Windows 10 Release, Big Data Analysis: Microsoft Roundup

Microsoft has kept mum over the past couple of weeks. Aside from occasional updates, such as the expansion of its Cisco cloud partnership and announcement of an artificial intelligence project to compete with Apple's Siri, we haven't heard much news from Redmond.

They say that hindsight is 20/20, and after this week it's easy to see why Redmond has been quiet. Microsoft unleashed an avalanche of news during multiple events over the past few days, updating its massive audience on advancements pertaining to its productivity offerings, big data projects, and Windows 10.

The beginning of this week marked the start of Microsoft's 2015 Convergence conference held in Atlanta, Ga. This year was a turning point for the conference, which had previously focused on Dynamics ERP and CRM. Attendees were promised an experience that was broader but no less enriching.

This year, Microsoft set the stage for a more comprehensive event that places greater emphasis on business value concepts and less on individual products. While products remain at the core of Convergence, it seems as though Microsoft sees the need for attendees to place greater focus on how those products fit in with their evolving tech strategies.

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Changes to the event were clear from as early as CEO Satya Nadella's keynote on March 16. Going forward, Microsoft has altered its strategy to focus less on specific systems and more on enabling people, organizations, and industries to drive their agendas forward. It is not a device business, Nadella explained. It is an empowerment business.

"Devices will come and go," said Nadella. "The most interesting thing is the data that's being collected."

Throughout the rest of Nadella's keynote, and the following presentations from Microsoft's Kirill Tatarinov and Julia White, attendees learned about updates to the Microsoft lineup, including an Azure IoT suite, Skype for Business preview, a new version of Dynamics CRM, and upgrades to Office Delve and Office 2016.

During the conference, Microsoft spilled the news of the demise of Internet Explorer, which will be replaced with Project Spartan for millions of users in Windows 10. Businesses will still have access to Internet Explorer, but most customers will be using its replacement, which doesn't yet have an official name.

Not all of Microsoft's news came from Convergence, however. Officials also released news from the renewed Windows Hardware Engineering Community (WinHEC) in Shenzhen, China. We learned that Windows 10 will attempt to eliminate traditional passwords by employing biometric authentication, which users can try on eligible devices when the OS launches later this summer.

It has certainly been a busy week for Microsoft. Click through to learn more about this week's updates and feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.

In his keynote at this year's Convergence show, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said the company is "at the dawn of a new generation of business systems." Business technology is evolving as rapidly as technology itself, he noted, and Microsoft has altered its focus to better serve and empower customers as they adapt to change.

As it looks towards a more mobile and cloud-driven future, Microsoft carries three strong ambitions: to enable more personal computing, reinvent productivity and business processes, and build "systems of intelligence" among empowered people and organizations. With billions of Internet-connected devices generating piles of data, Microsoft wants to ensure its customers have the capabilities to act on those data insights.

Its strengthened focus on enhancing productivity led Microsoft to upgrade Office Delve with new features to enhance the business user experience. The redesign, partially inspired by user feedback, helps employees more easily discover information relevant to their work and interests.

The program analyzes data, files and documents stored in SharePoint Online, OneDrive for Business, Office 365 video portal, and now Microsoft Exchange email attachments and Office 365 social interactions. It then pulls relevant documents and displays them to the user in a Pinterest-like layout. Soon, it will allow users to communicate via Yammer through the Delve interface.

Among Microsoft's early Convergence news was the announcement of an Azure IoT suite. Industrial equipment business Rockwell Automation is currently using it in a private beta deployment. The company is collecting equipment via equipment sensors using Microsoft technologies and uploading it into Azure. It then uses Azure Stream Analytics and Machine Learning for analysis, and reports it through portals powered by Azure.

Rockwell's dashboards monitor data including pressure, volume, temperature and performance. Azure Machine Learning can be used to launch predictive maintenance based on performance history or react to address environmental risks. The public preview of the suite is predicted to launch later this year.

Despite the conference's broader focus on business technology innovation, Microsoft's Dynamics CRM continued to be a focal point at this year's Convergence. The company reported that Dynamics CRM has experienced 42 straight quarters of double-digit growth; CRM Online has doubled its revenue in recent quarters. Microsoft noted a pending launch of Dynamics CRM this May, which will include a new mobile SDK and Microsoft Social Engagement.

We also learned that Dynamics ERP still does not feature a public cloud offering that's ready for production, despite first mention of it in 2011. The Azure team is currently collaborating on a Premium Storage option that is promised to ensure rapid performance within service-level agreements. Developers are also working on an offering called Azure Key Vault, which will enable customers to provide and revoke keys that Microsoft can use for encryption purposes.

Later in the week, Microsoft announced plans to retire Internet Explorer. After almost 18 years, it seems like the browser has run its course. When Windows 10 launches, millions of users will connect to the Internet through Project Spartan, which will reportedly receive a more permanent name before its release.

Internet Explorer isn't gone for good, though. It will still be available to customers who need it for business purposes. Whether you're already feeling nostalgic or won't miss it at all, you can learn more about the browser by taking a look at Internet Explorer's evolution throughout history.

Microsoft is also aiming to eliminate traditional passwords in Windows 10, the company announced this week. Reports indicate that biometric authentication will be available on eligible devices running the new OS. Windows Hello, the name of the new system, will allow users to unlock their devices by scanning their face, iris, or fingerprint instead of typing a password. The goal is to enhance both convenience and security for Windows 10 users.

Microsoft is further enhancing Windows 10 with a feature called "Passport" that promises more secure sign-in for IT managers, website authors, and software developers. Passport verifies the device owner's identity through Windows Hello or PIN. Once authenticated, the user has access to a range of services and sites such as email, business and social networks, and financial institutions.

Later in the week, Microsoft announced that Windows 10 will roll out this summer in 111 languages across 190 countries. The upgrade will be free for users currently running Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 8.1.

The announcement also included news of partnerships with tech friendships, including Lenovo and Tencent, that will improve the Windows 10 upgrade experience among Chinese customers.

Another cool Microsoft story to surface this week was Ford's use of Azure to connect vehicles and deliver more apps and services to its customers. The auto giant chose Azure because it gave the option of keeping some privacy-sensitive data from individual vehicles stored in Ford's data centers.

This summer, the Ford Service Delivery Network, powered by Azure, will launch. It will initially support downloads of updated systems software for Sync 3, but the Delivery Network will also support MyFord and MyLincoln mobile-connected services like vehicle finder, remote start, and the status of fuel, tire pressure, and charge of electric vehicles.

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