Microsoft Windows software
Microsoft Windows is the most successful and ubiquitous enterprise software product ever created, and its future developments affect nearly every IT manager in some way. Browse all the latest news and analysis about Microsoft Windows software and the issues around buying, implementing and delivering benefits from Windows.
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News
23 Apr 2025
Amid uncertainty, Armis becomes newest CVE numbering authority
Amid an uncertain future for vulnerability research, exposure management company Armis has been given the authority to assign CVE IDs to newly discovered vulnerabilities Continue Reading
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News
04 Apr 2025
Microsoft at 50: Enterprise IT for the masses
On 4 April 1975, Paul Allen and Bill Gates formed Microsoft, a company that defined the PC era and opened up computing for all Continue Reading
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News
15 Mar 2021
Microsoft Exchange ProxyLogon attacks spike 10 times in four days
Exploitations of the Microsoft Exchange ProxyLogon vulnerabilities have increased tenfold in just four days Continue Reading
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News
12 Mar 2021
NCSC issues emergency alert on Microsoft Exchange patch
UK’s national cyber agency calls on organisations affected by the ProxyLogon vulnerabilities to patch their Microsoft Exchange Servers immediately Continue Reading
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News
12 Mar 2021
DearCry ransomware targets vulnerable Exchange servers
As predicted, ransomware gangs have started to target vulnerable instances of Microsoft Exchange Server, making patching an even greater priority Continue Reading
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News
11 Mar 2021
Norwegian government falls victim to Microsoft attacks
Norway’s parliament, the Storting, suffers second major cyber incident in a year as threat groups capitalise on vulnerable Microsoft Exchange Servers Continue Reading
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Blog Post
10 Mar 2021
The New Norm Still Means The Old Norm When It Comes To Exchange Vulnerabilities
Some things in IT never change and one is exposing vulnerabilities in Microsoft’s armoury, not least as has recently been reported, Microsoft Exchange. Oh, how the hackers love Exchange… So, at the ... Continue Reading
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News
10 Mar 2021
Patch Tuesday overshadowed by Microsoft Exchange attacks
Microsoft’s March Patch Tuesday update drops amid ongoing fall-out from widespread Exchange attacks Continue Reading
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News
05 Mar 2021
Mandiant: MS Exchange bugs first exploited in January
Analysis from technical teams at FireEye’s Mandiant tracked activity exploiting newly disclosed vulnerabilities in Microsoft Exchange Server more than a month ago Continue Reading
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News
04 Mar 2021
Microsoft Exchange CVEs more widely exploited than thought
US CISA issues emergency guidance as impact of four newly disclosed Microsoft Exchange vulnerabilities becomes clearer Continue Reading
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News
03 Mar 2021
Emergency patch addresses MS Exchange Server zero-days
Microsoft releases an emergency patch to address multiple zero-day exploits directed at on-premise installations of Exchange Server Continue Reading
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News
24 Feb 2021
Microsoft builds industry-specific clouds for financial services and manufacturing firms
Software giant follows up launch of industry-specific cloud offerings for retail and healthcare organisations with a commitment to do the same for non-profits, manufacturing and financial services firms Continue Reading
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News
10 Feb 2021
Windows 10, Server 2019 users must patch serious zero-day
Another dangerous zero-day exploit is among 56 vulnerabilities patched by Microsoft in February’s Patch Tuesday update Continue Reading
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News
04 Feb 2021
SolarWinds chases multiple leads in breach investigation
Investigators at SolarWinds are exploring multiple theories as to how the company’s systems were compromised Continue Reading
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Blog Post
25 Jan 2021
Application modernisation cloud platform makes the impossible, possible
Around this time last year, I was in London to cover off an event on platform migration for Rimo3, which I duly covered in this blog back then. ... Continue Reading
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News
20 Jan 2021
Malwarebytes also hit by SolarWinds attackers
The nation state group that attacked SolarWinds in December got inside Malwarebytes by exploiting privileged access to its Microsoft Office 365 tenant, the firm reveals Continue Reading
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News
13 Jan 2021
Critical zero-day features in first Patch Tuesday of 2021
Microsoft releases fixes for 84 bugs on the first Patch Tuesday of 2021, including a critical zero-day vulnerability in Microsoft Defender Continue Reading
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Feature
23 Dec 2020
Patching: Balancing technical requirements with business considerations
With an increasing reliance on subscription models alongside the regular patching of software, updates have become an essential part of modern business practices. However, care needs to be taken to ensure the optimum patching process is implemented Continue Reading
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News
09 Dec 2020
Patch Tuesday: Microsoft presents just 58 CVEs for Christmas
The final Patch Tuesday of 2020 contains 58 fixes, a minnow compared to some recent drops, but many are still of high importance Continue Reading
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E-Zine
08 Dec 2020
Where next for Windows?
