Staying informed is a constant challenge. There’s so much to do, and so little time. But we have you covered. Grab a coffee and take five while you nibble on these tidbits.
Windows 8.1 users will soon start seeing End of Support notifications
Microsoft will start sending end-of-support notifications to Windows 8.1 users this month, as the operating system (OS) will finally reach end of support on January 10, 2023. After that date, not only will the OS cease to receive any updates, Microsoft 365 apps running on Windows 8.1 devices will no longer be supported either. Microsoft advises Windows 8.1 users to upgrade to a supported OS before the end-of-support date to avoid performance and security issues.
Avanade expands into Atlantic Canada, launches first engineering hub in Halifax
Microsoft solutions provider Avanade has expanded its presence into Atlantic Canada with the launch of the company’s fourth North American engineering hub, in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Canada is already home to two other Avanade engineering hubs, in Toronto and Vancouver.
Following an agreement with Nova Scotia Business Inc. (NSBI), Avanade aims to recruit more than 300 professionals, both entry- and senior-level, over the next two years to help businesses in the region and across North America take advantage of new and emerging technologies. Additional locations are expected to be announced in the coming months.
As part of its long-term investment and commitment in the local community, Avanade has partnered with Saint Mary’s University and will establish a STEM mentorship/sponsorship program. Avanade will also be collaborating with Digital Nova Scotia and is embedded in the Centre for Ocean Ventures and Entrepreneurship mentorship program.
Microsoft postpones blocking of legacy CSP renewals
This week, Microsoft capitulated to customer and partner concerns, indefinitely postponing the previously scheduled July 11 end of auto-renewals of legacy cloud service provider (CSP) subscriptions. However, the blocking of new orders for CSP subscriptions that took effect on March 10, 2022 is still in effect, and as of January 1, 2023, monthly incentives rebates paid to partners on active legacy CSP commercial seat-based subscriptions will cease.
Though the goal is still for partners to migrate legacy subscriptions to new commerce before the end of term, the company says it “made a business decision to continue supporting the legacy auto-renewal functionality beyond July 11.”
Worldwide public cloud services revenues grew 29 per cent to $408.6 billion in 2021
The worldwide public cloud services market, including Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), Software as a Service – System Infrastructure Software (SaaS – SIS), and Software as a Service – Applications, grew 29.0 per cent year over year in 2021, with revenues totalling US$408.6 billion, according to the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Semiannual Public Cloud Services Tracker. Spending continued to consolidate in 2021, with the combined revenue of the top 5 public cloud service providers (Microsoft, Amazon Web Services, Salesforce Inc., Google, and SAP) capturing nearly 40 per cent of the worldwide total and growing 36.6 per cent year over year. With offerings in all four deployment categories, Microsoft captured the top position in the overall public cloud services market with 14.4 per cent share in 2021, followed closely by Amazon Web Services with 13.7 per cent share.
SAS wins 2022 Microsoft Global Independent Software Vendor Partner of the Year
SAS has won Microsoft’s Global Independent Software Vendor (ISV) 2022 Partner of the Year Award, honoured among a global field of top Microsoft partners for demonstrating excellence in innovation and implementation of customer solutions based on Microsoft technology.
“Two years ago, we formed the SAS and Microsoft strategic partnership with a shared goal of making it easier for customers to drive better decisions in the cloud,” said Gavin Day, senior vice president of corporate programs at SAS. “This award emphasizes the power of our combined expertise in helping organizations across industries and around the world successfully solve their toughest analytical challenges.”
Commvault and Oracle partner to deliver Metallic data management as a service on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure
Commvault, provider of intelligent data services across on-premises, cloud, and software as a service (SaaS) environments, has expanded its strategic partnership with Oracle to include Metallic data management as a service (DMaaS) on Oracle Cloud. As part of Commvault’s multi-cloud strategy, Metallic’s services will be offered on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) and available in all commercial OCI regions globally.
Zoom launches Phone Provider Exchange
Zoom has launched its Zoom Phone Provider Exchange, which helps businesses simplify the cloud peering process and more easily connect with network providers within the Zoom ecosystem. This program is now available in over 70 countries and includes providers such as SIPPIO, Pure IP, Nuwave Communications, and 1-to-All. Zoom’s Phone Provider Exchange enables customers to select the provider and country of their choice. From there, they can seamlessly provision phone numbers directly in the Zoom admin portal without having to establish a relationship with another provider.
