REDMOND, Wash. — Jan. 7, 2014 — Microsoft Corp. on Tuesday announced that it has reached a definitive agreement to acquire Parature, a leading provider of cloud-based customer engagement solutions. The acquisition will add world-class customer self-service capabilities to further accelerate the Microsoft Dynamics vision of helping organizations deliver amazing customer experiences.

“Customers are more connected and better informed than ever before. Organizations are looking for business solutions that can strengthen their ability to connect with customers on their own terms, using whatever device and whatever channel they prefer,” said Bob Stutz, corporate vice president, Microsoft Dynamics CRM. “Parature is a perfect fit for every business and will enable us to offer customers one of the best cloud-based solutions for customer self-service. This is a compelling combination for organizations committed to delivering the best service experience that consistently exceeds their customers’ expectations.”

As a provider of cloud-based customer service software to midsize and enterprise organizations, Parature has a well-earned reputation for outstanding customer service with 70 million users worldwide and more than 500 well-known brands, including Ask.com, the United States Environmental Protection Agency, IBM, Saba Software Inc., Tagged Inc. and Threadless. The company also received the 2013 Frost & Sullivan Customer Value Enhancement Award for using social media to help organizations deliver outstanding customer service.

Parature’s approach to its solutions enables organizations to take advantage of an extendable knowledge base available through self-service portals on the Web and Facebook, support ticketing, mobile customer care on virtually any device the customer chooses to use, social customer support, and chat for both traditional customer service scenarios and proactive sales engagement to create new, revenue-generating opportunities for the business. These capabilities complement the existing Microsoft Dynamics CRM customer-care solution with core strengths in workflow, extensibility and process-driven user experiences that allow contact center agents to do their best work.

Microsoft will continue to offer Parature solutions and support all new and existing customers as the company works to further enhance these offerings.

The terms of the agreement are not being disclosed. More information on this announcement, including product integration plans and timeline, will be shared at Parafest 2014 (Feb. 24–25) in Las Vegas and Convergence 2014 (March 4–7) in Atlanta. A blog by Bob Stutz speaking about this announcement Tuesday can be found at https://community.dynamics.com/crm/b/crmconnection/archive/2014/01/07/microsoft-dynamics-crm-and-parature-a-match-made-for-you.aspx.

More information about Parature is available at http://www.parature.com, and more on Microsoft Dynamics CRM can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics/crm.aspx.

Those interested can follow and engage with the Microsoft Dynamics community on Twitter at @MSDynamicsCRM, hashtags #MSDynCRM and #CRM2013, and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/msftdynamics.

About Microsoft Dynamics

At the heart of every successful business 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 businesses 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.

Jim DuBois

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REDMOND, Wash. — Dec. 20 , 2013 — Microsoft Corp. announced Friday the appointment of Jim DuBois as corporate vice president and chief information officer (CIO), responsible for delivering a broad range of IT initiatives in support of the company’s billions of customers and more than 90,000 employees in 190 countries worldwide.

DuBois, who had served as interim CIO for the past six months, will lead a team of employees overseeing Microsoft IT applications, infrastructure, solution delivery and process excellence. A tech leader with a unique view of IT innovation and deep understanding of technical strategy, DuBois has been at Microsoft for more than 20 years, during which time he has held several key leadership positions, including general manager of IT and vice president of Microsoft Products and Services IT.

“Jim has demonstrated outstanding leadership in managing our IT organization through the transition period while continuing to position IT as a strategic asset and growth lever for Microsoft. I am confident that, as CIO, he will continue to deliver world-class IT infrastructure and innovation for Microsoft,” said Kevin Turner, chief operating officer at Microsoft. “His proven ability in creating initiatives that build business value and support customers and partners will be invaluable to Microsoft as we continue to accelerate our transformation to a devices-and-services company.”

DuBois will assume his new role at Microsoft on Jan. 1, 2014, reporting to Turner.

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 . 1 8 , 2013 — In less than three months, the University of Colorado Health (UCHealth), a new healthcare system formed by Poudre Valley Health System, University of Colorado Hospital and Memorial Health System, and one of the largest healthcare providers in Colorado, has fully migrated 17,000 mailboxes from three disparate healthcare organizations on multiple legacy email platforms into one single consolidated Microsoft Office 365 environment. Switching to a complete Microsoft enterprise subscription solution is expected to increase collaboration across UCHealth and save an estimated $13.9 million in overall costs throughout an 11-year period.

“The healthcare industry is generally hesitant to use the cloud because of security and HIPAA concerns,” said Steve Hess, chief information officer for UCHealth. “However, Microsoft’s strong commitment to data security, privacy and compliance with HIPAA standards, coupled with its willingness to sign a comprehensive Business Associate Agreement for Office 365, gave us the confidence we needed to overcome our cloud anxieties.”

UCHealth’s strategy was to integrate its legacy IT solutions into single solutions including its enterprise resource planning, electronic health records and email systems. UCHealth looked at a variety of vendors, including Google, but ultimately chose Office 365 because of its functionality and usability, and because it supports HIPAA requirements beyond what other vendors provide. In addition, UCHealth determined that Microsoft Corp. was a more strategic partner for both its long- and short-term IT and collaboration needs.

“When we decided to go with a subscription model, we knew we needed enterprise-class capabilities that offered strong support for all our needs, including offline editing, deskless workers and mobile devices,” said Fernando Pedroza, UCHealth’s vice president of Technology Services.

Differentiators for Office 365 range from enabling telework to promoting internal communications and cross-collaboration. The reliability and flexibility that comes from enablement of remote and mobile employees through the Office 365 SharePoint and Lync components, as well as Microsoft’s separate Yammer social media solution, appealed to UCHealth. With more of the healthcare workforce being mobile, and given UCHealth’s geographic spread, it was important to have additional tools available for remote collaboration and communication throughout UCHealth’s network. Specifically, Microsoft Office 365 Lync is being used to host meetings, share desktop presentations, and find appropriate individuals and expertise quickly and effectively. Meanwhile, Microsoft Yammer is being used to share information and project statuses, find expertise quickly, and celebrate organizational successes.

“In many ways, the healthcare industry is just scratching the surface of the potential applications of collaboration and social media tools,” Hess said, “but it is powerful to see how these tools are being applied, how they can drive real value to our workforce, and ultimately, how they can improve the quality of care and value for our patients.”

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 , W ash. — Dec. 12 , 2013 — On Thursday, Microsoft Corp. introduced the Cloud OS Network, a worldwide consortium of more than 25 cloud service providers delivering services built on the Microsoft Cloud Platform: Windows Server with Hyper-V, System Center and the Windows Azure Pack. These organizations support Microsoft’s Cloud OS vision of a consistent platform that spans customer datacenters, Windows Azure and service provider clouds. Service providers in the Cloud OS Network offer Microsoft-validated, cloud-based infrastructure and application solutions designed to meet customer needs.

“This network of leading service providers will help our customers create datacenters without boundaries for apps, data and device management,” said Takeshi Numoto, Microsoft corporate vice president of Cloud & Enterprise Marketing. “That translates into greater diversity of solutions, more flexibility and lower operational costs for customers, allowing them to focus on their core business rather than managing datacenters.” More comments from Numoto can be found on the Official Microsoft Blog.

Hybrid b enefits for c ustomers

Every organization has different needs and different IT requirements for addressing those needs. With the Cloud OS Network, customers now have even more choice in deploying hybrid solutions on the Microsoft Cloud Platform — either in their datacenter, in Windows Azure or, now, through a network of service providers. Customers also benefit from uniquely tailored, fully managed services within their local market, as well as a high degree of technical consistency across environments, which prevents vendor lock-in and enables flexibility. As a result, customers can focus on increasing efficiencies, improving employee productivity and lowering operational costs. Customers interested in the Cloud OS Network and the services offered by these partners can find additional information here.

Cloud s ervice p rovider o pportunity

As cloud adoption accelerates, service providers are focused on delivering value-added services to meet customer demand for hybrid cloud solutions. By joining Microsoft in the Cloud OS Network, leading cloud service providers can quickly and cost-effectively develop new services, attract new customers and increase revenues. With the Microsoft Cloud Platform, service providers have access to the capabilities of and best practices from Windows Azure.

“CSC continues to expand our strategic partnership with Microsoft to increase value to our clients and bring next-gen solutions to market,” said Marc Silvester, vice president of Offerings Management at CSC. “CSC and Microsoft continue to partner on offerings that leverage the tremendous growth in apps, devices and data that are driven by the rise of cloud computing. As these technologies play an ever-increasing role in business, CSC and Microsoft are working together to drive more efficiency and value through Microsoft’s Cloud OS vision. CSC is proud to be part of Microsoft’s Cloud OS Network.”

Watch what service providers have to say about Microsoft’s new Cloud OS Network here.

Worldwide r each

Organizations within the Cloud OS Network cover more than 90 active markets around the world, serve more than 3 million customers every day and operate over 2.4 million servers in more than 425 datacenters.

