REDMOND, W ash. — April 22, 201 3 — Small businesses are losing more than US$24 billion in productivity each year when nontechnical employees, referred to as involuntary IT managers (IITMs), are tasked with managing their companies’ IT solutions. This loss is a direct result of IITMs taking time away from primary business activities, according to an AMI-Partners small-business study commissioned by Microsoft Corp.

The Involuntary IT Manager study takes a broad look at the prevalence of the IITM role in nine countries in North America, Latin America, the Middle East and Asia, focusing specifically on the adverse business productivity impact of IITMs in small business in five countries: Australia, Brazil, Chile, India and the United States. Surveying 538 IITMs across nationally representative samples of small businesses with 100 employees or less in the five countries, the AMI-Partners research study determined that approximately 3.8 million small businesses managed internal IT by IITMs. Although such small businesses spent US$83 billion on IT and communications, paradoxically they lost US$24 billion in productivity trying to manage their internal IT. The survey also found that small businesses’ IITMs think cloud-based solutions can help alleviate some of the burden of managing IT.

The D rawbacks of H aving an IITM

On average, IITMs lose six hours per week (around 300 hours per year) of business productivity while managing IT, according to AMI-Partners. The AMI-Partners white paper stated that while some IITMs are confident in their technical skills, most find their general work productivity suffers when their work time is diverted to managing IT issues. Key study findings include these:

• Thirty percent of all surveyed IITMs feel that IT management is a nuisance.

• Twenty-six percent indicated they do not feel qualified to manage IT.

• Six in 10 IITMs want to simplify their company’s technology solutions to alleviate the difficulty of managing IT day-to-day.

The Involuntary IT Manager study also found that when IITMs work at small businesses with 15 or more employees, their firms lose even more productivity time than IITMs working at companies with fewer employees.

“Many small businesses don’t have the budget for formal IT support, so they rely on the company’s most tech-savvy individual to manage their technology,” said Andy Bose, founder, chairman and CEO at AMI-Partners. “As our research shows, relying on an Involuntary IT Manager can have an adverse impact on small businesses’ productivity, which can negatively affect revenue and translates into a very high opportunity cost. These companies can potentially leverage cloud services to alleviate the need for day-to-day in-house IT support with positive impact on their business productivity.”

Small -B usiness C loud A doption

AMI-Partners found that IITMs are showing an interest in leveraging the cloud during the next 12 months to manage their IT needs. Among the IITMs surveyed in the five countries, the following was learned:

• Thirty-three percent (approximately one-third) are likely to shift more IT spending toward hosted or cloud solutions.

• Thirty-six percent are interested in a productivity and collaboration suite.

Although IITMs older than 50 spent the most time managing IT, the study found they are also the most likely to devote their limited IT budgets to acquiring cloud solutions and purchasing online productivity suites. Among the top concerns for IITMs in deploying cloud solutions were these:

• Security and privacy (66 percent)

• Reliability (61 percent)

• The ability to integrate with existing IT investments (53 percent)

• Limited features (46 percent)

“The cloud when delivered right is a game-changer, providing small businesses with the IT solutions they need to solve their most challenging small-business technology concerns,” said Thomas Hansen, vice president of SMB Worldwide at Microsoft. “With Microsoft cloud solutions, the job of the Involuntary IT Manager gets a lot easier.”

Microsoft democratizes IT for small businesses by providing enterprise-class solutions that level the IT playing field for small businesses. Office 365, Windows Intune, Windows Azure and Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online are Microsoft’s most complete cloud services to date. They provide small businesses with access to powerful applications from anywhere and on multiple devices with both privacy and security features built into each solution. More information about how cloud-based solutions from Microsoft, such as Office 365, can help small businesses can be found at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us. The complete Involuntary IT Manager survey can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/presskits/smb.

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, W ash. — April 22, 201 3 — Small businesses are losing more than US$24 billion in productivity each year when nontechnical employees, referred to as involuntary IT managers (IITMs), are tasked with managing their companies’ IT solutions. This loss is a direct result of IITMs taking time away from primary business activities, according to an AMI-Partners small-business study commissioned by Microsoft Corp.

The Involuntary IT Manager study takes a broad look at the prevalence of the IITM role in nine countries in North America, Latin America, the Middle East and Asia, focusing specifically on the adverse business productivity impact of IITMs in small business in five countries: Australia, Brazil, Chile, India and the United States. Surveying 538 IITMs across nationally representative samples of small businesses with 100 employees or less in the five countries, the AMI-Partners research study determined that approximately 3.8 million small businesses managed internal IT by IITMs. Although such small businesses spent US$83 billion on IT and communications, paradoxically they lost US$24 billion in productivity trying to manage their internal IT. The survey also found that small businesses’ IITMs think cloud-based solutions can help alleviate some of the burden of managing IT.

