TheNewsGuru

Tag: Microsoft

  • Breaking: Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen dies of cancer

    Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen died of cancer at age 65, his family and Vulcan Inc., which was founded by Allen, said in a statement on Tuesday.
    Vulcan Inc said Allen died from complications of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in Seattle, hailing him as a “noted technologist, philanthropist, community builder, conservationist, musician and supporter of the arts.”
    Allen’s sister, Jody Allen said that her brother “was a remarkable individual on every level.”
    “While most people knew Paul Allen as a technologist and philanthropist, for us he was a much loved brother and uncle, and an exceptional friend,” she said.
    Sitting Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said Allen had made “indispensible” contributions to Microsoft and the technology industry.
    Allen created Microsoft with his childhood friend Bill Gates in 1975.
    Gates, who is also co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, mourned Allen’s death, saying that he was “heartbroken by the passing of one of my oldest and dearest friends, Paul Allen.”
    “From our early days together at Lakeside School (in Seattle), through our partnership in the creation of Microsoft, to some of our joint philanthropic projects over the years, Paul was a true partner and dear friend.
    “Personal computing would not have existed without him,” Gates said in a statement.
    Allen founded Vulcan in the mid-80s to invest in several media and communications companies.
    He also worked on philanthropic projects and invested in professional sports teams.
    He had owned the U.S. National Football League’s Seahawks since 1997 and also owned the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers.
    Allen was one of the world’s richest people, and ranked 44th on Forbes’ 2018 list of billionaires with an estimated net worth of more than 20 billion dollars as of Monday.
     

  • Microsoft’s $7.5bn GitHub deal set for EU approval

    United States software giant Microsoft is set to win unconditional EU antitrust approval for its 7.5 billion dollars purchase of privately held coding website GitHub, official sources said on Monday.
    Microsoft announced the deal in June, its largest acquisition since it bought LinkedIn for 26 billion dollars in 2016.
    The GitHub deal is expected to boost the U.S. software giant’s cloud computing business and challenge market leader Amazon .
    GitHub, the world’s largest code host, has more than 28 million developers using its platform.
    It will become a part of Microsoft’s Intelligent Cloud unit once the acquisition is completed.
    Microsoft Chief Executive Satya Nadella has tried to assuage users’ worries that GitHub might favor Microsoft products over competitors after the deal.
    It said GitHub would continue to be an open platform that works with all public clouds.
    The European Commission, which is set to decide on the deal by Oct. 19, did not respond to a request for immediate comment. Microsoft declined to comment.
     

  • Google deletes YouTube accounts with ties to Iran

    Google has announced deleting 58 accounts with ties to Iran on its video sharing platform, YouTube and some other of its sites.

    The recent removals targeted 39 channels on YouTube, which had more than 13,000 views in the United States, as well as 13 accounts on the social networking site Google Plus and six accounts on Blogger, its blogging platform, the company said.

    TheNewsGuru (TNG) reports Kent Walker, Google’s senior vice president of global affairs, said in a blog post that each of the accounts had ties to the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, or IRIB, which is tied to Iran’s ayatollah, and that they “disguised their connection to this effort”.

    Google’s announcement comes days after Facebook suspended hundreds of accounts on its site and photo-sharing app, Instagram, that originated in Iran as well as Russia, and Twitter made a similar move.

    At the time, YouTube confirmed it had removed one account, called Liberty Front Press, which appeared to have connections to Iranian state media.

    Google also revealed on Thursday that it took down 42 additional channels on YouTube that had ties to the Russian government’s online troll army, called the Internet Research Agency, since the company testified to Congress in November.

    Facebook had acted on a tip from the cyber-security firm FireEye, which later shared its findings with Google and Twitter.

    In response, Google briefed law enforcement officials as well as congressional investigators about its findings on Thursday, the company said.

    The revelations of further coordinated inauthentic activity online are likely to grab the attention of lawmakers.

    The Senate Intelligence Committee plans to question top executives from Facebook, Google and Twitter next month on their efforts to protect their platforms from disinformation and other digital ills.

    On Thursday, the Republican chairman of the panel, Sen. Richard Burr, said he had rejected an offer by Google to send Walker to testify. “I told them I wasn’t accepting the senior vice president,” Burr said.

    Earlier this week, Microsoft announced it had found evidence of a Russia-backed effort to spoof key websites, including those for conservative think tanks, in an apparent bid to hack into visitors to those pages.

