Wednesday, 23 December 2020
RapidDeploy helps first responders defend public safety with Azure Sentinel
RapidDeploy creates its Cloud Aided Dispatch systems to help first responders act quickly to protect the public. There's a lot at stake, and the company's cloud-native platform must be secure against an array of serious cybersecurity threats. So, when RapidDeploy implemented a Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) system, it chose Microsoft Azure Sentinel, one of the world's first cloud-native SIEMs. See the full story in the video below.
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5 Things to Avoid While Using a Team Messenger
Team messenger apps are a great addition to the workplace, especially in today's environment where working from home and flexible work schedules are the norm. However, it's easy to forget that just like unbulleted emails and leaving used Tupperware in the company fridge, there are some behaviors that are frowned upon when using office communication tools.
In this article, you'll review 5 basic rules that professionals must be mindful of when using a team messenger application in the office or remotely. Always keep them in mind to avoid awkward situations and the office blacklist.
Tuesday, 22 December 2020
The 'Internet of Things' Is Changing the Way We Look at the Global Product Value Chain
IoT is no longer a novelty, and still it surprises us each day with new, innovative solutions to everyday tasks. When was the last time you checked the TV for the weather, or had to download your photos to a computer so you could share them with friends or relatives? Unless you're a meteorologist or professional photographer, chances are it's been a long time since you did either of those things.
Today, our devices do almost everything for us. From scheduling our appointments to letting us know when our heart rate is above or below safe levels, to everything in between. Our IoT devices truly get to know us better than we thought we knew ourselves. So why not utilize this data to create amazing experiences with the products and services we use every day?
In this article, you'll learn how the IoT is helping businesses reevaluate the way they interact with their customers to create new, non-intrusive, and relevant business opportunities that are changing the way we look at the Global Product Supply Chain.
Securing the hybrid cloud with Azure Security Center and Azure Sentinel
Infrastructure security is top-of-mind for organizations managing workloads on-premises, in the cloud, or hybrid. Azure Security Center provides unified security management by identifying and fixing misconfigurations and providing visibility into threats to quickly remediate them. Azure Sentinel collects data from Azure Security Center. Learn more about this integrated and efficient solution in this article.
Empower your entire organization with Microsoft Teams
You've just arrived at the office, booted up your computer or laptop, and filled your first cup of coffee. You sit back down, take a sip, and what do you see? Chances are it's a login screen. Hastily, you type in your username and password and get on with a productive day. At least that was the idea, until you remember you forgot to send Karen from HR your vacation request form. You try to reach her by email but to no avail, so you boot up the informal messenger that everyone in the office uses because the legacy messenger set up years ago crashes when you send so much as an emoji. But of course, you once again need to type in your login info, only to see that Janice is not online. So ultimately you end up making two trips to HR (on the first trip, you forgot to staple your vacation balance because the document is stored in a separate internal SharePoint) to finally get your vacation approved.
Ready to throw your computer out a window yet? We don't blame you. This scenario may seem comical, but it's a reality that thousands of employees must endure thanks to the lack of a single, unified digital workspace. Preferably one that can be implemented across your entire organization and serve as a hub for all documents and teams to collaborate, within and across projects.
After reading this infographic, you'll learn how each department within your business can utilize Microsoft Teams to become more efficient, store documents securely, and collaborate seamlessly with any peer or colleague.
The 4 main types of secure hardware
IoT is everywhere: industries, smart cities, homes, and wearables are just a few examples. It's an everyday reality and the number of connected devices is rising rapidly. But with connectivity comes vulnerability. IoT devices present always-on targets for hackers looking to access your business' network and device cloud, gain malicious control of the device, or steal critical data.
Since there are so many potential ways in which cybercriminals can hack into online devices, it's no secret that their connections to each other and the cloud need scalable and easily deployable security solutions. Read this infographic to learn about the 4 most commonly used standards for secure hardware used to protect today's devices.
Microsoft Sentinel
Azure Sentinel is intelligent security analytics for your entire enterprise. Collect data, detect threats, investigate incidents, and rapidly respond with Sentinel.
Monday, 21 December 2020
Enable remote work faster with new Windows Virtual Desktop capabilities
Windows Virtual Desktop meets the needs of an increasingly distributed and remote workforce. Organizations of all sizes have had to quickly shift focus and support users who need to stay connected from new locations and devices. Learn what new capabilities Windows Virtual Desktop added to make remote work more efficient and secure.
Wednesday, 16 December 2020
Transform your business from local to global with digital collaboration. Get started with Microsoft Teams.
How do you increase the scale of your business without compromising your teams' work structure and methodologies? Truth be told, there is no single answer to this question, but there is one solution that has been proven to yield outstanding results for today's leading enterprises: digital collaboration. However, the real challenge lies in choosing the correct platform on which to build your modern workplace—one that provides the flexibility, efficiency, and customizability that complements your work methodologies and empowers your employees.
Thankfully, one such platform exists, and is currently being utilized by today's industry leaders to complete fascinating, intricate projects around the world. Subscribe now to learn how Microsoft Teams can become the best tool for your workforce to reach its full potential, and how your business can go from local to global with Microsoft cloud.
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Start your IoT journey with industry-leading SaaS and PaaS offerings. Learn more about Microsoft Azure IoT.
Regardless of your business or industry, it's most likely that your digital transformation initiatives require a stable, secure, and flexible platform that can scale and adapt to your projected growth. You also want a flexible business partner, one that can adapt to your established methodologies and effectively complement your teams' unique strengths.
Subscribe now to learn how you can leverage Microsoft Azure IoT and the Microsoft Partner Program to create growth-enabling digital transformation and long-term partnerships that drive success for your business.
Tuesday, 15 December 2020
St. Luke's University Health Network secures digital health transformation with Microsoft 365
St. Luke's University Health Network (SLUHN) looks to the cloud to define a new way of providing health services of its ten hospitals and 300 sites across ten counties in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. This video outlines how the health network embarked on a digital health transformation journey using the Microsoft 365 productivity cloud to empower more than 15,000 employees. The intuitive tools protect sensitive information in cloud applications, simplifying security with interoperable solutions to save time while enhancing the hospital network's security posture. In turn, this optimizes health team collaboration and improves patient experience.
Empower employees for secure remote work with Windows Virtual Desktop
Virtual desktops can provide great security to organizations and allow remote employees to access safely confidential organizational data. Learn how Windows Virtual Desktop makes your workflow secure in addition to optimizing services.
J Walter Thompson Unlocking creativity with Microsoft Teams
Creativity is like a living organism. It requires the right conditions to appear, careful nurturing to become more capable, and a diverse ecosystem to thrive. However, just like any organism, it can disappear in an instant if its environment doesn't provide the conditions it needs to grow and reach its full potential.
Ironically, nothing generates the mass extinction of creative ideas faster than alienating cubicles. So organizations quickly began to change from the inside to create environments that foster innovation and dynamic work methodologies. With the advent of digital, they realized that not only did physical spaces need to change, but also their digital counterparts. Let's face it—when was the last time you read a company-wide email reply and thought it was a good thing?
In this video, you'll learn the inspiring example of how J. Walter Thompson—one of the largest communication agencies in the world—has mastered the art of digital collaboration thanks to Microsoft Teams. From collaborating with the world's leading experts in prosthetics to give a veteran the ability to once again swim with his family, to simply networking and having fun, you'll see how Teams is much more than a work tool—it's a hub for inspiration and creativity.
FINNING | Value of Partners in Azure Cloud Application Building
Team synergy is critical to ensuring the success of a project. But this isn't just a matter of putting people together in a project and expecting results. An active effort must be made to ensure everybody is well aware of their role, scope, and how to collaborate so that all teams can create a methodology that pushes the project forward on time and within budget.
In this video, you'll learn how Finning, the world's largest Caterpillar dealer, has created a culture of collaboration with their digital transformation partner to drive successful IoT initiatives, and how they made it all possible by using Azure IoT.
Navigate data protection and risk in the cloud era
Microsoft invests in compliance and risk management to help your customers more easily protect and govern their data, address regulations and standards, and mitigate insider risks. The how-to guidance article announces new capabilities in Microsoft 365 that use machine learning and intelligence to help your customers address compliance and risk management in their organizations.
Monday, 14 December 2020
Cloud Security and Windows Virtual Desktop
Keeping your work secure is paramount. Windows Virtual Desktop can help. Learn the protocols Microsoft takes to ensure data privacy, network protection, and more.
Wednesday, 9 December 2020
The Importance of Marrying IoT to Consumer Products for Ease of Life
The number of connected IoT devices in 2017 was 27 billion, and by 2030 it's expected to grow to 125 billion. This means that the functionality and use scenarios for the IoT will continuously expand and permeate across all areas of consumer products, therefore improving the lifestyles and health of users worldwide.
But exactly how are IoT devices being used in the consumer product space to increase customer satisfaction and make businesses more efficient? Read this article to gain an accurate perspective into the reach that the IoT will have in the consumer product space and how businesses will leverage IoT devices to drive innovation across the industry.
The Future of Productivity: Teamwork and Collaboration
Long gone are the days when the bulk of office communication was made via lengthy, often incomprehensible email threads. Also going extinct—thankfully— are the colossal company-wide emails that were often responded to by recipients using the "reply all" button.
