REDMOND, Wash. — Jan . 10 , 2013 — As part of its effort to simplify and modernize technology solutions, jcpenney is rolling out Microsoft Office 365 to team members throughout the company. With Office 365 as its communication and enterprise social platform, the company aims to improve customer service and increase information-sharing between team members through the ease and accessibility of the cloud.

“In selecting a cloud solution, we were looking for a partner who would support our goal of becoming America’s favorite store,” said Kristen Blum, chief technology officer, jcpenney. “And when we realized that we could improve customer service even more by providing cloud-based collaboration tools to increase communication between team members, it was easy to choose Microsoft and Office 365.”

Office 365 will improve remote access for employees who can now stay connected virtually anywhere, anytime from smartphones, remote PCs or other mobile devices. And perhaps most importantly, ease of communication will increase between stores, allowing team members to work seamlessly with colleagues at other locations while assisting customers.

“We always aim to help customers at every touchpoint, from entering the store to finalizing a transaction. Office 365 will be a big driver in supporting that pursuit,” Blum said.

Microsoft’s Tracy Issel, general manager for Worldwide Retail and Enterprise Solutions said, “We’re excited jcpenney employees will be able to utilize technology such as Office 365, which is custom tailored to fit their needs. Better yet, I can’t wait for ordinary customers to experience the benefit of this newly connected shopping environment for themselves.”

To try Office 365 for yourself, visit http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/office365/what-is-office365.aspx. More information about how organizations are turning to Microsoft technology is available on the Microsoft Customer Spotlight newsroom.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

Note to editors: For more information, news and perspectives from Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft News Center at http://www.microsoft.com/news. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft’s Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at http://www.microsoft.com/news/contactpr.mspx.

REDMOND, Wash. — Jan. 10, 2013 —

Where: National Retail Federation (NRF) 102nd Annual Convention & EXPO, Jacob K. Javits Convention Center

655 W. 34th St.

New York, NY 10001

When: Jan. 14–15, 2013

What: Microsoft Corp. will demonstrate how new technologies and its broad ecosystem of partner solutions can help retailers deliver the future of retailing today — putting customers at the center of their businesses and delivering the personalized, seamless and differentiated experiences that shoppers have come to expect. Microsoft booth No. 1005 will feature these sections:

• Engaging Your Customers. Attendees will have a firsthand chance to experience how they can reinvent the customer experience through connected shopping scenarios across multiple digital channels in-store and online. Advances in digital marketing and location-based awareness for creating more effective and relevant digital experiences will also be on display. A Device Bar will give visitors a hands-on experience with the latest Windows 8-powered devices and apps to help retailers innovate their businesses and deliver new and enhanced shopping experiences to customers.

• Engaging Your Employees. This section of the booth will feature the latest in sales, social and collaborative productivity tools to engage employees and provide personalized access to the information they need. Microsoft will showcase how cloud computing solutions such as Microsoft Office 365 and Microsoft SharePoint Online can cost-effectively deliver powerful productivity tools, including store employee portals to deskless workers from virtually any device or location.* By providing store employees with modern productivity tools and multipurpose devices to complete their critical sales, inventory and customer service tasks, retailers can improve their workforce’s level of productivity and service on the front line of customer service and sales.

• Optimizing Your Operations. Demonstrations will showcase the latest in Microsoft technologies and partner solutions designed to help retailers drive greater efficiencies and run their businesses more effectively by optimizing and streamlining their operations and enabling better insight and decision-making across the retail organization, all helping increase profitability and customer satisfaction. Visitors can see the power of 3-D technology for immersive in-store planning experiences and learn how to manage shelf availability and minimize out-of-stock situations using advanced analytics, minimize “show rooming” through a more proactive approach of price and availability analysis, and enable site selection for new stores through geospatial analysis.