The D rawbacks of H aving an IITM

On average, IITMs lose six hours per week (around 300 hours per year) of business productivity while managing IT, according to AMI-Partners. The AMI-Partners white paper stated that while some IITMs are confident in their technical skills, most find their general work productivity suffers when their work time is diverted to managing IT issues. Key study findings include these:

• Thirty percent of all surveyed IITMs feel that IT management is a nuisance.

• Twenty-six percent indicated they do not feel qualified to manage IT.

• Six in 10 IITMs want to simplify their company’s technology solutions to alleviate the difficulty of managing IT day-to-day.

The Involuntary IT Manager study also found that when IITMs work at small businesses with 15 or more employees, their firms lose even more productivity time than IITMs working at companies with fewer employees.

“Many small businesses don’t have the budget for formal IT support, so they rely on the company’s most tech-savvy individual to manage their technology,” said Andy Bose, founder, chairman and CEO at AMI-Partners. “As our research shows, relying on an Involuntary IT Manager can have an adverse impact on small businesses’ productivity, which can negatively affect revenue and translates into a very high opportunity cost. These companies can potentially leverage cloud services to alleviate the need for day-to-day in-house IT support with positive impact on their business productivity.”

Small -B usiness C loud A doption

AMI-Partners found that IITMs are showing an interest in leveraging the cloud during the next 12 months to manage their IT needs. Among the IITMs surveyed in the five countries, the following was learned:

• Thirty-three percent (approximately one-third) are likely to shift more IT spending toward hosted or cloud solutions.

• Thirty-six percent are interested in a productivity and collaboration suite.

Although IITMs older than 50 spent the most time managing IT, the study found they are also the most likely to devote their limited IT budgets to acquiring cloud solutions and purchasing online productivity suites. Among the top concerns for IITMs in deploying cloud solutions were these:

• Security and privacy (66 percent)

• Reliability (61 percent)

• The ability to integrate with existing IT investments (53 percent)

• Limited features (46 percent)

“The cloud when delivered right is a game-changer, providing small businesses with the IT solutions they need to solve their most challenging small-business technology concerns,” said Thomas Hansen, vice president of SMB Worldwide at Microsoft. “With Microsoft cloud solutions, the job of the Involuntary IT Manager gets a lot easier.”

Microsoft democratizes IT for small businesses by providing enterprise-class solutions that level the IT playing field for small businesses. Office 365, Windows Intune, Windows Azure and Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online are Microsoft’s most complete cloud services to date. They provide small businesses with access to powerful applications from anywhere and on multiple devices with both privacy and security features built into each solution. More information about how cloud-based solutions from Microsoft, such as Office 365, can help small businesses can be found at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us. The complete Involuntary IT Manager survey can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/presskits/smb.

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. — April 19, 2013 — Microsoft Corp. today hosted the kickoff event for its Microsoft YouthSpark initiative in Atlanta by bringing together more than 150 leading educators, government officials and nonprofits to discuss the state of youth education in the area. As part of the YouthSpark Atlanta launch, Microsoft signed an education alliance agreement with Morehouse College, one of the leading private Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the country.

“At Morehouse, our focus is on educating and preparing leaders who can make a difference in their communities,” said Dr. John Silvanus Wilson Jr., president, Morehouse College. “We know Microsoft shares that focus, and we’re excited to partner with the company on this unique education alliance.”

The education alliance between Microsoft and Morehouse will bring key components of the YouthSpark programs to Morehouse’s student body. These programs include the following:

• Microsoft IT Academy. This offers students and faculty members access to free training and IT skills training, which gives students the skills employers demand and the tools to build successful careers in technology.

• Microsoft Innovation Lab. The Innovation Lab will provide technology resources to students, educators and entrepreneurial members of the Morehouse community. These resources include a new computer lab, collaboration tools such as SMART Boards, and programs to help enhance technical skills for Morehouse students and the surrounding community.

• Campus recruitment. In collaboration with the United Negro College Fund, Microsoft will conduct recruiting visits to Morehouse, targeting undergrad and MBA graduate students. Microsoft also will host a Microsoft Recruiting Day at Morehouse to engage and interview students for open jobs at the company.

• Leadership series. Microsoft executives will engage in executive lectures and presidential chats to share insights on running a global technology business. In addition, select Morehouse students will learn more about specific Microsoft subsidiaries by visiting Microsoft offices in the United States or abroad.