The Cloud OS Network December 11, 2013

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Partners in the Cloud OS Network include, among others, Alog, Aruba S.p.A., Capgemini, Capita IT Services, CGI, CSC, Dimension Data, DorukNet, Fujitsu Finland Oy., Fujitsu Ltd., iWeb, Lenovo, NTTX, Outsourcery, OVH.com, Revera, SingTel, Sogeti, TeleComputing, Tieto, Triple C Cloud Computing, T-Systems, VTC Digilink and Wortmann AG.

More details on today’s announcements can be found at the Microsoft News Center.

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, DC — Dec. 9, 2013 — Today AOL, Apple, Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, Microsoft, Twitter and Yahoo joined together to propose principles for reforming government surveillance laws and practices. The companies also urged the President and the United States Congress to take the lead on reform with an open letter that reads:

Dear Mr. President and Members of Congress,

We understand that governments have a duty to protect their citizens. But this summer’s

revelations highlighted the urgent need to reform government surveillance practices worldwide. The balance in many countries has tipped too far in favor of the state and away from the rights of the individual­­rights that are enshrined in our Constitution. This undermines the freedoms we all cherish. It’s time for change.

For our part, we are focused on keeping users’ data secure­­deploying the latest encryption technology to prevent unauthorized surveillance on our networks, and by pushing back on government requests to ensure that they are legal and reasonable in scope.

We urge the US to take the lead and make reforms that ensure that government surveillance efforts are clearly restricted by law, proportionate to the risks, transparent and subject to independent oversight. To see the full set of principles we support, visit www.reformgovernmentsurveillance.com.

AOL Apple Facebook Google LinkedIn Microsoft Twitter Yahoo

Company executives also provided statements on the principles of reform:

“AOL is committed to preserving the privacy of our customers' information, while respecting the right of governments to request information on specific users for lawful purposes. AOL is proud to unite with other leading Internet companies to advocate on behalf of our consumers,” said Tim Armstrong, Chairman and CEO, AOL.

"Reports about government surveillance have shown there is a real need for greater disclosure and new limits on how governments collect information. The U.S. Government should take this opportunity to lead this reform effort and make things right." ­ Mark Zuckerberg, CEO, Facebook

"The security of users’ data is critical, which is why we've invested so much in encryption and fight for transparency around government requests for information. This is undermined by the apparent wholesale collection of data, in secret and without independent oversight, by many governments around the world. It's time for reform and we urge the US government to lead the way.” ­ Larry Page, CEO, Google

"These principles embody Linkedin's fundamental commitment to transparency and ensuring appropriate government practices that are respectful of our members' expectations." ­ Erika Rottenberg, General Counsel, LinkedIn.

“People won’t use technology they don’t trust. Governments have put this trust at risk, and governments need to help restore it.” ­­ Brad Smith, General Counsel and Executive Vice President, Legal and Corporate Affairs, Microsoft

"Twitter is committed to defending and protecting the voice of our users. Unchecked, undisclosed government surveillance inhibits the free flow of information and restricts their voice. The principles we advance today would reform the current system to appropriately balance the needs of security and privacy while safeguarding the essential human right of free expression.” ­ Dick Costolo, CEO, Twitter

"Protecting the privacy of our users is incredibly important to Yahoo. Recent revelations about government surveillance activities have shaken the trust of our users, and it is time for the United States government to act to restore the confidence of citizens around the world. Today we join our colleagues in the tech industry calling on the United States Congress to change surveillance laws in order to ensure transparency and accountability for government actions.” ­ Marissa Mayer, CEO, Yahoo.

REDMOND , Wash. — Dec. 5 , 2013 — The Microsoft Digital Crimes Unit today announced it has successfully disrupted a rampant botnet in collaboration with Europol’s European Cybercrime Centre (EC3), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and leaders in the technology industry, including A10 Networks Inc. The Sirefef botnet, also known as ZeroAccess, is responsible for infecting more than 2 million computers, specifically targeting search results on Google, Bing and Yahoo search engines, and is estimated to cost online advertisers $2.7 million each month. Today’s action is expected to significantly disrupt the botnet’s operation, increasing the cost and risk for cybercriminals to continue doing business and preventing victims’ computers from committing fraudulent schemes.

This is Microsoft’s first botnet action since the Nov. 14 unveiling of its new Cybercrime Center — a center of excellence for advancing the global fight against cybercrime — and marks the company’s eighth botnet operation in the past three years. Similar to Microsoft’s Citadel botnet case, the ZeroAccess case is part of an extensive cooperative effort with international law enforcement and industry partners to dismantle cybercriminal networks and ensure that people worldwide can use their computing devices and services with confidence.

“This operation marks an important step in coordinated actions that are initiated by private companies and, at the same time, enable law enforcement agencies around Europe to identify and investigate the criminal organizations and networks behind these dangerous botnets that use malicious software to gain illicit profits,” said Troels Oerting, head of the EC3. “EC3 added its expertise, information communications technology infrastructure and analytic capability, as well as provided the platform for high-level cooperation between cybercrime units in five European countries and Microsoft.”

Due to its botnet architecture, ZeroAccess is one of the most robust and durable botnets in operation today and was built to be resilient to disruption efforts, relying on a peer-to-peer infrastructure that allows cybercriminals to remotely control the botnet from tens of thousands of different computers. ZeroAccess is used to commit a slew of crimes, including search hijacking, which “hijacks” people’s search results and redirects people to sites they had not intended or requested to go to in order to steal the money generated by their ad clicks. ZeroAccess also commits click fraud, which occurs when advertisers pay for clicks that are not the result of legitimate, interested human users’ clicks, but are the result of automated Web traffic and other criminal activity. Research by the University of California, San Diego shows that as of October 2013, 1.9 million computers were infected with ZeroAccess, and Microsoft determined there were more than 800,000 ZeroAccess-infected computers active on the Internet on any given day.

“The coordinated action taken by our partners was instrumental in the disruption of ZeroAccess; these efforts will stop victims’ computers from being used for fraud and help us identify the computers that need to be cleaned of the infection,” said David Finn, executive director and associate general counsel of the Microsoft Digital Crimes Unit. “Microsoft is committed to working collaboratively — with our customers, partners, academic experts and law enforcement — to combat cybercrime. And we’ll do everything we can to protect computer users from the sinister activities and criminal networks that victimize innocent people and businesses around the world.”

Last week, Microsoft filed a civil suit against the cybercriminals operating the ZeroAccess botnet and received authorization from the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas to simultaneously block incoming and outgoing communications between computers located in the U.S. and the 18 identified Internet Protocol (IP) addresses being used to commit the fraudulent schemes. In addition, Microsoft took over control of 49 domains associated with the ZeroAccess botnet. A10 Networks provided Microsoft with advanced technology to support the disruptive action.

As Microsoft executed the order filed in its civil case, Europol coordinated a multijurisdictional criminal action targeting the 18 IP addresses located in Europe. Specifically, Europol worked with Latvia, Luxembourg, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Germany to execute search warrants and seizures on computer servers associated with the fraudulent IP addresses located in Europe.

This is the second time in six months that Microsoft and law enforcement have worked together to successfully disrupt a prevalent botnet. It demonstrates the value coordinated operations have against cybercriminal enterprises.

“If the hacker community has not yet taken notice, today’s disruption of the ZeroAccess botnet is another example of the power of public-private partnerships,” FBI Executive Assistant Director Richard McFeely said. “It demonstrates our commitment to expand coordination with companies like Microsoft and our foreign law enforcement partners — in this case, Europol — to shut down malicious cyberattacks and hold cybercriminals accountable for exploiting our citizens’ and businesses’ computers.”

Microsoft and its partners do not expect to fully eliminate the ZeroAccess botnet due to the complexity of the threat. However, Microsoft expects that this action will significantly disrupt the botnet’s operation. Microsoft is working with ecosystem partners around the world to notify people if their computers are infected and will make this information available through its Cyber Threat Intelligence Program (C-TIP). ZeroAccess is very sophisticated malware, blocking attempts to remove it, and Microsoft therefore recommends that people visit http://support.microsoft.com/botnets for detailed instructions on how to remove this threat. Because Microsoft found that the ZeroAccess malware disables security features on infected computers, leaving the computer susceptible to secondary infections, it is critical that victims rid their computers of ZeroAccess by using malware removal or antivirus software as quickly as possible. Europol is also providing information on its website about botnets to educate the public on how to protect themselves.

More information about today’s news and the coordinated action against ZeroAccess is available at http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/presskits/dcu. Legal documentation in the case can be found at http://www.botnetlegalnotice.com/ZeroAccess.

About Europol

EC3 is the focal point in the EU’s fight against cybercrime, contributing to faster reactions in the event of online crimes. It will support Member States and the European Union’s institutions in building operational and analytical capacity for investigations and cooperation with international partners. EC3 officially commenced its activities on 1 January 2013, and it aims to become the focal point in the EU’s fight against cybercrime, through building operational and analytical capacity for investigations and cooperation with international partners in the pursuit of an EU free from cybercrime. The European Cybercrime Centre is hosted by Europol; the European law enforcement agency in The Hague, The Netherlands, and thus EC3 can draw on Europol’s existing infrastructure and law enforcement network.

