The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Microsoft

  • Intel, Lenovo, Microsoft reward customers

    Leading IT firms, Intel, Lenovo and Microsoft, have rewarded visitors to Ikeja City Mall in its ongoing campaign.

    Tagged the  Best of Both Worlds, it was  activated to create consumer experience and convenience when using the ‘2-in-1’ device which empowers consumers with the know-how of switching between PCs and tablets when the need arises.

    The Marketing & PR Manager, Intel West Africa, Adim Isiakpona said the firm, in partnership with Lenovo and Microsoft, was proud to showcase the Lenovo Yoga series as a package that offers its users a unique and sleek device.

    He said: “The devices in the Lenovo Yoga Series are powered by Intel’s best processors and Microsoft Office and Windows capabilities. This affordable device gives innovation and flexibility a fresh meaning. The device is a laptop as well as a tablet, offering a dynamism for personal preferences of the user. We believe that the contortionists portray the uniqueness, flexibility, and exciting offerings of the device quite nicely.

  • AMPION, Microsoft support 200 SMEs

    Over 200 entrepreneurs across Africa are to receive the resources, networking opportunities and mentorship needed to start their own businesses.

    Microsoft 4Africa  has collaborated with AMPION to provide financial, technical, and mentorship support for the Venture Bus, fellowship and accelerator programmes which will last for between six and nine months.

    Microsoft is set to offer in-country and virtual mentorship through the MySkills4Africa volunteer programme using Microsoft cloud services, Skype for  business  and Yammer to stay connected, technical and business support and skill training , through BizSpark, and the Microsoft  Virtual Academy programes, to help them refine and take their business solutions to market.

    Director, Startup Engagement and Partnership, Microsoft4Afrika, Amrote Abdella, said Microsoft is keen on supporting an innovation ecosystem in Africa and is set to support entrepreneur create innovative solution for sustainable businesses on the continent.

    Abdella said: ”Through our collaboration with AMPION, we look forward to giving young talent the tools and resources needed to succeed –laying the foundation for the creation on globally competitive businesses.”

    He added that the  AMPION Venture bus Africa 5 tour will focus on East Africa (e-wealth), West Africa (fin-tech), Southern Africa (hardware & agriculture) and Tunisia(female empowerment).

    According to the Founder and Managing Director, AMPION Africa, Fabian – Carlos Guhl, the seven-day venture bus programme is designed to be intense, competitive and challenging –an ideal environment for innovation to thrive. He noted that the fellowship program is the designed to sharpen the entrepreneur s and business ideas with the highest potential.”

    Guhl said: “Microsoft‘s 4afrika initiative shares our vision of inspiring entrepreneur and cultivating innovation across the continent. We are excited to have them on board, as they understand the power of technology in empowering entrepreneur to become pan-Africa change agents.”

    The first venture bus has just completed the West African tour which started in Cote d’lvoire, passing through Togo, Ghana and Benin. Its final stop is at the annual DEMO Africa startup event in Nigeria, which Microsoft is sponsoring for the fourth consecutive year. The programme will start out with five buses of 40 entrepreneur travelling across 16 countries in Africa. On the venture bus tour, entrepreneurs will receive on -board mentorship and visit local tech hubs over seven days with the aim of helping them develop solution and business idea .

    Potential startups from the bus will be pitching their business ideas developed during the seven days journey.

    “The seven-day venture bus programme is design to be intense, competitive and challenging –an ideal environment for innovation to thrive. The fellowship programme is the designed to sharpen the entrepreneurs and business ideas with the highest potential.”

    “Microsoft‘s 4afrika initiative shares our vision of inspiring entrepreneur and cultivating innovation across the continent. We are excited to have them on board ,as they understand the power of technology in empowering entrepreneur to become pan-Africa change agents,” he said.