Through these programs, Microsoft aims to inspire Morehouse students to explore careers in technology and business. Participating Morehouse students will receive unparalleled access to Microsoft technology, training and executive mentorship — something they cannot get in a normal classroom setting.

“Morehouse is recognized as one of the best liberal arts institutions in the country,” said Marietta Davis, general manager, Greater Southeast District, Microsoft. “With this new alliance, the Morehouse community — students, faculty and local educators — will get best-in-class technology and real-world mentorship to further prepare their students for success outside the classroom.”

The alliance between Morehouse and Microsoft is part of a broader partnership between Microsoft and Historically Black Colleges and Universities. In November, Microsoft signed a similar education alliance with Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, N.C., to enable its students to get firsthand technology training and to explore careers in technology.

$7.5 Million Donation to Leading Non p rofit Youth Villages

In addition to the education alliance with Morehouse College, Microsoft announced a $7.5 million software donation to Youth Villages, one of the nation’s largest providers of help to children with emotional and behavioral problems and their families. This year, Youth Villages will help more than 20,000 children, families and young people from more than 20 states and the District of Columbia.

“Microsoft is one of our most important partners,” said Patrick Lawler, CEO, Youth Villages. “Since 1997, its generosity has allowed us to provide the best computer technology to our kids. This grant means Microsoft’s total support of Youth Villages’ children comes to nearly $13 million, which has helped our youth learn computer skills and allowed us to support our staff with modern clinical records and office technology.”

The $7.5 million donation announced today will go toward updating the technology in Youth Villages’ residential campuses, such as its Douglasville, Ga., location. The Douglasville campus will receive updates including the latest Microsoft online learning curriculum to help students learn the fundamentals in word processing and presentations. In addition, Youth Villages’ transitional living program participants will use the technology to study for their GED certificates, apply for college, prepare resumes and look for employment.

Youth Villages’ other residential campuses in Tennessee, Massachusetts and Oregon will benefit from the technology donation, as well. The grant also provides the technology to enhance internal and external communications systems for more than 2,700 Youth Villages staff members who perform critical functions each day, such as accessing medical records, documenting treatment plans, and reporting to parents and referral partners.

A Conversation on Youth Education in Atlanta

Today’s YouthSpark Connections event in Atlanta will feature a number of distinguished civic leaders from the Atlanta area. Those scheduled to attend include Bernice King, CEO, The King Center; Dr. John Wilson, president, Morehouse College; Dr. John Barge, Georgia State School Superintendent; Wes Moore, best-selling author; Lenny Springs, senior advisor, U.S. Department of Education; Ceasar Mitchell, president, Atlanta City Council; Sheila Lienhart, board member, Portland Oregon Public Schools Foundation; Byron Amos, vice chair, Atlanta Board of Education; Cecily Harsch-Kinnane, Atlanta Board of Education; and Kelly Marlow, Cherokee County Board of Education.

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.

WASHINGTON — April 17, 2013 — Microsoft Corp. today announced the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) as recipients of this year’s Microsoft Dynamics Customer Excellence award. The award is presented annually to Microsoft Dynamics customers that most effectively use technology to transform their organizations. Microsoft also announced 10 additional federal approaches to using the solution, and these customers have joined more than 200 federal organizations that have moved to the Microsoft Dynamics platform to accomplish strategic modernization initiatives amid limited budget environments.

In addition to reducing costs, federal government organizations are adopting Microsoft Dynamics CRM to better align with Executive Order 13571, which calls for agencies to embrace technologies to more efficiently provide citizen services. Federal leaders are leveraging the platform in place of expensive legacy systems in an effort to modernize their infrastructures and streamline operations.

“Federal government leaders are balancing the reality of significant budget cuts with the need to meet increasing citizen service expectations in this era of digital government,” said Greg Myers, vice president, U.S. Federal Government at Microsoft. “A number of agencies are adopting Microsoft Dynamics CRM to overcome complex challenges, cut costs and modernize legacy IT environments. We applaud their vision and leadership in driving a significant impact for their constituents.”

