Bill Gates steps up to new role as Technology Advisor; John Thompson assumes role as Chairman of Board of Directors.
REDMOND, Wash. — Feb. 4, 2014 — Microsoft Corp. today announced that its Board of Directors has appointed Satya Nadella as Chief Executive Officer and member of the Board of Directors effective immediately. Nadella previously held the position of Executive Vice President of Microsoft’s Cloud and Enterprise group. (more…)
The term cloud telephony is popularly used nowadays. But what is it? Cloud telephony is a very broad term with several definitions, but no definitive ones. Understandably this causes confusion and apprehension for businesses when considering cloud telephony systems. The simplest way to define cloud telephony is that it is a system that integrates applications, web services and IT infrastructure over the Internet.
Is Cloud Telephony Good for your business?
There are several computing models that can be used as a framework for cloud telephony that allows any type of business to scale their requirements instantly, be it an upscale or downscale manner. In other words, cloud telephony can be used practically by any type of business, small to medium to large businesses. (more…)
Promises not to screw it up
SUNNYVALE, Calif. & NEW YORK — Yahoo! Inc. and Tumblr announced today that they have reached a definitive agreement for Yahoo! to acquire Tumblr.
Per the agreement and our promise not to screw it up, Tumblr will be independently operated as a separate business. David Karp will remain CEO. The product, service and brand will continue to be defined and developed separately with the same Tumblr irreverence, wit, and commitment to empower creators. (more…)
Point Source Power’s cheap, rugged fuel cells can provide electricity where none exists.
In some parts of the developing world, people may live in homes without electricity or toilets or running water but yet they own cell phones. To charge those phones, they may have to walk for miles to reach a town charging station—and possibly even have to leave their phones overnight. Now a startup company spun off technology developed at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) has created a simple, inexpensive way to provide electricity to the 2.5 billion people in the world who don’t get it reliably.
Point Source Power’s innovative device is based on a solid oxide fuel cell that is powered by burning charcoal, wood or other types of biomass—even cow dung—the types of fuel that many in the developing world use for cooking. The fuel cell sits in the fire and is attached to circuitry in a handle that is charged as the fuel cell heats up to temperatures of 700 to 800 degrees Celsius. The handle, which contains an LED bulb, can then be detached and used for lighting or to charge a phone. (more…)
Microsoft BizSpark startup improves communication and provides easy access to administrative resources combined with an educational social network.
REDMOND, Wash. — March 7, 2013 — During a trip to his home town in St. Petersburg, Russia, Gabriel Levi noticed that his local school system could modernize its services for educators and students by streamlining communication and reducing manual tasks. Using his entrepreneurial instincts, he saw a need and created a solution. Now Levi is CEO and founder of Classed In, where he has turned his mission into a thriving business with a comprehensive educational social network that connects teachers, students, administrators and parents at approximately 27,000 K–12 schools in Russia — more than half the country’s schools.
Levi attended college at Columbia University in New York and studied economics and computer science, while he dreamed of starting a business. When a work assignment took him back to St. Petersburg a few years later, he was struck by how Russian schools were still relying on completely manual processes for everything from registration and grade reporting to class assignments and homework. His point of reference was personal: Levi’s mother was a university instructor, and his younger brother was in middle school at the time. (more…)
Today’s consumers switch between media forms so often – from TV to laptops to smart phones – that capturing their attention with advertising has gone, as one CEO explained, from shooting fish in a barrel to shooting minnows. (more…)
Microsoft BizSpark One startup helps businesses adapt in a volatile economic landscape.
REDMOND, Wash. — Nov. 7, 2012 — E-commerce sales are expected to top $1.25 trillion by 2013 globally.* However, according to the CEO of Commerce Guys, e-commerce is still in its infancy.
There is a growing opportunity for retailers and merchants using e-commerce, but meeting the needs of a global marketplace presents many challenges. Commerce Guys is working to make it easy with a platform that is flexible and scalable to meet the needs of a variety of customers. (more…)
Microsoft commemorates 30th Employee Giving Campaign with CEO Steve Ballmer and Chairman and Founder Bill Gates.
REDMOND, Wash. — Oct. 18, 2012 — Microsoft Corp. today commemorated its 30th Employee Giving Campaign and announced that U.S. employees raised $1 billion in cash since 1983 for approximately 31,000 nonprofits and community organizations around the world. CEO Steve Ballmer announced the milestone during a special town hall event at the Microsoft Redmond campus, which included Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates and Washington State Gov. Chris Gregoire.
“Today, I’m thrilled to announce that since our Employee Giving Campaign started in 1983, Microsoft employees have donated a total of $1 billion to more than 31,000 nonprofits around the world,” Ballmer said. “I’m incredibly proud of our employees, and this is truly a time to celebrate, not just because we’ve raised a record amount of funds, but also because together with our nonprofit partners, we have impacted and improved the lives of hundreds of millions of people.” (more…)