    Microsoft’s support will include in –country and virtual mentorship through the MySkills4Africa volunteer programme (using Microsoft cloud services, Skype for  business  and yammer to stay connected); technical &business support and skill training , though BizSpark and the Microsoft  Virtual Academy programs, to help them refine and take their business solutions to market of technology in empowering entrepreneur to become pan-Africa change agents.”

     

     

     

     

  • Microsoft downloads Windows 10 freely to computers

    Despite not having ‘reserved’ a copy of Windows 10, a man said he had found that the ~BT folder, which has been the home of images of the new operating system since before rollout began, had appeared on his system. He had no plans to upgrade and had not put in a reservation request.

    He said: “The symptoms are repeated failed ‘Upgrade to Windows 10’ in the WU update history and a huge 3.5GB to 6GB hidden folder labelled ‘$Windows.~BT’. I thought Microsoft [said] this ‘upgrade’ was optional. If so, why is it being pushed out to so many computers where it wasn’t reserved, and why does it try to install over and over again?

    “I know of two instances where people on metered connections went over their data cap for August because of this unwanted download. My own internet (slow DSL) was crawling for a week or so until I discovered this problem. In fact, that’s what led me to it. Not only does it download, it tries to install every time the computer is booted.”

    When Microsoft was asked by The Inquirer to comment on whether it was downloading Windows 10 anyway as the company rushes to build on the 75 million machines with the new OS installed in its first month, putting it in fourth place behind Window 7, 8.1 and the erstwhile XP, Microsoft said: “For individuals who have chosen to receive automatic updates through Windows Update, we help upgradable devices get ready for Windows 10 by downloading the files they’ll need if they decide to upgrade.

    “When the upgrade is ready, the customer will be prompted to install Windows 10 on the device.”

    In other words, if you are patching via Patch Tuesday, as you should of course be, then you are going to get a big hefty folder on your hard drive ready so you can update to Windows 10 on demand.

    Microsoft is keen to get everyone on Windows 10 as quickly as possible but this is not a small background patch – it’s a whopping huge operating system image.

    For someone using a 2-in-1 with 32GB of flash memory, that’s a hefty chunk of their storage being clogged up with an OS that they might not want yet, if at all.

    Whether you believe it’s to avoid fragmentation or to spy on you depends on how much pot you smoked in college, but it now appears to have gone from ‘over keen’ to ‘needy’ and you have to wonder why and whether it’s going to blow up in the company’s face.

    It should be enough of a clue that over 10 percent of Windows machines are still on XP and Vista, while there’s over 40 percent more of the market on seven than on eight, to be able to tell that people don’t like to assume.

     

     

  • Why Microsoft partnered MDX-i on cloud solution, by Makwane

    Microsoft Nigeria’s Managing Director, Kabelo Makwane, has said the firm is partnering  MainOne’s Data Centre subsidiary, MDX-1 because of its strength in connectivity and its certification as Tier 3 Data Centre in the country.

    He said the firm will continue to explore ways of working with indigenous firms that have braved the odds to invest in the provision of the state-of-the-art infrastructure to realise the goals of economic development of the country and the continent.

    Makwane spoke during the announcement of the launch of MDX-1’s new cloud-based service offering with Microsoft in Lagos at the weekend.

    The solution, which is built on Microsoft Azure’s enterprise grade infrastructure, provides flexible, highly available and fully secure private computing environments to companies on a pay-as-you-go basis.

    By combining expertise in proven, yet familiar technologies and geographic specialisation, MDX-i Cloud Services deliver a solution tailored to meet the needs of enterprise customers in West Africa. Benefits of the Infrastructure as a Service (IAAS) solution include access to a wide range of computing resources, such as storage, central processing unit (CPU), memory, security firewalls and network bandwidth, provisioned on a subscription basis.

    The new solution is the first Cloud offering MDX-i is launching in partnership with Microsoft, the leading global provider of Cloud Services. With this launch, MDX-i is positioned to meet the computing infrastructure needs of companies deploying private, public or hybrid clouds from its Tier III Data Center in Lagos.This ensures quick and agile provisioning of infrastructure for businesses and government agencies as required, thus improving their time to deliver on-demand applications and services.