Award Winners Recognized for Transforming, Innovating

The Microsoft Dynamics Customer Excellence award is annually presented to Microsoft Dynamics customers that most effectively use technology to transform their organizations. This year’s recipients include the following:

• The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) transformed the Veterans Benefits Administration National Call Centers and its Pension Call Center by using Microsoft Dynamics CRM. Through the VA’s Veterans Relationship Management (VRM) initiative, the VA used Microsoft Dynamics CRM to integrate access to 13 different databases, which previously had to be individually queried and are now viewed simultaneously. This not only makes the call agents’ jobs easier, enabling them to recall veteran information more quickly, it also gives veterans timely access to healthcare, claims status and business information. “Microsoft Dynamics has helped VRM provide a platform to help millions of veterans and their families each year,” said Maureen Ellenberger, director of VRM. “To date, over 1 million calls have been better supported using CRM. We are already planning expanded deployments to other VA call centers.” In addition, the Federal Case Management Tool (FCMT), also built on Microsoft Dynamics CRM, is greatly supporting wounded warriors as they transition into VA care. The modernization of the VRM and FCMT programs has enabled the VA to strengthen its services to veterans.

• The United States Air Force continues its role as a visionary leader using information technology to project global military power through air, space and cyberspace. The implementation of Microsoft Dynamics CRM helps the Air Force to create, manage and advance its capabilities in workforce management, mission planning, event management and visitor access and to offer more efficient access to personnel records, resulting in improved mission execution.

Federal Government Agencies Leveraging Microsoft Dynamics CRM

Microsoft also announced that additional federal customers have joined more than 200 federal government organizations using Microsoft Dynamics CRM to achieve cost savings, help preserve safety and security, and streamline service delivery to improve constituent experiences.

• Microsoft supports the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, all military departments and the Unified Combatant Commands in their mission to deter war and protect the security of the United States. These organizations use Microsoft Dynamics solutions for intelligence gathering, mission planning, operations, workforce management, onboarding, correspondence and targeted outreach, task management, and more.

• In support of multiple Department of Homeland Security (DHS)-wide initiatives, a cloud-based software as a service (SaaS) solution is being deployed using the Microsoft Dynamics CRM platform. This SaaS offering deploys and scales business operations such as records management, scheduling, reporting, tracking campaigns, mission and workforce activities, and budgets. Within the DHS, Microsoft Dynamics CRM is used by the Transportation Security Administration, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and U.S. Coast Guard.

• The Risk Management Agency (RMA) of the United States Department of Agriculture provides insurance to help preserve the economic stability of America’s farmers and ranchers. In deploying Microsoft Dynamics CRM, the RMA has access to a more comprehensive view of each participant in its agricultural insurance program and individualized dashboards for better insight across its operations. As a result of the implementation, RMA has strengthened compliance and can handle key reporting tasks five times faster than on the previous system.

• As a member of the Farm Credit System, AgFirst provides funding and services to 22 affiliated agricultural credit associations in 15 states in the eastern United States and Puerto Rico. In turn, these agriculture credit associations serve more than 80,000 eligible farmers, ranchers and agribusinesses. The associations needed to strengthen their customer relationships to retain and grow loan portfolios and to deploy an economical yet robust solution that met each association’s unique business needs. To date, AgFirst has achieved significant business and operational benefits including $2 million in cost savings for member associations AgChoice Farm Credit and MidAtlantic Farm Credit, more efficient loan processing, improved customer service shown through customer satisfaction ratings of 98 to 100 percent, and enhanced lending decisions.

• Nearly 200,000 Peace Corps volunteers have served in 139 host countries to work on issues ranging from AIDS education to information technology and environmental preservation. To support its mission, the Peace Corps built unique solutions on Microsoft Dynamics CRM. To leverage the reusability and investment in the Dynamics platform, the Peace Corps is automating its grants management process to support a modernization strategy that incorporates several line-of-business practices across the organization. As a result, the Peace Corps is lowering costs, improving business processes and more effectively upholding its mission.

• The U.S. Department of State leverages Microsoft Dynamics CRM for its Tracking Responses and Inquiries for Passports (TRIP) solution. TRIP supports the Consular Systems and Technology mission of maintaining records of passport applicants who call the National Passport Information Center to inquire about their passport application status. The solution provides highly secure and accurate access information, allowing customer service representatives to more efficiently review Travel Document Issuance System passport application records. The customer service representatives are now able to more effectively search case history, ensure greater collaboration across departments and deliver higher-quality service.

• INTERPOL Washington supports almost 18,000 U.S. law enforcement agencies and 189 member countries seeking assistance in investigations of fugitives, financial fraud, drug violations, terrorism and violent crimes. For INTERPOL Washington, the mission is particularly daunting with more than 2,000 daily inquiries related to criminal activity across the globe. In partnership with Microsoft Consulting Service, INTERPOL Washington deployed a solution built on Microsoft Dynamics CRM to automate case tasks, more efficiently allocate personnel resources and resolve caseloads that have grown by 33 percent over previous years.

