Stuart J. Johnston

Microsoft, which has been releasing hefty batches of security releases over the last few months, is making light work for administrators this month. In its monthly Patch Tuesday release, which occurs on the second Tuesday of each month, the software giant today issued just two patches to fix a total of three security vulnerabilities, only […]

Companies don’t generally buy enterprise resource planning (ERP) software on a whim or snap decision because it’s a complex application that requires due consideration to deployment, training, compatibility and other factors. With that in mind, Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) is making sure potential buyers and those who might want to upgrade from the current version of […]

Bob Muglia had a good run at Microsoft, but after 23 years with the software giant, the president of the Servers and Tools Business (STB) is on his way out. In a memo to Microsoft employees, CEO Steve Ballmer made it clear that Muglia’s departure signals a shift in the direction the company intends to […]

Apple has announced that its Mac App Store is off to a rollicking good start, boasting more than 1 million downloads and more than 1,000 titles in its first day. But there may be a problem. Many developers and bloggers have taken notice of a surge in piracy across the new marketplace, as many copies […]

Salesforce is big on Chatter. No, not the face-to-face yakking kind, but Chatter, the company’s Twitter-like Chatter tool for the enterprise. Now, as eCRM Guide reports, Salesforce has plans to expand the social and collaborative aspects of Chatter via its purchase of Dimdim. The Dimdim platform lets users host and attend demos, webinars, and live […]

Microsoft is planning a tame Patch Tuesday next week, advising security professionals that of the two patches it will release, one is critical. While that might make light work for administrators this month, Microsoft’s Patch Tuesday does not address recently discovered vulnerabilities in Windows Explorer and Internet Explorer, much to the surprise of some security […]

Microsoft has a few openings in its mergers and acquisitions unit, thanks to the departure of a pair of executives. Amid a comparatively modest period of acquisition activity for the software giant, Fritz Lanman and Charles Songhurst have reportedly jumped ship. What could have caused their departure? And is that a sign of trouble for […]

What’s coming next from Microsoft? The company offered a preview at the next generation of Windows during a special press event at the big Consumer Electronics Show (CES) on Wednesday in Las Vegas. That’s not to say Windows 7 users have to panic about any imminent upgrade issues. “Windows 8,” as some have dubbed the […]

With Steve Ballmer reprising his role as the inaugural keynote speaker at the Consumer Electronics Show, Microsoft figures to make a splash at the gala tech event. What’s the company planning? Observers say Microsoft is likely to press forward with its smartphone agenda, unveiling new devices powered by Windows Phone 7. Additionally, the company is […]

Microsoft has put security administrators on alert about a fresh vulnerability in the company’s Windows Graphics Rendering Engine that could lead to the takeover of a user’s computer upon opening a malicious image. Microsoft says it is working on a formal patch for the problem, though it does not plan to issue the fix ahead […]

The second half of last year was a high time for Android. Google’s open source, mobile operating system powered the devices that proved a clear favorite among recent smartphone purchasers, according to new research from the Nielsen Company. In fact, the portion of recent smartphone buyers who told Nielsen that they opted for an Android […]

How do you know if you’re securely surfing the Web? Unfortunately, there’s no way to be a hundred percent sure with so many bad actors out there spreading malware and banging on network and software defenses in hopes of exploiting a security hole. One approach taken by security researchers is to identify security issues as […]