About FBI

As an intelligence-driven and a threat-focused national security organization with both intelligence and law enforcement responsibilities, the mission of the FBI is to protect and defend the United States against terrorist and foreign intelligence threats, including cyber-based attacks and high-technology crimes; to uphold and enforce the criminal laws of the United States; and to provide leadership and criminal justice services to federal, state, municipal, and international agencies and partners.

About A10 Networks

A10 Networks was founded in Q4 2004 with a mission to provide innovative networking and security solutions. A10 Networks makes high-performance products that help organizations accelerate, optimize and secure their applications. A10 Networks is headquartered in Silicon Valley with offices in the United States, United Kingdom, France, The Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Brazil, Japan, China, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia. For more information, visit: http://www.a10networks.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.

N ote 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. 1, 2013 — Looking back on 2013, billions of searches on Bing from around the world reveal it was a year of American songs, superhero movies, Facebook love, high-end designer brands, controversial sports stars, European getaways and fierce women. Bing search trends, found at http://www.BingTrends.com, indicate what has most captivated people around the world in 2013, and this year the trend report includes search data from Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Spain, the U.K. and the U.S.

Most-searched people around the world

Ladies appeared to rule 2013, since a woman was the most-searched person of the year in eight of the 12 participating countries around the world — Beyoncé reigned in the U.S., while Miley Cyrus’ highly publicized twerking made her the top-searched person in both Australia and Canada. Former flames Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez were the most-searched people in the U.K. and Germany, respectively. Actress and actors Bruna Marquezine, Wen Zhang and Salman Khan were the most-searched people in Brazil, China and India, while singers Rihanna and David Bisbal ranked at the top for France and Spain, and gorgeous TV personalities Danmitsu and Belen Rodriguez were favorites in Japan and Italy.

Most-searched person in the U.S.

With an amazing Super Bowl performance — including a reunion with Destiny’s Child — as well as a successful world tour and famous family, Beyoncé captivated Americans this year and was the most-searched person on Bing in the U.S. She earned not only the title of most-searched person, but the most-searched musician nod as well. Fellow musician Rihanna also came out near the top for 2013, earning both the No. 3 spot as most-searched person and No. 2 for most-searched musician. Newcomers to the top 10 this year include Amanda Bynes at No. 8, Madonna at No. 5 and President Barack Obama at No. 10. Taylor Swift’s busy year in the public eye helped her make the biggest jump in rankings, going from No. 10 in 2012 to No. 4 this year:

Additional top Bing search results from the U.S. and around the world are available at http://www.BingTrends.com.

About Bing

Bing is the search engine from Microsoft. It was introduced in 2009 with a mission to empower people with knowledge — to answer any question and provide useful tools to help you best accomplish your goals, from the everyday to the extraordinary. Bing continues on that mission today by moving beyond the search box to power intelligent experiences across a range of devices and services from Microsoft and third parties.

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.

May 20, 2013 Xbox One is an all-in-one gaming and entertainment system that puts you at the center of all your games, TV, movies, music, sports and Skype.

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REDMOND, W ash. — Nov. 21 , 201 3 — The launch of Xbox One Friday signals the beginning of a new era for gaming and interactive entertainment. Boasting the deepest and most varied launch lineup in Xbox history, the new games and exclusive titles look and feel like nothing else, tapping the incredible power of new hardware and the cloud, as well as advanced software tools and exclusive features such as Xbox Live, Kinect and Xbox One SmartGlass that will bring an entirely new world of gaming to life.

The award-winning launch lineup of games on Xbox One features 22 titles from some of the world’s most respected developers, as well as 10 exclusive games you won’t find anywhere else. Whether it’s experiencing the vivid realism of the racetrack to the visceral brutality of ancient Rome, from the zombie apocalypse to a wildlife utopia, the lineup of Xbox One exclusives launching Friday offers new immersive worlds for every kind of gamer to explore:

• “Forza Motorsport 5” is a cinematic automotive journey starring the world’s greatest cars and tracks. Built from the ground up to take advantage of Xbox One and the vast power of the cloud, no game better delivers the wide-eyed thrill of racing.

• “Ryse: Son of Rome” is an immersive action-adventure story of struggle, brutality and heroism, following a fearless Roman soldier named Marius Titus as he seeks to avenge the death of his family and save the Roman Empire. “Ryse: Son of Rome” presents a cinematic recreation of the ancient Roman Empire and its people, conflicts and landscapes, in breathtaking detail that represents the graphical benchmark for the new platform generation.

• “Dead Rising 3” delivers a blockbuster open-world action experience that will define a new generation of zombie-slaying mayhem. Featuring intense action, incredible weapon and character customization, and immersive Xbox SmartGlass and Kinect integration, “Dead Rising 3” delivers a heart-pounding experience unlike any other as players fight for survival in a massive, open world teeming with the undead.

• “Zoo Tycoon” is back and fully reimagined for Xbox One. The wildly popular franchise cranks up the challenge and fun of building the ultimate zoo and allows players to seamlessly switch between controller and Kinect play to interact with ultrarealistic animals. Supported with next-generation technology, the Xbox One version will have greater visual fidelity, larger zoos, more animals, Game DVR capability, Skype chat and four-person multiplayer over Xbox Live.*

• “Kinect Sports Rivals” Preseason is a free trial experience of “Kinect Sports Rivals” wake racing, available for download on launch day. Monthly challenges and exclusive in-game rewards let players get ahead of the competition before the full game launches in spring 2014. The all-new, re-engineered Kinect in Xbox One puts you in the game like never before, tracks your movements and expressions with incredible accuracy, and offers never-ending competition with your friends and competitors.

• Digital games on Xbox One feature next-generation graphics and entertainment. “Killer Instinct” brings the classic fighting action and popular characters of the original franchise exclusively to Xbox One. With its enhanced combat system, players will enjoy intense gameplay and stunning next-generation graphics. Fly through the skies in “Crimson Dragon,” a rail shooting game that takes place on a recently colonized planet populated by dragons. Use the power of Kinect to dodge enemies and communicate with your partner dragon. In “LocoCycle,” try your skills in the immersive combat racing game that takes you on a thrilling ride with I.R.I.S., a weaponized motorcycle, as she drags her mechanic, Pablo, through highways, canyons and waterways while battling Big Arms and the deadly counter-assault motorcycle, S.P.I.K.E. Or test your talents on the green in “Powerstar Golf,” a fun, animated sports game that challenges you against one of six unique characters with special golfing abilities. With the power of the cloud, you can set course records and play against your friends’ best scores in Rival Mode while they sleep.

In addition to the blockbuster titles created by Microsoft Studios, Xbox One will be home to the world’s best games. Fan favorites including “Call of Duty®: Ghosts,” “Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag,” “FIFA 14,” Madden NFL 25” and “Battlefield 4” will all be available on Xbox One at launch. Highly anticipated exclusives including “Titanfall,” “Sunset Overdrive” and “Quantum Break” guarantee a rich pipeline of new games to look forward to after launch, as well as multiplatform games including “Final Fantasy XV,” “Kingdom Hearts III” and “Watch Dogs.” Xbox One will also be the first place to get new map packs and other add-ons, with early exclusivity on downloadable content for “Call of Duty®: Ghosts,” “FIFA 14,” “Battlefield 4” and more. The games portfolio will only continue to grow with ID@Xbox, with many independent developers already on board to deliver innovative experiences in the coming months.

This is the full list of Xbox One games available Friday:

• “Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag” (Ubisoft, Ubisoft)

• “Battlefield 4” (DICE, Electronic Arts)

• “Call of Duty®: Ghosts” (Infinity Ward, Activision)

• “Crimson Dragon” (Grounding/Land Ho!, Microsoft Studios)

• “Dead Rising 3” (Capcom Vancouver, Microsoft)

• “FIFA 14” (EA Sports, Electronic Arts)

• “Fighter Within” (AMA Ltd., Ubisoft)

• “Forza Motorsport 5” (Turn 10 Studios, Microsoft Studios)

• “Just Dance 2014” (Ubisoft Paris, Ubisoft)

• “Killer Instinct” (Double Helix, Microsoft Studios)

• “LEGO® Marvel™ Super Heroes” (TT Games, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment)

• “LocoCycle” (Twisted Pixel, Microsoft Studios)

• “Madden NFL 25” (EA Sports, Electronic Arts)

• “NBA® 2K14” (Visual Concepts, 2K)

• “NBA LIVE 14” (EA Sports, Electronic Arts)

• “Need for Speed Rivals” (Ghost Games, Electronic Arts)

• “Powerstar Golf ” (Zoe Mode, Microsoft Studios)

• “Ryse: Son of Rome” (Crytek, Microsoft Studios)

• “Skylanders SWAP Force” (Vicarious Visions, Activision)

• “Xbox Fitness” (Microsoft Studios)

• “Zoo Tycoon” (Frontier Developments Microsoft Studios)

• “Zumba Fitness World Party” (Zoë Mode, Majesco)

For the latest on Xbox One availability in your market, visit Xbox.com. For more details about Xbox One, visit http://news.xbox.com. For press releases and media assets, visit http://news.xbox.com/media.