• Microsoft Dynamics. The booth will also feature the latest Microsoft Dynamics for Retail innovations, providing enterprise and midmarket retailers with a unified solution for multichannel management, point-of-service (POS), store operations, supply chain, e-commerce, merchandising and financials. This enables the dynamic retailer to be connected across channels, to drive personal shopping experiences, and to be agile in meeting and exceeding customer expectations with superior time to value. Attendees will be able to preview the latest offering from the Microsoft Dynamics product line, Microsoft Dynamics AX for Retail, which includes improved omnichannel retailing across all channels, powerful enhancements in POS and new e-commerce capabilities with a fully integrated Web storefront powered by Microsoft SharePoint 2013 to deliver a complete shopping experience. The booth will also feature professionals from Microsoft Services who can help customers build and optimize Microsoft Dynamics retail solutions based on extensive experience and expertise learned from retail engagements around the globe.

• Windows Embedded. In this area of the booth, visitors can experience intelligent systems for retail through a demonstration with a large home improvement retailer. Consisting of three parts, the holistic demonstration spans the retailer’s customer engagement and channel strategy, from shopping at home and visiting a store to driving intelligence for the retailer in the back office, all through connected devices — including smartphones, digital signage, handheld devices, Microsoft Surface and POS tablets, and kiosks working seamlessly together to help the retailer and its store associates deliver a new level of interactive and personalized services.

Other News: Microsoft executives will also lead education sessions in NRF’s BIG !deas Boulevard.

• Jan. 14, 2 p.m., 3D09: “Enabling Great Customer Experiences with Big Data,” ShiSh Shridhar, Microsoft

• Jan. 14, 3:15 p.m., 3D09: “Become a Dynamic Retailer with Microsoft Dynamics & Deliver the Future of Retail Today,” Lynda Barr, chief financial officer, Edwin Watts Golf; Ashvin Mathew, Microsoft, and Michael Griffiths, global product industry director, Retail & Distribution, Microsoft Business Solutions

• Jan. 15, 11 a.m., 3D09: “Modern Productivity Solutions for Stores,” Mike McNamara, chief information officer, Tesco, and Tracy Issel, general manager, Worldwide Retail Sector, Microsoft

Who:

• Brendan O’Meara, managing director, Worldwide Retail Sector, Microsoft

• Fred Studer, general manager, ERP Product Management Group, Microsoft Business Solutions

• John Doyle, director of product management, Windows Embedded, Microsoft

• Michael Griffiths, global product industry director, Retail & Distribution, Microsoft Business Solutions

• Tracy Issel, general manager, Worldwide Retail Sector, Microsoft

More Details:

More information is available at http://www.microsoft.com/nrf.

For the latest NRF news, links and photos, follow @msretail, @MSFTDynamicsERP and @MSFTWEB on Twitter.

*An appropriate device, Internet connection, supported browser and/or carrier network connectivity are required. Data charges may apply.

Note to editors: For more information, news and perspectives from Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft News Center at http://www.microsoft.com/news. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft’s Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at http://www.microsoft.com/news/contactpr.mspx.

REDMOND, Wash. — Jan. 10, 2013 — Microsoft Corp. today announced the appointment of Blake Krikorian as corporate vice president for its Interactive Entertainment Business (IEB). Krikorian will report to Marc Whitten, chief product officer for IEB. This announcement follows the acquisition of Krikorian’s company, id8 Group R2 Studios (R2 Studios).

“We are thrilled to have Blake join the Xbox team,” Whitten said. “He’s a proven innovator and well-respected leader in both the media and technology industries, having created simple, elegant products that have transformed the way people engage with and consume content. We look forward to his contribution to our team as Xbox continues to evolve and transform the games and entertainment landscape.”

“I am excited to join Microsoft and be a part of the Xbox team. As a 10-year Xbox LIVE subscriber, I have seen firsthand how Xbox has delighted us by reinventing how consumers experience games and entertainment,” Krikorian said. “I look forward to helping the team define the future of entertainment and contribute to the next decade of continued innovation.”

Krikorian most recently founded R2 Studios. Before that he served as the co-founder, chairman and CEO of Sling Media Inc., inventors of the Emmy® award-winning Slingbox®, which is now owned by EchoStar Corp. Krikorian served on the board of Amazon.com Inc. and also co-founded the Philips Mobile Computing Group where he co-led the team that created the award-winning Velo 1 handheld PC running Windows CE. He has received numerous lifetime achievement awards including the Lifetime Technology Leadership Award from Broadcasting & Cable, as well as the TechFellow Award for Disruptive Innovation from TechCrunch, Founders Fund and NEA.

