Tag: Recent News

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We’re expanding our employee experience platform Microsoft Viva to include new capabilities to meet the needs of specific roles, with the introduction of Viva Sales.

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Introducing Microsoft Defender, an easy-to-use protection app that helps keep your family safe from online threats

Today’s sophisticated cyber threats require a modern approach to security. And this doesn’t apply only to enterprises or government entities—in recent years we’ve seen attacks increase exponentially against individuals. There are 921 password attacks every second.1 We’ve seen ransomware threats extending beyond their usual targets to go after small businesses and families. And we know, as bad actors become more and more sophisticated, we need to increase our personal defenses as well.

That is why it is so important for us to protect your entire digital life, whether you are at home or work—threats don’t end when you walk out of the office or close your work laptop for the day. We need solutions that help keep you and your family secure in how you work, play, and live.

That’s why I’m excited to share the availability of Microsoft Defender for individuals, a new online security application for Microsoft 365 Personal and Family subscribers. We believe every person and family should feel safe online. This is an exciting step in our journey to bring security to all and I’m thrilled to share with you more about this new app, available with features for you to try today.

Introducing Microsoft Defender

As our digital footprints grow, and with more devices and family members online, protecting your personal data and devices becomes more important than ever. On top of that, you and your family’s device preferences may result in Windows, iOS, Android, and macOS devices all represented in a single household—I know from personal experience in my own family. As threats grow more sophisticated, and time spent online has increased during the pandemic, we are more vulnerable than ever.  

To help keep your data private and devices secure, people often turn to multiple security products, with scattered security monitoring and device management. This fragmentation makes keeping up with increasing online threats even harder.

We must evolve our security solutions to meet unique customer needs at home and work by bringing together existing technologies in a new way. That is why we are introducing Microsoft Defender for individuals. It was built on our Microsoft Defender for Endpoint technology, leveraging the same trusted security that enterprises rely on. It joins our comprehensive set of security products and services as the newest member of our family of Microsoft Defender solutions and extends the protection already built into Windows Security.

What does Microsoft Defender do?

Microsoft Defender is simplified online security that meets you and your family where you are by bringing multiple protections together into a single dashboard. It provides online protection across the devices you and your family use. It offers tips and recommendations to strengthen your protection further. And, as you grow your digital footprint by adding family members and devices, Defender grows with you and keeps your defenses up-to-date using trusted technology.  

This seamless solution, which includes continuous antivirus and anti-phishing protection for your data and devices, will enable you to:

  • Manage your security protections and view security protections for everyone in your family, from a single easy-to-use, centralized dashboard.2
  • View your existing antivirus protection (such as Norton or McAfee). Defender recognizes these protections within the dashboard.
  • Extend Windows device protections to iOS, Android, and macOS devices for cross-platform malware protection on the devices you and your family use the most.3, 4
  • Receive instant security alerts, resolution strategies, and expert tips to help keep your data and devices secure.5

This is just the start. As we look forward, we will continue to bring more protections together under a single dashboard, including features like identity theft protection and secure online connection. Microsoft Defender is simplified online security that grows with you and your family to help keep you safe. 

Try it today!

The expansion of our security portfolio with Microsoft Defender for individuals is the natural and exciting progression in our journey as a security company. The Microsoft Defender app is available to Microsoft 365 subscribers beginning today, across Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android. It was shaped based on the thoughts and feedback from so many families and people who use our products, and we are so excited to have this available today. Read more about the value to Microsoft 365 subscribers and the journey to get here from the Microsoft 365 team, or try Microsoft Defender today. There is so much more to come, and we look forward to sharing more on this journey to make the world a safer place for all!

To learn more about Microsoft Security solutions, visit our website. Bookmark the Security blog to keep up with our expert coverage on security matters. Also, follow us at @MSFTSecurity for the latest news and updates on cybersecurity.

1According to Microsoft Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) authentication log data. 2022. 

