)
Director of Photography … Stephen Hitchcock (software engineer)
Sr. Production Manager … Morgan Dukes (marketing intern)
Associate Cinematographer and AD … Rishi Raj (software engineer)
Technology can help automotive companies transform into smart mobility services providers
Karl Benz and Henry Ford revolutionized transportation with the initial development and mass production of the automobile. Now, more than a century later, the automotive industry is poised to transform transportation again, with a push to develop connected, personalized and autonomous driving experiences, electric vehicles and new mobility business models from ride-sharing to ride-hailing and multimodal, smart transportation concepts.
This industry is expected to see significant growth, becoming a $6.6T industry by 2030, with disruptive business models accounting for 25 percent of all revenues, according to consulting firm, McKinsey & Company. From shared vehicle services to fully electric transportation, manufacturers are developing new products and services to enable large fleets offering mobility-as-a-service, which will increasingly replace individual car ownership. This involves modernizing the in-vehicle experience with productivity, entertainment, and personal assistants that are safe and secure, following users across different transport modes, adding value for businesses and consumers alike.
This transformation requires a data-driven mindset. The automotive sector generates vast amounts of data. However, companies aren’t yet fully set up to turn it into relevant insights. Future success depends on the ability to identify and capture digital signals and evolve how the business approaches innovation. Through what we call a digital feedback loop, the entirety of the enterprise can be connected with relevant data— whether it is pertaining to relationship management with customers and partners, or engagement with employees, core product creation or enterprise operations— to drive continuous improvement in products and services, mobility companies must differentiate from their competition.
We support the industry with unlocking this enormous potential by providing intelligent cloud, edge, IoT and AI services and helping automotive companies build and extend their own digital capabilities.
To that end, this year, for the first time, Microsoft is joining Frankfurt Motor Show (IAA) and showcasing our approach to working with the automotive industry. We want to empower automotive organizations of all sizes to transform into smart mobility services providers.
Our automotive strategy is shaped by three key principles:
We partner across the industry. We are not in the business of making vehicles or delivering end mobility as a service offerings.
We believe data should be owned by our customers, as insights from data will become the new drivers of revenue for the auto industry. We do not monetize our customers‘ data
We support automotive companies as they enhance and extend their unique brand experiences to expand their relationships with their customers.
We are focusing our customer engagements along with our extensive global partner network to support their success in the five following areas: connected vehicle solutions, autonomous driving development, smart mobility solutions, connected marketing, sales and service as well as intelligent manufacturing and supply chain.
Today, we are sharing updates about our approach and expansions to our partner ecosystem across these focus areas:
Empower connected vehicle solutions
The core of our connected vehicle efforts is the Microsoft Connected Vehicle Platform (MCVP). It combines advanced cloud and edge computing services with a strong partner network so automotive companies can build connected driving solutions that span from in-vehicle experiences and autonomous driving to prediction services and connectivity. In addition to our partnerships with Volkswagen and Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance, new partners are using MCVP to do more:
LG Electronics’ webOS Autoplatform offers an in-vehicle, container-capable OS that brings the third party application ecosystem created for premium TVs to in-vehicle experiences. webOSAuto supports the container-based runtime environment of MCVP and can be an important part of modern experiences in the vehicle.
Faurecia is leveraging MCVP to create disruptive, connected and personalized services inside the Cockpit of the Future to reinvent the on-board experience for all occupants.
Cubic Telecom is a leading connectivity management software provider to the automotive and IoT industries globally. They are one of the first partners to bring seamless connectivity as a core service offering to MCVP for a global market. The deep integration with MCVP allows for a single data lake and an integrated services monitoring path.
Our customers are also looking to provide conversational assistants tailored to their brand and customer needs, and make them available across multiple devices and apps. The Microsoft Azure Virtual Assistant Solution Accelerator simplifies the creation of these assistants.
Accelerate autonomous driving function development
We empower car makers, suppliers and mobility services providers to accelerate their delivery of autonomous driving solutions that provide safe, comfortable and personalized driving experiences with a comprehensive set of cloud, edge, IoT and AI services and a partner-led open ecosystem that enables collaborative development across companies. We support companies of all sizes from large enterprises such as Audi, that are leveraging Microsoft Azure to create simulations using these large volumes of data, to small and medium sized businesses and start-ups.