About Xbox

Xbox is Microsoft’s premier entertainment service for the TV, phone, PC and tablet. It’s home to the best and broadest games, as well as one of the world’s largest libraries of music, movies, TV and sports. With Kinect, Xbox 360 transformed gaming and entertainment in the living room with a whole new way to play games and find entertainment — no controller required. More information about Xbox can be found online at http://www.xbox.com.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

Note to editors: For more information, news and perspectives from Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft News Center at http://www.microsoft.com/news. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft’s Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at http://www.microsoft.com/news/contactpr.mspx.

REDMOND, Wash. — Jan. 9, 2013 — Tesco, one of the world’s leading retailers, has chosen Microsoft Office 365 for its companywide collaboration and social platform. The U.K.-based retailer is committed to deploying Office 365 to its employees working at the company’s headquarters, in the field and in stores, across all its locations in Europe and Asia.

“We want to put technology in the hands of all our colleagues, whether in the store, distribution center or office, so they can create value for our customers,” said Mike McNamara, chief information officer, Tesco. “We see Office 365 as an important solution to help us continue to meet that goal.”

Office 365 enables a search functionality that quickly delivers access to experts, information and tools to help employees do their jobs, and it allows people to work more effectively together, regardless of geographic location. It also permits information to flow in a way that supports efficient decision-making by bringing relevant information directly to the user.

One of the challenges businesses face when they experience global growth is that it becomes difficult for staff to work together as a team, share knowledge, find the right person or answer, and consume increasingly unstructured information without feeling overwhelmed and disconnected from the organization as a whole.

“Office 365 will serve as the portal for all Tesco employees, suppliers and colleagues, encouraging a cultural shift to more flexible ways of working,” McNamara said. “This will allow our colleagues to engage with each other and deliver a great shopping experience on any channel, as well as encouraging colleagues to share, re-use, and reward ideas and expertise.”

Tesco also sought to put in place an internal collaboration platform that was more than just a repository for documents. Instead, the company wanted to find better ways of communicating ideas and news to its multinational workforce.

“Office 365 will enable us to be a fully connected organization that works closely together, proactively shares knowledge, motivates loyalty and retention of employees, and encourages better working practices to ensure that we create value for customers,” McNamara said.

More information about how organizations are turning to Microsoft technology is available in the Microsoft Customer Spotlight newsroom.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

Note to editors: For more information, news and perspectives from Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft News Center at http://www.microsoft.com/news. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft’s Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at http://www.microsoft.com/news/contactpr.mspx.

REDMOND, Wash. — Jan . 8 , 201 3 — Scandinavian outdoor brand, Helly Hansen, best known for apparel that is the optimal combination of purposeful design, protection and style, has chosen Microsoft Office 365 as its communication and social platform. A globally recognized brand, Helly Hansen sells its products on five continents. In addition, Helly Hansen operates 39 retail outlets in Europe and North America. The company is headquartered in Oslo, Norway, and its 350 full-time employees collaborate across offices in Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, China, Canada and the United States.

As the retail industry evolves, the need to stay up to date and maintain a competitive edge is a matter of brand survival. Before Helly Hansen moved to Office 365, email, conferencing and phone systems were separate silos, and these systems were outdated and unreliable. Employees consistently felt the pain when trying to make conference and video calls, share large files, or communicate with an increasing workforce spread across countries and time zones. To stay at the top of its game, Helly Hansen knew it needed to help its teams work together and connect with one another at a moment’s notice.

“There was no instant messaging and no simple conferencing solutions. Several of our stores weren’t able to receive local phone service and depended on mobile phones for communications,” said Sandy Abrahams, IT director, Helly Hansen. “We weren’t connected to one another allowing us to make timely decisions and move our business forward.”

Almost immediately, Helly Hansen started seeing results. Employees were enjoying fast and familiar email, with enough storage so they no longer had to spend time managing the size of their mailboxes. Employees were able to share information easily with SharePoint Online team sites or Lync Online instant messaging and videoconferencing. The added flexibility provided by the Office 365 solutions now allows employees in Oslo to compare design samples with Hong Kong, and retail stores can provide headquarters feedback on visual displays via videoconference.

