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Tag: Microsoft

  • Microsoft pledges $50 million for AI for Earth Programme

    Microsoft has announced its plan to broaden the AI for Earth programme, pledging $50 million over the next five years to put artificial intelligence technology in the hands of those who are working to mitigate climate change.

    Microsoft rolled out the AI for Earth programme six months ago with an aim to put the power of artificial intelligence towards tackling environmental challenges.

    “At Microsoft, we believe artificial intelligence is a game changer. Our approach as a company is focused on democratising AI so its features and capabilities can be put to use by individuals and organisations around the world to improve real-world outcomes,” Microsoft President and Chief Legal Officer Brad Smith wrote in a blog post on Monday.

    The announcement came on the eve of the second anniversary of the Paris Agreement.

    AI can be very useful in monitoring, modelling and managing the Earth’s natural systems.

    Data can speak volumes about the health of our home planet, including the conditions of air, water, land and the well-being of our wildlife.

    “But we need technology’s help to capture this vast amount of data and convert it into actionable intelligence. AI can be trained to classify raw data from sensors on the ground, in the sky or in space into categories that both humans and computers understand,” Smith said.

    “Fundamentally, AI can accelerate our ability to observe environmental systems and how they are changing at a global scale, convert the data into useful information and apply that information to take concrete steps to better manage our natural resources,” he added.

    Over the past six months, Microsoft has awarded over 35 grants in more than 10 countries for access to Microsoft Azure and AI technology.

    Microsoft said its AI for Earth could be a force multiplier for groups and individuals who are creating sustainable solutions.

    “That’s why we’re not just putting more resources into this effort, but also coupling this with a long-term commitment to applying AI to grow and scale in four key areas – climate, water, agriculture, and biodiversity,” Smith said.

    Microsoft wants to do it in three ways. First, it plans to expand seed grants around the world to create and test new AI applications.

    “We will also provide universities, non-governmental organisations, and others with advanced training to put AI to its best use,” Smith said.

    Next, Microsoft will identify the projects that show the most promise and make larger investments to help bring them to scale.

    “Finally, as these projects advance, we’ll identify and pursue opportunities to incorporate new AI advances into platform-level services so that others can use them for their own sustainability initiatives,” Smith said.

     

  • Finally: Microsoft Nigeria gets new GM, Akin Banuso

    After operating in the country since 2016 without a General Manager (GM), Microsoft has ended its search and finally announced Akin Banuso as new GM for Nigeria.

    Akin Banuso, who is replacing Kabelo Makwane who left the Company late 2016, is coming on board with a good portfolio, after holding various senior positions within the Information and Communication Technology Industry over the past 20 years.

    He is joining Microsoft from Dell EMC where he spent the last 12 years in various positions including Storage Practice Manager for Dell Services UK, Global Solutions Architect, EMEA Cloud and Converged Solutions Business Manager, Country Manager for Dell Nigeria and Country Leader for Ghana.

    Finally: Microsoft Nigeria appoints Akin Banuso new GM
    Newly appointed Microsoft Nigeria GM, Mr. Akin Banuso

    Banuso, who has also held positions at Siebel (Oracle), HP and Accenture, prior to Dell EMC, he held various leadership roles with customer organizations such as Banque Paribas, Shell and Friends Provident in the UK.

    “I am very excited to lead the Microsoft business in Nigeria. Our mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more, and I see so much potential in Nigeria,” the newly appointed Microsoft boss said.

    As the General Manager of Microsoft in Nigeria, Banuso hopes, among many things, to address the challenge of local innovation.

    “While most technology trends, innovations and consumer products come from the West and the East, Africans are realising that for us to solve the continent’s technology-related challenges, we have to find African solutions,” he said.

    As a seasoned technology professional and thought leader within the technology ecosystem, Banuso will lead the company’s digital transformation drive in one of the most dynamic, innovative and largest economies on the continent.

    “Since 2000, Microsoft has been partnering in Nigeria’s efforts to empower citizens through the development of Nigeria’s local software and information technology services industry. I am delighted to be at the forefront of this effort.

    “Having collaborated with Microsoft over the last few years, I have first-hand knowledge of the talent within the team, and I’m really looking forward to working with them to bring the vision to life,” said Banuso.

    Nigeria has shown continued expansion, including diversification within the oil sector and considerable infrastructure investment in the Information & Communication Technology (ICT) Industry vertical.

