March 31, 2021

When it comes to artificial intelligence, throw away that tired old tech rulebook

Emerging technologies always demand new approaches to risks and opportunities. They often force us to rethink and modify our existing methodologies in favor of more integrated and interconnected processes. In this regard, artificial intelligence is definitely no exception. However, there's still a lot of mysticism around what implications AI might have for today's businesses and what measures organizations must take to ensure the successful execution of their AI initiatives. In this article, you'll learn about four ways in which ways AI is poised to turn the enterprise landscape on its head and how your business can better prepare for its ventures into artificial intelligence.

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March 30, 2021

Migrate Web Apps

This infographic details three simple ways to migrate web applications to Azure App Service. Bring your code, bring your container, or use the Migration Assistant tool.

View: Migrate Web Apps

Building Intelligent Cloud Applications

This eBook provides a step-by-step guide for building and deploying scalable deep learning and machine learning models using serverless architectures with Azure. Learn to code machine learning into your projects using Python and pretrained models that include image and speech recognition and classification. Explore issues around deployment and continuous delivery, including scaling, security, and monitoring.

View: Building Intelligent Cloud Applications

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Innovating with Microsoft not only secures your revenue with reliable predictions but also keeps your business safe from fraud. Don't miss another post and subscribe now!

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3 reasons to invest in Microsoft Azure AI

Digital transformation enabled businesses to obtain data from places they never thought possible and to monitor every aspect of customer interactions to gain a holistic view of their customers. Companies soon realized, though, that an overabundance of unstructured data was not only wasteful, but could also become counter-productive, and that some automation was needed to identify the data that could be acted upon to generate real value. However, as the influx of data grew more and more massive, it became clear that more advanced methods of automation were needed to keep up with the scale of commercial IoT and digital operations. Enter artificial intelligence. In this infographic, you'll learn why capitalizing on AI has become crucial for today's leading enterprises, and how investing in Microsoft Azure AI can help you create a smarter, faster-growing business.

View: 3 reasons to invest in Microsoft Azure AI

Department of Health and Human Services: Health services delivering powerful digital experiences

The reach and scope of digital healthcare services is expanding. Given the overwhelming potential they offer for transforming the industry, it's safe to say that this is only the beginning of a much deeper transformation. This shift promises to benefit both healthcare providers and their patients by empowering doctors with improved data collection that guides them in helping patients adopt healthier lifestyles, effectively reducing hospital and other medical center visits. Digital technology also enables medical centers to provide smarter, more efficient operations by allowing them to safely store patient records in the cloud and collaborate seamlessly with other facilities around the world. In this video, you'll see how the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) in Victoria, Australia, has built solutions based on Microsoft technology that enable enhanced collaboration, allowing the agency to improve the services it provides.

March 29, 2021

NSW: Investing in education technology

For educators, digital transformation isn't just students having access to computers and googling information. It's introducing young people to the increasingly advanced technological capabilities that surround them—and will be a part of their working future. To kick off our video series, we go to New South Wales, Australia, where technology is shaping the ways students learn and teachers teach. With Microsoft support, over 400,000 devices can be supported within one organization. It's geographically encompassing and developed for anytime-anywhere teaching and learning. It saves users time and money. Have a look!

Azure helps companies power their hybrid cloud migration

The hybrid capabilities from Microsoft Azure fuel innovation and delivers great business outcomes to companies such as, J.B. Hunt, KPMG, Allscripts, and Chevron. By meeting them where they are, Microsoft improves the cloud migration experience and helps companies reduce overall costs. Watch to learn how these Fortune 500 companies used Microsoft Azure to power their hybrid cloud strategies and move their businesses forward.

Improve efficiency and quality with AI-infused finance processes

Many businesses still implement legacy technology and traditional processes, but AI is transforming the playing field. In this blog post, a Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance Manager writes about how Finance Insights works to reliably predict customer payments, adapts quickly with intelligent budget proposals, and increases projected cash flow.