Today's corporate communication is evolving—not to the Orwellian, drone-like future portrayed in the movies, but toward a more multimedia-focused and casual approach. Nowadays, boring project management software is losing traction to intuitive digital tools such as Slack or Microsoft Teams which enable communication and collaboration to happen from a single platform.
In this article, you'll learn about the major trends that are transforming office communications around the world. You'll also gain insight into how several industry leaders envision the future of collaboration, and what tools they're using within their organizations to push forward projects worldwide.
Tuesday, 8 December 2020
Overview of Microsoft Defender ATP
Learn how Microsoft Defender Advanced Threat Protection delivers preventative protection, post-breach detection, automated investigation, and response for enterprise networks. Watch this video for an overview.
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The 7-step partner mini-guide to onboarding customers
Organizations don't make the jump to digital collaborations overnight. It takes months—or even years, depending on their size—of careful planning and strategy to come up with a transition plan that doesn't compromise operations while everybody gets onboarded.
It's our job, then, to guide our clients and partners as to the best way they can make their digital plans happen. Of course, this isn't always easy—some organizations have highly rigid and complex structures that can take a while to adapt and integrate new technologies, while others may have multiple stakeholders who need to be consulted during each stage of the process. Either way, a clear and well-established roadmap goes a long way toward ensuring the process goes as smoothly as possible.
That's why we've created this infographic—to provide you with 7 time-tested steps that can make your customers' Microsoft Teams adoption as seamless as possible. Use it as a handy cheat sheet for yourself or your sales teams, or bring it along to executive meetings for a visually impactful way of presenting a solid implementation strategy that's recommended by Microsoft.
The 7 properties of highly secure devices
Every day, new IoT devices are powering up around the world. Each one represents a source of insights into customer behavior and provides the data required to create and monitor impactful strategies. On the flip side, all of them also represent a possible entry point for malicious software and cybercriminals to steal sensitive business information and permanently damage an organization's reputation.
To counter this threat, enterprise security has gotten increasingly elaborate and effective at creating multiple security systems depending on the property of each device and its relationship with the customer.
In this infographic, you'll learn about the 7 properties that help modern IoT devices stay safe from cyber attacks and keep hackers at bay.
Security Fortify infographic
Maximize threat detection during attack stages with Microsoft's comprehensive suite of security solutions. Unmatched volumes of data inform Microsoft security solutions. Learn how you can harness decades of security experience with Microsoft Advanced Threat Protection.
Monday, 7 December 2020
Why Integrated Technology Systems is choosing Windows Virtual Desktop for their customers
Customers have been asking for a user-friendly Remote Desktop Service for years, and Windows Virtual Desktop (WVD) is it. As the only affordable virtual desktop solution that allows you to deploy a native Windows 10 experience, it's been identified as one of the biggest partner opportunities in 2020. Read more in this blog post.
Wednesday, 2 December 2020
Measure value, efficiency, and cost effectiveness with accurate, real-time data. Subscribe now to learn more about Microsoft Azure IoT.
Data is everything in today's digital world. Simply put, those businesses without the means to accurately extract data from their processes adapt more slowly than those that do. And in a world with increasing customer expectations and constantly evolving technology, gaining access to this information is no longer just a choice.
There is a bright side to this situation, though. As technology becomes more accessible, so do your options for implementing and creating successful digital strategies. Today's leading platforms like Microsoft Azure IoT are not only easier to deploy, but also more flexible in their requirements and maintenance, giving your company the choice of executing them in the way that best aligns with your objectives.
Subscribe now to learn how digital transformation and the IoT can put you in total control of your business, as well as how you can get started with Microsoft.
Hybrid Environments
Secure hybrid environments for the lowest TCO with an integrated solution. Learn more about simplifying and fortifying with Microsoft security. Subscribe here!
A single digital workspace that connects ideas, projects, and people. Subscribe to learn more about Microsoft Teams.
As the world becomes increasingly connected, continuous product innovation in the Modern Workplace provides growing opportunities for today's organizations to deliver customized business solutions to their customers.
In this digital landscape, the demand for unified solutions is stronger than ever, with 88 percent of Microsoft customers agreeing that having all their solutions together in one place saves them time. These same companies also estimate that they've saved nearly $5 million over three years from not having to switch back and forth between apps.
So how exactly are organizations adapting to these trends? Subscribe now to get the answer to this question and many others regarding Modern Workplace, digital collaboration, and Microsoft solutions.
Tuesday, 1 December 2020
The top 9 ways Microsoft IT is enabling remote work for its employees
As employees continue working remotely, Microsoft continues to provide productive and secure experiences to users around the world. Learn what steps Microsoft took to make remote work more productive and flexible.
Understanding the Virtual Environment
Microsoft continually innovates to empower best-in-class experiences, no matter where you're located. Learn how you can maximize productivity in the virtual environment with Windows Virtual Desktop.
Leveraging Your Microsoft Assets in this Remote Access World
More of the workforce is working remotely than ever before. Organizations are adapting and implementing new remote access solutions. Now is the time to evaluate the Microsoft tools you already have at your fingertips and leverage the built-in remote work security features and capabilities. Read more in this article from National Law Review.
HRI uses Microsoft Teams to streamline research
Medical researchers have one of the most critical jobs in the world. It's imperative, therefore, that every second of their workday is dedicated to discovering new ways to improve human health. Likewise, enabling researchers to effortlessly share their work with colleagues around the world can make a huge the difference.
Watch this video to learn how Health Research Institute (HRI) is using Microsoft Teams to enable its researchers to seamlessly communicate, collaborate, and help each other in over 150 international projects per year.
FINNING | Providing Measurable customer value increased operational efficiancy and consistent growth with IoT
Many companies would view competing in industries where labor-intensive tasks, disconnected data sources, and paper-based processes are the norm as a hard challenge. Others, like Finning—the world's largest Caterpillar dealer—saw this as an opportunity to disrupt and innovate within the construction industry through digital transformation.
Watch this video to learn how Finning collaborated with a Microsoft Gold Partner to enable the unification of disparate data sources using IoT devices, and how this strategy allowed the company to substantially upgrade its customer service experience.
Monday, 30 November 2020
Windows Virtual Desktop Solution Overview
Get all the tools and resources you need to migrate your apps, data, and infrastructure at your own pace with confidence. Learn how Windows Virtual Desktop expands capabilities with the best virtualized end-user experience in the video below.
Wednesday, 25 November 2020
Security Power
Securing your systems with a data driven, human guided security approach allows you to detect and respond to attacks more quickly and accurately. This infographic outlines how the global network of real time threat intelligence from Microsoft continues to evolve, anticipate, and stay ahead of risks.
Tuesday, 24 November 2020
8 Ways IoT Devices Can Improve Your Business Office
By now, you're very aware of the hugely successful IoT implementations some companies have released into the market. Wearables, smartphones, smart cars, and even smart traffic lights have made headlines across the world. But what about the stuff that doesn't make headlines? Some IoT applications—such as those we use around the office—may not be as exciting as others, but that doesn't mean they aren't as useful or interesting.
In this article, you'll learn about IoT applications that are revolutionizing the workplace and how each of them can add value to products and services we didn't even know could be automated. From coffee machines to smart office heat mapping, these are 8 ways your office could be getting smarter in the near future.
Why Remote Work Trumps Being in the Office
It's no secret that when implemented with the right vision and control mechanisms, remote collaboration provides outstanding benefits for both employees and organizations. Workers enjoy greater flexibility plus the satisfaction of better work-life balance, while organizations obtain unparalleled scalability and increased efficiency across projects.
In this article, we'll put you in the shoes of a passionate work-from-home advocate to discover the main reasons why this benefit is sought after by professionals in every industry. You'll also learn why, in these digital times, remote collaboration is not only an option, but THE best option for companies that wish to empower and motivate today's diverse and inclusive workforce.
BP deploys Microsoft 365 to improve user experience and security
Every day, BP manages the difficult business of finding, producing, marketing, and moving energy around the globe. Core to success is the modernization and digitization of the business, while being able to defend a vast digital perimeter against cyberattacks. This video shows how BP is migrating its work environment to Microsoft 365 Enterprise E5 to take advantage of a platform approach.
End User Experience
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The 4 defining characteristics of effective digital workspaces
Not so long ago, it was believed that for teams to be productive, they required long hours confined in a physical office space with constant face-to-face interaction. To be fair, given the primitive state of digital collaboration tools at the time—which was pretty much limited to emails—there wasn't really a solid alternative to this scheme, so companies worked with what they had.
Today, digitalization has made it possible for several people to seamlessly work together while being halfway across the world from each other. Exponential advancements in virtual workspaces have not only enabled teams to work as well as they did when they spent all day in the office, but have also proven that people are actually more productive the less they have to deal with alienating cubicles and two-way trips along traffic-congested highways.
Not all digital workspaces have been equally effective, however. Yet decades of iterating and optimizing have finally given us a solid idea of the most important characteristics these spaces must have to reach their full potential. So what are they? Read this infographic to find out.
View: The 4 defining characteristics of effective digital workspaces
Monday, 23 November 2020
Create a connected business powered by Microsoft
Imagine you've worked hard to plan and strategize your IoT roadmap. You've finally established what devices you want to connect and how you're going to use that data to drive growth for your business. You've also convinced the board and other stakeholders about your strategy and have gotten the green light to begin ASAP. So you're all set, right? Well, not exactly. What's missing is one of the most challenging and crucial steps for most companies—one that can completely make or break your entire initiative: choosing the correct platform on which to execute your IoT program.