    In its blog post, Google said it recently took similar actions to block “attempts by state-sponsored actors in various countries to target political campaigns, journalists, activists, and academics located around the world”.

    Google said it most recently notified Gmail users who received suspicious emails “from a wide range of countries” on Monday.

     

  • World’s most valuable brand: Google displaces Facebook, Apple

    World’s most valuable brand: Google displaces Facebook, Apple

    Google has displaced Apple to become world’s most valuable brand, according to analysis from global brand consultancy, BrandZ.

    TheNewsGuru reports a new study by BrandZ reveals Google, owned by Alphabet Inc., had a brand value of $302 billion, compared to Apple’s $301 billion.

    According to the analysis released by the global brand consultancy firm, the third and fourth brand values were also almost tied.

    Amazon.com Inc. had a brand valuation of $208 billion to Microsoft Corp.’s $201 billion.

    Rounding out the top 10, China’s Tencent’s valuation was $179 billion, followed by Facebook Inc. at $162 billion, Visa Inc. at at $146 billion, McDonald’s Corp. at $126 billion, Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. at $113 billion and AT&T Inc. at $106 billion.

    No other brand value topped $100 billion.

    “This was the first year non-US brands grew faster than US brands. Fourteen Chinese brands appear in the Top 100 ranking compared to just one (ChinaMobile) in 2006.

    “The total value of China’s Top 10 grew year-on-year by +47%, more than double that of the US brands (+23%),” BrandZ commented on the rise of Chinese companies.

    Among the top 20 brands with surges in valuation, Amazon was up 45%, Tencent by 65% and Alibaba by 92%.

    Among the top 20 global brands, several lost ground in terms of valuation.

    AT&T fell 7%. International Business Machines Corp. was down 6% to $96 billion, and Verizon Communications Inc. lost 5% to $85 billion.

    Marlboro and Wells Fargo & Co. each lost 6%, to $82 billion and $55 billion, respectively.

    The brand that lost the most value was troubled General Electric Co., which was down 22% to $39 billion.

    The combined value of the top 100 rose 21% to $4.4 trillion, which means that Google and Apple represented 14% of the total.

    TheNewsGuru reports BrandZ ranking of brand valuations lists the brands making the largest absolute $ contribution to the total value of their respective parent companies, considering both current and projected performance.

    “This is the true value of brand building and we want to isolate and reward the brands making the largest contributions to the success of their parent companies.

    “A company may have huge overall business value but the absolute $ contribution made by the relevant brand(s) that the company owns may not be a comparatively large figure – at least not a large enough figure to qualify for the given BrandZ™ ranking of brand values,” the global brand consultancy firm said of its methodology.

     

  • Edo attracts Microsoft, Siemens, others for innovation hub launch

    In furtherance of its commitment to equip youths with skills and expertise to drive inclusive growth and development, the Governor Godwin Obaseki-led administration, through its skills development arm, Edojobs, is set for the launch of the first-ever state-backed innovation hub to activate and drive the state’s fledgling technology ecosystem.

    Set for launch on June 14, the hub would be run in partnership with Nigeria’s leading technology-based organisations, such as Siemens, Tech4Dev, Microsoft, Impact Hub, Curators University (an American University), HotelsNg, among others. It will train over 1,000 youths will be trained based on their interest in data management, programming, basic digital skills, and artificial intelligence.

    The hub, to be known as Edo Innovation Hub, is to be located at the Institute of Continuing Education (ICE) in Benin City, which is currently being renovated.

    Governor Obaseki said “the innovation hub would serve as a facility for training youths in the state and it would also serve as a center for follow-up trainings for youths who are participating in similar training programmes organised by the state government through its skills development arm popularly known as EdoJobs.

    “Services on offer by the firms include an incubation and pre-incubation programme, acceleration programme, business clinics and co-working facilities.”

    He added that the “Innovation Hub would be equipped with thousands of computers supported with high-speed connectivity.”

    The innovation hub is expected to play a major role in facilitating the realisation of Obaseki’s campaign promise to put an end to unemployment in Edo State by providing 200,000 jobs.

    Head, EdoJobs, and Senior Special Asistant (SSA) to the Governor on Skills Development and Job Creation, Mrs, Ukinebo Dare, said that the innovation hub would open up the space for the development of critical manpower for Edo’s burgeoning investment climate.

