Piracy not an option for Windows 10

There are still many businesses that run pirate software, often inadvertently, while there are whole countries where piracy of all kinds of software remains rampant. But Microsoft plans to eradicate the issue, as far as its operating system goes, by making the upgrade to Windows 10 initially free for all when it launches this summer.

Currently, while enterprises are locked into their volume licence agreements and are regularly audited, smaller businesses can pick up copies and install that multiple times or they can “borrow” licences from other PCs. All of these go against Microsoft’s rules, but the company is unlikely to come breaking down the doors.

When Windows 10 launches, it will be a free upgrade, regardless of the status of the current system installed on a PC. That means pirate versions of Windows XP or Windows 7 can be legitimised, whereas in the past, the upgrade would refuse to install. With a legitimate Windows 10, users can run all of Microsoft’s cloud services and install the latest apps.

Part of Microsoft’s reasoning behind this idea is that its users will become so used to running the apps and services, such as Skype, OneDrive and Office 365, that it will be too much hassle to go back to their pirated ways. These cloud-based services are also more likely to generate revenue for the company in the future, as users buy more storage, call minutes and other features.

The free upgrade offer is only going to be valid for a year from the launch, so Windows 10 users may need to plan to pay for the new installation.  We expect that Microsoft could easily install a time limit on any PCs that previously had a pirate OS installed, with an expiry date. This would nudge users into paying a licence activation fee, to keep Windows 10 running.

Before your business considers its upgrade options this year, check with your IT support that all your software is valid so that you are not breaking any rules, and to make sure you don’t run into any issues post-upgrade. You should also consider the merits of using Microsoft’s cloud services http://www.oswin.com/microsoft-takes-fight-competitors-free-office-365/

Piracy not an option for Windows 10

Cortana for iOS and Android could boost Microsoft

Given the tiny share of the mobile market that Windows Phones have (about 3% to 4% according to analyst reports), Microsoft is taking a hardware-neutral stance when it comes to promoting its own cloud services. The latest news is that Microsoft’s Cortana virtual assistant will land on iOS and Android devices, competing with Apple’s Siri and the range of Android assistants on their own platforms. This could give a boost in uptake of Microsoft’s other cloud services and encourage further bring your own device (BYOD) adoption among businesses.

With Microsoft aiming to aggressively grow its cloud services (OneDrive, Office 365, SharePoint, Skype and so on), Cortana could become a useful link in getting iOS and Android users to try these apps on their devices. While they come provided on all Windows Phones, Microsoft is still struggling to get them on other mobiles, even if workers mostly use Microsoft productivity tools in their office environment. The current heavy advertising around Cortana and all the hype it will receive during the launch of Windows 10 could make it one of the most wanted apps as users see the benefits, with Microsoft hoping to enjoy the halo effect of Cortana’s cool features.

Cortana has quite a few advantages over Siri. Firstly, she is always on, whereas Apple users have to press the Home button to activate Siri, or have their iPhone plugged in. Cortana can also scan your emails and understand things like package deliveries, to remind you of events or incoming mail. That might be harder to integrate into the iOS version, but will be a neat trick, if she can pull it off. Cortana is also better at learning, she’ll remember who your favourite sports team is, or who your close friends are, and give you updated news in those areas. Another advantage is you can type to Cortana, which is handy if you’re in the quiet coach on a train or in a meeting. Siri will presumably get these features at some point, but for now, Cortana looks the better bet.

When the new mobile versions of Cortana launch, you can bet links to Microsoft’s other cloud and mobile apps won’t be far behind as Microsoft tries to make sure it stays relevant for mobile workers in the cloud computing era.

Cortana for iOS and Android could boost Microsoft

Mobile World Congress increases BYOD options

This year’s Mobile World Congress is on in Barcelona this week. It sees the likes of Microsoft and its Windows Phone, plus the many Android device makers, announcing new or improved mid-range devices that pack in many features of what were formerly high-end, expensive models. More memory, better processors and bigger screens make these more usable and attractive as a working device. Also, the recent range of business software launches for mobiles means that more people are tempted to try them out for bring your own device (BYOD) schemes.

As a business, having your workers able to use documents that are stored in the cloud, business contacts, and address emails wherever they are can be a big benefit. It saves investing in laptops or tablets, gets issues resolved faster and with data stored in the cloud and protected by password or fingerprint ID, there is less risk of them losing their phone and having valuable data go missing.