“For the IT team, which is spread over five countries, being able to have all of our meetings online has been an amazing transformation,” Abrahams said. “Now that we can see each other and share our desktops, we can lead more productive meetings and benefit from closer relationships.”

Now all managers are using Lync to help reduce their travel schedules and budgets. Helly Hansen expects travel costs will be reduced by 10 to 15 percent in 2013. With Office 365, Helly Hansen expects to cut costs while providing a connected experience that shifts the way employees think about connecting with one another.

To try Office 365 for yourself, visit http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/office365/what-is-office365.aspx. More information about how organizations are turning to Microsoft technology is available on the Microsoft Customer Spotlight newsroom.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

Note to editors: For more information, news and perspectives from Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft News Center at http://www.microsoft.com/news. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft’s Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at http://www.microsoft.com/news/contactpr.mspx.

REDMOND , Wash. — Jan . 7 , 2013 — Microsoft Corp. today announced the double-digit engagement results of the first NUads experience, interactive polling, which it rolled out earlier in the fall of 2012 on Xbox LIVE in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.

The first wave of NUads was provided by a lineup of top advertisers, including SUBWAY® Restaurants and Toyota, which on average saw the following results with their ads on Xbox LIVE:

• Thirty-seven percent of viewers engaged with NUads when prompted with the option to vote.
  

• Out of which seventy-one percent voted in the poll.
  

• Ninety-seven percent of those participants saw their vote included in the final tally of votes from the consumers who responded.(1)
  

“When we launched NUads, we redefined the 30-second spot,” said Ross Honey, general manager of Xbox LIVE Entertainment and Advertising. “These results show that NUads is a real breakthrough in TV advertising, and you can expect more investment from us when it comes to this new ad format and video advertising in general.”

Although TV has evolved over time, the traditional 30-second TV spot has largely stayed the same since the 1930s. NUads transforms TV advertising, delivering what is most scarce to advertisers today — consumer engagement.

This new ad format was built with the consumer and advertiser in mind. For consumers, through the power of Kinect for Xbox 360, NUads enable natural interactivity using the simplicity of a spoken word or the wave of a hand. For advertisers, implementation is easy. All they need is a standard TV spot, a question in mind and a few creative responses, and they can reach active Xbox LIVE members with their message in participating markets. In addition, the aggregated poll results provide insights that can help inform future product developments or ad campaigns.

As part of the initial group of NUads advertisers SUBWAY® Restaurants and Toyota had this to say about the results:

“Consumers want a relevant and engaging experience when watching TV,” said Dionne Colvin, national media manager, Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc. “NUads was a new format for our advertising, but we saw an opportunity to try something new, and the results exceeded our expectations.”

“We’re thrilled with the results of our first NUads experience,” said Kathleen Bell, director of Marketing, SUBWAY® Restaurants in Canada. “We’re always looking for new ways to engage with our fans and deliver a customized experience to them. Taking part in this exciting program has given us the ability to further target our audience and get real-time feedback from them through a new and interactive platform.”

More information about how to advertise on Xbox LIVE is available at http://advertising.microsoft.com/gaming/xbox-live.

About Xbox

Xbox is Microsoft’s premier entertainment service for the TV, phone, PC and tablet. It’s home to the best and broadest games, as well as one of the world’s largest libraries of music, movies, TV and sports. With Kinect, Xbox 360 transformed gaming and entertainment in the living room with a whole new way to play games and find entertainment — no controller required. More information about Xbox can be found online at http://www.xbox.com.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

(1) Results based on average of campaigns that ran during beta period of Sept. 1–Nov. 15, 2012, Microsoft Internal Research

Note to editors: For more information, news and perspectives from Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft News Center at http://www.microsoft.com/news. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft’s Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at http://www.microsoft.com/news/contactpr.mspx.

WASHINGTON , D.C. — Jan . 4 , 2013 — In an effort to modernize technology infrastructure, reduce costs and foster new levels of cross-agency collaboration, the U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force and Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) are expanding access to Microsoft solutions by entering into a transformative three-year Joint Enterprise Licensing Agreement for enterprise licenses and software assurance. The agreement provides all three organizations with a single vehicle for accessing the latest Microsoft technologies in support of top IT priorities around datacenter consolidation, collaboration, cybersecurity, mobility, cloud computing and big data.