• The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Division of Human Services turned to Hitachi Consulting to implement a full life-cycle case management solution, built on Microsoft Dynamics CRM, which has helped the BIA automate data management and access, streamline operations, and integrate with other organizational units to allow case workers to be significantly more efficient and productive in providing social services for those in need. “The impact we make goes far beyond business efficiency,” said Sue Settles, chief, Division of Human Services BIA. “With this new system, our social workers are able to deliver our programs more effectively in some of the most isolated and economically depressed areas of the United States.”

• To gain a holistic view of members, services and needs, the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, which serves 200,000 members worldwide, deployed Microsoft Dynamics CRM with the help of Microsoft partner Artic IT Inc. Members receive faster service, and the tribe’s care agents, IT staff and elected leaders benefit from a solution that is easy to use, tailor and manage independently of third parties. Microsoft Dynamics CRM is now a pivotal element in the 100-year plan to ensure the success of the Choctaw people.

More about Microsoft Dynamics and its impact in federal government can be found at the Microsoft in Government website.

About Microsoft Dynamics

At the heart of every successful organization are the people who make things happen. Microsoft Dynamics designs modern business solutions that empower individuals with intuitive tools that allow them to do their best work. Our proactive, easy-to-use business applications adapt to the way people and systems work, enabling organizations to rapidly deploy and be forward-looking in an ever-changing world.

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. — April 17, 2013 — Microsoft Corp. today released the Microsoft Security Intelligence Report volume 14 (SIRv14). In addition to analyzing prevalent threats from across the globe, the data revealed an important trend related to antivirus software (Antivirus). The study showed 2.5 out of 10 computers on average do not use up-to-date Antivirus. The report shows that without this vital protection layer, computers are 5.5 times more likely to be infected with malware. Antivirus helps guard against viruses, remove infections and protect people’s privacy.

“People intuitively understand the importance of locking their front doors to prevent their homes from being broken into. Computer security is no different. Surfing the Internet without up-to-date Antivirus is like leaving your front door open to criminals,” said Tim Rains, director, Trustworthy Computing, Microsoft. “With the release of this new research, Microsoft is urging people to make sure they have up-to-date Antivirus installed on their computers.”

SIRv14 explains some of the most prevalent threats facing consumers online:

• Think before you click. Microsoft detected and removed malicious email attachments from almost 3 million computers in the fourth quarter of 2012. People encounter this type of threat when opening documents, such as a PDF or Word document, that have been maliciously crafted and sent to them in email. Antivirus can help prevent infection from this type of attack.

• Bargain hunters beware. Keygen, a threat family commonly bundled with malware, was detected almost 7 million times in the fourth quarter of 2012. People seeking free or discounted software, movies or games online increase the risk of encountering this type of threat. Antivirus can help protect against it

Despite the benefits of Antivirus, many people do not realize they are unprotected. There are a number of reasons 2.5 out of 10 computers are unprotected:

• A trial period has expired or the software is out of date.

• The Antivirus was disabled by malware.

• People may not realize the importance of Antivirus so they do not install it.

To find out if people are using valid and up-to-date Antivirus, Microsoft recommends they go to their system control panels to check their computers’ security settings. If they do not have Antivirus installed, they can download it from a trusted vendor. If they have Windows 8, then Microsoft’s Antivirus is installed.

“Regardless of whether you use a free or paid-for solution, the importance of Antivirus cannot be overstated,” Rains said. “By taking the proper measures to protect your computer, including the most basic step of installing Antivirus, you can dramatically reduce your risk of becoming a victim.”

Microsoft releases the SIR twice a year to inform the public about the most prevalent global threats so they can protect themselves and their organizations. SIRv14 includes data from the second half of 2012 and contains threat intelligence from more than 1 billion computers worldwide.

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. — April 16, 2013 — Microsoft Corp. and Hon Hai, the parent company of Foxconn, signed a worldwide patent licensing agreement that provides broad coverage under Microsoft’s patent portfolio for devices running the Android and Chrome OS, including smartphones, tablets and televisions. While the contents of the agreement are confidential, the parties indicate that Microsoft will receive royalties from Hon Hai under the agreement. Hon Hai joins a growing list of contract manufacturing and original design manufacturing companies with Android and Chrome patent licenses.

“We are pleased that the list of companies benefitting from Microsoft’s Android licensing program now includes the world’s largest contract manufacturer, Hon Hai,” said Horacio Gutierrez, corporate vice president and deputy general counsel of the Intellectual Property Group at Microsoft. “By licensing both brand name companies and their contract manufacturers, we have successfully increased the overall effectiveness and global reach of the program.”