About Xbox

Xbox is Microsoft’s premier entertainment brand for the TV, phone, PC and tablet. In living rooms or on the go, Xbox is home to the best and broadest games, as well as one of the world’s largest libraries of movies, TV, music and sports. Your favorite games, TV and entertainment come to life in new ways through the power of Kinect, Xbox SmartGlass and Xbox Live, the world’s premier social entertainment network. 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.

The information contained in this press release relates to a pre-release product that may be substantially modified before its first commercial release. Accordingly, the information may not accurately describe or reflect the product when first commercially released. The press release is provided for informational purposes only, and Microsoft makes no warranties, express or implied, with respect to the press release or the information contained in it.

* Online multiplayer, Skype and Game DVR require an Xbox Live Gold Membership (sold separately).

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.

November 21, 2013 Leicester Square officially became Xbox One Square for the launch of Xbox One. The biggest week in video game history kicked off with live outdoor performances from chart toppers Plan B and Katy B, and the midnight opening of a pop-up GAME store in a 10,000 square foot Xbox One gaming zone in London’s Trocadero.

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REDMOND, W ash. — Nov. 2 1 , 201 3 — Xbox One hits store shelves and becomes available online Friday, delighting millions of fans participating in global launch celebrations, watching a live broadcast on Spike TV and lining up at retail stores to be among the first to grab an Xbox One. The hotly anticipated, new-generation games and entertainment system from Microsoft Corp. brings the best games, live TV, Skype, sports, fitness, music and more to one single device at the center of the living room, all available at the command of your voice, powered by Kinect and Bing.* Xbox One is available now in 13 markets worldwide, including the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Australia, New Zealand, the U.K., France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Ireland and Austria.

A n e pic n ight around the w orld

From New Zealand to Los Angeles, fan excitement reached a fever pitch around the world. In New Zealand, fans partied at Shed 10 in Auckland as the iconic Sky Tower pulsed green, and one fan made the world’s first official Xbox One purchase. Across the world in London, Xbox One turned entertainment epicenter Leicester Square into Xbox One Square with a glowing, green nexus and fan festivities throughout the day. In New York, zombies, Roman soldiers and jaw-dropping supercars converged on Times Square. As billboards glowed green, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis helped 1,000 fans count down to midnight with an electrifying performance at Best Buy Theater, while thousands more celebrated in Times Square. Across the country in Los Angeles, Hollywood's biggest gamers walked the green carpet and mingled with fans who came out to try Xbox One games and enjoy beats courtesy of deadmau5. Similar spectacular celebrations also occurred in the other Xbox One launch markets.

November 21, 2013 Fans celebrate the launch of Microsoft’s Xbox One outside of the Best Buy Theater in Times Square on Thursday, November 21, 2013.

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“We have the best community of gamers around the world, and this was on full display last night,” said Marc Whitten, chief product officer, Xbox. “The launch of Xbox One is truly Day One. Today is the beginning of the future of entertainment, and we could not be more proud to deliver Xbox One to fans around the world.”

Xbox One Launch November 21, 2013 The first U.S. fans get their hands on Xbox One at the Best Buy Theater in Times Square on Friday, November 22, 2013.

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All-in- o ne g ames and e ntertainment s ystem

Xbox One brings together the best games, the best multiplayer experiences through Xbox Live and the hottest entertainment offerings in a system built to deliver best-in-class experiences for the future, today and every day after. The new-generation Kinect offers improved voice and motion control, seamlessly responding to your commands and gestures and making new gaming experiences possible.

Xbox One also brings you the best, exclusive games lineup that won 111 awards at E3, the top industry trade show, including “Forza Motorsport 5,” “Dead Rising 3,” “Ryse: Son of Rome,” “Killer Instinct” and “Zoo Tycoon.” In addition, popular third-party blockbusters will be available on Xbox One with early exclusivity for downloadable content in “Call of Duty®: Ghosts,” “FIFA 14,” “Battlefield 4” and more. Expect more huge launches as well, with the release of next-generation experiences, such as “Titanfall,” “Project Spark” and “Sunset Overdrive” in 2014. For more on Xbox One launch titles, visit http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/press/2013/nov13/11-21XboxOneLaunchGamesPR.aspx.

Thanks to the power of the cloud in more than 300,000 servers, Xbox Live on Xbox One makes gamers better. The multiplayer experience has evolved to include features such as Smart Match, which finds the perfect match for you and is supported by a new community-powered reputation system. Starting with “Xbox Record That,” you can also record, edit and share your favorite gaming moments like never before through Game DVR and Upload Studio.* All these new features mean you get more value for your Xbox Live Gold Membership, which seamlessly transfers over from Xbox 360. Xbox Live remains the place where all your friends play, with more than a decade of high-quality service and 48 million members on Xbox 360 — and they’re all invited to jump into new experiences on Xbox One.

“We believe a truly next-generation system must deliver not only incredible games but also all of the entertainment you love in one device,” said Yusuf Mehdi, corporate vice president of Marketing, Strategy and Business, Xbox. “From your favorite games, to the hottest TV shows, movies and music, to surfing the Web, to Skype conversations with your family and friends, only on Xbox One can you instantly switch between all of your entertainment and snap them together — all with the sound of your voice.”

Xbox One’s innovative architecture means you no longer have to choose between your games and entertainment. Get multiplayer alerts while you watch TV, and keep watching TV while you play. Snap your NFL fantasy football stats next to the game. Jump instantly from a game to TV, movies, fitness, music, sports, the Internet and Skype video chat with the sound of your voice. With Xbox One, you never have to stop playing to talk to a friend, surf the Web or watch live TV. You also have access to a new generation of TV experiences, and starting in the U.S. and coming to many markets soon, OneGuide will allow you to access your favorite shows, channels, apps or games with the Bing natural language voice search.

Xbox One sells for $499.99 (ERP) in the U.S., and quantities are limited. For the latest on Xbox One availability in your market, visit Xbox.com. For more details about Xbox One, including the full games lineup, visit http://news.xbox.com. For press releases and media assets, visit http://news.xbox.com/media.

About Xbox

Xbox is Microsoft’s premier entertainment brand for the TV, phone, PC and tablet. In living rooms or on the go, Xbox is home to the best and broadest games, as well as one of the world’s largest libraries of movies, TV, music and sports. Your favorite games, TV and entertainment come to life in new ways through the power of Kinect, Xbox SmartGlass and Xbox Live, the world’s premier social entertainment network. 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.

The information contained in this press release relates to a pre-release product that may be substantially modified before its first commercial release. Accordingly, the information may not accurately describe or reflect the product when first commercially released. The press release is provided for informational purposes only, and Microsoft makes no warranties, express or implied, with respect to the press release or the information contained in it.

* Advanced TV hardware required. Initial setup and some games and features require broadband Internet; ISP fees apply. Xbox Live Gold membership (sold separately) and/or additional requirements apply for some features, including online multiplayer, Xbox Music, Xbox Fitness, Skype, Game DVR, The NFL on Xbox One and Upload Studio. Game DVR and Upload Studio available in supported games. Multiplayer between Xbox 360 and Xbox One not supported. Kinect voice support only available in supported locales and languages. See http://www.xbox.com/xboxone/kinect-speech-recognition.

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. — Nov . 21 , 2013 — The Jean Coutu Group Inc. (PJC), one of the most trusted names in Canadian pharmacy retailing, has selected Microsoft Dynamics for Retail to manage all its retail operations, from its headquarters down to the point of sale (POS) devices in stores. The company chose Microsoft Dynamics for its familiarity, flexible architecture that enables easy integration and simplicity that gives people a RoleTailored experience, which is an element of the solution that surfaces relevant information based on the user’s role. PJC will deploy Microsoft Dynamics to more than 400 stores, 3,000 POS systems and 11,500 devices with implementation to start in 2014.

“We knew we wanted a system that we could scale for future growth and gave people across the company the information they need to do their jobs. Microsoft Dynamics provides that flexibility along with an easy, familiar interface,” said Alain Boudreault, vice president and chief information officer, Jean Coutu Group. “This will help us better serve our customers now and in the future.”

PJC employs more than 19,000 people and operates a network of more than 400 franchised stores in the Canadian provinces of Québec, New Brunswick and Ontario under the banners of PJC Jean Coutu, PJC Clinique, PJC Santé and PJC Santé Beauté. Besides running these retail operations, PJC also responds to the needs of its franchise network by providing an array of technical and professional support services, as well as the supply, warehousing and delivery of products.

PJC needed a new, integrated system to manage its retail operation because its current system was reaching the end of its life. The company was looking for one solution to cover the whole spectrum of retail operations. As the selection process began, PJC managers discovered that one solution for all their needs was nearly impossible to find, and they decided to consider two solutions: one for the retail headquarters and store management, and one for the POS. However, after they found that Microsoft Dynamics for Retail would meet all of PJC’s needs in one solution, the decision became very simple.

“The fact that Microsoft is providing us with an end-to-end solution makes it so much easier to envision our future technology plans and the future of our retail business,” Boudreault said. “We are also considering deploying Windows tablets as part of our overall mobile POS strategy and are excited at the potential Microsoft can bring to PJC.”