    Makwane said: “The Cloud OS Network is a worldwide group of select service providers that partner closely with Microsoft to offer customers hybrid cloud and Azure-enabled solutions. Uniquely combining expertise in Microsoft technology, customer requirements, and geographic specialisation, Cloud OS network members deliver the Microsoft Cloud Platform customised to your specific needs.”

    Also, MDX-i’s Business Development Executive, Rob Lever said the new cloud platform is a scalable and cost effective alternative to dedicated computing resources deployed in-house by companies and includes managed virtual data centers, virtual private servers, and virtual LANs to assure customers of high availability.

    He said: “Businesses are beginning to embrace Cloud services because it promises increased agility in addition to savings in OPEX (operating expenditure) and CAPEX (capital expenditure). Our IaaS platform reduces complexity, interoperability, and security concerns of our customers. It provides them the benefit of leveraging our infrastructure, and the expertise of MDX-i and Microsoft, without their having to incur the substantial costs associated with deploying such solutions.”

    Chief Executive Officer (CEO), PCL Mobisafe, Christian Landmark, said the pilot customer of the new cloud offering, expressed his confidence in the performance levels and reliability of the solution.

    He said: “We chose MainOne as our Cloud Provider because of their excellent reputation for quality and support in the telecoms sector. We are impressed by their technical expertise and willingness to go the extra mile in their provision of what is a fairly complex solution.”

     

  • Microsoft gives out N5tr worth of software globally

    Microsoft gives out N5tr worth of software globally

    The world’s number one software maker, at the weekend unveiled a $200 billion free software bonanza, with the launch of its new Windows 10 Operating System software.

    Under the plan, virtually every personal computer (PC) user anywhere in the world, will now be entitled to a copy of the new Operating System Software, free of any payments for life. They are available for free download from the Microsoft website and there are currently some two billion Windows users worldwide. More than 100 million downloads have been made worldwide.

    Although Microsoft seems to be offering some conditions for upgrade of old Windows installations, the novel package is possibly the world’s largest software gifting in history, since virtually every PC user is allowed to download the software free of any charges.

    Microsoft says only users of genuine copies of its old Windows 7 or Windows 8 will be able to upgrade to the new software on their old computers. The new installation ensures this by asking for the Serial Number of the old Windows, during the upgrade and declines upgrade of any old Windows installation done with an illegal Windows copy or already black listed Serial number.  Microsoft Corporation has however not placed any restrictions to prevent fresh installation of the new Operating System software, even on PCs on which illegal copies had been previously installed. Only extremely low configuration computers will be unable to run the new software.

    This latest software release by Microsoft Corporation and the free full software offer over the next one year, is apparently the organisation’s strategic way of winning back leadership of the global Operating System software market, which it has lost to the Google-backed Android Operating system, now running on computer Tablets and smart mobile phones worldwide.

    From August next year, every copy of the new Windows Operating System software, will be sold for a minimum of $110 for installation on every new computer. Corporate organisations, government agencies and private business users will however pay to upgrade their existing Windows versions to various Enterprise Editions of the new Windows 10 beginning today.

    Microsoft Corporation’s Windows software, which used to be run on nine of every 10 of the world’s Personal Computers. That market control has dropped to just about two in every 10 Personal Computer products and devices in use worldwide. Microsoft’s new goal may be to ensure that virtually every Personal Computer user worldwide, is running a genuine copy of its flagship Operating System software.

    It is a de javu of sort, with the unique unveiling and free offer,  coming almost exactly 30 years after Microsoft Corporation released its Windows 1 free of any additional payments, with the world’s first personal computers. The Windows 1 Operating System software released in November 1985, became the software running on 90% of the world’s personal computers.