Ideally, you want a platform that allows devices to connect seamlessly —of course—but you also need flexibility, scalability, security, and the ability to transform data into dashboards to obtain insights.
In this infographic, you'll learn how Microsoft IoT Central meets all of these requirements while delivering an intuitive and highly customizable UI that can and will adapt to your business, not the other way around.
Wednesday, 18 November 2020
A digital workspace that transforms ideas into revenue. Subscribe now to learn more about Microsoft Teams.
Innovative ideas are an organization's greatest asset. Yet these assets need the appropriate space to grow, evolve, and transform into revenue-generating initiatives. Whether digital or physical, today's workplaces need to harness the synergy of everybody involved and empower them to share and collaborate in an environment that fosters productivity. These workplaces also need to adapt to everybody's needs and remain intuitive for the entire team, regardless of age, background, or gender.
Subscribe now to stay current on the latest digital workplace trends, and discover how you can foster inclusion and innovation across your business with the help of Microsoft.
Enabling your remote workforce infographic
More organizations are using virtual environments to increase productivity and save money. Learn about the benefits of Windows Virtual Desktop below.
Tuesday, 17 November 2020
Leading the IoT: Gartner insights on how to lead in a connected world
The IoT is changing today's organizations into digital businesses. It's also creating innovative business models, boosting efficiency, and fostering engagement in both employees and customers. Change is not always smooth, however. Sometimes the only way to adapt and stay relevant is by radically reinventing the way things have been done in the past, which can be a painful process for some companies.
There are other barriers to entry for IoT as well: most enterprises don't know where to start implementing the technology; moreover, if strategies do exist, there's almost always a conflict regarding who owns them. During these discussions, it's the job of the CIO to fill the resulting IoT leadership void.
This book provides CIOs and IT leaders with a solid foundation for starting business conversations, developing initiatives, and creating successful IoT strategies with a quick time-to-market. Subscribe now to download your copy.
View: Leading the IoT: Gartner insights on how to lead in a connected world
Security beyond Microsoft products
With Microsoft, security can be simple once again. Microsoft 365 provides an intelligent security hub that works seamlessly across platforms, going far beyond Microsoft—to Linux and Mac, to AWS and beyond, so you can manage mission critical workloads with the right tools at your fingertips. Watch the video to learn more.
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Schneider Electric | How Microsoft Teams helped create a successful HR marketing campaign
Diversity is a defining characteristic of today's global workforce. With teams working on projects around the world, it's critical to have different perspectives on the work being done to ensure an inclusive final product or service that all users can relate to. To that end, Schneider Electric wanted to create a Human Resources campaign that would bolster its reputation as a company that prides itself on being diverse and recruiting the best talent from around the world. It was only appropriate, then, that during the creation of such an important campaign, the company would include as many voices as possible to ensure an adequate representation of its multi-ethnic workforce.
In this video, you'll learn how Schneider Electric used Microsoft Teams to ensure constant collaboration and provide a digital workspace where ideas could be polished into final concepts. You'll also discover how even complex projects that span multiple teams across various regions can thrive when empowered with the right focus and digital tools.
FINNING | Challenges and Opportunities with IoT Apps on Azure Cloud
Every role within an organization needs specific tools and data to do their job as best they can. This task is more complex than it sounds, though. Without the required scalability and customization options, even small businesses can struggle when obtaining relevant information, let alone large, multinational corporations.
If done right, however, the payoff is well worth it. Companies gain access to previously untapped data sources and the ability to filter such data according to each person's role within the organization. When combined with the right integrated productivity tools and digital collaboration software, this allows for unparalleled levels of adaptability, efficiency, and risk management.
In this video, you'll learn how Finning has utilized IoT to connect its entire organization, enabling each person to view relevant data depending on their role within the company.
Monday, 16 November 2020
Windows Virtual Desktop
Get all the tools and resources you need to migrate your apps, data, and infrastructure at your own pace with confidence. In the video below, learn how Windows Virtual Desktop expands capabilities with the best virtualized end-user experience.
Wednesday, 11 November 2020
The Company Of The Future Has A Soul
Blake Morgan, author and speaker on customer experience, companies, and the future, states that it's clear that the most successful companies will be the ones that focus on enriching the lives of the people associated with it. It's not just about profits—it's about caring for other humans and our world. She says that people are frustrated by governments and their inability to make change as quickly as people want, and that instead people have turned toward corporations and businesses to make a greater, more efficient impact on society. "The company of the future has a soul," writes Morgan, "it has a purpose and contributes to the well-being of its customers, employees and community." Read her entire article and watch her short video, "The Company of the Future Has a Soul" for a richer understanding of what the best companies of the future embody.
Microsoft's Teams Is Its Slack Competitor for Office 365
It's no secret that Slack has taken the corporate world by storm. This successful collaboration app has managed to find a home in the offices and laptops of startups and multinational companies thanks to its intuitive, chat-based functionality. However, today's highly fluid, complex, and remote workforce requires more than just chat-based collaboration—it needs native integration with crucial productivity apps, as well as a secure, flexible document repository that enables multi-team and project cooperation. This is where Microsoft Teams excels.
In this article, you'll learn the competitive advantages of Teams over competing tools, and how Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Office 365 corporate vice president Kirk Koenigsbauer have learned from industry pain points to create a fully integrated, holistic collaboration software solution that is empowering companies to scale and expand across the world.
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Cerner drives customer confidence, improves security and compliance posture with Microsoft 365
Cerner's life blood is healthcare information—data that is subject to some of the most stringent security and privacy regulations in the world. Working at the intersection of healthcare and information technology, Cerner helps shape the industry by delivering solutions to providers—from physicians to integrated delivery networks and large hospital systems—that empower them to transform healthcare delivery. Cerner turned to Microsoft cloud technologies to meet their own high standards and to assure clients who have concerns about the use of public cloud services for processing and storing their health information. Read more here.
Tuesday, 10 November 2020
Incredible Real-World Applications Prove the IoT Is Here to Stay
As author Peter Daisyme accurately puts it, "While many people debate whether little computers in wrist devices, clothing, refrigerators and vehicles will truly change our lives, actionable change is already occurring on the business application side of the IoT." Regardless of which side of the argument you're on, the impact the IoT is having in our societies at a macro level is undeniable.
While you're reading this, devices that measure and predict air pollution, vehicle traffic levels, machine failure rates, fire warnings, and crime rates are being employed to improve the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. And as cities and businesses become more interconnected by the hour, we'll find more and more useful ways in which the IoT can help us better utilize our resources and lift the burden we put on our environment.
In this article, you'll gain deeper insights into how IoT devices are being used by companies and governments alike to obtain accurate data across many potentially life-saving use cases. You'll also learn about what the future holds in store for us as cities powered by artificial intelligence become near-sentient beings capable of reacting in real time to the habits and living conditions of their inhabitants.
Construction giant gains competitive edge with zero-trust approach to security
When The Walsh Group—one of the largest construction contractors in the United States—moved to the cloud, it realized it needed better ways to manage who accesses its systems. The company set up identity as the control plane—with Microsoft Azure Active Directory at the center and a zero-trust security stance to better protect access to all its resources. Now, The Walsh Group CIO says the company leads the industry in securing access to its hybrid environment, giving it a competitive advantage. Read the article for more.
View: Construction giant gains competitive edge with zero-trust approach to security
3 characteristics that define the modern workplace
Today's diverse and intergenerational workforce is most productive when it has adequate channels to collaborate in a seamless and effective way. There's a catch, however: teams are far more diverse and remote than ever before, and each organization requires its own distinct approach to digital collaboration. In other words, your workplace tools and applications must be customized based on your teams' diversity, location, and work methods.
With this infographic, you'll learn about the three main characteristics that define our modern workplace and gain insight into what drives productivity and efficiency in today's organizations. After reading it, you'll have a better understanding of current trends and can keep these in mind when creating or modifying your organization's work environment.
The 3 phases of an effective IoT strategy
IoT is quickly becoming the most important business revolution of the digital age, with its implications being felt across all industries worldwide. However, unlocking the true potential of IoT requires not only a clear roadmap with specific objectives, but also a solid front-end and back-end infrastructure that's capable of making sense of the data obtained. It's for this reason that both public and private organizations sometimes struggle when implementing a successful IoT strategy and fail to reach the desired return-on-investment (ROI).
To address the risks you may encounter with IoT, we've created this short, insightful infographic. After reading it, you'll have a better idea of the tools and actions you should be executing during each of the three stages of IoT implementation to overcome challenges and maximize effectiveness. You'll also obtain a straightforward checklist that your teams can refer to when establishing or optimizing their strategies.
Security intelligent infographic
Identify and repel more threats than ever before with Microsoft Advanced Threat Protection, Azure Security, and Azure Sentinel. Take a look to learn more about intelligent security solutions for your entire enterprise.
Monday, 9 November 2020
Windows Virtual Desktop intro
Windows Virtual Desktop creates best-in-class productivity across various devices and platforms. In this video, learn what these features can do for you and how they are important in an ever-changing work environment.