“Hon Hai is the world’s largest contract electronics manufacturer that holds more than 54,000 patents worldwide,” said Samuel Fu, director of the Intellectual Property Department at Hon Hai. “We recognize and respect the importance of international efforts that seek to protect intellectual property. The licensing agreement with Microsoft represents those efforts and our continued support of international trade agreements that facilitate implementation of effective patent protection.”

Microsoft’s Commitment to Licensing Intellectual Property

The patent agreement is another example of the important role intellectual property (IP) plays in ensuring a healthy and vibrant technology ecosystem. Since Microsoft launched its IP licensing program in December 2003, the company has entered into more than 1,100 licensing agreements and continues to develop programs that open Microsoft’s IP portfolio for customers, partners and competitors. The program was developed to provide access to Microsoft’s significant R&D investments and its growing, broad patent and IP portfolio. Microsoft’s specific patent licensing program for Android device makers has resulted in signed license agreements with numerous companies including Samsung, LG, HTC, Acer and Barnes & Noble.

More information about Microsoft’s licensing programs is available at http://www.microsoft.com/iplicensing.

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.

April 7, 2013 – BOAO, Hainan, China – The Hainan government and Microsoft China today announced comprehensive collaboration to enable Hainan in its ambition to become the “Hawaii of China,” transform Hainan into an international tourism destination and a powerhouse of software development. In the memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed today, both parties agreed to form a long-term partnership, cooperate strategically on incubating the application of informatization, nurturing the software industry, developing the next generation of IT, cultivating talent, and protecting intellectual property rights. Guests from Hainan government and Microsoft present at the signing ceremony included Luo Baoming, secretary of the Hainan Provincial Committee, Sun Xinyang, secretary-general of Hainan province, Li Guoliang, vice governor of Hainan Province, and Orlando Ayala, corporate vice president, chairman of Emerging Markets, Ralph Haupter, corporate vice president, chairman and CEO of Microsoft Greater China Region, Ya-Qin Zhang, corporate vice president, chairman of Microsoft Asia-Pacific R&D Group, and Sandy Gupta, CTO of Microsoft China.

Luo Baoming, secretary of the Hainan Provincial Committee, said, “Hainan is committed to becoming a world-class international tourism island characterized by sustainable and efficient, low-carbon local industries and the information technology is the critical foundation for realizing this. By partnering with world-leading IT companies like Microsoft, Hainan can leverage innovative technologies to upgrade and enhance industries including tourism, real estate, transportation, maritime and agriculture, and accelerate Hainan’s transformation into an international tourism island. The MOU reflects both sides’ vision and commitment to Hainan’s bright, sustainable future.”

Orlando Ayala, corporate vice president, chairman of Emerging Markets, extended his congratulations on the partnership, adding, “Information technology and intelligent applications are playing an increasingly important role in developing more sustainable industries, including the tourism industry. This is vitally important because Asia Pacific is quickly becoming the world’s most popular region for tourists, and China is expected to become the leading tourism destination over the next decade. Microsoft has always been committed to helping industries transform through technological innovation and we look forward to working closely with the Hainan government to enhance the competitiveness of Hainan’s tourism industry and accelerate their transformation into a sustainable international tourism island.”

Ralph Haupter, corporate vice president, chairman and CEO of Microsoft Greater China Region, said, “Microsoft is honored to be in this strategic partnership with the Hainan government. Over the last 20 years, Microsoft has invested throughout the country as a part of its long-term commitment to partnering in developing an innovative, competitive and talented China. With comprehensive strengths in devices and services, from client to cloud, Microsoft China has the capabilities and is committed to supporting the Hainan government in promoting local industries, driving economic transformation and creating a model of eco-friendly international tourism.”

As the only tropical island in China, Hainan is the weathervane of China’s tourism industry. The construction of Hainan as an “international tourism island” was elevated in status to one of national strategy as it is seen as playing an essential role in China’s overall development. Under the MOU, Microsoft and the Hainan government will work together to improve Hainan’s competitiveness in information technology and help develop information-based industries, which will facilitate the smooth, rapid upgrade of the local industrial sector and support intelligent tourism industry growth.

Microsoft demonstrated tailor-made, forward-looking tourism solutions at the Bo’ao Forum, including innovative service experiences such as no-contact, motion sensing and multi-touch technology; the integration of the Hainan International Tourism Island portal and Bing Travel; a “space-time tunnel” and much more.