    She noted that efforts are being made to ensure that the state integrates and benefits from the gains of a digital economy, which is why digital literacy features prominently in the offerings of the different programmes at the cluster.

    According to her, “There is a focus on Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). Small and Medium Enterprises development is key for us as they have the potentials to engage a higher number of people.”

    She noted that the hub has a number of programmes that are designed to help small businesses scale up and plug into the digital economy.

    According to her, “We have several programmes in place to work with SMEs to incubate start-ups and develop them and assist them to grow. All of these form the strategy in place to create jobs.”

    She said the Pan Atlantic University is also expected to come in and with an SME tool kit boot camp for entrepreneurs to better prepare them for wealth creation.

    Other programmes on the lineup are those of Prof. Laura Kinnard of Drake University, United States of America (USA), who would train executives on leadership, organisational behavior, management and marketing.

    Impact Hub will create a co-working space and incubation center where individuals can interact with other start-ups; Curators University, will teach Edo youths the rudiments of data science and artificial intelligence, among others.

     

  • Microsoft warns of dangers of non-compliance with EU Data Protection Regulation

    Microsoft warns of dangers of non-compliance with EU Data Protection Regulation

    Multinational technology company, Microsoft, on Friday advised businesses in Nigeria to pay attention to the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

    Mr John Edokpolor, Lead Commercial Attorney, Microsoft MEA Emerging Markets, said in Lagos that May 25 would be the deadline for compiance with the regulation.

    Edokpolor spoke at a media briefing.

    In the GDPR (EU) 2016/679) the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union and the European Commission intend to strengthen and unify data protection for all individuals within the European Union.

    The regulation will take effect from May 25. It replaces the Data Protection Directive which has been in effect since 1995.

    The new regulation became a law in April 2016, but given the significant changes some organisation will need to make to align with the regulation, a two-year transition period was included.

    According to Edokpolor, failure to adhere to GDPR requirements can prevent trade and other dealings with EU businesses after the deadline.

    ““The new legislation is a milestone on a journey into a new era, where data is the fuel powering companies of all shapes and sizes, from all sectors.

    “”GDPR is a new European law designed to protect the privacy of citizens by setting new standards in terms of how personal data is handled.

    “”As the law affects any organisation with ties to Europe, it is relevant to businesses around the world,” he said.

    Edokpolor said that as companies increasingly embraced the cloud, they had an unprecedented ability to capture and store massive amounts of data.

    He said that advancement in business intelligence technology had given organisations the ability to pull insights from data prediclive in nature.

    “He advised that businesses should be a step ahead of customer expectations and needs, instead of merely reacting to them.

    “”This is a significant step forward and truly marks the beginning of a new era, one in which data becomes the electricity powering companies.

    “An updated governance framework for data protection is a logical policy component of this new age.

    “”Building on these rules, innovation coupled with trust among businesses and citizens will unlock productivity, help companies to keep their customers delighted and fuel a new generation of disruptors.

    “Ultimately, all of these translate into growth,” he said.

    He said that data which was the most important asset in a modern company’s business portfolio needed the GDPR as a logical policy since it would guarantee the privacy and integrity of individuals’ data.

    Edokpolor said that, with the compliance deadline approaching, many companies were thinking of steps to take to meet the new privacy and data protection requirements as efficiently and effectively as possible.

    He said that achieving this would depend on how the companies would address three things – people, processes, and preparedness.

     

    The attorney listed some principles that could help to achieve the compliance to include effective data management and creation of data confidence culture.

    According to him, effective data governance demands a people-first approach.

    “”Every business maintains strict processes for tracking revenue, costs, and all manner of financial flows.

    “They don’t just do this because it is required, but because it makes business sense.

    “”You cannot map your company’s future if you do not know your current state of financial affairs to the bottom line.

    “Companies need to maintain the same birds-eye-view of their data assets, via a solid data governance strategy,” he said.

    `Edokpolor said that there was the need to place approach to data governance within the context of a broader digital transformation.

    According to him, the May 25 deadline for GDPR compliance is not a final destination.

    “Rather, it is just one stepping-stone in an ongoing journey toward realising the full potential of digital transformation across economies and communities.

    “Establishing a firm approach to data governance represents one of the smartest investments a company can make.”

     

  • Microsoft, NDDC, others take e-learning to primary, secondary schools in Niger Delta

    The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Microsoft and other Silicon Valley companies in U.S. have begun an e-learning project to revolutionize education in the Niger Delta.