This is the most comprehensive licensing agreement Microsoft Corp. has ever established with the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), covering nearly 75 percent of all DoD personnel. The net new contract was awarded to Insight Public Sector, a division of Insight Enterprises Inc., one of the largest global Microsoft Large Account Resellers.

As part of this agreement, all three organizations can begin using the newest versions of Microsoft products, including Microsoft Office 2013, SharePoint 2013 Enterprise and Windows 8. The ability to standardize on SharePoint 2013 Enterprise will unlock new levels of cross-agency information sharing through improved enterprise search and social communications features while powering advanced business intelligence and reporting capabilities. Access to Office 2013 will equip each organization with the latest versions of productivity tools that personnel rely on every day, including Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel and Microsoft PowerPoint. The increasingly mobile DoD workforce will also use Windows 8 to empower productivity from any location, and any supported device, while taking advantage of enhanced security. The U.S. Army’s Network Enterprise Technology Command headquartered at Fort Huachuca, Ariz., and the Air Force Program Executive Office for Business and Enterprise Systems at Maxwell Air Force Base-Gunter Annex in Alabama, have been working closely with Microsoft on achieving Army Golden Master and Air Force Standard Desktop Configuration compliance for Windows 8.

“Microsoft has longstanding relationships with the U.S. Army, the U.S. Air Force and DISA, and we are honored to expand our support of ongoing technology modernization efforts across all three organizations,” said Tim Solms, general manager, Microsoft Department of Defense Business. “This agreement enables us to provide the best technology tools to an incredibly broad range of servicemen and servicewomen across the DoD, and we are looking forward to implementing to support their mission goals.”

More information on Microsoft Government Solutions is available at http://www.microsoft.com/government/en-us/pages/default.aspx.

About Insight

Insight Enterprises, Inc. is a leading technology provider of hardware, software and service solutions to business and government clients in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia-Pacific. Insight is focused on helping organizations move technology goals forward in the areas of Cloud, Virtualization, Data Center, Unified Communication & Collaboration, Networking & Security, Data Protection, Mobility & Point of Sale, and Office Productivity. With approximately 5,300 teammates worldwide, Insight is ranked No. 460 on the 2012 Fortune 500 and generated sales of $5.3 billion for the year ended December 31, 2011. For more information, please call 1.800.INSIGHT (1.800.467.4448) in the United States or visit www.insight.com.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

Note to editors: For more information, news and perspectives from Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft News Center at http://www.microsoft.com/news. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft’s Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at http://www.microsoft.com/news/contactpr.mspx.

REDMOND, Wash. — Dec. 19, 2012 — Demand for “cloud-ready” IT workers will grow by 26 percent annually through 2015, with as many as 7 million cloud-related jobs available worldwide, according to an IDC White Paper sponsored by Microsoft Corp. and released today. However, IT hiring managers report that the biggest reason they failed to fill an existing 1.7 million open cloud-related positions in 2012 is because job seekers lack the training and certification needed to work in a cloud-enabled world, according to the IDC White Paper, Climate Change: Cloud’s Impact on IT Organizations and Staffing (November 2012).

In the United States, the IT sector is experiencing modest growth of IT jobs in general, with the average growth in IT employment between 1.1 and 2.7 percent per year through 2020, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. However, amid modest growth of IT jobs, cloud-sector jobs are increasing swiftly. With the workforce unprepared to take on these jobs, there is an urgent need to retrain existing IT professionals and encourage students to pursue cloud-related IT trainings and certifications, according to the IDC White Paper.

“Despite modest growth of the IT sector overall in the U.S., cloud-ready jobs are increasing as we head into 2013, but with this increase comes the harsh reality that workforces around the world are steps behind when it comes to attaining the skills necessary to thrive in the cloud computing industry,” said Cushing Anderson, program vice president, IDC. “Unlike IT skill shortages in the past, solving this skills gap is extremely challenging, given that cloud brings a new set of skills, which haven’t been needed in the past. There is no one-size-fits-all set of criteria for jobs in cloud computing. Therefore, training and certification is essential for preparing prospective job candidates to work in cloud-related jobs.”

The IDC White Paper investigates the impact that cloud computing will have on IT employment around the world and its influence on the way organizations staff their IT departments. IDC interviewed more than 600 hiring managers across the globe for this study.

