This is a crucial week for anyone interested in application software. Just in case you missed it, Microsoft (NASDAQ:$MSFT) kicked off its big Ignite conference in Orlando on Monday, September 25. The event focuses on services and products which cater to the enterprise community that runs through Friday.
And on the first day of the conference, the technology behemoth made a number of announcements linked to its key IT products, such as Azure cloud, Windows, Office, and Skype.
Here are the top announcements Microsoft made:
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Microsoft is putting all of its eggs in the cloud basket.
A number of Microsoft’s cloud services are now available to enterprises. Azure Stack, which is the company’s hybrid cloud system, was announced back in 2015, but only started shipping in July. Now, the system should be in use at some enterprises.
Azure Stack is thought to be a massive growth driver for Microsoft in its war to win the enterprise cloud market.
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LinkedIn will join many key Microsoft programs.
It looks like the company’s $26 billion acquisition of LinkedIn, a professional-geared social network, is finally starting to pay off.
LinkedIn will now be featured in Office programs and Dynamics, which is Microsoft’s customer relationship management software product. What does the feature do? It will allow users to search and access information about coworkers at an organization with ease.
“You can get longer-term information like education, see info they posted on social media — deeper insights into the person you’re trying to meet with,” Patrick Moorhead said, president of Moor Insights & Strategy.
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Office and Windows are getting specialized.
Microsoft will be releasing specialized bundles of Office and Windows in an attempt to double down on its efforts to be the top software provider in the education and enterprise sectors.
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There’s a chance Microsoft Teams will be replacing Skype for Business.
Microsoft Teams – the company’s workplace chat app and Slack rival – is being integrated into Office 365. Therefore, Teams will replace the Skype for Business feature in Office 365, which marks a huge transition for the company, since Skype has been its flagship messaging app for a number of years.
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Microsoft is bracing itself for the future of quantum computing.
Even though few people actually understand quantum computing, Microsoft appears to be laying the groundwork for a broad vision in the space. According to Microsoft, the company will be rolling out a new programming language for quantum computers which will allow developers to play with Microsoft’s application writing tools and simulator. If all goes as planned, the tools will be available by the end of 2017.
Featured Image: twitter