Wednesday, 4 November 2020
Largest and most trusted
Microsoft 365 guards your data as a valuable asset. With security built-in, not bolted on, integration and deployment are simplified. Subscribe now to learn more.
Replace labor redundancy and manual tasks with digital efficiency. Subscribe now to learn more.
Digital technology has forever changed the dynamics between customers and companies. Companies must continually reinvent their business by going one step ahead of ever-evolving digital trends or risk becoming silent observers while their industry is led by other businesses more adept at digital transformation.
Subscribe now to learn how your business can leave behind inefficient processes, duplicate tasks, and a reliance on physical workplace tools to become an active player in today's digital game.
Tuesday, 3 November 2020
City speeds emergency services, controls spending with Microsoft 365
The City of Corona, California, had an aging IT infrastructure that didn't adequately serve the government's or the public's needs. To address the issue, Corona deployed Microsoft 365, which includes Windows 10, Office 365, and Microsoft Enterprise Mobility + Security. With its modern solutions in place, the city now resolves many IT issues in 10 to 20 minutes versus four days, saves up to $1,000 in IT maintenance per incident, and has a foundation for future improvements. Read more here.
FINNING | Digital Transformation on the Azure Cloud
In 2015, Finning decided to upgrade its customer experience strategy. The goal: to double down on interconnectivity and integration by using IoT devices to obtain data from all available touchpoints.
Watch this video to learn how Finning managed to overcome two of the construction industry's main challenges—disconnected data and paper-based processes—and reap the benefits of digital transformation with Azure IoT.
J. Walter Thompson creates a global collaboration hub with Microsoft technologies
J. Walter Thompson, one of the world's largest advertising and marketing firms, needed a way for its geographically dispersed teams to effortlessly collaborate, produce great work, and increase efficiency. The agency also needed its workforce to have access to the newest digital workplace technology while enabling integration with existing Microsoft Office 365 tools and applications. Watch this video to learn how Microsoft Teams empowered J. Walter Thompson to drive projects across locations by allowing it to seamlessly add members, create and share content, and deliver on the unique value proposition that the agency has been known for since 1896.
Security Solution Overview
With data growing increasingly valuable and harder to protect, Microsoft provides security solutions across identity and access management, information protection, threat protection and security management. Harness integrated, comprehensive security with Microsoft Advanced Threat Protection, Azure Security, and Azure Sentinel to identify and repel more threats than ever before and safeguard your organization, without sacrificing productivity.
Collaborate better with Microsoft Teams. Subscribe to learn more.
Today's global workforce relies on technology to push forward revenue-generating projects. Now more than ever, finding the correct workplace tools is becoming a crucial part of every organization's digital transformation strategy.
Subscribe now to discover how Microsoft Teams is delivering tangible, scalable benefits to companies worldwide. Additionally, learn how Microsoft technologies can empower your business to become a local, regional, or global leader by driving increased efficiency and superior collaboration.
View: Collaborate better with Microsoft Teams. Subscribe to learn more.
Wednesday, 28 October 2020
Security Azure Infographic
Securely harness the power of the cloud with Azure Advanced Threat Protection. This infographic outlines how your organization can trust Azure Advanced Threat Protection as it provides real-time security at enterprise scale, detect threats quickly, and allows your business to stay focused on what's important.
Modern Cloud
Optimize your cloud experience while lowering costs for your Windows Server desktops and apps. Don't miss out on all the amazing features Windows Virtual Desktop has to offer and subscribe now.
Tuesday, 27 October 2020
4 Reasons Why Social Proof Is Essential to Building Your Brand
Social proof is the idea that people will follow the actions of others—that since so many other people behave in a certain way, it must be the correct behavior. In digital marketing, social proof is highly influenced by comments and reviews on your social platforms. Studies have shown that people are not only more likely to share their experiences about your product or service online, but they are also more likely to be influenced by what other people say and write about you. So yes, it's vital that customers are sharing positive reviews of doing business with you—customer service has never been more important than in the digital age.
Maleeka T. Hollaway, in her article "4 Reasons Why Social Proof is Essential to Building Your Brand," states that your social proof demonstrates the degree in which you've helped your clients gain results. "When you can publicly share with your audience how your work or product has created transformations for those who do business with you, naturally, people are inclined to pay attention. Results speak for you whether you are present or not," writes Hollaway. Customers' excitement is often contagious, and you suddenly access the radar of people who might not have even known about your brand, according to Holloway. To read more in depth about social proof and the reasons it's essential to your business, read her entire article. Social proof has never been more important.
How Entrepreneurs Are Connecting the World With IoT
As we enter a new decade, the number of IoT-connected devices is predicted to grow 3x from 2019 to 2020, totaling 21 billion devices. As competition increases, so does innovation, and companies across the world are coming up with new uses and applications for the ever-increasing number of devices that are turned on each day.
In this Entrepreneur.com article, you'll learn how companies and startups are finding new market niches to exploit the near unlimited potential of IoT technology, and how they're causing disruptive waves that ripple across different trades to nurture a near trillion-dollar industry.
The leading South African law firm steps up digital innovation to build the legal practice of tomorrow
With over 150 years of history and experience in the legal market, Webber Wentzel has become one of South Africa's most prominent law firms, operating at the forefront of legal services and home to the country's longest-standing pro bono practices. The firm aims to act as a beacon of innovation for the industry. In this video, see how Webber Wentzel has taken advantage of the capabilities of Office 365 to create a more efficient and collaborative workplace for its teams, while facilitating and securing client interactions.
Introducing Microsoft Teams
How do you empower great ideas across a digital workspace so that they evolve in a fluid and organic matter? This is a critical question to answer for any company with a remote workforce—and with teams growing more diverse and intergenerational every year, it's becoming increasingly complex.
In this video, you'll learn how Microsoft Teams complements the already-robust applications found in Office 365. You'll also discover how both solutions together are enabling some of the world's leading companies to create frictionless digital workplace experiences for their employees.
Finding the right IoT solution for your business
It's no secret that IoT is revolutionizing business around the world. However, investing in IoT is not as simple as investing money in new platforms or applications. The real challenge lies in finding a model that works for your business and adjusts to your organization's focus and competitive advantage. In other words, it's the opposite of a one-size-fits-all approach, and making the wrong choice can have profound consequences that can take years to overcome.
In this infographic, we'll cover the distinctions between Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) and Platform-as-a-Service models, as well as explain the main variables that can determine where your business stands when choosing one of these models.
Monday, 26 October 2020
ESNEFT Customer Success Story - Microsoft Azure and Windows Virtual Desktop
Using Windows Virtual Desktop, the East Suffolk and North Essex Foundation Trust removed unnecessary stress and frustration with IT. This empowered them to devote more time providing excellent patient experiences and healthcare services. Listen to their experience and learn how you can apply these solutions to your business.
Thursday, 22 October 2020
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For team members to work in concert together, they need a set of tools designed to work in concert together. Office 365, with Microsoft Teams at the center, enables real-time communication and collaboration among team members, whether they're located across the hall or across the world. And with business intelligence solutions like Microsoft Power BI hosted in Azure, data can be shared and analyzed across the entire enterprise to uncover insights that can help improve the business as a whole. Subscribe now to stay informed on how Teams, Office 365, and other leading Microsoft solutions can help elevate and transform communication, collaboration, and teamwork throughout your organization.
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Stay connected with Microsoft Azure IoT. Subscribe now.
IoT is easy to understand: it's about connecting devices over the Internet so they can communicate with us, with other applications, and with each other. But while IoT may be simple to explain, putting an effective IoT strategy into practice is vastly more complex.
Subscribe now to stay up to date on how Microsoft technologies deliver the flexibility and scalability you need to control, monitor, and manage your things, allowing you to capture real-time data that can be applied to uncover new business insights and revenue streams.
View: Stay connected with Microsoft Azure IoT. Subscribe now.
Wednesday, 21 October 2020
9 tips for meeting with Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams enables you to host and participate in more productive meetings and invite anyone to join you. This makes Teams a perfect solution where you can communicate and meet with anyone inside or outside your organization - even if they are not a Teams user. This blog offers nine tips to having more productive meetings with attendees in and outside your organization.
Built-in Hybrid infographic
Microsoft is committed to enabling a seamless hybrid approach to cloud adoption. Azure was designed and built to natively support hybrid environments from its inception. This infographic introduces more about the hybrid value you can benefit from when you choose Azure.
Council Post: Creating An Effective Case Study: 12 Important Tips To Remember
Case studies are effective marketing tools when done correctly. Not only do you need to select which background details to include in your case study, but you also need to pack it carefully so that it demonstrates you are a problem solver and have desirable skills—without looking like you are merely promoting your business. It's a balance. This article offers 12 key elements—offered by 12 members of Forbes Agency Council—to keep in mind when creating cases studies. For example, Emily Porter's tip is #9 Let the Images Do the Work. Aside from ensuring a case study is focused on the solution to the problem, Porter writes that "nothing brings it to life more than imagery. In lieu of a long-form case study, consider a photo essay with solid captions narrating the case study" in order to keep the audiences truly engaged while illustrating your product's value.
Saving Money with Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams helps companies improve access to information and free up workers to focus on high-value activities, thus reducing operating costs, accelerating time-to-market, and fostering greater innovation.