    The introduction of inexpensive, but very stable portable Tablet Computers, running the Google corporation-backed Android Operating System, some 10 years ago, has over the years proved to be the game changer for Microsoft’s hold on the global Operating System software industry.  Today’s Android-based Tablet Computers, have very minimal electric power demand, running for days on single battery charges. They have become very popular replacement for PC notebooks and laptops, because they are capable of doing virtually all that users of Personal Computers can do on PCs running Windows.

    The arrival some six years ago, of inexpensive smart mobile phones, running virtually the same Android Operating System as Tablet computers, totally knocked the bottom off any Microsoft plan at recapturing the market. Today,  there are almost four million Android-based Tablet computers, mobile phones and other devices, all capable of running the same software and interpreting the same programming codes and instructions within themselves.

     

     

     

  • ABUAD wins Microsoft Imagine Cup

    ABUAD wins Microsoft Imagine Cup

    With their Asthmavisor, a device for managing asthma effectively particularly in children, four students of the Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD) have won Africa’s ticket to the Imagine Cup competition organised by Microsoft Incorporation.

    The quartet that placed the five year-old institution on the global map, Adeyemo Oluwaseun, Raymond Obinaju, Sobola Timilehin, and Kevin Ahwin, are studying Computer Science and Mechanical Engineering.

    They defeated contingents from across other African countries including Burkina Faso, South Africa, Uganda, Egypt, Angola, Algeria and Morocco as well as Tunisia to qualify for the grand finale which comes up at the Microsoft Headquarters in Seattle, United States next month.

    The team christened, Team Lifewatch, identified a major health problem and proffered a novel solution using available technology.

    AsthmaVisor Solution consists of a mobile application operating with a wearable device, which monitors asthmatic patients’ health status, ensuring that they stay safe and well informed of their environment.

    The team designed the device to be a cost-effective and efficient way of supervising asthmatic patients, especially children.

    It helps patients to be more conscious of their environment while also serving as a reminder of their physicians’ recommendations. The software also provides an automatic alert, which is triggered by changes in environmental condition as detected by the sensors in the device. AsthmaVisor further helps the patient alert a selected list of emergency contacts in the event of crisis.

    This achievement is coming nine months after Mr Emmanuel Adegbite, a 300-Level student in the College of Medicine and Health Sciences of ABUAD, wrote a research paper on the deadly Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) that ravaged Nigeria and parts of West Africa last year. Adegbite’s paper titled: “Therapeutic measures against the current virulent endemicity of Ebola Virus”, was published in the October edition of the Journal of Medicine and Clinical Trials, a Nigerian-based International Science Journal.

    Imagine Cup is a global student technology programme and competition that provides opportunities for students across all disciplines to team up and use their creativity, passion and knowledge of technology to create applications, games and integrates solutions that can change the way people live, work and play.

     

  • Apple, Android app makers snub Microsoft’s overtures

    Apple, Android app makers snub Microsoft’s overtures

    Microsoft’s plan to make its new version of Windows a mobile hit by letting it accept tweaked Apple and Android apps has met an obstacle: some of the software developers the company needs to woo just aren’t interested.

    Windows phones accounted for just three per cent of global smartphone sales last year, compared with about 81 per cent for devices with Google’s Android system and 15 percent for Apple and its iOS system, according to research firm IDC. One reason is that Windows doesn’t run as many or as attractive apps as its rivals.

    To boost sales of its phones and new operating system, Microsoft said last month that it would provide tools to software developers to make it easier to design apps for Windows based on apps that run on Android or Apple. But because so few people use a Windows phone, most developers remain focused on the more popular systems and don’t see a need to develop apps for Windows. They also said they doubt how easy the new tools will be to use.

    “Windows phone will have to gain a significant share of the market before this becomes something that saves us time and/or money,” said Sean Orelli, a director at app development firm Fuzz Productions in New York, which makes apps related to Citibank, the New York Post, and Conde Nast, among others.