General Findings

General findings of the IDC White Paper include the following:

• Globally, almost two-thirds of enterprises are planning, implementing or using cloud computing, and more than 50 percent of businesses agree that cloud computing is a high priority.

• However, more than three-quarters of businesses have apprehension about the security, access or data control of cloud computing.

• Lack of training, certification or experience are the top three reasons why cloud positions are not filled.

• However, cloud-related skills represent virtually all the growth opportunities in IT employment worldwide and demand for cloud-related positions will grow by 26 percent annually through 2015.

Regional Findings

Regional findings of the IDC White Paper include the following:

• Although the growth of IT jobs in the United States is slow, the growth picture is better outside the U.S. The overall number of IT positions in end-user organizations globally will grow at a 4.3 percent compound annual growth rate between 2011 and 2015 and reach 29.3 million in 2015, according to IDC.

• North America (U.S. and Canada). According to IDC’s regional forecasts, the U.S. accounted for 62 percent of worldwide spending for public IT cloud services last year, compared with 35 percent of worldwide IT spending in general. Canada will be a much slower adopter of public IT cloud services but a more aggressive adopter of private IT cloud services. Due to Canada’s smaller job base, though, cloud-generated jobs will grow 30 percent faster in Canada than in the United States.

• Emerging markets. The emerging markets of Latin America, Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Asia Pacific will be home to more than 40 percent of new cloud-related jobs. These markets are predicted to grow at 34 percent annually until 2015.

• Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). Last year, EMEA’s spending on public IT cloud services was approximately 40 percent of North America’s; however its investment in private clouds was equal to or more than that of North America, illustrating an aggressiveness in moving to private clouds as compared with other regions. In EMEA, IDC forecasts that cloud-related IT jobs will grow by 24 percent per year to about 1.4 million by 2015.

• Asia Pacific (APAC). APAC will adopt private IT cloud services more aggressively than either EMEA or North America. Cloud-related IT jobs will grow at 32 percent per year to more than 2.3 million in APAC by the end of 2015.

Full results of the research, including additional details on global findings and survey methodology, can be found here.

Training and Certification Key to Overcoming the Lack of Cloud-Ready Workers

The shortage of appropriate skilled job candidates to fill cloud jobs is the No. 1 challenge for companies looking to bolster their cloud capabilities, according to the research.

“Cloud computing is crucial to the bottom line of the company — it creates cost savings and efficiencies for companies and their customers,” said IDC’s Anderson. “Therefore, a cloud-savvy workforce is essential to the success of the IT industry’s financial health. In anticipation of the technology evolution to the cloud, Microsoft recently announced that it reinvented certifications specifically for the cloud including the forthcoming certifications in Windows 8, which have cloud computing focus areas. These are more important than ever for current and future technologists who want to gain the skillset needed to work in the cloud and for companies looking to benefit from the cloud.”

For the current workforce, Microsoft launched the Microsoft Virtual Academy making it simple for the active professional to add critical skills. The Microsoft Virtual Academy is a program for IT professionals to gain access to free self-paced training resources using combinations of video and text.

Microsoft is also helping fill the future workforce pipeline by providing training and certification through the Microsoft IT Academy. Ensuring that the next generation of technologists is prepared for the new IT jobs in the cloud, the Microsoft IT Academy program provides middle school, high school and college students with the technology-based skills needed for successful careers in tomorrow’s IT cloud environment. More details on IT Academy are available at http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/itacademy/default.aspx.

“Our Microsoft Virtual Academy and Microsoft IT Academy are examples of our commitment to the current and future workforce,” said Lutz Ziob, general manager, Microsoft Learning. “The opportunity that the cloud presents is significant, and we want to be certain that the workforce has the skills to share in that opportunity. Our goal is to continue to prepare the existing workforce and students for the jobs of tomorrow and empower them to develop their skills as future IT experts, innovators, software developers and beyond.”

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

Note to editors: For more information, news and perspectives from Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft News Center at http://www.microsoft.com/news. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft’s Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at http://www.microsoft.com/news/contactpr.mspx.

