Stuart J. Johnston

Microsoft might have been late to the party when it comes to developing top-flight smartphones, mobile devices and search technology. But it’s trying to do the next thing with the release of Bing 1.2, bringing a number of new social media functions to its search client for mobile devices like Apple’s iPhone and iPad. As […]

Microsoft’s Dynamics software is good general purpose software for running a business, but vertical industries often have special needs, something best handled by an expert in serving those markets. Enter Aldata. The Finnish vendor plans to make Dynamics retail packages tuned for specific vertical industries. Check out the story at Datamation to find out which […]

Microsoft is continuing its efforts to keep pace in the fast-moving mobile market with the release of an app for its Windows Live Messenger client for the iPhone and iPad. Microsoft already boasts more than 300 million Live Messenger users, a number it hopes to increase as it expands onto new platforms in search of […]

Traditional e-mail services like Hotmail, Yahoo Mail and Gmail were designed for desktop computers. But the growing use of mobile devices as a primary, or at least frequently-used secondary device for accessing Web services, is chipping away at the desktop computer’s dominant role. Over the years, e-mail vendors have developed mobile versions and optimized their […]

Most companies have some sort of Web presence, whether it’s strictly a “flat” information site, e-commerce-oriented or a full-blown interactive site with social networking features and real-time updates. But these sites aren’t necessarily optimized for the growing popularity of smartphones and other mobile devices which have smaller screens and bandwidth issues desktop computer users don’t […]

Microsoft is stepping up the fight against spammers, announcing that it has filed a lawsuit against the architects of what it describes as the largest ever spam campaign executed on its Windows Live Hotmail service. The software giant alleges that spammers orchestrated an “elaborate scheme” to evade its Hotmail and SmartScreen spam filters and pepper […]

Microsoft is ratcheting up its efforts to fight Internet crime. The software giant has joined forces with the National Cyber Forensics and Training Alliance to launch a new reporting system aimed at stamping out some of the most pervasive online blights. The Internet Fraud Alert system, powered by Microsoft, will provide real-time monitoring and reporting […]

Admins had been eagerly waiting for Microsoft to issue a patch for a bug in SharePoint that could allow attackers to elevate their privileges and gain access to sensitive information. But they may have gotten more than they bargained for. Numerous admins have posted complaints on Microsoft’s TechNet Forums detailing software crashes that followed installation […]

Cloud computing offers enterprise customers a great deal more freedom and flexibility compared to traditional on-premise data centers and software applications. But with this freedom comes much responsibility, according to Microsoft. As eSecurity Planet reports, CEO Steve Ballmer this week made it clear that Microsoft intends to play a leadership role in protecting data in […]

There’s only so much a company can do with an e-mail service, but Microsoft sure has found ways to expand Hotmail beyond just mail. In the new beta version being rolled out today for testing, the company is adding things like Office 2010 support and Live SkyDrive, two important pieces of its Live online strategy. […]

First it was a glitzy event in New York City, but that was really for the corporate folks. Now, a month later, Microsoft is making its Office 2010 productivity suite available for consumers and small businesses with the retail release. Of course, the headliner of the new release is Office Web Apps, the lightweight, browser-based […]

Some promising news on the state of the IT jobs market: Job openings are beginning to proliferate and salaries are ticking back up to pre-downturn levels, according to a new study. But don’t celebrate just yet. Large enterprises are most likely to be the ones doing the majority of the hiring — filling critical positions […]