In this week’s Computer Weekly, Windows is still the most-used operating system in enterprises – we look at where Microsoft aims to take it next. We examine some of the key questions for CIOs for their 2021 IT strategy. And we analyse the best practice in preventing distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks. Read the issue now. Continue Reading
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News
26 Nov 2020
Robots taking jobs, but creating careers
Robotic process automation developers tell Computer Weekly about the job they never expected to be doing Continue Reading
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Feature
24 Nov 2020
Microsoft Windows’ future is all about users
We look at how Microsoft is evolving the Windows desktop operating system platform and providing developer flexibility Continue Reading
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News
11 Nov 2020
Microsoft drops fix for serious zero-day among 112 Patch Tuesday updates
November’s Patch Tuesday contains fixes for 112 bugs, including a potentially serious zero-day exploit that malicious actors are already taking advantage of Continue Reading
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News
14 Oct 2020
Microsoft fixes 87 bugs in October 2020 Patch Tuesday
Smaller October Patch Tuesday update includes fixes for critical bugs in Windows 10 and Windows Server 2019 Continue Reading
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News
29 Sep 2020
Organisations locked out by Azure AD crash
The Azure Active Directory was unavailable for a few hours in the evening of 28 September, preventing many from accessing MS online services Continue Reading
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News
24 Sep 2020
Race to patch as Microsoft confirms Zerologon attacks in the wild
Don’t be the organisation that made the headlines because it failed to patch. Microsoft says it is seeing cyber attacks ramping up around the Zerologon CVE-2020-1472 bug Continue Reading
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News
09 Sep 2020
September’s Patch Tuesday heavy on RCE vulnerabilities
Microsoft’s September update contains patches for 129 common vulnerabilities and exposures, including a high number of remote code execution issues Continue Reading
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News
12 Aug 2020
Microsoft patches two zero-days with active exploits
Microsoft drops another major Patch Tuesday update, including fixes for two zero-day exploits that are already being exploited by cyber criminals Continue Reading
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News
10 Aug 2020
CIO interview: DFS’s Russell Harte on the Google ecosystem
The furniture retailer has standardised on G Suite and has bought into the Google Cloud Platform and Chrome OS devices Continue Reading
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News
06 Aug 2020
Samsung and Microsoft extend Windows and Office 365 integration
Samsung fleshes out OneDrive, Outlook and OneNote integration. Microsoft offers Link to Windows, to extend phones to Windows 10 PCs Continue Reading
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News
04 Aug 2020
Nordic enterprises look for SAP price reductions as they navigate Covid-19
Businesses in the Nordics are using SAP Cloud Platform to address Covid-19 challenges and are also seeking price reductions Continue Reading
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News
29 Jul 2020
Serious BootHole vulnerability puts millions of systems at risk
BootHole is a GRUB2 bootloader vulnerability and puts millions of PCs, servers and other devices at risk of compromise Continue Reading
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News
23 Jul 2020
Microsoft results show impact of tech-driven business resilience
While economies are set to shrink, businesses are leaning on tech to support operations, says Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella Continue Reading
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News
15 Jul 2020
Patch Tuesday: Microsoft fixes 123 bugs in July 2020 update
The bugs start coming and they don’t stop coming; Microsoft has issued yet another bumper Patch Tuesday update Continue Reading
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News
15 Jul 2020
HSBC chooses AWS for public cloud business operations
HSBC will use a cloud platform from Amazon Web Services across its business operations to accelerate its public cloud use Continue Reading
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News
14 Jul 2020
Check Point unearths critical SigRed bug in Windows DNS
SigRed vulnerability is highly dangerous, but is being fixed as part of the July 2020 Patch Tuesday update Continue Reading
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News
09 Jul 2020
Locked-down Nationwide staff make 2.5 million video calls in June
Home-working technologies are no longer just a contingency for large companies, with future working practices set to change Continue Reading
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News
06 Jul 2020
CIO interview: David Allison, global head of IT, First Quantum Minerals
For his first global CIO role, the IT chief had to tackle unusual challenges such as reliable networking and IT use in inhospitable mining environments in developing countries Continue Reading
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News
10 Jun 2020
Decade-old vulnerability among 129 Patch Tuesday fixes