    Microsoft firmly embraces this tremendous economic and social progress with Banuso at the helm of affairs. With his appointment effective June 2017, he would be responsible for driving the overall country business performance (people, revenue, and profitability) including the short-term and long-term performance of all customer segments at Microsoft Nigeria.

     

  • Microsoft officially ends support for Windows Phone

    Microsoft officially ends support for Windows Phone

    Microsoft has officially ended support for Windows Phone 8.1 just over 3 years after its April 2014 debut, according to media reports.

    Although this doesn’t mark the end of Microsoft’s mobile ambitions as Windows 10 Mobile is still hanging around, this only means that from now on, devices operating on WP8.1 won’t get software updates or technical help, according to Engadget.

    Windows Phone 7 was launched in 2010 as Microsoft’s formal response to the iPhone and Android rave, and according to Engadget, “This was the release that was going to prove Microsoft could make a truly consumer-focused mobile platform instead of catering primarily to the business crowd”.

    But Microsoft was unable to make concrete impression on the mind of smartphones consumers to be able to win them over with its innovative effort.

    The tile-based home screen and other interface elements were breaths of fresh air, but the so-so device lineup and lack of feature parity (it launched without copy-and-paste text) set the tone. It was always a bit lacklustre compared to what Apple and Google were doing, even if there were occasional bright spots.

    Another case in point was the Windows Phone 8 upgrade; which although was huge, no Windows Phone 7 device could run it.

    Millions of users were faced with the prospect of having to upgrade their handset early to stay current. Windows Phone 8.1 finally provided a truly complete answer to Android and iOS, but it was still a little bit behind and never got the sustained big-name app support that Microsoft had tried so hard to cultivate.

    That Microsoft ditched Windows Phone entirely in favour of Windows 10 Mobile says a lot.

     

     

  • Zika virus: Tech firms to battle killer mosquitoes to a halt

    Zika virus: Tech firms to battle killer mosquitoes to a halt

    American technology companies are bringing automation and robotics to the age-old task of battling mosquitoes in a bid to halt the spread of Zika virus, and other mosquito-borne maladies worldwide, according to media report.

    According to Reuters, the firms including Microsoft Corp and California life sciences company, Verily, are forming partnerships with public health officials in several U.S. states to test new high-tech tools that will serve to battle the spread of Zika virus and killer mosquitoes to a halt.

    The Zika epidemic that emerged in Brazil in 2015 and left thousands of babies suffering from birth defects has added urgency to the effort of providing tech solution.

    While cases in Brazil have slowed markedly, Nigeria has been confirmed to be at risk of the mosquitoes carrying the virus – Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus.

    Nigeria’s Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Folorunso Adewole, had said the mosquitoes carrying Zika virus are in Nigeria and urged that Nigerians protect themselves by using mosquito treated nets.

    “Nigerian scientists working in Western Nigeria in 1954 discovered Zika virus in Nigeria. Further studies in the years 1975 to 1979 showed that 40 per cent of Nigeria adults and 25 per cent of Nigerian children have antibodies to Zika virus, meaning they are protected against this virus.

    “Despite the fact that some Nigerians are immune to the Zika virus infection as demonstrated by previous studies, it is important and advisable that Nigerians should be careful and protect themselves from mosquito bites,” the minister said at a press briefing.

    “There is no vaccine for Zika virus, and no cure other than rest, plenty of fluids and perhaps over-the-counter medication to reduce fevers, aches and pains as previously mentioned. This, therefore, means that prevention is most effective means of preventing transmission,” the minister further stated.

    While it may take years for the new tech solution against the killer mosquitoes and mosquito-borne maladies to become widely available, public health experts say new players bring fresh thinking to vector control, which still relies heavily on traditional defenses such as larvicides and insecticides.

    “It’s exciting when technology companies come on board,” said Anandasankar Ray, an associate professor of entomology at the University of California, Riverside, adding: “Their approach to a biological challenge is to engineer a solution”.

    For instance, in Texas, Microsoft is testing a smart trap to isolate and capture Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, known Zika carriers, for study by entomologists to give them a jump on predicting outbreaks.

    Also, Verily, Alphabet’s life sciences division based in Mountain View, California, is speeding the process for creating sterile male mosquitoes to mate with females in the wild, offering a form of birth control for the species.