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. — Nov. 19, 2013 — Speaking to shareholders at Microsoft Corp.’s annual meeting today, Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer highlighted the company’s new products, financial performance, future opportunities, and continued progress in its devices and services transformation.

“Last year at this meeting, I talked about the fundamental shift underway at Microsoft, from a company that expresses its software creativity directly in software, to a company that expresses its creativity in software through a family of devices and services,” Ballmer said. “Our leadership team and the board of directors have spent a lot of time over the past year working on this strategy, and honing a differentiated point of view in terms of the high-value experiences that we really can bring to life that make people more productive.”

Ballmer noted the wave of new products available now and in the coming weeks, including Xbox One, new Windows 8.1 PCs and tablets, Surface 2, and a number of new Nokia devices. He also outlined the company’s momentum in consumer services such as Skype, Office 365 and Bing, and its continued success in delivering first-class enterprise services. In doing so, Ballmer described the significant opportunities enabled by the company’s focus on enabling high-value activities delivered through a family of devices and services.”

“I'm confident that we have the right strategy in place,” Ballmer said. “We have the financial assets that allow us to take the risks and the bold bets to invest in new areas that will lead to transformation of how people work and live -- and economic success for Microsoft. And we do all that on a foundation of world-class people, world-class talent, who will drive this next generation of world-changing technology.

Chief Financial Officer Amy Hood said Microsoft delivered record revenues last year, and was off to a strong start this year. “Our enterprise business continues to be very strong, despite a macro environment that some of our peers and competitors have characterized as tough,” Hood said. “At the same time, we are making meaningful progress in our consumer business.”

“Our company is focused, and delivering. And we’re doing so as we strategically position ourselves for the future,” Hood added.

The following proposals were acted on by the company’s shareholders at the shareholder meeting:

• Elected nine directors to serve until the next annual meeting of shareholders. All director nominees received a vote of more than 90 percent of votes cast.

• Approved the material terms of the performance goals under the Executive Officer Incentive Plan with a vote of more than 97 percent of votes cast.

• Approved, on an advisory basis, the fiscal year 2013 compensation of the company’s named executive officers. The advisory measure received more than 95 percent of votes cast.

• Ratified the selection of Deloitte & Touche LLP as the company’s independent auditor, with a vote of more than 98 percent of votes cast.

Microsoft’s board of directors consists of Steven A. Ballmer, Microsoft chief executive officer; Dina Dublon, former chief financial officer of JPMorgan Chase; William H. Gates, Microsoft chairman; Maria M. Klawe, president of Harvey Mudd College; Stephen J. Luczo, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Seagate Technology PLC; David F. Marquardt, general partner at August Capital; Charles H. Noski, former vice chairman of Bank of America Corp.; Dr. Helmut Panke, former chairman of the board of management at BMW Bayerische Motoren Werke AG; and John W. Thompson, chief executive officer of Virtual Instruments. Seven of the nine board members are independent of Microsoft, which is consistent with the requirement in the company’s governance guidelines that a substantial majority be independent.

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 since have changed. Shareholder and financial information is available at http://www.microsoft.com/investor.

REDMOND, Wash. — Nov. 14, 2013 — In the midst of rapid technology advances, cities and local government organizations, ever challenged to deliver more services with fewer resources, are emerging as the drivers of the national and global economy. Thursday at the National League of Cities Congress of Cities event, Microsoft Corp. highlighted the work of a number of cities that are on the leading edge of transformation in core areas of citizen safety and security, the life of the mobile government worker, and intelligent building and infrastructure systems. This is all part of Microsoft’s CityNext project, a global, people-first initiative to enable governments, businesses and citizens to create more sustainable, prosperous and economically competitive cities.

“As cities take on a leading role in driving economic expansion and facilitating job creation and civic engagement, technology can facilitate their role in this expanded mission,” said Michael Donlan, vice president, U.S. State and Local Government, Microsoft. “It is inspiring to showcase what cities are doing to harness the power of technology to accelerate change, innovate, and better serve citizens and advance issues of social and economic development.”

Safer cities and communities

Law enforcement departments, like all government agencies, are being tasked to do more with less while also facing new threats to citizen safety. With the power of technology, smart departments are deploying technology such as big data and the cloud to improve the safety of its cities by increasing operational effectiveness and efficiency. These solutions provide first-responder agencies with the real-time communications, visualization and data management tools they need to receive and analyze inbound, incident-based information and make vital decisions based on shared information. All of this makes citizens safer in the long run.

• The Pennsylvania Criminal Justice System is represented by several separate departments, all running disparate case management systems that required redundant data entry, making it difficult to share information among departments. The County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania, representing 67 counties, implemented a Unified Case Management application built on Microsoft Dynamics CRM to provide a common platform and enable information exchange among several departments in the Criminal Justice System. This will provide streamlined, up-to-the-minute data, resulting in better insight, more efficiency and, ultimately, improved public safety. Now case workers, probation officers and jail guards have access to the same information at their fingertips, eliminating the need to call the probation office or search files for individual warrants, helping ensure the safety of officers and citizens.

• The New York City Police Department and Microsoft developed the Domain Awareness System (DAS) by merging Microsoft’s technical expertise with NYPD officers’ day-to-day experiences. It’s a sophisticated law enforcement technology solution that aggregates and analyzes public safety data in real time, providing NYPD investigators and analysts with a comprehensive view of potential threats and criminal activity. The result is a solution that is uniquely tailored for the Big Apple, but which has broad applicability for other cities around the world.

Moving to the cloud has frequently been a unique challenge for law enforcement because of unique security requirements. However, California is helping its law enforcement personnel make this transition. The state of California, the California Department of Justice and Microsoft jointly signed an agreement recently that confirms Microsoft Office 365 has implemented technologies and processes that will enable California agencies to use the cloud productivity, communication and collaboration solution and still comply with the latest FBI Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Security Policy requirements (CJIS Security Policy version 5.2). California cities such as San Jose, Oakland and San Diego, as they move to Office 365, are the beneficiaries of this progress.

Mobile city worker

To keep an engaged and mobile workforce, cities are also modernizing and upgrading to allow on-the-go responsiveness, productivity and flexibility among staff. City employees are becoming more mobile and need the ability to work from anywhere across multiple devices in real time. Windows 8 devices that are connected to the cloud allow these employees to work from anywhere, removing the time-consuming task of taking notes in the field and heading back to the office to decipher and input those notes into the agency database. This improved efficiency and mobility for city employees benefits citizens also, with the potential for faster, more responsive citizen engagement, while creating more time to focus on addressing the needs and managing the cases that matter most to citizens. Here are a few recent examples of how cities are leveraging mobile advances:

• The City of Philadelphia just this week concluded a successful pilot that resulted in improved communication and efficiency with field building inspectors and in-office managers through the use of Microsoft Surface Pro devices with an Office 365 cloud solution. This solution allows field inspectors to conduct more inspections weekly, eliminate paper, and more efficiently route and reschedule resources.

• Fairfax County, Va., is currently in the process of deploying 400 seats of Windows To Go, a version of Windows 8.1 that enables workers to plug a USB stick into any computer and have their desktop with them. “With Windows To Go, I can hand my mobile workers a USB stick and a headset, and that becomes their workstation,” said Jeff Potter, IT infrastructure director, Fairfax County.

• The City of Charlotte, N.C., deployed Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online to meet its demands for an event permitting solution while hosting the Democratic National Convention in 2012. This allowed Charlotte to streamline manual and time-consuming application processes with a cloud-based solution that has a familiar user interface and interoperates well with Windows devices and a citizen-facing portal running on Windows Azure. This nimble solution also scales to other uses, long past the end of the convention, where keeping employees connected to functions such as permit payment processing and code enforcement is critical, whether in the office or in the field.

Infrastructure and smart buildings

Transforming government efficiency starts from the ground up and in many cases can involve the development of intelligent infrastructure and building systems. Many cities have the potential to build a smart infrastructure and smart buildings that are full of sensors collecting enormous amounts of data every moment, but many of these systems are unable to communicate with each other and the data has not been analyzed in a way that enables timely action. With Microsoft solutions, technology can bring together disparate systems and help them communicate with each other to drive efficiencies, detect problems and fix problems automatically.

• Microsoft’s own data-driven software solution helped it develop the city of the future and is saving the company millions of dollars every year. When Microsoft first looked into managing its buildings smartly, the cost was estimated to be upward of $60 million to replace old and varying hardware. That wasn’t a realistic option, so the team developed software that helped the disparate systems talk to each other. Now, software collects 500 million data transactions every 24 hours and presents engineers with prioritized lists of misbehaving equipment, and algorithms can balance out the cost of a fix in terms of money and energy being wasted with other factors such as how much impact fixing it will have on employees who work in that building.