Today, we are announcing Microsoft for Startups: Autonomous Driving, a program to accelerate the growth of start-ups working on autonomous driving and help them seize new business opportunities in areas such as delivery, ride-sharing and long haul transit. Learn more about our collaboration with start-ups like Linker Networks and Udelv in our start-up blog.
This year in the Microsoft booth at IAA, Bosch, FEV, Intempora and Applied Intuition are showcasing their autonomous driving solutions.
Intempora has recently unveiled IVS, the Intempora Validation Suite, a new software toolchain for the test, training, benchmarking and the validation of ADAS (Advanced Driver and Assistance Systems) and HAD (Highly Automated Driving) algorithms.
Applied Intuition is equipping engineering and product development teams with software that makes it faster, safer, and easier to bring autonomy to market.
Enable creation of smart mobility solutions
Intelligent mapping and navigation services are critical to building smart mobility solutions. This is why Microsoft is partnering with companies like TomTom and Moovit.
TomTom is integrating their navigation intelligence services such as HD Maps and Traffic as containerized services for use in MCVP so that other in-vehicle services, including autonomous driving, can take advantage of the additional location context.
The urban mobility app Moovit using Azure Maps also helps people with disabilities ride transit with confidence. This project supports Microsoft’s aim to make our latest technology accessible to everyone and foster inclusion and the use of our technology for the good so that every person on the planet can benefit from technological innovations.
Empower connected marketing, sales and services solutions
With Microsoft Business Applications, our automotive partners, suppliers, and retailers can develop new customer insights and create omnichannel customer experiences. With the Microsoft Automotive Accelerator, auto companies can schedule appointments and automotive services, facilitated through proactive communications.
At IAA, we’re excited to have several partners onsite, including Annata, Adobe and Daimler:
Annata is leveraging our Automotive Accelerator to help automotive and equipment companies meet business challenges while taking advantages of new opportunities in the market.
Adobe and Microsoft’s strategic partnership and integrations allow an end-to-end customer experience management solution for experience creation, marketing, advertising, analytics, and commerce.
Daimler launched eXtollo, the company’s new cloud platform for big data and advanced analytics. The platform uses Azure Key Vault, a service that safeguards encryption keys and secrets, including certificates, connection strings and passwords.
Provide services to build an intelligent supply chain
Driving end-to-end digital transformation requires an integrated digital supply chain–from the factory and shop floor to end customer delivery. Microsoft works with Icertis, BMW, and others to build intelligent supply chain:
BMW and Microsoft continue to develop the Open Manufacturing Platform to enable industrial manufacturers to work together to break down data silos and overcome the challenges of complex, proprietary systems that slow down production optimization.
Tonight, the wait is finally over. Gears 5 will be available tonight, immediately following the television debut of the launch ad, “The Chain,” during the NFL Season opener, the Green Bay Packers @ Chicago Bears on NBC.
This begins the four-day early access period for Gears 5 Ultimate Edition owners and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members who may begin playing four days before the game’s worldwide release on September 10. For those eager to get started immediately the full game download is available now in advance of the game’s release. As part of a special offer, new subscribers can join Xbox Game Pass Ultimate today and get their first two months for $2 now through September 30.
Described as “a spectacular return to form” by The Verge, Gears is bigger than ever, with five thrilling modes and the deepest campaign yet.
Retail copies of Gears 5 Ultimate Edition will be available for pick-up from participating retailers beginning at 9 pm local time. The Gears 5 Limited Edition Console Bundle, which includes the Ultimate Edition version of the game, will also be available.
In “The Chain,” Kait Diaz breaks away to uncover her connection to the enemy and discovers the true danger to Sera – herself. The commercial was produced by 215 McCann, creators of the landmark TV ad “Mad World,” and features Grammy award-winning rock band Evanescence performing Fleetwood Mac’s “The Chain.”
Launch Timing by Region Here’s when Gears 5 will be available in key regions around the world. Where not stated, Gears 5 will launch in all Xbox regions on September 5, 9 pm local time, except where noted.