    The mosquito traps made by Microsoft, roughly the size of large birdhouses, use robotics, infrared sensors, machine learning and cloud computing to help health officials keep tabs on potential disease carriers.

    Most conventional mosquito traps capture all comers – moths, flies, other mosquito varieties – leaving a pile of specimens for entomologists to sort through.

    The Microsoft machines differentiate insects by measuring a feature unique to each species: the shadows cast by their beating wings.

    When a trap detects an Aedes aegypti in one of its 64 chambers, the door slams shut.

    The machine “makes a decision about whether to trap it,” said Ethan Jackson, a Microsoft engineer who is developing the device.

    The tests, begun last summer, showed the traps could detect Aedes aegypti and other medically important mosquitoes with 85 percent accuracy, Jackson said.

    The traps are prototypes now, but Microsoft’s Jackson said the company eventually hopes to sell them for a few hundred dollars each, roughly the price of conventional traps.

    The goal is to spur wide adoption, particularly in developing countries, to detect potential epidemics before they start.

    “What we hope is (the traps) will allow us to bring more precision to public health,” Jackson said.

     

  • Retrenchment: Microsoft Chief resigns

    Retrenchment: Microsoft Chief resigns

    With Microsoft announcing job cuts as part of reorganizing its global sales staff, the company’s Chief Information Officer (CIO), Jim DuBois has decided to quit, according to media report.

    Named CIO in 2013, DuBois had been with Microsoft since 1993 where he worked in several roles mostly focused to information technology, GeekWire reported on Saturday.

    Senior Microsoft employee Kurt DelBene will replace DuBois as Chief Digital Officer (CDO).

    Retrenchment: Microsoft Chief resigns
    Jim DuBois

    The news came after Microsoft announced() nearly 4,000 job cuts from its global sales force outside the US, apparently a move to realign its focus on the growing cloud business.

    The job cuts amount to less that 10 per cent of the company’s total sales force.

    According to The Verge, Microsoft’s cloud and server businesses have been fuelling revenue recently, with server products and cloud services revenue up 15 percent and Azure revenue itself growing by 93 percent in the recent quarter.

    US-based analyst house Pacific Crest Securities said last month that Microsoft Azure Cloud platform could overtake Amazon Web Services (AWS) as revenue leader in the public cloud market this year.

    Microsoft has 71,000 employees in the US and 121,000 employees around the globe.

     

  • Microsoft to lay off thousands of staff worldwide

    Microsoft to lay off thousands of staff worldwide

    The future is bleak for thousands of Microsoft employees as the Windows making firm is poised to lay off in thousands its employees worldwide, in a move to reorganize its sales force, according to report.

    A source with knowledge of the planned downsizing told TechCrunch that the U.S. tech firm would lay off “thousands” of staff across the world.

    According to TechCrunch, the restructuring is set to include an organizational merger that involves its enterprise customer unit and one or more of its SME-focused divisions.

    “The changes are set to be announced this coming week, we understand,” it said, adding that Microsoft declined to comment on the matter when contacted.

    Earlier this weekend, Bloomberg reported ‘major’ layoffs related to a move to increase the emphasis on cloud services within Microsoft’s sales teams worldwide.

    Bloomberg said the redundancies would be “some of the most significant in the sales force in years”.

    The reorganization looks to be a result of a change of leadership this past year.

    Executives Judson Althoff and Jean-Philippe Courtois took charge of Microsoft’s sales and marketing divisions following the exit of long-serving COO Kevin Turner last summer.

    Althoff, for one, has been public in his criticism of previous sales approaches, and he is keen to make Azure a central part of the focus.

    At any rate, the time is right for change, historically.

    The end of Microsoft’s fiscal year typically falls in July, and in recent years it has been a time when the firm has announced headcount reductions.

    Last year, Microsoft announced that it would cut 2,850 jobs – including at least 900 from its sales group – having two months earlier said it would let go of 1,850 staff related to its smartphone business.

    In July 2015, it made 7,800 job cuts and wrote down $7.6 billion of its Nokia acquisition.

     

  • NCC releases guide to guard against Petya ransomware

    After Petya ransomware paralyzed connected systems worldwide, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has released a guide to ward off the menace in Nigeria.

    Although the country is yet to report any case of the Petya ransomware attack, the NCC is saying individuals and organisations should take necessary precautions because the spread of Petya indicates many may still be vulnerable.