• The City of Seattle has joined with Microsoft, Accenture, Seattle 2030 District and Seattle City Light to implement smart software similar to Microsoft’s. It is designed to increase energy efficiency in large commercial buildings across Seattle’s downtown corridor for an initial set of buildings totaling approximately 2 million square feet. The goal is to reduce downtown energy use by 25 percent, with the intention to expand the pilot over the next year. The cloud solution will collect data from the myriad systems already installed in those buildings and use data analytics to provide a prescriptive approach to how the building management systems can be tuned to improve energy efficiency. This program looks to reduce energy usage, improve customer service for Seattle City Light customers and open new areas of economic opportunity in energy conservation.

These new IT solutions promise to change the way buildings are operated and managed, yielding new efficiencies for both building owners and utilities. In addition, smart building solutions can be delivered with no physical retrofit of existing systems or infrastructure, and they can yield a rapid return on investment.

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. — Nov. 14, 2013 — Microsoft Corp. on Thursday announced the opening of the Microsoft Cybercrime Center, a center of excellence for advancing the global fight against cybercrime. The Cybercrime Center combines Microsoft’s legal and technical expertise as well as cutting-edge tools and technology with cross-industry expertise, marking a new era in effectively fighting crime on the Internet.

Each year, cybercrime takes a personal and financial toll on millions of consumers around the globe. The Cybercrime Center will tackle online crimes, including those associated with malware, botnets, intellectual property theft and technology-facilitated child exploitation. The work done at the Cybercrime Center will help ensure that people worldwide can use their computing devices and services with confidence.

“The Microsoft Cybercrime Center is where our experts come together with customers and partners to focus on one thing: keeping people safe online,” said David Finn, associate general counsel of the Microsoft Digital Crimes Unit. “By combining sophisticated tools and technology with the right skills and new perspectives, we can make the Internet safer for everyone.”

The Cybercrime Center is located on Microsoft’s campus in Redmond, Wash. The secured facility houses groundbreaking Microsoft technologies that allow the team to visualize and identify global cyberthreats developing in real time, including SitePrint, which allows the mapping of online organized crime networks; PhotoDNA, a leading anti-child-pornography technology; cyberforensics, a new investigative capability that detects global cybercrime, including online fraud and identity theft; and cyberthreat intelligence from Microsoft’s botnet takedown operations.

The Cybercrime Center includes a separate and secure location for third-party partners, allowing cybersecurity experts from around the world to work in the facility with Microsoft’s experts for an indefinite period of time. The dedicated space enriches partnerships across industry, academia, law enforcement and customers — critical partners in the fight against cybercrime. With nearly 100 attorneys, investigators, technical experts and forensic analysts based around the world, the Microsoft Cybercrime Center is well positioned to make it safer for people online worldwide.

“In the fight against cybercrime the public sector significantly benefits from private sector expertise, such as provided by Microsoft,” said Noboru Nakatani, executive director of the INTERPOL Global Complex for Innovation. “The security community needs to build on its coordinated responses to keep pace with today’s cybercriminals. The Microsoft Cybercrime Center will be an important hub in accomplishing that task more effectively and proactively.”

More information about the Cybercrime Center can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/news/presskits/dcu. Customers are encouraged to visit http://www.microsoft.com/security to learn about malware and help ensure their computers are not infected; if malware is present, the site offers tools to help remove the infection. All computer users should exercise safe practices, such as running up-to-date and legitimate computer software, firewall, and antivirus or antimalware protection technologies. People should also exercise caution when surfing the Web and clicking on ads or email attachments that may prove to be malicious.

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.

From: Steve Ballmer
Date: Nov. 13, 2013
Subject: New Roles for Eric Rudder and Harry Shum

Today, I’m excited to announce new roles for Eric Rudder and Harry Shum. Eric will take on a newly created role as Executive Vice President, Advanced Strategy, and Harry will take on Eric’s current responsibilities as Executive Vice President, Technology & Research. Both Eric and Harry will report to me and both changes take effect in mid-December.

Eric has led our Advanced Strategy & Research group for the past year. In that time, the team has tightened the connection between our incredible MSR work and the devices and services we are bringing to market while advancing the ball on a number of critical strategy and policy issues. As we continue our transformation to a company that delivers high value activities through devices and services it is critical that a senior leader is accountable for certain key, cross company technology initiatives. In this new role, Eric will do just that.

Harry Shum currently leads Bing engineering and prior, he led our MSR China team. He is uniquely positioned to drive exceptional forward-looking research that pushes the frontiers of computer science, while also driving impactful technology transfer through deep connections with our product teams.

MSR has been an amazing source of innovation for Microsoft and the industry, and our commitment to cutting edge R&D is as strong as ever. You only have to look at some of our big technology bets like Xbox, Bing or Windows Azure to see the great collaboration that MSR has brought to help accelerate our efforts to deliver differentiated devices and services to our customers.

With Harry moving to this new role, the Bing engineering leaders will report directly to Qi Lu on an interim basis. They will not miss a beat as they continue the strong momentum in growing share, improving financials, and leveraging search as a strategic differentiator across our devices and services.

Please join me in thanking both Eric and Harry for their leadership and congratulating them on their new roles.

Steve

WHAT: Microsoft retail stores now offer you the opportunity to experience live gameplay on Xbox One, the all-in-one games and entertainment system, before it is available for purchase. With more than 75 locations across the country, Microsoft retail stores will enable customers to experience Xbox One all day, every day leading up to Nov. 22.

Stop by any Microsoft retail store location in the U.S. and Canada to be among the first to try Xbox One, get the wide-eyed thrill of racing by playing the ultimate car fantasy and Xbox One exclusive title “Forza Motorsport 5,” and experience the improvements made to the best controllers in gaming. This is a unique opportunity to experience the most complete entertainment system and check out one of the most highly anticipated gifts for this holiday season.

In addition, Forza Motorsport and Xbox One fans will have the chance to win the “Forza Motorsport 5” Living Room Sweepstakes when they visit a Microsoft retail store and try Xbox One between now and the end of the year. The winner will get a great “Forza Motorsport 5” Living Room package with a Forza Motorsport-branded play seat, Polk Audio N1 Gaming Sound Bar, Thrustmaster TX Racing Wheel Ferrari 458 Italia Edition, and $2,000 gift card to use toward completing the living room with a big screen TV. Complete details and Official Rules are available in-store and here.

Fans also get the chance to meet Major Nelson and talk to him about Xbox One when he visits the new stores at Fashion Show Mall in Las Vegas and at Penn Square Mall in Oklahoma City when they open later this month.

WHEN: Now through Thursday, Nov. 21.

WHERE:Any of the more than 75 Microsoft retail store locations in the U.S. and Canada during business hours. Find your closest location here.

VISUALS/INTERVIEWS: Interviews are available with representatives from Microsoft retail stores and with local Microsoft Store managers. There are additional images of and information about Xbox One here.

For more information, press only:

Julie Wilder, Edelman, (323) 202-1057, julie.wilder@edelman.com

REDMOND, Wash. — Nov. 7, 2013 — Preorders for the new Nokia Lumia 1520 will be offered at all Microsoft retail store locations, as well as through http://www.MicrosoftStore.com, the company announced today. The Lumia 1520 is available for preorder immediately, and will hit store shelves and the online store Nov. 22. Customers who preorder a Nokia Lumia 1520 before Nov. 22, 2013 at Microsoft retail store locations, as well as through http://www.MicrosoftStore.com, will receive a $50 Microsoft Store app card, a free flip cover valued at $39.99, in addition to the $20 app card provided by Nokia, and a free download of “Halo: Spartan Assault” for Windows Phone. Customers who purchase the Lumia 1520 at Microsoft retail store locations, as well as through http://www.MicrosoftStore.com on or after Nov. 22 will receive a $50 Microsoft Store app card, in addition to the $20 app card provided by Nokia and a free download of “Halo: Spartan Assault” for Windows Phone.*

“Our stores celebrate personal choice, so we’re happy to offer our customers the ability to purchase the exciting new Nokia Lumia 1520 device through Microsoft retail stores,” said Kelly Soligon, senior director, Marketing and Experiences for Microsoft retail stores. “Microsoft retail store customers not only get access to this great new Windows Phone from Nokia, but they can also have a chance to customize it from top to bottom and receive a complimentary, personalized setup session with a Microsoft retail store associate.”

Launched in October at the Nokia World event in Abu Dhabi, the Nokia Lumia 1520 is a 6-inch, full-HD smartphone with a quad-core processor and a 20-megapixel PureView camera sensor. Powered by the latest version of Windows Phone 8, the Lumia 1520 comes with Live Tiles, which let you pin your favorite people, apps and more to your Start Screen for updates you care about and a phone that is uniquely yours. Windows Phone 8 also offers more than 175,000 apps and games with new titles like Instagram, Vine and Mint coming soon. More information on the Nokia Lumia 1520 device is available on the Windows Phone Blog.

The Nokia Lumia 1520 will be available for $199 for new AT&T customers or existing customers eligible for an upgrade with a two-year agreement. The Lumia 1520 will initially be available in black, red and white, with yellow to become available later this year.

The Microsoft retail store offers a range of best-in-class choices to fit anyone’s needs and budgets, with a mission to help customers get the most choice, value and service with their technology investments. The stores offer a curated assortment of selected products, including Windows 8.1 PCs, tablets, Windows Phones, Kinect for Xbox 360, Microsoft Office 365 and more.