    The Managing Director of NDDC, Mr Nsima Ekere, said this on Monday while speaking with State House Correspondents after the organization presented the model to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    According to Ekere, the project is aimed at bringing the Niger Delta youth up to date with the rapid technological changes taking place in other parts of the world.

    “We had a meeting with the Vice President and we made a presentation to him on a project which in our estimation will revolutionize education and learning in the entire Niger Delta region and in the country.

    “In these days where the world is changing very rapidly, e-learning, e-trading and e-solution is the way to go.

    “And so we come with a project to replace the hard copy textbooks that we have for learning in primary and secondary schools, convert them into digital format.

    “And each of the students in the primary and secondary school will be given tablets and laptops that will contain all the textbooks, all the learning instructions and learning manuals that they need and then prepare them to face the new world and be competitive with graduates from any part of the world.

    “That is exactly what we are proposing for the Niger Delta.’’

    According to Ekere, the Vice President is supportive of the programme.

    He said it was a vendor-funded project and none of the Niger Delta State governments or the NDDC would spend its money on it.

    “We are working with a company called Digital Learning Networks, part of the Silicon Valley in the U.S., and they have come with partners like Microsoft and the Black Centre.

    “And so it is a vendor-funded project; they are funding it 100 per cent.

    “So this project is going to be delivered to the entire Niger Delta region at zero cost to NDDC or to any of the state governments,’’ the NDDC CEO emphasised.

    Pressed further to give the cost of the gigantic project Ekere stated that the organizations involved would have a better idea of how much it would cost “but for us it is not going to cost any of the state governments anything.

    “It is totally vendor-funded and they have already worked out the financial model.

    “Deloite is the financial partners on this and they have actually worked out the financial model in that this is a project that can be delivered without cost to the Nigerian government.’’

    On the New vision for Niger Delta and how NDDC was keying into it he said the e-learning project was in line with the new vision for the Niger Delta that President Muhammadu Buhari had.

    “This is part of the new vision; it is a new way of doing things; it is a new love for the Niger Delta people as shown by the president,’’ he stated.

    He said the Commission was doing a lot of things in the President’s vision.

    “We are part of the inter-ministerial committee that is being chaired by the Vice President on the Niger Delta and I am sure you have seen our work plan and the other things that we are doing in that project.

    “Yes, this is part of it,’’ he added.

     

  • Microsoft 365 Education launched in Nigeria

    Microsoft has announced the launch of Microsoft 365 Education in Nigeria – a single, affordable technology solution built for education.

    Microsoft revealed this on Tuesday in Abuja at the Microsoft ‘Windows in the Classroom’ event, in partnership with Sidmach, an ICT firm.

    The solution brings together Office 365, Windows 10, Intune for Education, Minecraft: Education Edition and Enterprise Mobility + Security, in a single cloud-based package.

    Ms Jordan Belmonte, Education Programme Manager, Microsoft Nigeria, said that Microsoft provided easy and skillful modes of modern teaching.

    “With mounting pressure on educational institutions to continually improve students’ achievement and prepare them with skills they will need when they enter the workforce, the aim of Microsoft 365 Education is to get schools up and running faster through simplified acquisition and deployment.

    “This eliminates wasted time and delivers new capabilities to teachers and students to help them learn and work in new ways.

    “Microsoft 365 is able to connect all the teachers in the world. Some of the features embedded like One Note, aids multiple language learning and has features suitable for special needs of children.

    “With Skype, for instance, teachers can also connect their classrooms to other classrooms around the world, making for an immersive and interactive learning,’’ she said.

    On his part, Mr Mark East, Microsoft Regional Leader for Education in Europe, Middle East and Africa, said that schools want simple to purchase, simple to manage, secure and efficient systems.

    Consequently, Microsoft 365 Education was designed to deliver on that need, he said.

    “Millions of teachers and students are already using Office 365 for Education to communicate and collaborate with each other every day.

    “With Microsoft 365 Education, we are providing a complete solution for schools in a single purchase that is a less expensive option than purchasing the same products individually.

    “It is also part of our drive to simplify and modernise our licensing programmes ,” she said.

    In her presentation, Mrs Jaye Richards-Hills, Business Development Manager, Education, Microsoft, said that gone were the days when the teacher was an all-knowing instructor, as the pupils had access to knowledge through technology.