Modernize digital processes to improve profitability and ensure data security
Improve profitability and ensure data security by modernizing digital processes with Microsoft.
View: Modernize digital processes to improve profitability and ensure data security
Tuesday, 20 October 2020
Microsoft Partner Network podcast: Partner Marketing Pros- Episode Nine (Part Two)
This week's guest is Gerry Murry, a Research Director with IDC's Marketing and Sales Technology service. Marketing technology and related solutions are his specialty and he's got a great pulse on marketing budgets and trends. He confirms that we've seen an increase in social, content and digital marketing and that the significant upsurge in digital marketing is because it's "way less expensive for the reach that you get." Yet he also advises to pay close attention to the privacy and data collection trends that continue to be on the rise. Marketers must be respectful and create positive relationships centered around customer privacy—a priority pillar in this digital business world. Listen to the entire podcast for more insight into marketing budgets and investments!
AEG delivers unforgettable entertainment experiences to fans using Microsoft technologies
Why would a sports fan or music fan choose to attend a live event rather than watch the game from home or listen to their favorite band on headphones? For AEG, a global entertainment company that owns and operates 100+ facilities across four continents as well as produces concerts, festival, and special events, the answer is simple: it's the experience. More to the point, it's the whole experience—not just the event itself, but also everything else surrounding it, from ticket purchases and event access to the pomp and circumstance during the event, all for the express purpose of delivering a more visceral and unforgettable experience for fans. To achieve all of these things—as well as simplify the business side of producing and hosting a larger-than-life event—AEG relies on Office 365, Microsoft Teams, Power BI, and Azure cloud to analyze and share massive amounts of data across its diverse business units, and utilizes Surface devices and the new Surface Hub to enable employees to meaningfully interact with this data. Watch this lively video to see how Microsoft technology is helping AEG not only deliver singular experiences to fans, but also redefine the business of entertainment in the digital age.
FINNING | Customer Value of Self-Service IoT Apps on the Azure Cloud
Finning, the second largest supplier of Caterpillar machinery in the world, was intent on delivering next-generation, experience-enhancing services to its clients. However, there was something standing in the way: siloed databases that were forcing users to use multiple logins for multiple platforms, resulting in a disjointed and ultimately convoluted practice. Watch this video to learn how Finning used Microsoft Azure Cloud to unify fragmented data sets and streamline its customer journey roadmap.
Ciacci Piccolomini d'Aragona winery creates a perfect blend of tradition and technology with Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams provides virtual solutions in response to an unexpected crisis.
For three generations, the Bianchini family has been creating exceptional wines on their idyllic estate, maintaining the traditions of a historic estate while staying one step ahead of the latest developments in the world of wine. With the recent COVID-19 pandemic and trade shows postponed and international travel impossible, everything changed. The Ciacci winery responded by turning to Microsoft Teams. To keep the business thriving, they moved quickly to replace in-person gatherings with virtual wine tastings using Teams meetings. Family members also used Teams to work together and connect with partners and suppliers, making the adjustment a perfect balance of tradition and technology.
Church and Dwight move Windows Server licenses to Azure for cost optimization
Why run Windows Server on Azure? Find out from Church and Dwight, the major American manufacturer of household products. In this video, learn about the benefits of running their Windows Servers on Azure, the saving on costs by leveraging Azure Hybrid Benefit, and their short and long-term strategic goals.
Monday, 19 October 2020
Big Red Cloud: Targeting pain points
Chief Executive Marc O'Dwyer shares that he started Big Red Cloud, an online cloud accounting software company, because as a business owner of a different company, he experienced problems with his own accounting systems and believed there had to be a better way. Because of these prior pains, he focuses on supporting customers and claims it is the primary reason for the company's success. Watch this video for examples of how Big Red Cloud prioritizes customer service and enjoys a 55% conversion rate from lead to closed sale.
Wednesday, 14 October 2020
Tuesday, 13 October 2020
How Online Collaboration Tools Could Help Your Business
It's no secret that teamwork is one of the key ingredients to a successful business. But in today's interconnected, wireless world, teams don't necessarily need to be in the same location to make teamwork work—that is, as long as each team member is equipped with the right tools for collaborating and communicating on a project. So how do you determine which tools are right for your organization and teams, and what should you look for when evaluating prospective solutions? Read this Lifewire article, "The Benefits of Online Collaboration Tools," to see what author Gabriela Warren feels are the greatest benefits of adopting such tools and, by extension, what features you should look for when shopping around.
Spend a day in the life with physician Dr. Thomas
Dr. Thomas is an oncologist whose day is divided among seeing patients, reviewing charts and x-rays, meeting with colleagues remotely and in-person, and improving patient services at his practice. With so many tasks to do and only a finite number of hours during the day, Dr. Thomas relies heavily on Microsoft Teams to prepare for upcoming appointments, review confidential patient information, and follow up with nurses and radiologists on test results. He also utilizes Power BI dashboards to visualize and address trends in his practice, like patient wait times and quality of care issues. View the infographic for a play-by-play account of Dr. Thomas' day, and how Teams and tools like Power BI enable him to more effectively focus on patient care.
FINNING digitally transforms its operations with IoT apps on Azure cloud
FINNING, the world's largest Caterpillar dealer, started its digital transformation journey with customers in mind, but soon realized that its own operations were seeing just as many benefits as its clients. Not willing to turn down an opportunity to improve, FINNING quickly learned that the data obtained from customer-facing solutions enabled it to gain insights into internal processes and become even more efficient. Watch this video to learn how Azure IoT can have game-changing solutions that push forward internal process optimization and enhance customer satisfaction.
McCann & MullenLowe - Microsoft Teams Case Study
When bringing two companies together through acquisitions, you are often bringing in a different culture with different technology. This can often make it difficult to efficiently collaborate. Sharing files and streamlining communication is a common problem. Two of the leading agency networks, McCann and MullenLowe, needed help to create a single platform which enabled their employees to work together through close collaboration. Microsoft Teams provided the solution they were looking for.
App migration to Azure
In this video, look at strategies to migrate to Microsoft Azure spanning zero to higher levels of coding and when to use which.
From rehosting your apps by lifting and shifting them to Azure to choosing to refactor your apps for greater efficiency, Azure offers you possibilities. You can also rearchitect your apps to be able to quickly add new capabilities or take a cloud-native approach by rebuilding them from scratch. This video also addresses Azure's new secure options in the wake of the end-of-support for Windows Server 2008 R2 or SQL Server 2008.
Monday, 12 October 2020
Four Ways To Boost Customer Experience (And Thus Hold Onto Your Clients)
Customer satisfaction needs to be THE priority in every area of your business. Each interaction a customer has with you will either positively or negatively influence your brand, the customer's lifetime value, and the impact on future customers and therefore your revenue. The customer experience is everything in today's market. Ryanne Van Der Eijk is the Chief Customer Experience Officer at RAKEZ and knows how to create a customer-centric workplace. She shares her best advice for providing the right experience to customers in her article, "Four Ways to Boost Customer Experience (and Thus Hold onto Your Clients)." One of her tips is to build customer-centricity as part of your company culture. Start by defining your company's philosophy on customer service—that's the easy part—and then work on ways to share it via the workflow, the hiring process and the staff training. Read her entire article for more ideas for developing a culture focused on customers and her other tips to boost overall customer experience.
Wednesday, 7 October 2020
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From communicating and collaborating with others to simply getting day-to-day tasks completed on your own, there's no greater tool for productivity than Microsoft Teams. And with Teams as the hub for communication within Office 365, your organization can move closer to realizing the promise of the digital workplace. Subscribe now to stay informed on how Teams, Office 365, and other leading Microsoft solutions can help elevate and transform communication, collaboration, and teamwork throughout your organization.
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Spend a day in the life with retail store manager Alex
Alex is a retail store manager whose day is divided among attending meetings, reviewing store performance metrics, coordinating product refreshes, preparing presentations, and interviewing prospective employees. With so many tasks to do and only a finite number of hours in the day, Alex relies heavily on Microsoft Teams to get everything done--from recruiting and training staff to collaborating with vendors and developing marketing campaigns. View the infographic for a play-by-play account of Alex's day and how Teams enables him to get things done quickly and efficiently.
View: Spend a day in the life with retail store manager Alex
Shift your business into overdrive. Subscribe today.
More than ever before, organizations are augmenting human skills, ingenuity, and business acumen with data analytics, productivity, and enterprise solutions to gain a competitive edge. Subscribe today to stay informed on how solutions like Dynamics 365, Power BI, and other Microsoft services and solutions are enabling modern businesses to take the lead over competitors and finish first in the marketplace.
Tuesday, 6 October 2020
5 ways to lead effective virtual meetings with your remote teams
With virtual meetings, your team can connect from across the globe. In this article, read five tips to help you ensure high productivity and efficiency during your virtual meetings. You'll also learn techniques for keeping cameras on, connecting with your people with empathy, asking if there's anything they need, ensuring there's space for attendees to share their thoughts, and setting an agenda with an outline.
Social Asset C: Realize up to a 406% ROI over on-premises and hosted solutions
When paired with Azure, Windows Server and SQL Server can provide unique benefits that range from unmatched security to better performance. Realize up to a 406% ROI over on-premises and hosted solutions. Learn more about Windows Server & SQL Server on Microsoft Azure. Subscribe now!