Launch Calendar
Region
Gears 5 Ultimate Edition
Gears 5 Standard Edition
Start Date/Time (PDT)
Start Date/Time (UTC)
Start Date/Time (PDT)
Start Date/Time (UTC)
New Zealand
9/5/2019 2:00
9/5/2019 9:00
9/9/2019 2:00
9/9/2019 9:00
Australia
9/5/2019 4:00
9/5/2019 11:00
9/9/2019 4:00
9/9/2019 11:00
Japan, South Korea
9/5/2019 5:00
9/5/2019 12:00
9/9/2019 5:00
9/9/2019 12:00
Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore
9/5/2019 6:00
9/5/2019 13:00
9/9/2019 6:00
9/9/2019 13:00
India
9/5/2019 8:30
9/5/2019 15:30
9/9/2019 8:30
9/9/2019 15:30
United Arab Emirates
9/5/2019 10:00
9/5/2019 17:00
9/9/2019 10:00
9/9/2019 17:00
Finland, Greece, Israel, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Turkey
9/5/2019 11:00
9/5/2019 18:00
9/9/2019 11:00
9/9/2019 18:00
Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland
9/5/2019 12:00
9/5/2019 19:00
9/9/2019 12:00
9/9/2019 19:00
Ireland, Portugal, UK
9/5/2019 13:00
9/5/2019 20:00
9/9/2019 13:00
9/9/2019 20:00
Argentina, Brazil
9/5/2019 17:00
9/6/2019 0:00
9/9/2019 17:00
9/10/2019 0:00
Chile (time zone changes this weekend)
9/5/2019 18:00
9/6/2019 1:00
9/9/2019 17:00
9/10/2019 0:00
Canada, United States
9/5/2019 18:00
9/6/2019 1:00
9/9/2019 18:00
9/10/2019 1:00
Colombia, Mexico
9/5/2019 19:00
9/6/2019 2:00
9/9/2019 19:00
9/10/2019 2:00
About Gears 5 Published by Xbox Game Studios and developed by The Coalition, a growing team of talented, creative, fun-loving professionals from around the world who are united in their passion for Gears of War, Gears 5 is the latest entry in the award-winning and billion-dollar that continues to redefine the third-person shooter genre.
This week I had the pleasure of being in Berlin, Germany, for IFA 2019 to meet with our PC and IoT ecosystem partners. This is always an exciting time for me because I get to see all the new PCs and intelligent edge devices coming this holiday season. Over the last week, our partners Acer, ASUS, Dell, Lenovo and Razer have announced new Windows 10 PCs that both consumer and commercial customers are sure to want.
Modern PCs look different because they are different. They have better performance, innovative designs and new experiences. According to Microsoft research, people are happier when they get a modern PC. We have a lot of modern PCs in market already from all our device partners, and it’s great to see these benefits continuing to come to life in recently announced devices from our partners.
Better performance
Performance starts with a modern computer with solid-state drives (SSDs). SSDs make the computers fast, thin and light. Performance also considers how long the battery lasts and what processor is used. All these elements are critical for customers who want to use their device on the go and run multiple workloads at once. Today’s modern PCs are at least two times faster and can stay unplugged on average of 32% longer compared to HDD models. Intel’s recently announced 10th Generation Intel Core processors enhance the experience for many of these new devices with AI, Thunderbolt 3 and Intel Wi-Fi 6 technologies, all of which increase speed of connectivity.
A great example is the new Dell XPS 13 now with an Intel 10th Generation processor. Whether bingeing a video series or working on the go, this device delivers performance gains needed for compute-intensive, demanding, multi-thread workloads – while still efficiently displaying beautiful 4K content.
The latest Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon laptops are great examples of devices engineered for an on-the-go workforce that needs higher performance to improve their workday productivity and security. These devices are optimized for long battery life and Wi-Fi 6 connectivity.
Razer announced the new Razer Blade Stealth 13 – the first gaming laptop with NVIDIA’s GeForce GTX 1650. Powered by Intel’s new 10th Generation processor, the new Razer Blade Stealth 13 delivers true gaming performance packed into an amazingly thin 15mm chassis weighing only 1.3 kgs.
Innovative designs
Being fast and powerful used to come at the expense of a beautiful device, but not anymore. Windows 10 PCs are designed to be shown off with touches like metallic finishes and backlit keyboards. Choice of form factors help you work the way you want with 2-in-1 convertibles, detachables and ultraslim designs.
The new ASUS Republic of Gamers demonstrates this attention to design. By offering a new Glacier Blue hue for select Zephyrus and Strix family laptops, the company is reimagining the look and feel of gaming machines for a widening audience of gamers who are also streamers and creative professionals who want more than a black machine.