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March 24, 2021

Harness the power of affordable, clean, and sustainable energy. Learn more about Microsoft Azure.

Digital hasn't only made things more comfortable for us, it's also made them better for those without access to basic health or basic services around the world. One example of this is, by creating an interconnected world, we gain a better understanding of how technology can be used to control our natural resources more efficiently and accessibly. While these use cases may be employed in the First World to make existing services self-sustainable and cleaner, in more remote parts of the globe they can be used to create new services that make life better for everyone. Subscribe now to learn more about how you can utilize Microsoft Azure to make your clean energy solutions a reality.

View: Harness the power of affordable, clean, and sustainable energy. Learn more about Microsoft Azure.

Enable faster, more accurate decision-making for retail managers. Get started with Microsoft Strategic Retail Solutions.

In the digital age, fast, accurate decision-making can make the difference between seizing a unique opportunity and remaining on the sidelines. To create a business that's truly more agile, managers and other decision-makers must be empowered with digital tools that enable them to process tasks more effectively and obtain a holistic view of their customers. Subscribe now to learn how you can drive intelligent retail and get the most out of your customer- and employee-facing applications by using Microsoft Strategic Retail Solutions.

View: Enable faster, more accurate decision-making for retail managers. Get started with Microsoft Strategic Retail Solutions.

Improve your agency's collaboration, transparency, and sustainability. Get started with Microsoft 365.

To increase access to their services, governments can now literally place them in the hands of their citizens via intuitive, mobile-first applications and websites that provide greater visibility and efficiency. This approach greatly reduces citizens' efforts toward solving simple administrative tasks. This in turn allows public employees to focus more time on responsibilities with higher impacts, such as delivering services to those who most need them. Subscribe now to get the latest insights into how you can use Microsoft 365 to enable more-efficient services and build trust among your citizens.

View: Improve your agency's collaboration, transparency, and sustainability. Get started with Microsoft 365.

March 23, 2021

Microsoft Azure cloud migration: 3 success stories

Learn from three Microsoft customer success stories to understand how to make a valid business plan for your cloud migration. This article describes each way J.B. Hunt, H&R Block, and A.P. Moller - Maersk are using Microsoft to move their applications and systems to Azure.

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Wild & Wolf replaces legacy systems with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central

Find out how one global company removed outdated, legacy systems and truly transformed the way they ran their business with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. Quickly outgrowing their disjointed systems, Wild & Wolf desperately needed a single platform to use across all their businesses.

Fraud Losses in 2019 Topped $1.9B, FTC Reports

Last year alone there were more than 650,000 reports of identity theft, with most consumers reporting credit card fraud and loan fraud.

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SunCulture success story: Remove labor to let water flow

"Work smarter, not harder" has become the motto of the digital age. Yet in some parts of the world where modern technology is not accessible, hard, manual labor is the only choice people have to get things done. For example, in parts of Africa where running water is not available, farmers like Monica must manually extract water from a well and distribute it amongst her family, crops, and animals. This isn't just exhausting but also extremely inefficient, and can lead to small yields for such an extensive level of effort. To make matters worse, seasonal changes greatly impact the amount of water available, making life for people like Monica that much harder. So, how can you leverage the power of modern technology to help these farmers produce more food and secure a better future? Watch this video to learn how SunCulture is using solar energy to bring hope and prosperity to Monica and more farmers like her in Kenya.

Empowering managers

Retail managers have a lot on their plate, and ensuring that they make the best of the time they have available is imperative. One way to address this is to ensure that they have access to the business-critical information they need to obtain a holistic view of their customers and stores. This way, managers are empowered to make accurate decisions quickly based on the most-current data and focus on delivering innovative in-store experiences that increase revenue and improve customer loyalty. In this video, you'll see how Kroger's Microsoft-powered Virtual Store Manager solution enables retail decision-makers to process their tasks electronically, allowing them to make more-effective decisions and create alluring in-store experiences.