View: Social Asset C: Realize up to a 406% ROI over on-premises and hosted solutions
Streamline solutions with Microsoft Teams
Using Microsoft Teams helps you save time by having all solutions in one place for improved collaboration and information sharing. Foster a collaborative environment and embrace the upside of teamwork - frictionless sharing that makes good ideas exceptional.
Finishing first with Renault Sports Formula One and Dynamics 365
To monitor every aspect of performance, a Renault Sports Formula One race car is outfitted with over 200 sensors that generate more than 35 billion data points over a typical race weekend. Since two or more sensors can be matched to form around 20,000 different virtual channels, cars relay an enormous volume of data back to the Renault Sports team during races and tests. By pairing Azure-based Dynamics 365 for Operations with Microsoft Power BI, the Renault Sports team can bring up and track this data in real time, enabling them to make exact modifications and adjustments at lightning speed to squeeze more performance out of the car. Watch this short video to see how the Renault Sports Formula One team capitalizes on the features of Dynamics 365 for Operations and Microsoft Azure to make its cars faster than ever and reach the finish line first.
How NASCAR team Hendrick Motorsports uses Microsoft Teams to win races
Unlike any other competition, NASCAR is a sport where just one second of time can mean the difference between first place and a distant tenth. As such, racing teams like Hendrick Motorsports are always searching for ways to squeeze out another fraction of a second in performance. When NASCAR changed its rules to open up access to different data streams from each car--such as speed, brake level, and throttle position, coupled with GPS location--Hendrick needed a solution for generating actionable insights from this real-time telemetry information, and for sharing this information in real time with various stakeholders. To achieve this high-speed collaboration, Hendrick turned to Microsoft Teams for its efficient communication capabilities accessible in a single, convenient location, and for the solution's enterprise-grade, end-to-end security. Watch the video to see how Hendrick Motorsports is using Microsoft Teams to translate real-time racing telemetry into lightning-fast decisions and faster race car performance.
Commvault boosts capacity and performance with Windows Server and Azure
What are the benefits of running Windows Server and Azure? Learn from Ernie Costa, senior virtualization engineer from Commvault, about freeing up capacity and boosting performance. Also, learn how Commvault saves on cost by leveraging Azure Hybrid Benefit and running Windows Server and Azure services.
Wednesday, 30 September 2020
6 ways you're getting teamwork wrong
All it takes to put together a winning team is finding the most talented people possible, assigning them to the same project, telling them the requirements and deadline, and then letting them run wild...right? Not so, says Sharon Florentine--in fact, far from it. In her article for CIO magazine entitled "6 ways you're getting teamwork wrong," Ms. Florentine draws a clear distinction between assumption and reality when it comes to teamwork, outlining what it really takes to assemble a truly superb group for getting the job done. Check out the full article before you put together your next mission-critical team.
Making choices with data and AI
How do we, as human beings, make decisions? While most people would like to believe that they take a rational, calculated approach by considering all the variables, research shows that we go with our "gut feeling" instead about 95 percent of the time. In his Forbes article entitled "Making Choices With Data And AI," author Mark Robinson discusses the proper role of AI in human decision making. AI shouldn't be making decisions for us, he contends, but rather, guide us by interpreting the data at hand and presenting the facts and variables surrounding a given choice—effectively balancing out our "gut feeling" with rational objectivity. Read the full article to learn how AI-assisted decision making can help guide your business toward greater growth and success by mitigating human bias in choice.
Tuesday, 29 September 2020
Thought Leadership: Teams Future Features
This article describes various new features in Microsoft Teams, including enabling calls in separate windows and pinning meeting controls to the top of your screen.
Just move it to the cloud
This blog outlines the different methods of data migration and use cases. Your method of migrating data to the cloud will depend on many factors. Migrating large amounts of data can be done with any of the methods explained in the blog, including Azure Data Box, File Shares, Site Recovery service, and more.
Spend a day in the life with financial pro Adira
Adira is a senior project manager at a bank who works seamlessly between her laptop at the office and her tablet at home, relying on Microsoft Teams, OneNote within Teams, and Power BI dashboards to collaborate and share with team members. View this infographic to follow Adira through a typical day and to see how Teams enables her to get through her day productively and efficiently.
7 ways AI can help improve decision making for marketers
No longer just science fiction, AI has the potential to radically change just about every aspect of modern life, especially business. From automating simple tasks to more complex feats like uncovering insights from massive volumes of unstructured data, AI is fast emerging as one of the centerpieces of digital transformation, not least of all for its ability to assist with critical business decisions. View the infographic to discover seven ways how AI can help drive better decisions for marketers, and for businesses in general.
View: 7 ways AI can help improve decision making for marketers
A company crazy about chocolate, serious about people, uses Microsoft Teams to build personal relationships
Dutch startup Tony's Chocolonely grew out of a journalist's exposé of child slave labor in the cocoa industry and his dream of making the chocolate trade slavery-free. The Amsterdam-based company grew quickly, but its original collaboration apps didn't support its international expansion or its work-life balance ideals. Teams enables Tony's Chocolonely workers to communicate on a personal level with their colleagues in Europe, America, and Africa. Adding telephony capabilities makes it even more powerful, with everything available in one single interface.
Monday, 28 September 2020
Does Your Company Culture Lead to Happy Customers?
The correlation between employee experience and customer experience is clear: if the employee experience is mediocre or poor, employees will generally not care much about the company or the customers, states Phil Geldart in his Entrepreneur article, "Does Your Company Culture Lead to Happy Customers?" On the other hand, IBM found that if "employee experience is positive, and people feel valued and happy, they will care much more about the customer experience and be proud to work for the company," writes Geldart. Contributing factors for employee experience include physical environment, technological tools, and the organization's culture. Geldart shares that leaders have a responsibility to mirror how they expect their employees to treat customers. For example, if the "culture is one where employees embrace behaviors such as trust, collaboration, communication, respect, transparency and inclusion, they will, in turn, treat your customers in the same manner as they treat their colleagues," writes Geldart. Read the entire article for more examples of areas that greatly impact employee experience.
Wednesday, 23 September 2020
Put your finger--and business--on the pulse of the modern workplace. Subscribe today and never miss a beat.
With today's increasingly global business environment comes the need for increasingly global collaboration tools. Microsoft 365, with Teams at the heart of communications, provides the tools and capabilities today's organizations and businesses need to not only collaborate with colleagues and peers across the world, but equally important, to also take that first critical step toward transforming their traditional workspaces into modern digital workplaces. Subscribe now to stay informed on how Teams at the center of Microsoft 365 can help elevate and transform communication, collaboration, and teamwork throughout your entire organization.
Subscribe today. Be future-ready tomorrow.
If you're like most organizations, you've probably already invested in data technologies for the express purpose of uncovering actionable insights from your business data. But have you given any thought as to how these technologies can complement one another over time to create a truly agile and responsive data solution--one that not only provides insights today, but can accommodate changing business needs and conditions tomorrow? Subscribe now to learn how Microsoft Power Platform--comprising Power BI, Power Apps, and Microsoft Flow--can help you build the foundation for an end-to-end data analytics solution that's got you covered in the present and the future.
Up-to-Date infographic
Azure SQL databases are always up-to-date. When you migrate SQL Server databases to the Azure cloud, you can adopt Azure SQL Database managed instance for evergreen SQL that never needs to be patched or upgraded along. At the same time, you gain end-to-end SQL Server Engine compatibility for migration without code changes.
Tuesday, 22 September 2020
Airport security officer-turned-developer helps Heathrow book a faster journey to digital transformation
At Heathrow Airport, an airplane takes off every 45 seconds and nearly 80 million passengers are served annually, making it the busiest airport in Europe. As you might imagine, daily activities involved in running the airport--such as baggage handling, security, maintenance, and the like--add up to a staggering volume of paperwork that requires an equally staggering number of hours to complete. Amidst the bustle, one security officer identified a way that Heathrow could save both time and resources by digitizing certain security processes. He researched several Microsoft Power Platform blogs, taught himself how to code, and used Power BI, Power Apps, and Microsoft Flow to create a suite of apps that has not only saved 288 hours in data entry and eliminated 11,000 sheets of paper for security operations, but has also helped Heathrow Airport leap forward on its digital transformation journey. Watch the video to see how airport security officer Samit Saini helped transform Heathrow--and his own career--using Microsoft Power Platform.
Social Asset B: Reduce up to 80% in administration costs by offloading server/storage infrastructures
When you offload server/storage infrastructures to Azure, you can reduce up to 80% in administration costs.
Microsoft Teams delivers healthy, real-time global collaboration for Heart Research Institute (HRI) in Australia
Cardiovascular disease is the world's leading cause of death, a statistic that Australia-based Heart Research Institute (HRI) is working diligently to change. Dedicated to saving lives and minimizing the impact of heart-related illnesses on patients globally, HRI is involved with over 150 international research projects each year which require frequent collaboration with other researchers from around the world--a necessity often hampered in the past by the institute's outdated, unsecure, and largely underused collaboration tools. All that changed when Microsoft partner Dimension Data deployed Microsoft 365 across HRI, with Teams at the heart of the organization's communications.