    She said that there was a shift from the traditional teacher-led mode of learning to a more collaborative mode.

    According to her, Microsoft looks at what the teachers wanted and build them to pedagogical tools.

    “The desire to prepare students for the future is what is propelling Microsoft to build technology that’s easy to use and empowering for both teachers and students,’’ she said.

    Microsoft 365 Education makes it possible to unlock creativity in each student with immersive and engaging apps like Minecraft: Education Edition.

    It enhances independence and efficiency for students of all abilities using intelligent tools built into office apps.

    Teachers drawn from selected secondary schools participated in the event.

     

  • Improved cancer diagnosis: Microsoft partners Adaptive Biotechnologies

    Improved cancer diagnosis: Microsoft partners Adaptive Biotechnologies

    Microsoft has announced a partnership with Adaptive Biotechnologies to map the genetics of the human immune system in efforts to improve diagnoses of cancers and other diseases.

    Peter Lee, Microsoft Corporate Vice President, AI and Research, made this known in a statement late on Thursday.

    “We are very excited and inspired by our collaboration with Adaptive Biotechnologies, as it clearly advances our mission to use cloud and AI technologies to transform healthcare and improve the lives of people around the world,”

    “This collaboration combines powerful sequencing and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies into a revolutionary new capability, and represents the kind of deep collaborative partnership that we live for.

    “We are incredibly proud to bring our best people and AI capabilities together with Adaptive in this joint quest,” he said in the statement.

    TheNewsGuru reports Adaptive Biotechnologies is a genomics and technology company working to map the genetics of the human immune system.

    As per the agreement, Microsoft will bring research and large-scale machine learning and cloud computing capabilities to translate genetics of the human immune system, or immunome into simple blood test that can be broadly accessible to people around the world.

    “Artificial Intelligence represents one of technology’s most important priorities and healthcare is perhaps AI’s most urgent application.

    “Partnering with Adaptive Technologies to decode the human immune system,” Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella, said in a tweet.

    In his remarks about the partnership, President, CEO and Co-Founder of Adaptive Biotechnologies, Chad Robins, said, “Some conditions like cancer or autoimmune disorders can be difficult to diagnose, but this universal map of the immune system will enable earlier and more accurate diagnosis of disease, potentially helping physicians to connect the dots to understand the relationship between disease states and eventually lead to a better understanding of overall human health”.

    The collaboration is part of Microsoft’s Healthcare NExT initiative, launched in 2017 to maximise the ability of AI and cloud computing to accelerate innovation in the healthcare industry, advance science through technology, and turn the lifesaving potential of next discoveries into reality.

     

  • NITDA, Microsoft signs MoU to strengthen innovation, adoption

    NITDA, Microsoft signs MoU to strengthen innovation, adoption

    The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and Microsoft company on Thursday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen Information Communication Technology (ICT) innovation and adoption.

    This is made known in a statement signed by Dr Isa Pantami, the Director-General NITDA and Mr Akin Banuso, the General Manager, Microsoft in Abuja.

    Pantami said that the partnership would enable the organisations develop cloud policies, data protection, privacy laws and data classification frameworks.

    “We are delighted to collaborate with Microsoft as regulators. Our mandate is to create the right policies that foster innovation and help build a robust digital economy.

    “Nigeria is a forward thinking economy and one which is ready to compete in the fourth industrial revolution by having policies which drive growth and encourage investments.

    “This is a positive move towards digitalisation of government processes and provides a tremendous opportunity to scale up citizen’s access to services and concurrently improve the quality of services,” Pantami said.

    According to him, government prioritises the fight against corruption, security, private sector led economic growth, job creation, youth training and skills development.

    Pantami said that technology would be at the heart of driving and building a digital economy which necessitated placing premium on security, job creation, among other sectors.

    He said that NITDA and Microsoft would set up a joint working group for the collaboration to function effectively.

    Mr Akin Banuso said that the organisation was delighted to work with NITDA to drive the country’s economy and foster regulations in the sector to meet world best practices.

    “Microsoft is committed to providing technology you can trust. We have been actively involved in discussions with governments around the world for digital transformation.

    “We are honoured to be able to work with the Nigerian government on this framework.

    “This collaboration aims to foster detailed discussions of recent regulatory and policy development, including global best practices.

    “It will also enable us to create cloud regulatory frameworks appropriate for driving innovation and improving how the public sector operates and delivers citizen services,” Banuso said.