March 22, 2021

City of Houston: transportation transformation

As cities become more densely populated, local governments must find ways to provide more-accessible services to all their citizens. One way they can do this is by investing in digital solutions that allow for the creation of new services while increasing the scope and efficiency of existing services. A shift to digitized operations enables public employees to do more with less and empowers them via digital tools that broaden the impact of their actions. In this video, you'll see how the city of Houston is using Microsoft technology to enable new services, reduce traffic congestion, and help create a better future for all its citizens.

Descartes migrates to Azure SQL Database for growth and flexibility

Discover how Descartes, a global leader in logistics and supply chain solutions, helps keep goods flowing smoothly for businesses. Descartes wanted to move its MacroPoint solution to the public cloud to provide greater flexibility for customers and to focus internal resources on extending product value. After choosing Microsoft Azure as its preferred platform, the company successfully migrated the solution to Azure SQL Database.

March 16, 2021

Migration strategies

This infographic outlines the 4 different strategies available to migrate your apps to Microsoft: rehost, refactor, rearchitect, or rebuild.

View: Migration strategies

Why smart data strategies will drive the evolution of retail

When e-commerce and online retail first appeared, many people—including some experts—speculated that it signaled the beginning of the end of brick-and-mortar retailers. For a moment, there was near agreement that physical stores were a thing of the past, but this was a misconception. As with other overblown predictions, the so-called end of retail stores didn't happen. Instead, the industry was taken over by a new breed of tech-savvy retailers that harnessed the power of digital transformation and analytics to create unified, alluring experiences for today's consumers. Retailers are still adapting to this new, digitally driven business model, but most are already reaping the benefits that the new digital ecosystem offers. In this article, you'll learn about the challenges that retailers can face in analyzing their business performance, and what they can do to improve on their data-driven initiatives.

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How a cloud-native approach enables frictionless, scalable security

The cloud has profoundly transformed the way organizations operate by simplifying delivery, scale, and management to drive innovation. Cloud technology also greatly empowers development teams by allowing them to shorten development cycles and re-envision the nature of business operations. No technology is without its unique challenges, though. Security and IT teams sometimes struggle with the adoption of a cloud-native approach because of the friction it can generate with existing applications, some of which lack the requirements for scalable cloud integration capabilities. Read this article to learn about the three main characteristics that network detection and response (NDR) solutions must have to ensure scalable, frictionless security and native integration with industry-leading solutions such as Microsoft Azure.

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SunCulture success story

If you're reading this, then chances are that getting easy access to clean, running water isn't an issue for you. But for around 43 percent of the world's total population, this simply is not the case. For them, obtaining the drinkable water they need to sustain their families requires hard work and commitment. To make matters even more critical, most of them live in rural areas in which farming is their main source of income. This means that any available water must be carefully distributed between their crops and family, an exhausting situation that can take all day just to keep a small patch of land in farmable condition. Such is the case for Monica, a Kenyan farmer who every day must assume the roles of mother of four, farmer, merchant, and housekeeper just to make ends meet. In this video, you'll learn how she managed her dwindling water supply to keep her farm yielding, family fed, and trade at the local market—a situation that was soon to improve dramatically thanks to modern technology.

Deliver a modern customer journey with Microsoft

In a retail industry increasingly dominated by Internet of Things (IoT) devices, digital transformation, and review-based shopping, modern consumers are never short of options for evaluating and purchasing their favorite products and services. While these tools foster remarkable shopping experiences, they also challenge retailers, who must become increasingly innovative in their approaches to consumer-facing solutions and strategies for process optimization. In this infographic, you'll see how Microsoft Strategic Retail Solutions can be employed during each of these stages to increase employee satisfaction and create revenue-generating experiences.