2App requires a Microsoft 365 Family or Personal subscription and is available as a separate download. 

3App is available on Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS in select Microsoft 365 Family or Personal billing regions.

4New malware protection is not available where these protections exist on iOS and Windows.

5Security tips are available on Windows and macOS only.

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ID@Xbox Summer Game Fest Demo event starts June 21

It’s summer time and we’ve got another scorching hot line-up of game demos ready just for you! This will be our third [email protected] Summer Game Fest Demo event as part of Geoff Keighley’s Summer Game Fest promotion. Starting June 21st and running through June 27th, you’ll be able to play over 30 demos of upcoming unreleased games for Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One!

A few things to keep in mind:

  • These demos will only be up on the Xbox Dashboard for a week. Some might be re-published to the Demo channel later, but many will simply disappear at the end of the week, so check them out while you can.
  • The developers would love to hear what you think. Hit them up on social media or through their websites. If you like the game – tell them! If you have constructive criticism, they would love to hear that too.
  • These “game demos” are not the norm. Typically, the demos you see in our Demo channel are created after the game is completed (or nearly completed) and represents an almost final to final version. Think of these as akin to “show floor demos” and not necessarily indicative of the final product. What that means is that you’ll get to experience these games early – some way early – which is awesome since you’ll have the chance to provide your feedback! You should also note that these games will continue to evolve and be polished as they near release.

We’ll announce the full list closer to June 21st, but here are some titles you’ll want to keep in mind:

Batora: Lost Haven

The physical and mental powers of a naive and reckless girl who lost everything are the only weapons to save the Earth from oblivion. Jump on a journey across colorful and mesmerizing planets in this fast-paced adventure where your conscience will carry the weight of your decisions.

Broken Pieces

Broken Pieces is a psychological thriller taking place in a French coastal village somehow outside the flow of time. Solve the mysteries by putting the pieces of the story back together by figuring out the enigma behind this mystical place.

Severed Steel

A stylish single-player FPS featuring a fluid stunt system, destructible voxel environments, loads of bullet time, a unique one-armed protagonist, and a dark electronic soundtrack.

Tinykin

Catch hundreds of tinykin and use their unique powers to bring Milo back to his home planet and back to normal size!

There will be so many unique games to discover and enjoy! When you get the chance to check it out, we’d love to hear what you think. Connect with us on Twitter, Instagram, Discord, Twitch, and YouTube. Stay tuned to Xbox Wire to learn more about what Team Xbox has planned and as always, have an amazing summer of gaming!

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Introducing Viva Sales, a modern way of selling that brings together any CRM, Microsoft 365 and Teams

Today we’re introducing Viva Sales, a new seller experience application that brings together any customer relationship management technology (CRM), Microsoft 365 and Teams to provide a more streamlined and AI-powered selling experience. The past two years have changed the way we work. Employees are demanding more from their employers in today’s hybrid world – from the tools they use to the hours and the places that they work. For sellers, the hybrid work environment means spending more time in video conferences, chats, email and documents to connect with customers and close deals.

Salespeople also need to access their CRM system – as well as multiple applications and databases – several times a day to stay on top of their accounts. This adds up to dozens of interruptions as they navigate among these disparate applications and the collaboration and productivity tools they’re using to accomplish administrative tasks, collaborate internally and work on deals. Yet, all sellers really want is to spend more time with their customers.

But what if everything a salesperson needed to do their job was brought together in one place – where they already spend most of their day – in calls, meetings and chats? What if their customer records, data and tasks were intelligently organized and accessible in the tools they use every day? What if the collaboration environment sellers use to talk to customers automatically provides the next best action and sentiment analysis?

How much more impact could sellers have, and how much more time could they spend with customers? How would it improve their selling experience? And how much more revenue could they drive for their company?

This is what led us to develop Viva Sales, a new seller experience application.