A 10 year-old bug in Windows Group Policies could easily enable attackers to gain highly privileged user status on target systems, opening the doors to a wave of cyber attacks Continue Reading
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News
04 Jun 2020
Why this is the right time for IT
The coronavirus has put the spotlight on IT capabilities, and people are now willing to embrace technology-driven change to working practices Continue Reading
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News
03 Jun 2020
How Teams and Office 365 connect NHS staff during the lockdown
NHS’s AGEM Commissioning Support Unit has migrated from on-premise SharePoint to Office 365 and is now using Teams Continue Reading
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E-Zine
02 Jun 2020
What will be the IT security priorities of the post-coronavirus world?
In this week’s Computer Weekly, with the working world after the pandemic set to be very different, we assess the IT security priorities for the ‘new normal’. Facial recognition firms are racing to identify people wearing face masks. And how did Europe’s telecoms networks cope with the switch to remote working? Read the issue now. Continue Reading
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News
29 May 2020
The software innovation impact of coronavirus
Software developers can work remotely, but if workers are expected to work remotely in the long term, can organisations maintain a software innovation cycle? Continue Reading
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Blog Post
27 May 2020
Office productivity in a post Coronavirus world
One of the changes that has come out of the Coronavirus pandemic is that people are learning to work from home. This is more than IT providing remote and cloud-based access to business ... Continue Reading
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News
26 May 2020
MoD cuts through competition barriers to sign direct private cloud deal with Microsoft
The Ministry of Defence has justified its decision to directly award Microsoft a 23-month private cloud deal by stating the firm is the only one able to meet its precise technical and data protection needs Continue Reading
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News
20 May 2020
Microsoft Build 2020: Nadella praises developers for their work during pandemic
IT has played a key role in supporting people and businesses during the coronavirus lockdown Continue Reading
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News
20 May 2020
Build 2020: How Microsoft aims to build trust in artificial intelligence
Microsoft has outlined its toolset for making AI models explainable with the InterpretML and AboutML tools Continue Reading
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News
19 May 2020
Microsoft Build 2020: Focus on protecting data for AI development
Microsoft Build is always a vital event for developers across the IT industry. This year, Microsoft has expanded its AI emphasis Continue Reading
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News
13 May 2020
Microsoft fixes 16 critical vulnerabilities on Patch Tuesday
The trend towards mammoth Patch Tuesdays continues as Microsoft fixes 111 vulnerabilities Continue Reading
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News
15 Apr 2020
Centrica deploys Citrix Cloud services on Azure to manage demand
Utility firm Centrica turns to Citrix on the Azure cloud to deal with its seasonal peak in call centre usage, which affects its virtual desktop environment Continue Reading
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News
15 Apr 2020
Microsoft patches 19 critical bugs in another heavy Patch Tuesday
The volume of vulnerabilities being uncovered by Microsoft remains high, with more than 100 fixes pushed out in April’s Patch Tuesday Continue Reading
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News
02 Apr 2020
Jack Schofield, tech journalist and Computer Weekly contributor, dies
In his Computer Weekly articles, Schofield discussed the early success of the web, why the BlackBerry should be waterproof, and how Microsoft overtook IBM Continue Reading
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News
16 Mar 2020
Bill Gates steps down from Microsoft board to focus on philanthropic efforts
The co-founder of Microsoft has decided to step down from Microsoft's board to spend his time ‘focusing on how to solve some of the world's biggest problems’ Continue Reading
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News
11 Mar 2020
Microsoft locks down new vulnerability with EternalBlue echoes
Microsoft has moved to get ahead of a serious remote code execution vulnerability in Microsoft Server Message Block 3.1.1, which was accidentally disclosed then missed in its March Patch Tuesday update Continue Reading
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News
11 Mar 2020
Microsoft fixes 26 critical vulnerabilities in another heavy Patch Tuesday
March’s Patch Tuesday is another big one for Microsoft, addressing 115 vulnerabilities, 26 of them critical Continue Reading
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News
19 Feb 2020
Questions raised over Office 365 shared content policy
Buried 300 words into Microsoft’s standard service level agreement is a clause that affects intellectual property and privacy Continue Reading
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News
12 Feb 2020
Internet Explorer zero day among 99 Patch Tuesday problems