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

* Offers are not valid on prior orders or purchases; cannot be combined with other offers, transferred, or otherwise redeemed for cash or gift cards. Taxes may apply. Microsoft reserves the right to cancel, change or suspend offers at any time without notice. Void where prohibited or restricted by law. Microsoft Store $50 App Card and Flip Cover: Available in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. Flip cover available Nov. 8–21 or while supplies last; limited quantities and colors available. App Card available until Dec. 21. A $25 preorder deposit required. Customer will pay remaining balance for phone at redemption. App Card and flip cover will be received at time of redemption. Pre-order must be redeemed prior to Dec. 21, 2013. Limit five per customer. Halo Download: Offer good only in the U.S. from Nov. 22, 2013 through Jan. 9, 2014, to AT&T customers who have purchased a Lumia 1520. Limit one free download per phone. Download must be completed on or before Jan. 9, 2014. “Halo: Spartan Assault” requires users to sign into Xbox with a Microsoft account to play. For more information, press only: Rapid Response Team, Waggener Edstrom Worldwide, (503) 443-7070, rrt@waggeneredstrom.com

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. — Nov. 6 , 20 13 — Microsoft Corp. is declaring Nov. 7 Get It Done Day, to spark action for people who seek to balance life’s demands on their own terms. From the streets of New York to Paris, Canada to Mexico, Asia to Australia, and online at http://office.com/getitdone and #GetItDone, Microsoft is empowering people everywhere to share their story and inspire others to express how technology helps them get the things they care about — from work to home — done from anywhere.

No matter where you are — the office, airport or the gym — the need to get things done away from the office has never been greater.

As life and work blend, more than half (55 percent) of office workers* said they need to be able to get work done no matter where they are, and more than one-third (37 percent) said they do their best thinking outside the office, according to a recent study conducted online by Harris Interactive Inc. on behalf of Microsoft of 1,000 U.S. office workers.

“The Harris survey brings to light compelling points about what people expect and what they would be willing to give up to accomplish more in a day,” said John Case, corporate vice president, Microsoft Office. “That’s where Microsoft Office 365 can help. Taking on the ‘enemies of done,’ from lack of Wi-Fi to that important document you need to send now that’s on your computer at home, Office 365 is productivity reimagined and way beyond anything else in its class. It is much more than just the Office used by a billion people around the world. This is the new Office, for the new world of work and play.”

Survey data reveals that office workers not only want, but need, the ability to work anywhere, online or offline, at all points throughout the day. More information on where people get work done outside the office and what they do can be found by clicking on the images below:

Companies turn to Office 365 to #GetItDone

Companies understand this demand for people to get work done no matter where they are. Today, BNSF Railway Co., one of the largest freight railroad networks in North America, announced it is turning to Office 365 to give its more than 40,000 employees the tools they need to be productive and responsive, regardless of location, on any device, while reducing IT costs, providing cloud services and integrating social media.

“The majority of our employees don’t work at a desk, but that doesn’t matter with Office 365,” said Jo-ann Olsovsky, chief information officer at BNSF. “With Office 365 our employees can securely access the information they need to help operate the railroad — from any device. Whether you are a mechanic in a shop or a sales rep with a customer, you can get to the information you need in real time. Microsoft’s Office 365 is a service that provides our users with various tools to communicate the way they want to communicate. Whether in an instant message, email, blog or chat, Office 365 connects our people wherever they are.”

Office updates help more people #GetItDone

Microsoft on Wednesday also announced several product updates that will help even more people be productive:

• Microsoft Office Web Apps. Microsoft has updated Office Web Apps with two highly anticipated features — the introduction of AutoSave in the Word Web App and real-time co-authoring, a feature that allows multiple people to contribute to and edit documents simultaneously in the Word Web App, PowerPoint Web App or Excel Web App.

• Yammer. All Microsoft Office 365 Enterprise plans now ship with Yammer Enterprise, and all existing Office 365 Enterprise customers will receive Yammer Enterprise licenses. In addition, Office 365 customers no longer have to purchase individual new licenses for external users within their external networks. Microsoft has also created the Yammer Partner Enablement Program, designed to provide deeper insight and best practices for how to sell, implement and integrate a successful enterprise social solution.

• New sharing updates to Office 365 Home Premium. Starting next month, Office 365 Home Premium subscribers can share some of their subscription benefits with up to four members of their household. Each household member can use any of the available installs on their own PCs, Macs or mobile devices, get an additional 20 GB of SkyDrive storage, and manage their own installs from their My Account page.

More information on how Office 365 can help people get it done is available at http://www.office.com/getitdone, where people can also show how they get it done from anywhere and enter to win a trip with a friend to some of the most happening events — on a trip to NYC, a journey to Park City, Utah, or a musical voyage to Austin, Texas. People can tweet with #GetItDone to tell where they collaborate when they are away from the office. The Office 365 Facebook and Twitter profiles feature more stories about how people and companies are coming together to get things done, anywhere and anytime. For full details, review the Official Rules.

About the survey

This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of Microsoft Oct. 16–23, 2013, among 1,000 U.S. employed adults ages 18 and up. Respondents use technology (such as computers, smartphones and tablets) every day to get their work done and work in a traditional, executive/shared/not at the company headquarters, or virtual office. This online survey is not based on a probability sample, and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. Complete survey methodology, including weighting variables and subgroup sample sizes, is available at http://microsoft.com/en-us/news/presskits/office/docs/MicrosoftGetItDone.pdf.

About Harris Interactive

Harris Interactive is one of the world's leading market research firms, leveraging research, technology, and business acumen to transform relevant insight into actionable foresight. Known widely for The Harris Poll®, Harris offers proprietary solutions in the areas of market and customer insight, corporate brand and reputation strategy, and marketing, advertising, public relations and communications research across a wide range of industries. Additionally, Harris has a portfolio of multi-client offerings that complement our custom solutions while maximizing a client's research investment. Serving clients worldwide through our North American and European offices, Harris specializes in delivering research solutions that help our clients stay ahead of what's next. For more information, please visit www.harrisinteractive.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.

* Office workers are defined as employed adults who use technology (such as computers, smartphones and tablets) every day to get their work done and work in a traditional, executive/shared/not at the company headquarters, or virtual office.

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. — Nov . 6 , 2013 — BNSF Railway Co., one of the oldest and largest freight railroad networks in North America, has selected Microsoft Office 365 to enable over 40,000 workers to share ideas and information via computers, kiosks and personal devices. BNSF chose Microsoft Office 365 as part of its Railroad 2020 vision for modernizing the user productivity portfolio at BNSF. The company looked at other offerings, but employees at BNSF preferred the familiar Office experience and the company wanted to capitalize on what people know and already use. Office was also chosen because of its interoperability with critical line-of-business applications such as SharePoint, and because of its ability to enable greater collaboration across geographically dispersed workers. Employees had organically started using Yammer as a communication tool, so BNSF plans to roll out Yammer Enterprise, the leading provider of enterprise social networks, to support this collaboration trend throughout the company.

“Whether it’s in locomotives, detectors along the side of the track, geometry cars or our vast telecommunications infrastructure to support the railroad, we rely on technology to operate our railroad and ensure delivery of our customers’ freight,” said Jo-ann Olsovsky, vice president and chief information officer, BNSF. “Due to the nature of our business, the majority of our employees are outdoors in the field, so supporting their mobility with access to leading productivity and communications tools is critical to our success. By using tools such as Office 365 and Yammer Enterprise, we will be able to connect our employees to each other and the information they need to be successful.”

BNSF was seeking ways to improve efficiency in its delivery and support of email, calendaring and collaboration software while leveraging new functionality. BNSF began implementing Phase I of its Office 365 and Exchange Online deployment in October to more than 40,000 users and expects to have Lync, email and calendaring services fully deployed by early November. Subsequent phases will include deployment of other services such as SharePoint Online and Yammer Enterprise.

BNSF’s strategic technology road map, Railroad 2020, calls for modernizing the underlying technology infrastructure and improving communications across the organization and externally. Office 365 is a natural fit for Railroad 2020 by providing BNSF employees with the familiar Microsoft Office experience. Office 365 is an always up-to-date cloud service that supports today’s bring-your-own-device initiatives and offers mobile employees the flexibility they need.

Employees are already benefiting from the new communication and collaboration platform. The cloud allows employees to store folders and files for easy access from virtually any device, and the integrated communications capabilities provides employees with voice mail and message transcripts directly from their inboxes, enabling faster response times from the office or the field. Employees who are not issued PCs, such as train crews and field maintenance workers, are able to access email and storage offerings from shared computers or their own personal devices.

“As a railroad, we have so many systems that we have to write from scratch because you can’t always buy an off-the-shelf system to move to trains; we typically have to write rail-unique systems,” Olsovsky said. “I’d much rather our team focus on support and development of those mission-critical operational systems rather than on our messaging platform. If we have an expert — like we do in Microsoft — that can ensure highly available messaging and collaboration tools, it just makes it all the better and enables my team to focus on the operational systems.”

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.