Viva Sales enriches your CRM and brings intelligence back to the seller

Viva Sales is a new modern way of selling. As a smart CRM companion, Viva Sales makes sellers’ lives easier while enriching their CRM. Think about all the customer and deal insights that are already in Outlook, Teams and Office applications like Word, Excel and PowerPoint, but never make it into the CRM system. These insights are hard to capture because the seller is tasked with entering data manually.

By enhancing the CRM system with customer engagement data from Microsoft 365 and Teams along with the power of artificial intelligence (AI), Viva Sales empowers sellers to be more connected with their customers, resulting in more personalized customer engagements and closed deals faster. This happens through a simple customer tagging feature, which automates the data capture, saves the seller time, and provides their organization with a more complete picture of deal and customer status. With AI embedded throughout, Viva Sales is like a sales coach to move deals along with recommendations and reminders. This intelligence layer provides sellers the information they need to help them be more productive.

The future of selling isn’t a new system to learn. It’s bringing the information sellers need at the right time, with the right context, into the tools they are familiar with so their work experience can be streamlined. Viva Sales builds on Microsoft Viva, launched last year, which provides an integrated employee experience platform that supports everyone throughout their employee journey. Viva brings together communications, knowledge, learning, goals and insights to empower every person and team to achieve more from anywhere. Now with Viva Sales, we’re delivering the first role-based Viva application specifically designed to meet sellers’ needs.

Reimagining the sales experience

With Viva Sales, we are reimagining sales, empowering salespeople with AI-driven insights and data automation right in the flow of work – in the productivity and collaboration tools millions are already using every day – Microsoft 365 and Teams.

As Microsoft’s Chief Commercial Officer, I’m especially excited for today’s announcement. Viva Sales delivers on what customers and individual sellers have been asking for, and I’m looking forward to rolling out Viva Sales across my entire organization.

Learn more about Viva Sales on the Viva Sales product website.

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With Azure Arc, we’re bringing the power of Azure anywhere, helping customers in every industry innovate across their datacenter, multi-cloud, and edge…

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Realizing Machine Learning anywhere with Azure Kubernetes Service and Arc-enabled Machine Learning, now generally available

We are thrilled to announce the general availability of Azure Machine Learning (Azure ML) Kubernetes compute, including support of seamless Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) integration and Azure Arc-enabled Machine Learning.

With a simple cluster extension deployment on AKS or Azure Arc-enabled Kubernetes (Arc Kubernetes) cluster, Kubernetes cluster is seamlessly supported in Azure ML to run training or inference workload. In addition, Azure ML service capabilities for streamlining full ML lifecycle and automation with MLOps become instantly available to enterprise teams of professionals. Azure ML Kubernetes compute empowers enterprises ML operationalization at scale across different infrastructures and addresses different needs with seamless experience of Azure ML CLI v2, Python SDK v2 (preview), and Studio UI. Here are some of the capabilities that customers can benefit

  • Deploy ML workload on customer managed AKS cluster and gain more security and controls to meet compliance requirements.
  • Run Azure ML workload on Arc Kubernetes cluster right where data lives and meets data residency, security, and privacy compliance, or harness existing IT investment.
  • Use Arc Kubernetes cluster to deploy ML workload or aspect of ML lifecycle across multiple public clouds.
  • Fully automated hybrid workload in cloud and on-premises to leverage different infrastructure advantages and IT investments.

The IT-operations team and data-science team are both integral parts of the broader ML team. By letting the IT-operations team manage Kubernetes compute setup, Azure ML creates a seamless compute experience for data-science team who does not need to learn or use Kubernetes directly. The design for Azure ML Kubernetes compute also helps IT-operations team leverage native Kubernetes concepts such as namespace, node selector, and resource requests/limits for ML compute utilization and optimization. Data-science team now can focus on models and work with productivity tools such as Azure ML CLI v2, Python SDK v2, Studio UI, and Jupyter notebook.