While Windows Phones are all prepped for business, users can use all Microsoft’s apps and storage features with the current Windows Phone 8.1. Sony, LG, Motorola and ZTE, among others, have a huge range of Android devices and they all support Google’s Lollipop Android 5.0. Lollipop in turn runs Samsung’s Knox, a business security feature to protect data stored on user’s own phones. Apple has its own security features for business, and Microsoft’s popular apps are now available for both iOS and Android.

This means that it is now safer for workers to use business data on their own phones, and the apps make checking documents and performing light revisions almost as painless as on a desktop (especially with a larger-screen device). For larger businesses, solutions like Hypori’s ACE platform, which was built with support from the American Department of Defense, help protect business data by separating the physical mobile device (no matter the brand and OS) from any sensitive applications and data.

These latest moves means there is less reason for businesses to be averse to the idea of BYOD, and should see the increasingly mobile workforce come of age for knowledge workers, sales forces and marketers who have been eager to try it out.

Mobile World Congress increases BYOD options

Three cloud computing trends for 2015 and beyond

With cloud computing becoming increasingly popular, here are our top three predictions for what you can expect to happen with it this year and in the years to come:

1. Cloud spending will continue to rise

It will surely come as no surprise to you that cloud spending will continue to rise in 2015 and beyond. This report by RackSpace (http://core0.staticworld.net/images/article/2014/09/rac_cloud.adoption_infographic_rnd03-100441764-large.png) predicts that in 2015, small and medium businesses will spend around $10 billion dollars more on cloud computing solutions than they did in 2014. Other experts are also predicting that more of information technology budgets will be dedicated to implementing and managing cloud solutions, which will stimulate a spike in overall cloud spending in the coming years.

2. New developments in cloud security

It’s no secret that in today’s economy, data is king. Big data was definitely one of the business buzzwords for 2014, and now more and more businesses are realising the importance of collecting and analysing it, and the effect that it can have on marketing, sales and overall growth. The one thing many businesses are worried about when they look to migrate to cloud based solutions is security, and rightly so – many are worried that their data could fall into the hands of a business rival or cybercriminals. Whilst cloud storage solutions are an extremely safe and secure way to store your data, you can expect to see even more developments in cloud security over the coming years. Many experts are predicting that a wave of new cloud security solutions will hit the market in 2015, including new developments in security for emerging hybrid cloud solutions. In fact, Forbes predicts that this year spending on security development will increase by around 46% (http://forbes.com/sites/louiscolumbus/2014/11/26/computerworlds-2015-forecast-predicts-security-cloud-computing-and-analytics-will-lead-it-spending/), with a large amount of that devoted to the cloud.

3. Hybrid cloud solutions

2015 will also see the emergence and popularisation of what have been called ‘hybrid cloud solutions’. This is where an organisation uses a mixture of both private and public cloud solutions for their data and applications. These hybrid cloud solutions offer organisations more flexibility, as they allow businesses to choose which specific cloud services they want to use for different applications. This will become more popular in the coming years, and IT experts predict that by 2017 this hybrid model will be in use in around 50% of all businesses.

Three cloud computing trends for 2015 and beyond

Windows 10 for phones will boost worker productivity

The recently announced Windows 10 smartphone technical preview (http://blogs.windows.com/bloggingwindows/2015/02/12/announcing-the-first-build-of-windows-10-technical-preview-for-phones-2/) is causing great excitement among gadget enthusiasts, but the real benefit will be to mobile, knowledge and other workers. They will soon be able to run almost fully featured Microsoft Office, productivity and unified communications apps on their phones, with seamless transition of documents, web content, messaging and other data to their desktop or laptop, swapping devices seamlessly.

With documents and contacts stored in the cloud, working on the commute, in a hotel or on a plane is becoming easier, increasing the availability of your workers and key staff and improving their productivity. Boosting communications between staff will help projects run smoother and help get decisions made faster as key reports are easier to find and talk about, by video chat, messaging or VoIP call. Naturally, Microsoft has apps for all these features, from Skype to Outlook and Lync, but it is also playing nice with iOS and Android, to encourage bring your own device (BYOD) schemes at work. Microsoft is also supposed to be bundling its apps with major future Android device launches, like the Samsung Galaxy S6, to further encourage take-up.