After an eventful January Patch Tuesday that marked the end of support for Windows 7, the February 2020 update is another whopper, fixing close to 100 vulnerabilities Continue Reading
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News
07 Feb 2020
RobbinHood ransomware tricks Windows into deleting defences
By subverting kernel memory settings in Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 10, the RobbinHood ransomware can now delete cyber security defences from target systems Continue Reading
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Blog Post
03 Feb 2020
Be Prepared For Infrastructure Change...
As I mentioned in my previous blog post, the time for digital transformation to happen has started to hit crunch time, and then some. I recently reported on an IT event in Central Londinium, an ... Continue Reading
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News
30 Jan 2020
Microsoft earnings get a lift from Windows 7 extended security
Azure powers Microsoft’s Q2 2020 earnings, but the company is not only seeing a boost from Windows 365, but also extended Windows 7 support Continue Reading
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Podcast
28 Jan 2020
Podcast: The Computer Weekly Downtime Upload – Episode 44
In this week’s episode of the Computer Weekly Downtime Upload podcast, Caroline Donnelly and Brian McKenna are joined by Cliff Saran to discuss the end of support for Windows 7, the latest developments in IR35 in the private sector, Will Carling and AWS in respect of the Six Nations, data literacy, and IT at Davos Continue Reading
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News
23 Jan 2020
Travelex hackers shut down German car parts company Gedia in massive ‘cyber attack’
Car parts manufacturer says cyber attack will have far-reaching consequences for its business, and it has put emergency plans in place to continue deliveries Continue Reading
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News
22 Jan 2020
Internal error left Microsoft customer service data exposed
Customer service and support records of nearly 250 million Microsoft customers left exposed after database misconfiguration Continue Reading
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News
22 Jan 2020
Windows 7: The pieces are coming together for a PC rethink
As organisations migrate off the unsupported Microsoft Windows 7 operating system to Windows 10, CIOs must assess their hardware refresh strategy Continue Reading
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Podcast
21 Jan 2020
Podcast: The Computer Weekly Downtime Upload – Episode 43
In this week’s episode of the Computer Weekly Downtime Upload podcast, Caroline Donnelly, Clare McDonald and Brian McKenna talk about the loan charge review that is bearing down on IT contractors, the Tech Talent Charter, Windows 7, and combating loneliness among remote workers Continue Reading
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20 Jan 2020
Don’t become the next Travelex: Get ready for ransomware
With Travelex’s IT still in disarray and banks and travellers left without access to funds more than a week after it was hit by a ransomware attack, we ask what others can learn from the foreign exchange services company’s response to the incident. Continue Reading
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E-Zine
20 Jan 2020
How to avoid becoming the next Travelex
In this week’s Computer Weekly, we look at the lessons learned from the ransomware attack on Travelex and how other firms can avoid the same fate. As Microsoft ends support for Windows 7, we examine the issues for the many remaining users of the operating system. And healthcare CIOs explain the tech challenges facing the NHS. Read the issue now. Continue Reading
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News
16 Jan 2020
Lloyds Banking Group to create digital workplace with Microsoft
Bank is transforming how its staff work as part of a multibillion-pound digital transformation Continue Reading
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Blog Post
16 Jan 2020
Windows 7: Don’t cry for me
It may have gone unnoticed with the January 14 end of support deadline for Windows 7, but Microsoft’s 10 year old OS, had one last Patch Tuesday update. And , surprise, surprise, this included a ... Continue Reading
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News
15 Jan 2020
Last Windows 7 patch updates critical remote desktop flaw
It is no longer being supported with free updates, but Microsoft's final Patch Tuesday for Windows 7 fixes a major flaw in the 10-year-old operating system Continue Reading
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News
15 Jan 2020
NSA Windows 10 security disclosure raises questions
In an unprecedented move, the NSA has got out in front of a critical cryptographic flaw in Windows 10, but in doing so has raised multiple questions Continue Reading
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News
14 Jan 2020
Gartner: Windows 7 will continue to drive 2020 business PC sales
With end of support, businesses are rushing to upgrade their desktop PC estate to Windows 10, driving growth in the PC market Continue Reading
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News
14 Jan 2020
Turn the end of Windows 7 support into a security advantage
CISOs can take advantage of the end of support for Microsoft Windows 7 by making the case for more investment in cyber security Continue Reading
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News
14 Jan 2020
Windows 7: Dead or alive?