It is easy to enable and use an existing Kubernetes cluster for Azure ML workload with the following simple steps:

easy-k8s-setup.png

IT-operation team. The IT-operation team is responsible for the first 3 steps above: prepare an AKS or Arc Kubernetes cluster, deploy Azure ML cluster extension, and attach Kubernetes cluster to Azure ML workspace. In addition to these essential compute setup steps, IT-operation team also uses familiar tools such as Azure CLI or kubectl to take care of the following tasks for the data-science team:

  • Network and security configurations, such as outbound proxy server connection or Azure firewall configuration, Azure ML inference router (azureml-fe) setup, SSL/TLS termination, and no-public IP with VNET.
  • Create and manage instance types for different ML workload scenarios and gain efficient compute resource utilization.
  • Trouble shooting workload issues related to Kubernetes cluster.

Data-science team. Once the IT-operations team finishes compute setup and compute target(s) creation, data-science team can discover list of available compute targets and instance types in Azure ML workspace to be used for training or inference workload. Data science specifies compute target name and instance type name using their preferred tools or APIs such as Azure ML CLI v2, Python SDK v2, or Studio UI.

k8s-compute list.png

Separation of responsibilities between the IT-operations team and data-science team. As we mentioned above, managing your own compute and infrastructure for ML workload is a complicated task and it is best to be done by IT-operations team so data-science team can focus on ML models for organizational efficiency.

Create and manage instance types for different ML workload scenarios. Each ML workload uses different amounts of compute resources such as CPU/GPU and memory. Azure ML implements instance type as Kubernetes custom resource definition (CRD) with properties of nodeSelector and resource request/limit. With a carefully curated list of instance types, IT-operations can target ML workload on specific node(s) and manage compute resource utilization efficiently.

Multiple Azure ML workspaces share the same Kubernetes cluster. You can attach Kubernetes cluster multiple times to the same Azure ML workspace or different Azure ML workspaces, creating multiple compute targets in one workspace or multiple workspaces. Since many customers organize data science projects around Azure ML workspace, multiple data science projects can now share the same Kubernetes cluster. This significantly reduces ML infrastructure management overheads as well as IT cost saving.

Team/project workload isolation using Kubernetes namespace. When you attach Kubernetes cluster to Azure ML workspace, you can specify a Kubernetes namespace for the compute target and all workloads run by the compute target will be placed under the specified namespace.

Azure Arc-enabled ML enables teams of ML professionals to build, train, and deploy models in any infrastructure on-premises and across multi-cloud using Kubernetes. This opens a variety of new use patterns previously unthinkable in cloud setting environment. Below table provides a summary of the new use patterns enabled by Azure ML Kubernetes compute, including where the training data resides in each use pattern, the motivation driving each use pattern, and how the use pattern is realized using Azure ML and infrastructure setup.

use patterns.png

To get started with Azure Machine Learning Kubernetes compute, please visit Azure ML documentation and GitHub repo, where you can find detailed instructions to setup Kubernetes cluster for Azure Machine Learning, and train or deploy models with a variety of Azure ML examples. Lastly, visit Azure Hybrid, Multicloud, and Edge Day and watch “Real time insights from edge to cloud” where we announced the GA.

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People with disabilities continue to be underrepresented in part because their needs and demographics aren’t widely counted. We’re working with The World Bank…

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Xbox Games Showcase: Extended 2022 recap

Last Sunday, we showcased a massive lineup of games targeted to come to Xbox and Game Pass over the next twelve months. Today, Erin Ashley Simon and Malik Prince sat down with the teams at Bethesda, Mojang Studios, Obsidian Entertainment, Playground Games and many more talented game creators from around the world to unpack the news we shared during the Xbox & Bethesda Showcase.

We also unveiled never-before-seen gameplay for Oxide Games’ Ara: A History Untold, revealed Microsoft Flight Simulator’s release of World Update X: United States and Beechcraft Model 18, a New Aircraft in Local Legends Series. What’s more, we announced that Valheim will come to Xbox and Game Pass later this year, shared a first look at gameplay for The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and gave fans a glimpse of the Blunderdome and Halo worlds colliding in Fall Guys.