REDMOND, Wash. — Dec. 18, 2012 — Registration is now open for the second Security Development Conference taking place in San Francisco May 14–15, 2013. The conference theme this year is “Proven Practices, Reduced Risk,” and event keynotes will include Edna M. Conway, chief security strategist, Cisco Systems Inc.; Brad Arkin, senior director, Security, Adobe products and services; and Scott Charney, corporate vice president, Trustworthy Computing, Microsoft Corp.

The annual event, which Microsoft hosts, brings together security professionals from a variety of organizations and industries around the world. Attendees will hear from leading security experts, grow their professional networks, and learn how to implement or accelerate adoption of secure development practices within their own organizations.

“The Security Development Conference fosters an open forum for IT professionals to discuss challenges and share best practices from their own experiences,” said Steve Lipner, partner director of program management, Trustworthy Computing, Microsoft. “As an industry, we have a responsibility to deliver technologies that people can trust. The Security Development Conference helps accelerate the adoption of important security development best practices that can help organizations achieve this goal.”

The event will include several tracks: Engineering for Secure Data, Security Development Lifecycle & Data Security, and Business Risk & Data Security. Track sessions will cover the latest in proven security development techniques that help reduce risk and protect organizations in the ever-changing technology landscape.

Registration is now open on the conference website; registering before Feb. 1, 2013, will save participants 50 percent off the normal registration fee. Seating is limited, so early registration is encouraged. Limited sponsorship opportunities are still available and offer organizations a valuable platform to share their expertise, tools and resources in secure development with peers and leaders in the field.

This year’s event builds on the foundation of the successful inaugural conference last year, which featured keynotes from industry experts including Richard A. Clarke, former special advisor to the President for cybersecurity; Gen. Michael V. Hayden, former director, U.S. Central Intelligence Agency; and Charney. In all, more than 300 organizations from a variety of industries around the world attended the event.

Following last year’s conference, Arkin said, “For me, the most exciting aspect of this conference is that it’s actually the practitioners attending, not necessarily the researchers or vendors. So it’s really the folks who have the responsibility for getting secure code out the door in their environments. And when you get people who have all the same job together, you get so much creative energy … talking together about what we’re having trouble with or what our challenge is and how someone else solved it in their environment.”

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

Note to editors: For more information, news and perspectives from Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft News Center at http://www.microsoft.com/news. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft’s Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at http://www.microsoft.com/news/contactpr.mspx.

REDMOND, Wash. — Dec . 11 , 2012 — Microsoft Corp. today announced plans to make Microsoft Surface available at additional retailers as soon as mid-December. In addition, the company announced the extension of the Microsoft holiday stores, including the transition of several of the stores into permanent Microsoft retail outlets.

“The public reaction to Surface has been exciting to see. We’ve increased production and are expanding the ways in which customers can interact with, experience and purchase Surface,” said Panos Panay, general manager, Microsoft Surface.

As early as mid-December, consumers will be able to go to retail stores in the United States and Australia to purchase a Surface with Windows RT. Additional availability will be added in a number of countries in the coming months.

“Our plan has been to expand the retail presence for Surface after the first of the year. Based on interest from retailers, we are giving them the option to carry Surface with Windows RT even earlier,” said Steve Schueler, corporate vice president, Microsoft Retail Sales and Marketing.

Surface will continue to be available for purchase at all Microsoft retail stores in the United States and Canada and online in Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States. Based on the success of the Microsoft holiday stores, the company will extend all of these locations into the new year. These stores will transition into either permanent brick-and-mortar retail outlets or specialty store locations.

Microsoft stores will continue to offer best-in-class technology and a premium retail experience, allowing customers to interact with Microsoft products that impact the way people live, work and play. All Microsoft stores provide consumers with the same excellent choice, value and service in an engaging way to experience the best of Microsoft products.

Starting at US$499, Surface combines the functionality of a laptop with the portability of a tablet. From the fun and unique touch cover that provides a super-thin, spill-resistant keyboard in a variety of vibrant colors to the integrated kickstand that enables hands-free entertainment, Surface stands out while delivering value and performance like nothing else on the market. With Windows apps, SkyDrive cloud connectivity, HD video, Xbox Music, games, a full-size USB port, a microSD card slot and the productivity of Office Home & Student 2013 RT, Surface with Windows RT brings work and play together in style.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

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