Technology innovation has become a driving force for the sustainable development of cities. With Microsoft’s extensive experience in software service outsourcing and cloud services, as well as the strengths of its products, technology and global resources, the company hopes to enable the nation’s governments and enterprises to improve their core competitiveness through informatization, to accelerate economic transformation and build better, flexible more connected cities.

REDMOND, Wash. — April 10, 2013 — Microsoft Corp. today announced that the power and automation technology company ABB will deploy Microsoft Office 365 and Yammer to its employees worldwide.

With about 145,000 employees in 100 countries, ABB is transitioning from multiple IT collaboration and messaging solutions to Office 365 to provide a single platform for productivity, communication, collaboration and enterprise social in the cloud.

“Office 365 and Yammer will enable us to transform communication and collaboration among our employees, surfacing the best and most innovative ideas across the organization,” said Andy Tidd, chief information officer at ABB Group.

Microsoft’s Chief Operating Officer Kevin Turner emphasizes: “Strong internal communications are the lifeblood of a company’s success, and ABB’s decision as a global technology leader to deploy Office 365 and Yammer will help it realize its vision for empowering employees with new ways of working via enterprise social and the cloud. When you remove barriers to productivity and innovation and enable employees to collaborate and communicate even more freely and seamlessly across organizational and geographical boundaries, incredible things happen.”

Office 365 integrates a number of typical functionalities that employees use in their daily work. The mail service works seamlessly with the online meeting and videoconferencing service. Office 365 simplifies online meetings, and in large organizations such as ABB that can typically reduce travel costs by 15 to 20 percent.

ABB is rapidly embracing enterprise social networking solutions, implementing Yammer as its companywide platform to increase collaboration and knowledge sharing across the organization. ABB also plans to take full advantage of the planned integration between Office 365 and Yammer.

About ABB

ABB (http://www.abb.com) is a leader in power and automation technologies that enable utility and industry customers to improve their performance while lowering environmental impact. The ABB Group of companies operates in around 100 countries and employs about 145,000 people. The company invests more than $1.3 billion annually in research and development. In November 2012, ABB announced it had developed the first hybrid breaker for high-voltage direct current, enabling a new generation of super transmission grids. (http://new.abb.com/about/hvdc-grid).

About Yammer

Yammer (www.yammer.com) is a best-in-class Enterprise Social Network used by more than 200,000 organizations worldwide — including 85 percent of the Fortune 500 — to foster team collaboration, empower employees, drive business agility and promote organizational connectedness. Yammer’s freemium business model lets customers see the value of Yammer before upgrading to the premium offering. Founded in 2008, Yammer is now part of the Microsoft Office Division.

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.

LAS VEGAS — April 9, 2013 — Today at the National Association of Broadcasters Show, Microsoft Corp. and NBC Sports Group announced they are partnering to use Windows Azure Media Services across NBC Sports’ digital platforms, including NBCSports.com, NBCOlympics.com and GolfChannel.com.

Through the agreement, which rolls out this summer, Microsoft will provide both live-streaming and on-demand viewing services for more than 5,000 hours of games and events on devices, such as smartphones, tablets and PCs. These services will allow sports fans to be able to relive or catch up on their favorite events and highlights that aired on NBC Sports Group platforms.

“NBC Sports Group is thrilled to be working with Microsoft,” said Rick Cordella, senior vice president and general manager of digital media at NBC Sports Group. “More and more of our audience is viewing our programming on Internet-enabled devices, so quality of service is important. Also, our programming reaches a national audience and needs to be available under challenging network conditions. We chose Microsoft because of its reputation for delivering an end-to-end experience that allows for seamless, high-quality video for both live and video-on-demand streaming.”

NBC Sports Group’s unique portfolio of properties includes the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games, “Sunday Night Football,” Notre Dame Football, Premier League soccer, Major League Soccer, Formula One and IndyCar racing, PGA TOUR, U.S. Open golf, French Open tennis, Triple Crown horse racing, and more.

“Microsoft is constantly looking for innovative ways to utilize the power of the cloud, and we see Windows Azure Media Services as a high-demand offering,” said Scott Guthrie, corporate vice president at Microsoft. “As consumer demand for viewing media online on any available device grows, our partnership with NBC Sports Group gives us the opportunity to provide the best of cloud technology and bring world-class sporting events to audiences when and where they want them.”

Microsoft has a broad partner ecosystem, which extends to the cloud. To bring the NBC Sports Group viewing experience to life, Microsoft is working with iStreamPlanet Co. and its live video workflow management product Aventus. Aventus will integrate with Windows Azure Media Services to provide a scalable, reliable, live video workflow solution to help bring NBC Sports Group programming to the cloud.