    The telecoms regulator says the new ransomware that it likened to WannaCry is spreading around the globe speedily, and stressed Petya “…has a better mechanism for spreading itself than WannaCry”.

    “The malicious software spreads rapidly across an organization once a computer is infected using the Eternal Blue vulnerability in Microsoft Windows. Like WannaCry, Petya ransomware takes over the computers and demands $300 paid in Bitcoin,” said NCC.

    NCC stated three mechanisms by which Petya spreads to additional hosts to include:

    • Petya scans the local system 24/7 to discover enumerate ADMINS shares on other systems, then copies itself to those hosts and executes the malware using PSEXEC. This is only possible if the infected user has the rights to write files and execute them on system hosting the share.
    • Petya uses the Windows Management Instrumentation Command-line (WMIC) tool to connect to hosts on the local subnet and attempts to execute itself remotely on those hosts. It can use Mimikatz to extract credentials from the infected system and use them to execute itself on the targeted host.
    • Petya finally attempts to use the ETERNALBLUE exploit tool against hosts on the local subnet. This will only be successful if the targeted host does not have the MS17-010 patches deployed.

    “The general public is advised not to panic as demonstrated during the WannaCry attacks in May, 2017. Windows systems should be patched for this vulnerability by competent personnel,” NCC stated.

    The Commission advised both individuals and organizations to note and observe the following to guide against the ransomware:

    • Do not click on any suspicious or unknown links.
    • Protect yourself when using public Wi-Fi.
    • Do not visit unsafe and unreliable sites.
    • Avoid clicking on links that leads to websites such as Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp etc. Instead it is much safer to visit the site directly through their URL.
    • If you receive a message or email with an attachment, try to verify authenticity of the sender before opening.
    • Do not open attachments from suspicious senders.
    • Store all your documents in ‘my document folder’.
    • Keep your files backed up regularly.

     

  • Google to pay $2.7 billion for abusing its dominance

    Google to pay $2.7 billion for abusing its dominance

    The European Union (EU) has fined Google a record-breaking 2.4 billion-euro ($2.7 billion) in what is just a fraction of the costs from the EU’s demand that the Internet giant stop skewing search results to favour its own shopping site gaining ‘undue’ dominance in so doing.

    To some smaller businesses, this might mean ‘torn apart’, but for the search engine giant, the penalty will barely make a dent in its cash hoard of $90 billion in ad revenue.

    According to a latest PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Entertainment and Media Global Outlook, two-thirds of all global ad dollars this year will go to Google, Facebook, Tencent, Baidu and Alibaba, that have been tagged the Big Five.

    The Big Five are reportedly crushing everyone else in the new media world, and this has raised a lot of concerns.

    While European politicians have called on the EU to sanction Google or even break it up for the undue dominance, US critics claim EU regulators are targeting successful American firms.

    A ruling by EU antitrust chief, Margrethe Vestager, has now put an end to concerns in Europe, and raised eyebrows in the US.

    “Vestager gave Google a 90-day ultimatum to find ways to give equal treatment to smaller price-comparison services that compete with the Google Shopping ads that appear when people search for products.

    “The EU will also monitor Google for five years and can force the company to pay additional fines of up to 5 percent of its daily revenue if it doesn’t comply,” according to Bloomberg.

    Meanwhile the search engine giant is to pay a fine towering $2.7 billion to the European Commission.

    Vestager’s decision marks the end of a seven-year probe fuelled by complaints from small shopping websites as well as bigger names, including News Corp., Axel Springer SE and Microsoft Corp.

    A lawyer for Norton Rose Fulbright in Brussels, Jay Modrall said Google will have “the sword of Damocles hanging over its head” further stressing that this is because it is no longer the firm’s choice on how it makes changes to allay EU concerns. Instead, according to the legal practitioner, Google is “under a legal requirement to do so and under notice that if its commitments are not sufficient, it’ll be fined even more”.

    And according to a binding order from the European Commission, Google must “stop its illegal conduct” and give equal treatment to rival price-comparison services.

     

     

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  • How to protect yourself from Petya,Goldeneye ransomware

    Recently, a new strain of ransomware attack broke out, and many organizations in Europe and the US weeping after being crippled by the new ransomware called Petya/GoldenEye.

    It is spreading rapidly across the world and is expanding the infection.