BARCELONA — Nov . 5 , 2013 — Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: “MSFT”) on Tuesday highlighted how businesses are differentiating themselves in the market with Microsoft Dynamics technology in the opening keynote of the company’s sold-out Microsoft Dynamics Convergence 2013 EMEA conference. The keynote address, delivered by Microsoft Business Solutions Executive Vice President Kirill Tatarinov and Microsoft International President Jean-Philippe Courtois, focused on how people and businesses can reimagine the way they engage with customers, build brand relevance, and collaborate to stay ahead of the ever-changing market and business environments.

“This is truly the era of the customer where people are more informed and better connected than ever. Businesses urgently need solutions to unite and empower their people so they can best serve and nurture their customers,” Tatarinov said. “Microsoft is positioned to deliver agile, integrated business solutions that will help organizations in this new era by delivering amazing customer experiences.”

Delivering customer-centric business solutions

Following the Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2013 Global Premiere Event, which was broadcast live from Barcelona to more than 70,000 attendees and featured customers Metro Bank, Pandora, and Servcorp, the company announced a set of 18 new predefined and configurable process templates that include sports management, healthcare, government and nonprofit, as well as some specialized areas such as prison offender management. These templates are available for customers to download at no charge from the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Marketplace.

Delivering on the promise of giving customers access to their CRM information on any device, Microsoft confirmed the availability of new touch-optimized experiences on Windows Phones, iPhones and Android phones that give customers powerful functionality and analytics on the go, without a separate license fee.* These apps are available today in their respective online stores.

To make it easy for businesses to buy Microsoft Dynamics CRM to use with Microsoft Office 365, Microsoft is also introducing a new global pricing promotion that lets eligible existing and new Microsoft Office 365 customers purchase professional licenses of Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online and get up to a 40 percent discount on the price of the CRM license, giving them immediate and significant value for their technology investment. This promotion runs through March 31, 2014, and is available in 42 markets where the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online service is offered. Specific details as well as terms and conditions can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/dynamics/offers/CRME.aspx.

Metro Bank, Great Britain’s first new high street bank in more than a century and an early adopter of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2013, is using the new solution as the foundation of its customer-first strategy.

“Metro Bank is driving a revolution in banking. We aim to create fans, not customers, and we have a culture that is all about surprise and delight,” said Paul Marriott-Clarke, commercial director, Metro Bank. “Microsoft Dynamics CRM is our platform to engage with customers and along with Yammer, SharePoint, Office 365 and Lync is helping us to deliver our promise to offer customers the very best in service and convenience.”

Designed to help businesses run an agile operation that exceeds their customers’ needs, engages with them on their terms and helps fuel growth, Microsoft today introduced new capabilities in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R3, the next update for its flagship ERP solution. Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R3 delivers new warehouse and transportation management capabilities to provide customers with real-time end-to-end insights into supply-chain execution. New Lifecycle Services available with this release help organizations improve the predictability of Microsoft Dynamics AX implementations by simplifying and standardizing processes, and bringing innovative and integrated experiences for serviceability and support.

Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R3 introduces support for deployment on Windows Azure via infrastructure as a service (IaaS), bringing customers true choice and portability between on-premises and private cloud deployments, along with all the benefits and security features that come with the world-class Windows Azure service. With the availability of Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R3 expected in April 2014, the company also shared that it remains on track to deliver the next major version of Microsoft Dynamics AX on-premises and as a public cloud service offering.

Following the delivery of Expense management and reconciliation, Timesheets and Approvals apps for Microsoft Dynamics AX, Microsoft announced an update to the Microsoft Dynamics Business Analyzer app that enables people to accelerate their business by giving them actionable and engaging business insights whether they are in the office or on the go. These apps, designed to be personal, social and immersive, provide a more relevant experience based on people’s roles and devices, helps them connect with their social networks, and provides an engaging and actionable experience. They are currently available in the Windows Marketplace.

As part of the event, Microsoft shared that Microsoft Dynamics NAV is closing in on 100,000 customers worldwide, a significant milestone for this product. It also reinforced the availability of Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2013 R2, which was released in October 2013. This release adds great new capabilities to the product such as single sign-on with Office 365 and SharePoint Online, a new user interface for the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Web client and the Windows client, a new foundation for cash management, a new Help Server, and powerful provisioning and administration tools.

Passion for Life (PFL) Healthcare , a United Kingdom-based manufacturer and distributor of medical products with an annual turnover of 2.5 million pounds ($4 million), is benefitting from a hosted version of Microsoft Dynamics NAV and Microsoft Dynamics CRM today. As Will Web, commercial director, PFL Healthcare noted, “We aim to grow the business by 20 percent next year, and Microsoft Dynamics will help us do that. It was the right decision for us.”

More information

More information about Microsoft’s Dynamic Business vision can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics/about.aspx. More information and news from Convergence 2013 EMEA is available at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/presskits/dynamics. The opening keynote presentation and general session keynote speeches are available on the new virtual event platform for Convergence 2013 EMEA at http://www.microsoft.com/dynamics/convergence/emea13. Those who want to follow and engage with the Microsoft Dynamics Twitter community can do so at @MSFTDynamics and @MSFTConvergence using #Conv13EMEA. Partners interested in starting a Microsoft Dynamics CRM practice can get more information by contacting mbsjoin@microsoft.com.

About Microsoft Dynamics

At the heart of every successful business 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 businesses 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.

* Some functionality requires Wi-Fi, Internet connection or mobile data plan (fees 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.

JOHANNESBURG — Nov . 5 , 2013 — Microsoft Chief Operating Officer Kevin Turner on Tuesday unveiled an online hub that will give South African small and midsize enterprises (SMEs) access to a range of free products and services from Microsoft and other partners.

The hub, at http://southafrica.biz4afrika.com, is specifically designed to aggregate all the best resources — both IT and non-IT — available to local SMEs. The baseline services offered are free and highly relevant for South African SMEs looking to bring their business online and improve their general competitiveness. The launch offer will provide SMEs with the opportunity to get their businesses online for free for the first year. This includes a free .co.za domain, a free website, as well as free email and collaboration tools.*

Speaking at the launch in Johannesburg today, Turner said the opening of the Biz4Afrika hub was a strategic component of Microsoft’s 4Afrika Initiative announced earlier this year, when the company committed to bringing 1 million African SMEs online in three years’ time. He also noted that this launch was the latest step in the company’s heritage of investing and supporting entrepreneurs across the world.

The launch follows research released last month by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), which showed that tech-savvy SMEs created twice as many new jobs and grew revenues 15 percentage points faster over the past three years than SMEs using little technology.

“Our objective is to help more SMEs transition to, and benefit from, modern IT so they can improve their overall competitiveness,” Turner said. “Our commitments under the 4Afrika banner are focused on actively engaging in Africa’s economic development, and for SMEs this means providing training on how to apply technology to their business and helping them understand how they can benefit from a broad range of available devices and services.”

Microsoft South Africa managing director and vice chair of the 4Afrika Advisory Council Mteto Nyati said the research underlined Microsoft’s belief that the best way of addressing unemployment in South Africa, and Africa, is by creating small businesses.

“If we can help small companies succeed in the first three to five years of their lives, we will help grow job creation and economic development significantly,” Nyati said. “By doing this, we’re supporting government’s national priorities of creating jobs, growing skills and giving people meaningful work, while investing in local communities to help remove some of the systemic barriers that hold SMEs back.”

Nyati said that to further support the development of small enterprises and to help address employability, Microsoft will also place one 4Afrika intern in each of the Small Enterprise Development Agency’s 43 centers across the country, where they will receive on-the-job-training on technology and other SME-related issues to become fully fledged SME business and technology advisors in needy communities.

Speaking at the launch of Biz4Afrika, Yusuf Abramjee, Primedia Broadcasting head of communications and head of Crime Line, said “a lot” hinges on getting South Africa’s entrepreneurial culture right.

“South Africa is a society of extremes. A glittering modern consumer culture sits alongside — and just out of reach of — a society mired in dire poverty,” Abramjee said. “South Africa’s unemployment rate, at 25 percent of the workforce, is one of the worst in the world. There is growing recognition that the job creation outcomes of economic development are not solely about putting unemployed people to work for a wage, as important as that is, but about offering those presently excluded a stake in society.”

The BCG report revealed that high-performing SMEs stayed ahead of mainstream IT adoption, riding new waves of advancement to improve productivity, connecting with new customers and markets, particularly outside their own region or country, and competing with much larger players.

An interesting finding was that technology leaders in emerging markets grew jobs and revenue faster than in developed markets, and are even quicker than their developed market counterparts to embrace new tools. Also, women-owned firms are among the most technically advanced, innovative and successful firms interviewed.

But at the same time, Turner said, the research revealed a risk, because adoption of IT by SMEs is decidedly uneven.

“Across the world, many SMEs, and their customers, don’t have access to modern broadband networks, and many lack the skills to get the most out of IT. Many SMEs are also still using large amounts of old and less efficient hardware and software,” Turner said.

“What we are seeing is that technology can help level the playing field for groups with historical disadvantages in business, and we would like to see more SMEs benefit from technology to help them become strong, local business leaders.”

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

* Connect-time 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.