    For Microsoft, the world’s biggest software company, there’s a lot at stake this summer as it rolls out Windows 10, the first operating system designed to run on PCs, tablets and phones. If developers don’t embrace the new platform, it will seriously damage the prospects of the new operating system, which Microsoft hopes will power one billion devices in two or three years.

    Interviews with more than a dozen developers found just one planning to move an app from Apple or Android to Microsoft MSFT.O. That’s King.com, which ported its popular Candy Crush Saga game from iOS to Windows 10 “with very few code modifications” and will be installed automatically with upgrades to Windows 10, according to Microsoft. King.com confirmed the move but declined to comment further.

    Eight developers said they aren’t planning to develop for Windows 10 at all. Four who already have Windows apps said they would continue to do so.

    Because Microsoft hasn’t actually unveiled its new set of tools to turn apps into a Windows format, developers did not rule out any move, and a Microsoft spokesman said that “it is still early” and many software companies want to explore the tools over the coming months.

    More and better apps might attract more people to buy a Windows phone or tablet, Microsoft reasons. Only six of the top 10 free apps on iPhone are available for Windows phone, and of those, two are made by Microsoft itself. In the past Microsoft has paid developers to create Windows apps.

    Failure to attract the apps would not be fatal for Microsoft, which is growing more reliant on its Office, server software and cloud computing services, but it would be a sign that Microsoft is losing its hold on personal computing, in a world where phones are expected to outsell PCs by more than six to one by 2017.

    Because of that trend, “it’s going to be hard for developers to prioritize building for Microsoft,” said John Milinovich, Chief Executive of URX, a mobile ad service that creates links between apps.

    Windows, closely tied to the stagnant PC market, is a big but static business for Microsoft. It’s likely worth $20 billion in revenue this fiscal year, analysts say, compared with almost $30 billion for its Office business, out of total expected annual revenue of $93 billion. The company’s server software and cloud-computing businesses are growing much faster, with cloud-computing revenue forecast to triple to $20 billion by 2018.

  • Microsoft, Unilever, others win Great Place To Work award

    Microsoft, Unilever, others win Great Place To Work award

    Microsoft Nigeria, Unilever Nigeria and six other companies have been declared the best companies to work in Nigeria at the 2015 Great Place to Work Nigeria (GPTWN) Awards.Others that clinched the coveted awards on account of their strong ethical standards and work-friendly environment include Mansard Insurance Plc, Coca-Cola Nigeria, NSIA Insurance, Akintola Williams Deloitte, DHL Nigeria, and Konga.

    While Microsoft beat FITC and DHL Nigeria to clinch the award for the category of Delivering Excellence in Wellness, Sahara Group, a major player in the oil & gas sector, trounced Fidelity Bank and Diageo Nigeria to clinch the award in the category of Delivering Excellence in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). FITC, which was first runner up to Microsoft however, won the Delivering Excellence in Leadership category. Lagos Business School and FirstBank of Nigeria was first and second runner up, respectively.

    Also, Akintola Williams Deloitte emerged winner in the Delivering Excellence in Learning & Development category.  The firm beat DHL Nigeria and Accenture Nigeria who were first and second runner up, respectively. A pool of over 75 organisations was assessed from which three were nominated in each category and a winner selected.

    Speaking during the third edition of the award ceremony and dinner tagged, ‘Good to Great,’held on Friday, at the Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos, Country Manager, GPTWN, Mr. Michael Thomas, said:  “The eight companies that made the 2015 Best Companies To Work for in Nigeria list set a high standard for us all. Their outstanding achievement builds a better society by creating great workplaces.”

    GPTWN is an affiliate of Great Place to Work, San Francisco, US, a global research, consulting and training institute that specialises in analysing, understanding, selecting and publishing best workplace lists in the country.

    The Great Place to Work Awards are a distinctive way Great Place to Work Institute recognizes the accomplishments of organisations across the world who have implemented creative and effective approaches to developing trust, pride, and camaraderie within their unique workplaces.The organisers define great workplaces as companies where employees trust their colleagues, take pride in their work and enjoy the relationship with the people they work with.