NBC Sports Group and iStreamPlanet join a growing list of companies, including European Tour, deltatre, Dolby Laboratories Inc. and Digital Rapids Corp., which are working with Windows Azure to bring their broadcasting audiences or technologies to the cloud.

In addition to Media Services, Windows Azure core services include Mobile Services, Cloud Services, Virtual Machines, Websites and Big Data. Customers can go to http://www.windowsazure.com for more information and to start their free trial.

About NBC Sports Group

When the Comcast-NBCUniversal transaction was completed in January 2011, the sports assets of the two companies combined to form the NBC Sports Group, which serves sports fans 24/7 with premier live events, insightful studio shows, and compelling original programming. The sports media company consists of a unique array of broadcast television, cable television, radio and digital sports assets, including NBC Sports, NBC Olympics, NBC Sports Network, Golf Channel, 11 NBC Sports Regional Networks, NBC Sports Radio and all of their respective digital properties. The NBC Sports Group possesses an unparalleled collection of television rights agreements, partnering with some of the most prestigious sports properties in the world: the International Olympic Committee and United States Olympic Committee, the NFL, NHL, PGA TOUR, PGA of America, USGA, Churchill Downs, Premier League, MLS, Tour de France, French Open, Formula One, IndyCar and many more.

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.

LAS VEGAS — April 8, 2013 — Today at the Microsoft Management Summit, Microsoft Corp. showcased companies relying on Windows Server Hyper-V and System Center to adapt to the changing needs of their businesses and customers.

“Companies around the world are using our technologies to innovate for their businesses. Our focus is to help IT organizations expand their capabilities and embrace the opportunities of cloud computing,” said Brad Anderson, corporate vice president of Windows Server and System Center Division. Anderson delivered the keynote address at the Summit and blogged about Microsoft’s Cloud OS strategy.

Powering Pizza Delivery

A pizza delivery pioneer, Domino’s Pizza has computerized nearly all aspects of store operations, from inventory to order taking to staff scheduling. The company moved to Windows Server Hyper-V for better reliability and management of its in-store servers running the Domino’s Pulse point-of-sale (POS) application.

Hyper-V is currently deployed in 750 stores and will be rolled out to more than 4,000 in the United States, as well as international locations. Using System Center to centrally manage over 15,000 servers and devices, Domino’s has cut virtualization-related help desk calls by 99 percent.

“If online ordering goes down, a third of our business evaporates. It’s that simple. It’s absolutely critical that our store servers remain running and, with Hyper-V, we’ve dramatically reduced store downtime,” said Lance Shinabarger, vice president, Global Infrastructure, Domino’s Pizza. “From pricing to management, performance and reliability gains, Hyper-V and System Center have been a huge win for Domino’s.”

Closing the “Dev-Ops” Gap

The Xerox India Development Center (IDC) supports software development for customers all over the world. IDC needed to help its developers better collaborate with customers and a more reliable way to quickly test and fix applications. The organization built a Microsoft private cloud with Windows Server Hyper-V and System Center that dynamically replicates customer datacenter environments. Using System Center with Visual Studio Team Foundation Server, the operations team can efficiently provide developers with deep insights into applications for real-time troubleshooting and optimization. As a result, IDC improved developer productivity by approximately 40 percent and cut costs by about 30 percent.

“Microsoft is my cloud platform vendor of choice because it provides the complete, integrated stack of infrastructure, application platform and development tools,” said Raman Padmanabhan, senior vice president and chief information officer, Commercial Business Process Outsourcing, Xerox Commercial Solutions. “We want our developers to be able to work across multiple development projects and sites with ease. They now have the tools and infrastructure they need to accelerate the ever-shrinking write-test-debug cycle.”

Building Productivity and Cost Savings

Pedcor Companies develops, builds and manages housing communities, including construction of more than 17,000 apartment units in the U.S. The company needed to improve datacenter availability and give employees in 77 remote offices better access to data and important applications, such as the Pedcor Management Application for collecting and processing rental fees. By replacing VMware infrastructure with a Microsoft private cloud built with Windows Server and System Center, Pedcor has reduced downtime by 40 percent, saved US$560,000 in IT costs and enabled reliable remote access to corporate resources.

“We can automate the management and delivery of healthy applications, which boosts the productivity of our people in the field,” said Sumeeth Evans, vice president of Information Technology, Pedcor Companies. “Microsoft’s technologies free my team to focus on new solutions for the business and give us a platform for the future.”

More news about MMS is available on the STB News Bytes blog, while 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.