View: Deliver a modern customer journey with Microsoft

March 15, 2021

The intelligent, connected cloud introduces both opportunity and risk

As organizations embrace the opportunities presented by cloud and mobile computing to connect with customers, build remote workforces, and optimize operations, they also expose themselves to new risks. No technology is a completely foolproof, and as businesses become more and more digitized, they increase the risk of someone stealing their data or compromising their credibility. In this infographic, you'll get a glimpse of both sides of cloud technology. On one hand, it provides immense opportunities for innovation and mobility; on the other, it comes with risks that businesses must consider to safeguard the continuity of their operations in the digital world.

View: The intelligent, connected cloud introduces both opportunity and risk

Azure Migrate: The hub for cloud migration

In this video, you'll learn about Azure Migrate, Microsoft Azure's central hub for datacenter cloud migration. Azure Migrate helps you discover, assess, and migrate workloads to Azure with integrated first and third-party tools.

Protect your e-commerce business with Fraud Protection

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Fraud Protection is a cloud-based solution designed to help e-commerce merchants decrease costs associated with fraud, increase acceptance rates, and improve the customer shopping experience. With Microsoft Dynamics 365 Fraud Protection, you can combat payment and account-creation fraud with adaptive AI technology. Additionally, you can connect to a network of other knowledgeable merchants to gather quality insights while improving customer service with the built-in escalation support tool. Discover how you can take an innovative approach to boost your e-commerce revenue with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Fraud Protection in this video.

March 10, 2021

Expand your service portfolio by leveraging real-time customer data. Learn more about Azure IoT.

How do you create brand loyalty? In other words, how do you make customers trust your business based on objective reasons that go beyond just brand recognition? To be fair, there is no single answer to this question, but if we've learned anything from the digital age, it's that giving your customers unwavering support and optimizing your products based on their feedback can go a long way to ensuring a business' survival. So how are today's leading enterprises gathering data to obtain accurate insights into their customers to create new products and services? And, more importantly, how can your organization learn from their success to disrupt the market and become a top player in the industry? Subscribe now to stay updated on the latest digital trends and how you can create a more connected business with Microsoft Azure IoT.

View: Expand your service portfolio by leveraging real-time customer data. Learn more about Azure IoT.

Enrich your customer, manager, and employee experiences. Get started with Microsoft Retail Solutions.

Effective retail solutions provide stakeholders with relevant information and insights. Whether you're building shelves that help shoppers find curated offers, apps that give insights into business performance, or work tools that empower employees to do more with less, you must also provide the data that each user needs to make better-informed decisions. Subscribe now to learn more about how you can create high-impact solutions that elevate customers' shopping experiences through the power of Microsoft Retail Solutions.

View: Enrich your customer, manager, and employee experiences. Get started with Microsoft Retail Solutions.

Enable accessible, secure data for stakeholders and employees. Learn more about Microsoft 365.

In the digital age, more and better data is key to making informed decisions that can have long-lasting impacts on an organization. But procuring, analyzing, and extracting insights from massive amounts of information isn't enough anymore. To truly empower business intelligence, organizations must provide every stakeholder, decision-maker, and employee with easy access to the data they need to make proper decisions and enjoy richer experiences. Subscribe now to learn how Microsoft 365 can digitize your business through secure, flexible applications that enable insights and collaboration across your organization.

View: Enable accessible, secure data for stakeholders and employees. Learn more about Microsoft 365.

March 9, 2021

Five ways SMBs can benefit from using Microsoft Azure to move to the cloud

This article examines five ways that you can start migrating your customers' business to the cloud on their terms, and the reasons why now is the time to do so (including end-of-support for Windows Server 2008 R2 and Microsoft SQL Server).

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Mazik Global innovates while navigating healthcare compliance best practices

Learn how Mazik Global used Dynamics 365 and PowerApps to develop applications for COVID-19 in this video. MazikCare is a healthcare cloud platform based on Microsoft Dynamics and Power Platform that provides a flexible, modular approach to healthcare business management. Mazik Global continuously innovates with solutions such as this by utilizing Microsoft platforms.