With Microsoft 365 and Teams, HRI can now compare results, share data, and collaborate on documents in real time with researchers in different countries and hemispheres, representing a critical first step for HRI toward realizing the promise of the modern workplace. Watch and share this short video to learn how Microsoft 365 and Teams are enabling cutting-edge communication for a cutting-edge research facility.
Solution overview video
This video highlights the many ways Microsoft Teams can help your business inspire collaboration, reduce costs and risks, and deepen engagement.
Financial tech company gains SQL Server performance and scalability on Linux
The dv01 financial reporting and analytics platform offers institutional investors transparency and insight into consumer lending markets. Based initially on PostgreSQL and Redshift data warehouse, the dv01 applications began to run slower as complexity increased. After exploring multiple solutions, dv01 eventually moved to Microsoft SQL Server 2016 running on Azure Virtual Machines. This move provided the scalability it needed to handle rapid growth, reduce query response time from 30 seconds to 1-2 seconds, and cut management time by 90 percent.
Monday, 21 September 2020
Council Post: The Era Of Evocative Marketing Has Arrived -- Are You Ready?
In an era of sensory overload—or, perhaps just 'overload'—we need to be extra-sensitive to the content and delivery of our marketing messages. We don't want to be the "one more thing" that's bombarding consumers; rather, we want to be fresh, unique and different.
Lora Kratchounova, founder of Scratch Marketing + Media, says that the best differentiator in this this "crowded, loud digital landscape" is "content aimed at making audience members feel." Yes, "feel"—you know, emotions. Kratchounova writes that evocative content—compelling stories, captivating images, and uplifting video—is what stands out in today's digital world, where research shows that consumers are exposed to thousands of ads in a day.
Read Kratchounova's fascinating look at ergonomics (also known as human-factors engineering) and its influence on today's marketing in a digital world. Read "The Era of Evocative Marketing Has Arrived—Are you Ready?"
Wednesday, 16 September 2020
Secure Infographic
Companies choose Azure for Windows Server and SQL Server because of its unmatched security. Azure delivers multiple layers of security, including the secure foundation of physical datacenters, operational best practices, and engineering processes that follow industry-standard guidelines.
5 Ways to Inspire Creativity and Innovation in Your Employees
Scott Duffy, entrepreneur and author of the book "Breakthrough," let us in on how to foster creative teamwork by breaking your staff out of the office mindset. In this Entrepreneur Magazine article, he shares tips to help you build experimentation in your team and create comfort around risk. Read on to learn how to foster inspiration and innovation!
Digital transformation isn't what you think it is--so what is it?
When the same phrase is used so frequently and over an extended period of time, two things typically happen: first, it officially achieves buzzword status; and second, it begins to lose its meaning. Among the tech industry's pool of du jour buzzwords, perhaps none is more prominent and overhyped--if not misunderstood--than "digital transformation." In his insightful Forbes article entitled "Digital Transformation Is Not What You Think It Is," author Jamie Notter argues that it is culture, and not digital, that today's organizations should focus on when it comes to digitally transforming themselves. In other words, identify what cultural changes will help make your business successful, then adopt technology to support and advance those goals. Check out the full article to get Mr. Notter's unique take on what "digital transformation" really means for your business--and more important, what it really entails.
Collaborate with Microsoft Teams
This infographic lists the many ways you can use Microsoft Teams to drive workplace collaboration. It also provides statistics on the success and popularity of Microsoft Teams.
Tuesday, 15 September 2020
Windows and SQL Server: The Best of Azure
Windows Server and SQL Server are best on Azure. This flyer highlights Azure's unmatched intelligent security, seamless hybrid capabilities, unparalleled innovation capabilities, and unique cost savings options.
Day in the life - IT project manager
Join Jamal, IT project manager, as he navigates his day with the help of Microsoft Teams. With the mobile app, he joins the daily stand up meeting and reviews the daily activity feed. He reviews status and trends in the dashboard and tasks by owner in the planner. With the cloud-based meeting app. he can review past meetings and he tracks finances in another tab. Check out how Microsoft Teams makes his planning so much smoother with a secure location that brings together everything teams needs to be productive.
Prioritize culture during digital transformation
For many organizations, digital transformation means integrating digital into every facet of the business, making digital the focus of every activity and process. But is that really the right approach? For a growing number of businesses, digital is increasingly being viewed as an enabler of broader business objectives rather than the end state or goal. In other words, many businesses are identifying what cultural changes need to take place to bring about success, and then adopting digital technologies to achieve that success. Like digital transformation itself, this shift in mindset is a journey--starting with recognizing the obstacles to digital transformation, the key attributes of a true digital culture, and how to overcome the former to become the latter. View the infographic to see what the journey's all about.
CWPS uses Microsoft Teams to reimagine sales project workflows
How can your organization benefit from Microsoft Teams? Learn from Frank Lusko, the EVP of Sales and Marketing at CWPS, to hear how his sales team has benefited from this collaboration tool through features such as notification alerts and planner scheduling.
Security with Azure SQL Database in Azure Government
This video highlights the types of security features customers have been asking for and how Azure SQL Database wraps these features into a unified package of intelligent security capabilities. You'll also learn about the three major pillars of this advanced data security: data classification, vulnerability assessments, and threat detection.
Monday, 14 September 2020
A Grateful Culture Is A Healthy Culture. Here's How To Create It.
Many studies over the past decade show a correlation between gratitude and happiness—the more people feel and practice gratitude, the more contentment and joy they experience. We know this is true in our personal lives—and it's true in our professional lives as well. In his article, "A Grateful Culture is a Healthy Culture. Here's How to Create it," John Hall writes about gratitude in the workplace; specifically, how to create an appreciative company culture amongst team members. The first step, writes Hall, is to start with yourself: "Make time to reflect each day on the positive things that have happened to you, what you've already accomplished, and what you like about yourself." While it's nice to communicate your appreciation to others, it's not essential that you do so repeatedly. Just by making time to consider what you're your grateful for, you've stimulated your hypothalamus which regulates a lot and affects empathy, social cognition and emotional experiences. It's difficult to encourage gratitude in your team if you're not experiencing it yourself. And yes—they'll know. Read Hall's entire article for three other ways to create or increase a culture of gratitude.
Wednesday, 9 September 2020
A day in the life - Marketing
Meet Pam, a marketer who's planning an event while running the rest of her marketing operation. She can check her activity feed at home before leaving for work to see the priorities for the day. She can join a status meeting remotely using Microsoft Teams and using OneDrive-lined documents she can share documents, co-edit files in PowerPoint, Excel and access outside apps like Adobe Creative Cloud, Hootsuite and much more.
Take a look and explore how Microsoft Teams can bring together everything a team needs to be productive!
Don't just see your data--visualize it with Power BI. Subscribe now and never overlook a post.
Anyone can see their data--very few can make sense of it. But with Microsoft Power BI, you'll be able to not only visualize your data, but also extract insights from it to help modernize and streamline your business. Power BI, alongside Microsoft Azure and other Microsoft tools, offers an unbeatable solution for performing real-time analytics, visualizing the results, and leveraging insights to improve business processes, increase productivity, and ultimately gain a competitive edge. Subscribe now to learn how Power BI can help you see your business in a whole new way.
View: Don't just see your data--visualize it with Power BI. Subscribe now and never overlook a post.
Tuesday, 8 September 2020
Protect the Privacy of Your Microsoft Teams Meetings
With the increased usage of Microsoft Teams to conduct virtual meetings, the need for tactical best practices to protect your privacy from intruders is also on the rise. This thought leadership article explores how to protect the privacy of your Microsoft Teams Meetings with easy ways to mitigate the risk of such problems by updating your settings.
Cloud lessons learned: four companies that migrated their Windows Server and SQL Server workloads to Azure
Read the success stories of companies that increased workload performance and cut costs by moving Windows Server and SQL Server to Azure. Download this eBook to learn about the different cloud migration paths that Allscripts, Carlsberg Group, Epos Now, and TraXall France used. See how Azure helps to smoothly migrate legacy data and keep pace with innovation, among other features.
Create and use private channels in Microsoft Teams
With Microsoft Teams private channels, you can have focused, private conversations with specific people on your team. This Microsoft Teams tutorial video will show you how to create private channels as you're working remotely.
Carlsberg Group follows a recipe for success with Microsoft Azure, SAP, and a cloud-first strategy
Discover how the Carlsberg Group has successfully migrated SAP to Microsoft Azure. Migrating their environment to the cloud has helped them drive business performance and achieve digital transformation by streamlining their IT infrastructure.
Lowe's moves to the cloud to empower employees and personalize customer service
Lowe's is the second-largest home improvement company in the world and is headquartered in Mooresville, North Carolina. With a purpose of "helping people love where they live," the company wanted to create a modern workplace for employees and provide cloud-based productivity tools. Lowe's decided to deploy Microsoft Office 365, giving employees anytime access to productivity tools from any device. Now employees can find the information they need faster, work together more easily, and develop more attentive, personalized customer relationships.