Far from being dead and buried, Windows 7 is set to remain alive and kicking in many organisations as they struggle with complex migration challenges Continue Reading
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News
10 Jan 2020
Microsoft led enterprise IT pack in revenue growth terms over past decade, research shows
In the final despatch from Synergy Research Group's look back at the IT trends that shaped the past decade, Microsoft emerges as the tech firm that managed to grow its enterprise revenue share the most throughout the 2010s Continue Reading
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News
20 Dec 2019
Top 10 end-user computing stories of 2019
The Windows desktop and laptop are not going away, but desktop IT is changing. Computer Weekly looks at the top trends in end-user computing Continue Reading
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17 Dec 2019
How Intel has put the brakes on Windows 10 refresh
IT departments have until 14 January 2020 to update their PCs to Windows 10, but a shortage of Intel chips may scupper their plans Continue Reading
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E-Zine
17 Dec 2019
How data analytics is improving the world’s greatest tennis players
In this week’s Computer Weekly, we talk to the organisation that runs men’s tennis worldwide to find out how data analytics is transforming the sport. Intel processors delays will affect Windows 10 upgrades – we examine the implications. And we ask if AI is living up to the hype in enterprise IT. Read the issue now. Continue Reading
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Blog Post
11 Dec 2019
Intel delay: Update an old Windows 7 PC, or buy AMD
The shortage of Intel processors is having a knock-on effect on IT’s ability to upgrade whatever legacy Windows 7 PCs still remain in the organisation onto new Windows 10 hardware. At the time of ... Continue Reading
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News
09 Dec 2019
China bans foreign computing kit from government contracts
All government offices and public institutions must eliminate foreign hardware and software within three years, according to a leaked directive dubbed 3-5-2 Continue Reading
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News
28 Nov 2019
How Intel has put the brakes on Windows 10 refresh
IT departments have until 14 January 2020 to update their PCs to Windows 10, but a shortage of Intel chips may scupper their plans Continue Reading
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Blog Post
28 Nov 2019
Taming Windows As A Service - Making The Incompatible Compatible...
