Five takeaways from WPC

This article appeared in the August issue of CRN magazine as part of the main feature "How Nadella is re-engineering Microsoft"

1. Mobile Device Management

Microsoft announced its Enterprise Mobility Suite at a press event in San Francisco in March (the same event where it revealed Office for iPad). There was substantial airtime given to EMS during WPC. The technology is no doubt putting MDM providers AirWatch (owned by VMware), Mobile Iron, Good Technology and BlackBerry on alert. 

2. Security 

Microsoft wants to “get our share of the pie” around cyber security, said Microsoft COO Kevin Turner at WPC. He revealed that Microsoft is building a three-pronged security portfolio based around “protect, respond and detect”. This would include technology such as Bitlocker, rights management, identity management, AD services, multifactor authentication as well as cyber security assessments and response services. “We have been investing in security for more than 15 years; we are now putting together a go-to market, one that you can participate in,” said Turner.

3. Storage 

In case you missed it, Microsoft is now a storage vendor, after acquired StorSimple in 2012. New hybrid cloud storage appliances will be available on 1 August. The kit arbitrages data between an onsite NAS and Azure cloud storage. According to Microsoft, Azure StorSimple simplifies disaster recovery, consolidates management, and brings on-premise data to the cloud for development and testing of new apps.

4. Low-cost devices 

While Microsoft has won a small share of the low-end device market, this risks being eroded by a bevy of cheap Android kit. Microsoft has responded by dropping the price for OEM device makers to license its software. In the case of 9-inch tablets and below, it has dropped the licence fee entirely. New kit will include a 7-inch and an 8-inch tablet for US$99 in time for Christmas. On the notebook side, Microsoft also offered a sneak peak at some low-priced devices that it will pitch against Google Chromebooks. This will include an HP Stream device priced at US$199, and an Acer and a Toshiba notebook, both priced at US$249.

5. Artificial intelligence

Azure Machine Learning “helps partners build advanced analytic cloud services for their customers in minutes and hours, eliminating much of the heavy lifting associated with deploying machine learning in modern data-driven applications”. At WPC, Microsoft showed how the technology was helping elevator maker ThyssenKrupp offer predictive and even pre-emptive maintenance to guarantee higher uptime.

Julia White, general manager of the Office division, showed how Azure Machine Learning is powering a new service, Delve.