Currently, the Windows phone beta only runs on select Lumia devices, but the full launch will come with a range of new hardware from Microsoft (since it acquired Nokia) and hardware partners like Samsung and HTC. With a full range of tablets, portables, ultraportables and two-in-one devices, 2015 will see a major effort to get business users upgrading to new hardware and Windows 10 across all devices.

That’s all part of Microsoft’s plan to get users both upgrading and back into using its services, with many having moved on to Google, Amazon, Oracle or other business software providers. Whatever hardware and applications you use, switching to Microsoft’s will be an easy and seamless choice come the full launch of Windows 10, with handy tools like OneNote now fully free to use.

Also, Microsoft continues to buy companies that can help improve its offerings. It recently acquired N-trig, makers of the best tablet pen technology around, to make sure that Microsoft’s Surface Pro 3 and future Surface tablets all benefit from a truly professional experience. Roll that all together and the Microsoft ecosystem will soon be a compelling place to be and work.

Windows 10 for phones will boost worker productivity

Microsoft Office goes touchscreen friendly

New preview versions of the latest Microsoft Office apps are available for anyone testing Windows 10 Technical Preview. The “universal” apps can be used on any Windows device, from a desktop to a tablet or phone. They come with a host of touch features to make working on a touchscreen (and a smaller screen) more natural, and make the many MS Office desktop-era features more accessible.

When the final version of Windows 10 is released later this year, new systems, Windows Phones and tablets will ship with the apps for free. However, since Windows 10 won’t be free for businesses, we don’t expect enterprises to start getting Office licenses for free either. While usability is one of the key features, pick up and go is another, so users can start a document on their PC, leave the office and continue working on it on their phone or tablet, thanks to OneDrive storage.

Note that these aren’t the productivity apps that will ship as Microsoft Office 2016, which is being developed with standard PCs and enterprise users in mind. The Office 2016 apps will feature easier integration with cloud services and data sources. They will allow for a wider and deeper range of analytics tasks, as the Office suite tries to exist in a world of big data and smart dashboards that are rendering the standard Excel spreadsheet and PowerPoint display redundant in many businesses.

The Windows 10 Office touch apps, along with Outlook and Office for iOS and Android are part of Microsoft’s plan to keep Office relevant in an increasingly fragmented device market, where Windows Phones and tablets have a very small market share. The Office anywhere, anytime approach, including Office 365, is part of the plan to keep adoption of Google Docs, and productivity services from Amazon and others at bay.

Key to the success of Windows 10 will be new hardware. Microsoft is likely to unveil the Surface Pro 4, and possibly a Surface Pro mini tablet around the time of the OS launch to tempt enterprise users, while third parties are already producing a raft of cheaper hardware for those not in the executive suite to make Windows tablets more affordable.

Microsoft Office goes touchscreen friendly

Amazon gets into hosted email with WorkMail

Joining the hotly contested hosted email solution market, Amazon is taking on the likes of Gmail for businesses and Office 365 with a new service called WorkMail. There are a few differences to its rival products; for a start, WorkMail allows businesses to choose on which set of Amazon AWS servers their data lies, which will help keep them within their jurisdiction and stay compliant with local data privacy laws. Something that may or may not be an advantage, depending on the level of enterprise security, is that WorkMail lets businesses manage their own sets of encryption keys.

The product is available now across the US and Europe, and is likely to roll out globally soon. This expansion will also help to cut transfer times. WorkMail costs $4 per user per month (pupm), or can be bundled with WorkDocs for document sharing and a collaboration suite for $6 pupm. It can sync with anything that uses ActiveSync, including Outlook on PCs. While Amazon may be dominating in cloud computing services, it is falling behind in adoption by enterprises for the routine tasks of business – especially when it comes to smaller businesses. So WorkMail and WorkDocs are part of a concerted effort to get those users interested in AWS, S3 and EC2, where Amazon has so much power and can offer opportunities for companies to exploit.

The trouble is that users are now happy with vibrant and full-spectrum products, like Google Docs, Outlook, OneDrive and Office 365, which all leave Amazon’s barebones and piecemeal approach looking rather hollow. We’ll find out in coming quarters just how much AWS makes for Amazon, as the company changes its reporting methods, but it is hard to see WorkMail adding more than pocket change to the numbers.

Does WorkMail sound like an option for your business, or are you already happy with your current product and unlikely to move unless there is an obvious and significant advantage? We wonder what Amazon will offer next to attract customers, but we think there’s an uphill battle ahead.

Amazon gets into hosted email with WorkMail