Here are some of the highlights from today’s Xbox Games Showcase: Extended show…

First Gameplay reveal of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre

Coming day one to Xbox and Windows PC with Game Pass, fans saw the first gameplay of the third-person asymmetrical horror experience The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Based on the groundbreaking and iconic 1974 horror film, players will take on the role of one of the notorious Slaughter family to seek out, track down, and stop their guests from escaping. Alternatively, players can take on the role of the Slaughter families victims and use their wits and stealth to stay out of the Family’s reach and find the tools needed to reach freedom. Experience the mad and macabre for yourself in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XNs_Oh7PFQ?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent&w=640&h=360]

Valheim coming to PC Game Pass in 2022, Xbox in 2023

Coming to Xbox and Game Pass on day one, explore a beautiful, procedurally generated world as a battle-slain Norse warrior whose soul has been ferried to Valheim to slay Odin’s ancient rivals. Build, conquer, craft and survive solo or cooperatively with friends as you endeavor to bring order to the world of Valheim.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tl2KcHjl4Pg?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent&w=640&h=360]

Microsoft Flight Simulator Releases World Update X: United States of America and US Territories Today and the Beechcraft Model 18, a New Aircraft in Local Legend Series

Microsoft Flight Simulator announced that World Update X: United States of America and US Territories is available free today for all players. World Update X was built with the latest high-resolution satellite and aerial imagery available. The World Update includes four handcrafted airports, 87 new points of interest, three new landing challenges, three discovery flights, and three bush trips. The update will also feature brand new 3D cities such as San Diego, CA, Albany, NY, Key Largo, FL, Seattle, WA, Olympia, WA and more. Paired with the launch of World Update X: United States, Microsoft Flight Simulator released the fifth plane in the “Local Legends” series – the Beechcraft Model 18. It is a low-wing, twin-engine utility aircraft produced by American aviation manufacturer Beech Aircraft Corporation. For more information, visit our Xbox Wire post here, and for the latest information on Microsoft Flight Simulator, stay tuned to @MSFSOfficial on Twitter.

Available now for Xbox Series X|S and Windows PCs, with Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass, and via Xbox Cloud Gaming.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBwP4NlG61c?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent&w=640&h=360]

Fall Guys welcomes the world of Halo to the Blunderdome

Fall Guys and 343 Industries are partnering to bring Master Chief and so much more to the Blunderdome with The Spartan Showdown event from June 30-July 4. With new challenges, fancy cosmetics and legendary items hitting the store as part of this event, Beans around the world can grab the goods and get into the action to raise their wardrobe levels to elite.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVVu4TIlNIs?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent&w=640&h=360]

If you missed the Xbox Games Showcase: Extended 2022 you can still catch it on demand on here.

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The new world of court proceedings requires new set of digital tools

Only a few years ago, the idea of justice being carried out in a virtual environment was reserved for special cases or circumstances. It had been discussed as a serious alternative to daily hearings being held in the courtroom and while it demonstrated merit, this was too drastic of a change. 

While navigating our way through COVID-19, courts were forced to dramatically change their well-versed practices to meet the ever-changing landscape. The courtroom has evolved from a pure physical domain to a hybrid of in-person and remote parties. Having an accessible, secure, and single source of truth, available through an integrated technology platform has never been more essential. As technical issues were solved and courtroom participants gained comfort with their new normal, hybrid courtrooms have become widely accepted and the norm and will continue to remain in some form. 

A changing landscape 

The continually evolving court landscape poses new and unique challenges for the judiciary and the public, demanding a great shift in court operations and administration.

  • How do we ensure that all parties have fair, impartial, and timely proceedings, regardless of their location?
  • How do we seamlessly integrate the various legacy systems across agencies, securely?
  • What analytical insights can we arm court administration with to navigate the historical backlog challenges?
  • Is this the time to build interoperability in the court system? 