Great design also comes with devices that are thin and light. The Acer Swift 5*, a super light 14-inch notebook that is 15.95 mm thin, only weighs 990 grams and comes with a new discrete NVIDIA GeForce MX250 graphics option for high-powered gaming.
New experiences
Finally, we want customers to have the best experiences with their hardware and software, and that begins with the applications and services that come with a Windows 10 PC. This includes multiple ways to interact, with ink and pen, voice and touch, and compatibility with other devices and applications. It also includes top-grade security with Windows Hello and the on-the-go productivity benefits in Office 365 enabled by the cloud. When it comes down to it, Windows 10 PCs help you achieve more.
With a modern PC you get speed, security, durability and great design. While there is a lot of focus on PCs at IFA, we also see a lot of innovation from our partners around the Intelligent Cloud and Intelligent Edge.
By 2020 analysts estimate that 20 billion devices will be connected to the cloud, and Microsoft and our ecosystem of partners offer a unique value proposition because our Intelligent Cloud and Intelligent Edge solutions are extra smart, secure and agile. For example, we have the Smart Home solution from digitalSTROM in our Microsoft booth where you can experience different ways to operate your Smart Home; e.g., order a cup of coffee from a robot or start the coffee machine with just a smile via a 3D Intel RealSense camera.
From the latest in modern, powerful Windows 10 PCs to cloud-connected services, I am constantly amazed by the innovative ways our partners are building on our platforms to deliver rich experiences to customers. I think it’s going to be a great holiday season for Microsoft, our partners and our customers.
Check back on the Windows Blog for more updates in the coming months.
*Based on Acer’s internal survey as of August 29, 2019 of competing clamshell laptop designs available on the market, running Windows OS or OSX.
Microsoft Store recently teamed up with the Garth Brooks’ Teammates for Kids Foundation and wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald’s The First Down Fund to provide 32 deserving schools in the Phoenix and Minneapolis areas with Microsoft technology and devices.
It’s part of the organizations’ shared commitment to support educators and students and a belief that effective use of technology in schools can transform teaching and learning. Helping develop digital literacy in students is crucial to setting them up for success in school and beyond, and we are proud to be a part of this effort to level the playing field for all students. Each school received custom Digital Literacy All-Star packages including Surface Go devices, keyboards and Microsoft Office access. Larry and Garth worked closely with local Microsoft Store associates to surprise students, teachers and administrators at the selected schools.
It’s not the first time Microsoft Store has collaborated with these philanthropies. Microsoft Store has contributed to the Teammates for Kids Child Life Zones program to outfit hospitals with Microsoft devices and technology. When the Teammates for Kids Foundation started in 1999, it wanted to work with leaders like Microsoft to close opportunity gaps and give kids all around the world an even start and shot at success, and the foundation is excited to continue this work.
“It’s matches my priorities to partner up as teammates and try to level that playing field for these students by working with Microsoft and Garth Brooks’ foundation… to make sure that these students have even opportunity to succeed in school and in life.”
Larry says he’s inspired by the chance to help others and give well-deserving kids a better start, getting them one step closer to achieving their dreams. He sees both Phoenix, where he plays, and Minneapolis, where he grew up, as “home fields,” giving him a personal connection to both areas.
As an extension of this collaboration, Microsoft Store also launched the Digital Skills All-Star Program, a collection of community-based workshops hosted for student groups taking place at Microsoft Store locations across the U.S., led by all-star athletes who are passionate about giving back to their communities and helping elevate students’ digital skills in three areas: coding, entrepreneurship and STEM learning. Since the first store opening in 2009, Microsoft Store has been committed to offering free, year-round workshops, trainings and programs to the communities where it operates, so the new workshops are a perfect extension of our mission.
Jessica Wicklund, Marketing Events Manager, Microsoft Store, stated “Microsoft Store locations around the country are the fabric of local communities where they operate and empower nonprofits and local organizations to achieve more through the latest technology that Microsoft offers. The Microsoft Store Digital Skills All-Star Program is such an integral part of achieving this mission and by partnering with The First Down Fund and Teammates for Kids we are bringing digital literacy skills and the best technology to students.”
Visit Teammates for Kids and First Down Fund to learn more about Garth and Larry’s organizations. For more information on Microsoft Store’s Digital Skills All-Star Program and other community workshops and events, visit your local Microsoft Store in person or online.