New survey finds 22% of Americans have been targeted by digital fraud related to COVID-19

COVID-19 has shifted the economic landscape in unprecedented ways, driving dramatic increases to ecommerce businesses. New research from TransUnion shows the impact on markets in two key findings: a 23% increase in global e-commerce transactions and a parallel 22% uptick in e-commerce fraud. This thought leadership article from Forbes details the findings, educates merchants about potential disruptions, and advises consumers on how they can avoid falling victim to fraud.

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Rolls-Royce and Microsoft collaborate to create new digital capabilities

If you've ever experienced a flight delay, you know how frustrating it can be to sit in an airplane for what seems like an eternity, especially if you have other flights to catch or someone is waiting for you at your destination. But you're not the only one negatively affected by these extended pit stops. Like any other transportation business, airlines make a profit the more their planes are in transit, and they lose millions of dollars per year to unexpected maintenance delays. Within this context, Rolls-Royce—one of the leading suppliers of aircraft engines across the world—saw an opportunity to disrupt the traditional sales model and leverage digital transformation to make flights safer while decreasing delays. Watch this video to learn how Rolls-Royce is using Microsoft Azure and IoT to obtain, analyze, and filter critical component data to ensure their engines always fly in the best condition possible and that thousands of passengers reach their destinations safe and sound every day.

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Vision of innovation

Among the objectives of digital transformation is making information more accessible to those who need it, whether they're consumers, decision-makers, or employees. The retail industry is no exception, and businesses have taken advantage of many innovative solutions to enrich their stakeholders' experiences by using customer-facing applications and digital workplace tools. Retailers now have better insights into how their customers perceive their brands, and these businesses are able to make more-informed decisions. In this video, you'll discover how industry leader Kroger is using Microsoft technology to empower its consumers, employees, and CPG providers with unique digital solutions.

March 8, 2021

City of Houston: Data accessibility

Making relevant information accessible to the thousands or millions of people who need it is among the top priorities of any public institution. Thanks to cloud technology and modern enterprise software, this critical goal is now significantly easier to achieve. Simply opening a one-way communication channel isn't good enough, though. Citizens also need seamless mechanisms for voicing concerns, downloading documentation, requesting public services, and obtaining assistance from public employees when they need it. In this video, you'll see how the city of Houston, Texas, has made modernization, digital transformation, and data accessibility a reality for its employees and citizens via Microsoft 365.

Transform your business with Azure migration

Learn why companies like Albertsons, H&R Block, and Carlsberg Group chose to migrate to Azure and how the move has helped them transform their businesses. Microsoft provides tools for successful migration that work flexibly within the company's chosen migration process. Microsoft data platforms provide scalability, high availability, and security to accelerate your journey.

Best practices infographic

Microsoft advocates for financial practices that foster productivity and help businesses reach their revenue goals. This infographic lists six essential concepts that drive long-term financial sustainability and growth.

View: Best practices infographic

March 3, 2021

Find lightning fast innovation, elastic scalability, cost savings, and better performance​

Windows .NET has a wealth of resources addressing key security concepts and shared responsibility within the cloud. Subscribe to find more resources to help you write more secure codes and learn how workload responsibilities are divided.

View: Find lightning fast innovation, elastic scalability, cost savings, and better performance​

March 2, 2021

Make data-driven decisions with payment predictions

Make data-driven decisions with customer payment predictions, cash flow management, and forecasting. Learn more about managing risk and fraud with Microsoft by subscribing!

View: Make data-driven decisions with payment predictions

Mobile solutions for retailers: Off the shelf or private label?

As mobile devices became more user-friendly, media-focused, and accessible, consumers gain always-on access to the benefits of digital transformation. Such devices also provide retail businesses with the tools to create more-personalized experiences tailored to each user's unique preferences and shopping habits. But the benefits don't stop there. Retailers have realized that digital technology can be as useful for customer-facing applications as it is for internal processes, and they've started employing it to help their workers provide immediate solutions to customer issues. While mobile solutions have become crucial tools for employees, they pose a new challenge for retailers: Should they choose private-label or off-the-shelf devices? In this article, you'll learn about the pros and cons of each to help you decide which works best for your business.