And it is not simply COVID-19 that is driving change. In recent decades, growing case volumes and costs, along with tightening resource constraints, have prompted courts to seek technologies that facilitate more efficient justice administration while reducing costs. That has led to a smaller number of central court hubs. More courtrooms necessarily imply greater travel and logistical costs for courts staff, judges, police and other agencies, and parties. That makes a hybrid approach to justice almost inevitable. 

Microsoft’s extensive partner ecosystem has been a key component to the success and scalability of various judicial industry solutions. Learn more about modernizing court operations and see the solutions offered by our partners. 

Graphic showing the flow through a hybrid court process. The stops in the flow include; case management, notifications, attend the hearing, virtual lobby, identity verification, Briefing and oaths, Hearing recording, Hearing broadcast, Evidence presentation, Raise your hand, Sidebar conversation, Hearing administration, and Hearing ends

Hybrid courtroom

As court hearings become hybrid, it’s important to identify gaps in the hearing experience that technology can bridge. While hybrid court proceedings may seem straightforward, developing an experience that allows courts to simulate a physical case hearing with minimal technology interaction and distraction is key. Quoting a judge, “Invisible technology is the right technology in the courtroom.” Technology within the courtroom is there to assist the proceeding, not hinder it. What does a truly integrated platform look like? Download the LACourtConnect Update to see an example of integrated platforms in a hybrid courtroom providing enhancements to the participants experience for remote appearances, including the ability to chat with other participants, monitor courtroom proceedings before the case is called, and more.

Data analytics

Courts across the globe are inundated with growing case backlogs. Traditional methods of analyzing vast amounts of data are tedious and time-consuming. Courts are looking at how they can put AI to work to maximize the use of data and modernize and automate selected processes. Machine learning systems built on Microsoft Azure provide critical analytics to derive actionable insights and intelligible data. With Azure, court employees can use natural language processing, form recognition, speed-to-text transcription, and translation services to index, search, and analyze text, images, PDFs, and audio or video files.   

How do we utilize AI to empower court operations to make better use of data and process cases more efficiently, to regain control of case backlogs? Learn more by downloading, AI-Ready Government: How Orange County Superior Courts Leveraged Data to Transform Operations.

Next steps

At Microsoft, and with our industry partners, we are building a justice management platform to meet these challenges, creating a single source of truth for all those involved in the justice ecosystem backed by the integrity and security Microsoft builds into all our products. Join us as we explore accelerating digital justice transformation in this upcoming blog series. 

Stay up to date on Microsoft’s global approach to public safety and justice by visiting the Microsoft for Public Safety and Justice website. 

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Microsoft to acquire Miburo to boost threat intelligence research into new foreign cyber threats

Today, Microsoft is announcing that we have entered into an agreement to acquire Miburo, a cyber threat analysis and research company specializing in the detection of and response to foreign information operations.

Microsoft detects and helps customers defend against cyber threats from nation-states as part of our commitment to keep customers safe online. These efforts are underpinned by the threat intelligence we gather, publish, and use to fuel disruptions of malicious nation-state activity across a range of cyber-attack vectors.

Miburo, led by founder Clint Watts, will become part of the Customer Security and Trust organization. Working in close collaboration with the Microsoft Threat Intelligence Center, our Threat Context Analysis team, our data scientists and others, the new analysts from Miburo will enable Microsoft to expand its threat detection and analysis capabilities to address new cyber-attacks and shed light on the ways in which foreign actors use information operations in conjunction with other cyber-attacks to achieve their objectives. Miburo has become a leading expert in identification of foreign information operations. Miburo’s research teams detect and attribute malign and extremist influence campaigns across 16 languages.

With the acquisition of Miburo, we will continue our mission to take action, and to partner with others in the public and private sectors to find long-term solutions that will stop foreign adversaries from threatening public and private sector customers and, in fact, the very foundations of our democracy.

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