With so much IT focus on the cloudy landscape, it's easy to forget that what is happening at the desktop is still the touchy-feely point of IT contact for the users themselves. And much of that ... Continue Reading
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Blog Post
28 Nov 2019
Intel delays means Windows 7 support deadline needs extending
In the last few days Hewlett Packard Inc and Dell have posted results, in which their respective chief financial officers have spoken about the issues their businesses face with the supply of Intel ... Continue Reading
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Feature
27 Nov 2019
Microsoft's history and future strategy beyond 2020
Microsoft's history over the past 20 years is marked by the pivot from closed software models to support for open source and cloud. Quantum computing will shape the next decades. Continue Reading
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News
27 Nov 2019
Dell admits Intel chip delay could impact Windows refresh
In the earnings call for Dell’s Q3 2019 results, the company admitted that up to one-third of Windows PC refresh orders may not be fulfilled until 2020 Continue Reading
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E-Zine
12 Nov 2019
The importance of digital accessibility
In this week’s Computer Weekly, we examine what retailers need to do to make their digital channels accessible for disabled people. We look at the rise of alternative desktop productivity tools to Microsoft Office. And our new buyer’s guide covers next-generation programming tools such as no-code/low-code development. Read the issue now. Continue Reading
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News
08 Nov 2019
Security pros urged to get ahead of incoming BlueKeep exploits
The BlueKeep RDP vulnerability is beginning to be exploited in the wild, and security teams have no excuse for not trying to get in front of it, says Microsoft Continue Reading
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News
05 Nov 2019
Ransomware authors seeking new ways to avoid being spotted
Sector analysis from Sophos has revealed some insight into how malware authors are adapting to thwart cyber security controls Continue Reading
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News
01 Nov 2019
How to break free from traditional desktop productivity
Over the last few years, the acceptance of cloud platforms in business has opened up opportunities for employees to work differently. We investigate Continue Reading
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News
30 Oct 2019
Executive interview: Why the times are a changin’ in collaboration
Companies are aware that the next wave of talent wants to work collaboratively, but how do you collaborate and what policies discourage collaboration? Continue Reading
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Blog Post
28 Oct 2019
Time to unplug PowerPoint
Can a corporate piece of software change the culture of an organisation. It happened in 1983 when Mitch Kapor developed Lotus 1-2-3 for the IBM PC, the PC’s first killer application. Aldus ... Continue Reading
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News
28 Oct 2019
Windows 7 upgrade haunts health service tech vision
Windows 7 issues at the NHS are making headlines, 15 months after the release of the review of how legacy IT was exploited by the WannaCry attack Continue Reading
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News
14 Oct 2019
The Security Interviews: Applying AI to Lego, and security
Ann Johnson, Microsoft corporate vice-president of cyber security, is on a mission to prove that artificial intelligence holds great promise for the security sector, and she has the analogies to back it up Continue Reading
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News
04 Oct 2019
Microsoft delivers Surface with benefits for enterprise IT
It may not be headline-grabbing news, but the Surface Pro has screws – it can be taken apart and components such as disk drives can be swapped out Continue Reading
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News
27 Sep 2019
Nodersok malware campaign is infecting thousands, Microsoft warns
Thousands of Windows endpoints in the US and Europe have been infected by a new fileless malware campaign in the past few weeks Continue Reading
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News
03 Sep 2019
Aberdeen Standard Investment deploys Igel for VDI
The investment management group is rolling out virtual desktop infrastructure globally and will use the secure Linux platform Igel to manage the VDI environment Continue Reading
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News
21 Aug 2019
Warwickshire county council deploys Microsoft cloud productivity suite
Teams, Office 365 and other cloud-based tools are being rolled out to give council staff greater flexibility Continue Reading
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News
15 Aug 2019
Google vs Microsoft: Digging into the public cloud email market duopoly
The public cloud email sector is a veritable two-horse race, with Microsoft and Google being the ones to beat, but it is unlikely ever to become a “winner takes all” market, says Gartner Continue Reading
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E-Zine
13 Aug 2019
How tech experts could earn millions as whistleblowers
In this week’s Computer Weekly, a tech expert is set to earn millions after successfully blowing the whistle on vulnerabilities in Cisco’s video surveillance software. Our latest buyer’s guide examines the issues around big data architecture. And we look at how the end of Windows 7 could spark a new era for desktop productivity. Read the issue now. Continue Reading
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Blog Post
06 Aug 2019
CircleCI offers single-workflow (multiple-platform) CI/CD for Microsoft Windows
Developer-centric automation software company CircleCI has launched general availability of support for Windows in its product set. CircleCI (the clue is in the name) has a specialism in Continuous ... Continue Reading
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News
23 Jul 2019
Use Windows 7 end of life to update desktop productivity
The end of support for Windows 7 should be seen as the end of an era for traditional desktop IT. So what does 21st century desktop productivity look like? Continue Reading
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News
19 Jul 2019
Microsoft gets boost in SaaS revenue and pushes Teams platform
It is still a long way behind AWS, but the Microsoft cloud is the company’s big money-maker. It is also seeing Teams establish itself as a platform Continue Reading