Monday, 7 September 2020
Data analyst and "oldest nerd in Guatemala" with ALS types with his eyes to modernize his clients' businesses
Can you teach an old nerd new tricks? For Otto Knoke, the self-proclaimed "oldest nerd in Guatemala" who has suffered from ALS for 20 years, the answer is a resounding yes. An admitted (and proud) workaholic, the 60-year-old data analyst is a well known fixture of the Guatemalan business community, having helped modernize the banking industry by introducing ATMs into the country 20 years ago. Sadly, right around that same time, Knoke was diagnosed with ALS (better known as Lou Gehrig's disease), and was told he only had two years to live. But rather than give in to the disease, Knoke relentlessly researched ways in which technology could help him overcome his condition and thrive--a determination and drive which has paid off. Today, some two decades later, Knoke has become the first person in Guatemala to use Microsoft's new eye-tracking software for Windows 10, called Eye Control, enabling him to literally type with his eyes and use Microsoft Power BI to analyze his clients' business data. For Knoke, who has always been a tech early adopter, this revolutionary Microsoft technology has not only helped his business continue to boom, but more important, it's enabled him to communicate more meaningfully with his loved ones and strengthen those relationships. Watch this truly fascinating and inspiring video to learn Otto Knoke's full story.
Wednesday, 2 September 2020
Social Asset A: Expand Collaboration
Customize and expand your remote collaboration with @Microsoft Teams, keeping your team engaged, connected, and secure. Subscribe now!
Reduce Costs Infographic
While innovation has supplanted cost savings as the primary driver of cloud migration for many businesses, moving to the cloud needs to make sense for your bottom line. Learn about the unbeatable costs offers and benefits of migration to Azure cloud.
Stitch Fix's radical data-driven way to sell clothes is reinventing retail
When you think of AI powerhouses, a fashion house may not be what first comes to mind. But capsule wardrobe company Stitch Fix is perfecting the art. In this article in Fast Company, learn how Stitch Fix relies on algorithms to drive all aspects of the business from selecting clothes for clients to running the warehouse. Their innovative Style Shuffle allows clients to rate clothing images each day, feeding the algorithm and refining the clothes offered to that customer. Customer comments after they've received a Fix give valuable feedback to clothing manufacturers on the minutiae of fit as well as style--a level of feedback they never get from retail.
This is the kind of pooling of data you get with the modern business intelligence of Power Bi and Azure. You can build and innovate with choice and flexibility. And you have visual drag and drop data exploration and interactive reporting right at your fingertips.
Tuesday, 1 September 2020
Improve Your Brand's Online Reputation with SEO
In today's digital world, a positive online reputation relates to much of a business's success. Good reviews and high scores along with relevant content help consumers find your website. That's why Search Engine Optimization (SEO) should be a main part of your online reputation management. SEO involves tailoring your website's content to rank high in search engines' criteria—and put you at the top in buyer searches for products and services. It includes identifying and using key words, content optimization, link building, and blog and social media presence. In her article, "Improve Your Brand's Online Reputation with SEO," Jessica Wong explains that the "right blog can contribute to your SEO ranking, generate more clicks from the search engine results page and help turn those clicks into sales." A blog post should have a good mix of search keywords, relevant videos and pictures, and links to and from your page, she explains. Read Wong's entire article for an overview of the four stages to SEO implementation and the six areas to focus on for improving your brand's online reputation related to SEO.
Creating World-Class Collaboration In A Global Team
Teams in today's modern workplace are often multi-office or even multi-continent affairs. As a result, team cohesion can challenge the best managers. In this Forbes article, "Creating world-class collaboration in a global team," learn how Kim DeLine, the COO for Elevate K-12, engages a distributed workforce in her role at the leading live streaming company in the education field.
With Microsoft Teams, you can connect across geographical and organization boundaries, run status updates and team building with remote workers via a cloud-based meeting solution, and foster a culture of knowledge sharing.
See how important it is to explain the "why" with a multi-cultural office and encourage an understanding of purpose during times of change.
Microsoft Teams at 3: Everything you need to connect with your teammates and be more productive
Microsoft Teams continues to invest in experiences that will make it easier for teams to communicate and collaborate. This article by Jared Spataro, Corporate Vice President for Microsoft 365, informs how new capabilities reflect commitment to two things: building the very best online meeting experience for customers and bringing technological solutions to traditionally underserved professionals, including Firstline and healthcare workers.
The latest features include new integration between Teams and RealWear head-mounted devices, real-time noise suppression during meetings, booking apps, pop out chats, the raise hand feature, and more
10 reasons to use Azure SQL in your next project
There are many new features that developers don't know exist with Microsoft Azure SQL. Learn why Azure SQL is a post-relational, cloud-native database with these ten simple points, including complete storage control, complete monitorability, and full insights.
A day in the life - sales with Microsoft Teams
April, a sales rep, is looking to grow her company's Midwest customer base. See how she starts her day finding a lead in Microsoft Teams and then uses Dynamics and Power BI to dig out connections that turn that lead into an opportunity. By 5pm she now has a new resource to amp up more sales opportunities in the region.
Check out this infographic to see what deal building looks like with Microsoft Teams!
Monday, 31 August 2020
5 reasons to choose Microsoft Power BI over Tableau
How do Microsoft's Power BI and Tableau compare? And how do you choose? Check out these five factors to consider as you evaluate the best solution for your data needs.
Wednesday, 26 August 2020
Don't miss another post! Subscribe now.
The best collaboration and communication solution empowers employees to express ideas and unlock creativity. Microsoft 365 offers a broad and deep array of apps and services to give you flexibility in how your team connects, shares and communicates.
With Microsoft Teams you get chat, meeting apps, calling, Office 365 productivity and collaboration tools all in one place -- everything you need to be productive. Connect seamlessly across geographic and organization boundaries for easy collaboration and file sharing. Use modern storytelling tools to build and reinforce your culture. Manage and deliver training content to keep your workforce current. And minimize security risk and management costs. Intrigued? Subscribe now and learn more!
Saving time with Microsoft Teams
This infographic displays stats on how Microsoft Teams reduces the total number of meetings as well as their duration from improved collaboration and information sharing.
Saving time with Microsoft Teams
This infographic displays stats on how Microsoft Teams reduces the total number of meetings as well as their duration from improved collaboration and information sharing.
Benefits of using Windows Server and SQL Server on Azure
This whitepaper highlights why Azure makes sense for applications that rely on SQL Server or Windows Server, based on four themes: security, innovation, hybridity, and cost.
View: Benefits of using Windows Server and SQL Server on Azure
Microsoft Power BI Premium
If you're trying to find the best solution for your data analysis needs, read this white paper to get the inside details on what Power BI offers. Dedicated capacity, ability to work within your firewall with an on-premises server, the ability to build and distribute solutions broadly, higher dataset refresh rates and much more, including a peek at future feature sets.
Tuesday, 25 August 2020
How to Empower Your Employees to Be More Customer-Centric
"Empowerment taps into the potential of a human being to do more than what is typically defined by their job description. Empowerment allows that individual to take initiative, to show courage, and to speak up and to make things better," writes Phil Geldart, a recognized authority in transforming organizational culture and leadership development. It is especially important in today's digital business world, because customers expect personalized experiences. In order for organizations to offer an increasing amount of personalization, they must enable and empower their employees with the trust, knowledge, and permission to do what they know they can do—take care of the customer. In order for the customer-centric business model we strive for to work, your employees must feel empowered to do their part in establishing it. You can't say you want a customer-centric organization and then continually limit the responsibilities and ownership of your employees. "True empowerment allows you to release the potential of employees at all levels and roles," adds Geldart. It's here you'll see results far greater than you would if you simply instruct them what to do in each scenario. For specific guidelines on how to create a more positive workplace, read Geldart's article, "How to Empower Your Employees to Be More Customer-Centric."
Law firm runs better with server on Azure
Why run Windows Server on Azure? Ellen Kirby, senior manager of Technical Operations and senior enterprise architect at Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP, talks about the benefits of running the law firm's Windows Servers on Azure and about leveraging Windows Admin Center for better management and automation.
Law firm runs better with server on Azure
Why run Windows Server on Azure? Ellen Kirby, senior manager of Technical Operations and senior enterprise architect at Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP, talks about the benefits of running the law firm's Windows Servers on Azure and about leveraging Windows Admin Center for better management and automation.
The Adecco Group connects a global workforce through innovative and collaborative technologies
As a global leader in professional staffing, career transition, and talent mobility, the Adecco Group has been transforming the world of work. They help customers embrace the changing employment landscape and develop new ways of working. With 34,000 team members across the globe, they needed more effective ways to collaborate in real time and a better way to access data for driving good decisions.
Microsoft 365 equips HR leaders with the people data needed to drive business and cultural transformation. Now these leaders can tap into the idea of working out loud and stimulating employee creativity with Microsoft Teams. And with Power BI, they've unlocked data so they can get the analysis they need, right on the spot!
Check out how Adecco is creating the future of work in these two brief videos!
The Adecco Group connects a global workforce through innovative and collaborative technologies
As a global leader in professional staffing, career transition, and talent mobility, the Adecco Group has been transforming the world of work. They help customers embrace the changing employment landscape and develop new ways of working. With 34,000 team members across the globe, they needed more effective ways to collaborate in real time and a better way to access data for driving good decisions.
Microsoft 365 equips HR leaders with the people data needed to drive business and cultural transformation. Now these leaders can tap into the idea of working out loud and stimulating employee creativity with Microsoft Teams. And with Power BI, they've unlocked data so they can get the analysis they need, right on the spot!
Check out how Adecco is creating the future of work in these two brief videos!
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