    Thomas, who noted that it’s interesting to see lots of companies build great workplace culture however, said it takes a certain level of courage to blaze the trail and build a great workplace culture. He disclosed that unlike past editions, more indigenous companies are among the awardees.

    Also speaking, Chairman of GPTWN, Mr. Ghandi Olaoye, noted that there is a growing desire among companies in Nigeria to build a great place to work. While describing the awardees as exceptional, he said they represent exemplary corporate citizens. He urged them to continue to show the way for others to follow.

    Explaining the key criteria in the process of determining the winning companies, Mr. Olaoye said the selections were made by critically looking at employee perceptions as indicated in GPTWN Trust Index Assessment. “The Trust Index Survey measures employee perception of his company. It looks at how employees see their organisations and this trust index has a whole lot of questions drawn with an international standard. So we don’t do the rating, the employees do the rating and we send it to the Great Place to Work Institute in San Francisco,” he said.

  • Mansard, Microsoft partner on Nokia Lumia 930

    Mansard, Microsoft partner on Nokia Lumia 930

    Mansard Insurance Plc has partnered leading technology brands in the world, Microsoft to deliver to outstanding experience with the new Nokia Lumia 930

    The Nokia Lumia 930 was introduced to the Nigerian market at a media launch in Lagos.

    Speaking at the event, Mansard’s Director, Retail Business, Mr. Yomi Onifade said the partnership with Microsoft on the Nokia Lumia 930 is one the risk-bearing firm is proud of as it is the coming together of two forward thinking and innovative companies, aimed at delivering an experience that is the first of its kind to the customers.

    Mr. Onifade said every new Lumia 930 comes with free insurance which covers two screen damages and one liquid damage. The insurance is in place for a period of one year and everyone one that purchases the new device from any of the authorised outlets in Nigeria is automatically covered.

    He further said buyers should be on the lookout for the Mansard Insurance sticker on the device.

    On how to make a claim in the event it is arises, he stated that all that has to be done is for the phone owner to report at any Nokia Care outlet or authorised point, adding that the phone would be examined to know if its is still under warranty. He said if it is, the Nokia team will send the customers information to Mansard while the phone will be repaired and Mansard will pay Nokia Care for the repair.

    Managing Director, Microsoft Mobile Devices and Services, West and Central Africa, Mr. Nick Imudia, said: “The Lumia 930 is beautifully designed and a testament to our design heritage.

    “Its premium metal edges are sand blasted and precision machined to finely crafted details; to produce a strong, slim and striking smartphone that’s just simply beautiful to look at, with the best of Microsoft built in.”

  • Microsoft partners ISPON

    Microsoft partners ISPON

    Microsoft Nigeria has  the Institute of Software Practitioners of Nigeria (ISPON), in a move designed to foster the growth of the software ecosystem.

    Speaking during the presentation of the certificate of membership to Microsoft Nigeria along with a handover of a white paper on the sustenance of a strategic partnership between the two organisations, ISPON President, Mr. Pius Okigbo, Jr. reiterated the resolve of ISPON to build indigenous capacity by bolstering software local content.  It will also strive to protect and advocate intellectual property rights as it concerns indigenous software development through its various channels and events, adding that Microsoft has a key role in the realisation of these goals.

    Country Managing Director, Microsoft Nigeria, Mr. Kabelo Makwane, expressed satisfaction with the approach of ISPON in addressing these key issues, stressing that the partnership should be on a long term basis judging by the enormity and importance of the issues identified.

    Makwane urged ISPON to facilitate a strong software industry which will speak with one voice, thereby lending credence to the advocacy of its cause.

    ISPON’s immediate past President, Mr. Chris Uwaje, praised the new, welcoming Microsoft on board. He urged the company to assert its role in the development of the software ecosystem as Nigeria.

    He said the country has a pool of young talented software developers, a large percentage of which will be churned into the software ecosystem in the next decade creating a vibrant software industry.