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The 'Internet of Things' Is Changing the Way We Look at the Global Product Value Chain

IoT is no longer a novelty, and still it surprises us each day with new, innovative solutions to everyday tasks. When was the last time you checked the TV for the weather, or had to download your photos to a computer so you could share them with friends or relatives? Unless you're a meteorologist or professional photographer, chances are it's been a long time since you did either of those things. Today, our devices do almost everything for us. From scheduling our appointments to letting us know when our heart rate is above or below safe levels, to everything in between. Our IoT devices truly get to know us better than we thought we knew ourselves. So why not utilize this data to create amazing experiences with the products and services we use every day? In this article, you'll learn how the IoT is helping businesses reevaluate the way they interact with their customers to create new, non-intrusive, and relevant business opportunities that are changing the way we look at the Global Product Supply Chain.

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Top 10 devices you need to secure in 2020

As IoT devices become increasingly more intertwined in our modern lives, we must come to terms with the fact that each device represents a potential risk for stolen or compromised data. Cybercriminals are constantly looking for new targets to exploit, and unprotected IoT devices are an especially vulnerable way for hackers to tap into our personal and business accounts and cause major damage. It's critical for organizations to minimize potential security breaches by leveraging enterprise-grade network security and protecting employee-owned devices through secure BYOD programs. In this article, you'll learn about the top 10 devices that hackers can potentially use to compromise your business. You'll also get insights into how these devices can be shielded against prying eyes.

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The City of Houston: Security as a job

For the city of Houston, modernization is an opportunity for secure government operations. The three main solutions officials focus on are disaster recovery/response, school safety, and transportation. By accessing more secure data with Microsoft IoT innovation, the city of Houston can respond to any crisis and ensure public safety.

March 1, 2021

The 4 main types of secure hardware

IoT is everywhere: industries, smart cities, homes, and wearables are just a few examples. It's an everyday reality and the number of connected devices is rising rapidly. But with connectivity comes vulnerability. IoT devices present always-on targets for hackers looking to access your business' network and device cloud, gain malicious control of the device, or steal critical data. Since there are so many potential ways in which cybercriminals can hack into online devices, it's no secret that their connections to each other and the cloud need scalable and easily deployable security solutions. Read this infographic to learn about the 4 most commonly used standards for secure hardware used to protect today's devices.

View: The 4 main types of secure hardware

The virtuous cycle of retail

In business, a virtuous cycle is a set of recurring processes in which the objective of each is to increase the beneficial effect on the next. Not so long ago, the typical purchase pattern was linear. Further, it involved very few steps from the time consumers first learned about a product or service to the time they purchased it. With the arrival of digital transformation, though, both online and brick-and-mortar retailers are adapting to a new virtuous cycle, one in which personalized experiences are the norm and digital customer service tools play crucial roles in making or breaking a purchase every step of the way. In this infographic, you'll learn how digital technology has driven retail's virtuous cycle and get insights into how you can improve your customers' experiences via Microsoft Retail Solutions.

View: The virtuous cycle of retail

A multilayered approach to data protection

For businesses in the digital age, cloud technology has become a key enabler of growth and innovation. But no great opportunity is without risk, and moving to the cloud also means having to secure enterprise data as it travels into and out of organizations. Today's leading enterprise cloud platforms provide organizations with the compliance and security they need to protect their data, regardless of scale or region. In this infographic, you'll learn how Microsoft 365 E5 uses a multilayered approach to protecting sensitive information and provides the insights you need to optimize your organization's security.

View: A multilayered approach to data protection

Chipotle builds new website with .NET Core, Visual Studio Code, and Azure

Chipotle Mexican Grill is a longtime leader and innovator in the food industry. In this video, learn how Chipotle's ordering service is built in .NET to provide customers with a more efficient, coordinated service.