    Here’s what you need to know about Petya/GoldenEye and how to prevent the attack:

    What is Petya/GoldenEye?

    Similar to WannaCry, Petya uses the Eternal Blue exploit to infect Windows devices, especially older Windows systems. Not like WannaCry which encrypts the files one by one, Petya is much more dangerous that can damage the whole hard drive, even stop you entering your system.

    How does Petya attack work?

    While Petya is trying to infect a computer, Blue Screen of Death can be a signal, then the system will reboot by force to finish the encryption. This can be ignored easily as the process looks like Windows scanning and repairing the system itself. Once the reboot finished, the computer is encrypted and a note will pop up to alert the user to pay a ransom.

    Petya/Goldeneye

    How to prevent Petya/GoldenEye attacks?

    Ransomware attack can be a real disaster as it threatens your important files and money. So you need to keep alert to any suspicious action on your computer. Once you get this popup below, you should shut down your PC immediately in case of infecting Petya.

    Petya shut down notice

    Here are the tips to prevent Petya/GoldenEye:

    • Fix System Vulnerability

    System vulnerability is always the target of ransomware. It’s crucial to keep your system up-to-date. Or you can go to Microsoft Official Site to download the latest patches for your older version Windows.

    • Disable WMI service

    WMI runs automatically at system startup under the LocalSystem account. The service can be used by Petya to spread the ransomware.

    Follow the steps to stop WMI service

    Note: If WMI service is not running, you cannot manage, monitor, or retrieve information about the resources on the computer, especially remotely.

    • Create a Stronger Password for Your System

    A strong password can help you improve the security of your system by preventing malicious programs from accessing your system easily. For example, you can mix the password with capitalized letters, symbols and numbers.

    • Close the service of SMBv1

    SMBv1 is a very old deprecated network protocol and might be attacked by Petya ransomware. You can probably disable it to prevent the attack. But there’s a potential impact that file and print sharing won’t work anymore on a local area network.

    Follow the steps to stop SMBv1

    Don’t want to disable SMBv1? Here are the tips for you:

    Only use protected networks and do NOT share important files over SMBv1 connections

    Block inbound/outbound SMB traffic at your border firewalls

    Restrict SMB to only localhost (your own computers) via local host firewalls

     

    • Install PC Protection Program on Your Computer

    The most effortless but effective way to block ransomware is making good use of a system security tool which offers anti-ransomware engine and real-time protection. IObit Malware Fighter 5 is one good choice for you to detect ransomware threats in real-time and protect the computer against Petya attack.

    Malware detected

    • Backup Your Important Files

    To avoid losing your important files, especially encrypted by Ransomware, it’s better for you to develop the good habit to make a back-up regularly and properly.

     

  • Facebook, Microsoft, Twitter, YouTube form grand alliance

    A host of Internet tech giants have teamed up to form a grand alliance known as Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism with the aim to help make their hosted consumer services hostile to terrorists and violent extremists.

    The spread of terrorism and violent extremism has become a pressing global problem and a critical challenge for all.

    “We take these issues very seriously, and each of our companies have developed policies and removal practices that enable us to take a hard line against terrorist or violent extremist content on our hosted consumer services.

    “We believe that by working together, sharing the best technological and operational elements of our individual efforts, we can have a greater impact on the threat of terrorist content online,” a statement released by the forum of the tech giants read.

    The new forum builds on initiatives including the EU Internet Forum and the Shared Industry Hash Database; discussions with the UK and other governments; and the conclusions of the recent G7 and European Council meetings.

    The forum said the scope of its work will evolve over time as there would be need for it to be responsive to the ever-evolving terrorist and extremist tactics.

    It said, initially, the scope would include technological solutions that will involve the tech firms working together to refine and improve existing joint technical work such as the Shared Industry Hash Database; exchange best practices as well as develop and implement new content detection and classification techniques using machine learning; and define standard transparency reporting methods for terrorist content removals.

    Also, the grand alliance said it will adopt knowledge-sharing in its modus operandi by working with counter-terrorism experts including governments, civil society groups, academics and other companies to engage in shared learning about terrorism, and through a joint partnership with the UN Security Council Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate (UN CTED) and the ICT4Peace Initiative, it will establish a broad knowledge-sharing network to engage with smaller companies, develop best practices and counter-speech.

     

     

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