Sources said, the Krushi Samiksha Kendra is functioning with assistance from the Bill Gates Foundation. This centre is providing vital information regarding integrated farming to the farmers. The visionary computer programmer and philanthropist will review how the center is contributing to the development of farmers.
“The Krushi Samiksha Kendra is an innovative project in the country. Since its construction was completed and it was recently inaugurated, Bill Gates wants to see how the Kendra is helping in the farmers’ development,” informed Odisha Agriculture Department director, Prem Chandra Chaudhary.
Ahead of Bill Gates’ visit, a team from his office visited Krushi Bhavan and had a discussion with Agriculture Department Principal Secretary Arabinda Padhee.
Notably, the Bill Gates Foundation had inked an MoU with the Odisha government in 2021.
On completion, the participants will receive globally recognised certifications from Microsoft, providing a boost to their employability and career progression.
The announcement was made at the launch of ‘iMPEL-AI’ (iCreate-Microsoft programme for Emerging Leaders in Artificial Intelligence) by Microsoft India, iCreate and Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY).
The programme will screen 1,100 AI innovators across India to become AI ‘most valuable players’ (MVPs) and focus on priority themes of healthcare, financial inclusion, sustainability, education, agriculture and smart cities.
In the second stage, the programme will select and scale 100 startups across the country to build with Azure OpenAI.
"The iMPEL-AI programme is carefully designed to foster AI innovation and product development with access to both mentorship and technology infrastructure that are needed by Indian innovators to build globally successful AI ventures," said Avinash Punekar, CEO of iCreate.
Jean-Philippe Courtois, EVP and President, National Transformation Partnerships, Microsoft said that India is uniquely positioned to seize the extraordinary AI opportunity.
"We are already seeing incredible value from AI innovation in India, from supporting farmers with digital chatbots to transforming economic opportunities for underserved communities through translation tools," he said.
iCreate will collaborate with leading institutions and incubators in tier 2, 3 and 4 cities in order to democratise AI innovation in the country. The Northeast region and its innovators will receive a fillip through this programme through targeted bootcamps and AI-driven problem-solving initiatives to support grassroot innovators.
"We believe that partnerships are the way to accelerate the growth of our innovation ecosystem. The government is committed to shaping, nurturing, and catalysing the future of safe and trusted AI," said Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Union Minister of State for Electronics and IT.
Ahmedabad-based iCreate is a leading institution for transforming startups based on tech innovation into successful businesses.
More than four billion people in over 40 countries will vote this year.
At the Munich Security Conference (MSC), the companies signed a tech accord to combat deceptive use of AI in 2024 elections.
The “Tech Accord to Combat Deceptive Use of AI in 2024 Elections” is a set of commitments to deploy technology countering harmful AI-generated content meant to deceive voters, they said in a statement.
Digital content addressed by the accord consists of AI-generated audio, video, and images that deceptively fake or alter the appearance, voice, or actions of political candidates, election officials, and other key stakeholders in a democratic election, or that provide false information to voters about when, where, and how they can vote.
The accord signatories are Adobe, Amazon, Anthropic, Arm, ElevenLabs, Google, IBM, Inflection AI, LinkedIn, McAfee, Meta, Microsoft, Nota, OpenAI, Snap Inc., Stability AI, TikTok, Trend Micro, Truepic, and X.
“Google has been supporting election integrity for years and the accord reflects an industry-side commitment against AI-generated election misinformation that erodes trust,” said Kent Walker, President, Global Affairs at Google.
Participating companies agreed to commitments like developing and implementing technology to mitigate risks related to deceptive AI Election content, including open-source tools where appropriate and assessing models in scope of this accord to understand the risks they may present regarding ‘Deceptive AI Election Content’.
“Elections are the beating heart of democracies. The Tech Accord to Combat Deceptive Use of AI in 2024 elections is a crucial step in advancing election integrity, increasing societal resilience, and creating trustworthy tech practices,” said Ambassador Dr Christoph Heusgen, Chairman of Munich Security Conference.
As society embraces the benefits of AI, “we have a responsibility to help ensure these tools don’t become weaponised in elections,” said Brad Smith, Vice Chair and President of Microsoft.
Linda Yaccarino, CEO of X, said that in democratic processes around the world, every citizen and company has a responsibility to safeguard free and fair elections.
“We must understand the risks AI content could have on the process,” she added.
Gone are the days when women/men would stick around with their partner through thick and thin. Everyone is just busy looking for an opportunity to cheat. Unfaithful has become the middle name of almost everyone these days.
Real love and commitment are only limited to movies, dramas, and TV series. In a glaring example, a girl reportedly dumped her boyfriend after getting a job at Microsoft. Interestingly, the boyfriend had helped her prepare for interviews, and DSA and had even her resume.
His chat with a friend has now been going viral on social media. The chat started after his friend asked him about his Valentine’s Day plan.
In reply, the boyfriend wrote, “No plan bro. She didn’t want to continue. I have prepared her for interviews, DSA and projects together, I have even prepared her resume. She got placed at Microsoft and today she is going on a date with another Microsoft guy. I am still not placed.”
At the end, he writes, ‘Stay single bro’ and ends the chat. The chat between the two friends has started a debate on relationships these days.
“Shraddha from 12th Fail was only a movie character, so be careful,” a user commented.
Another user wrote, “First they use you till they get success and then will leave you at your lowest.”
“Hence it is proved that Aurat hamesha behtar ki talash main hin rehti hai,” commented a third user.
Called 'Microsoft Mesh,' this feature has been in development for a while and is now being integrated into Teams.
Mesh can be used with or without a VR headset, although the experience may not be fully immersive.
It is available on both Meta's Quest VR platform and PC, providing pre-made 3D immersive spaces for meetings and social gatherings.
Companies can customise these virtual spaces, adding informational videos, presentations, and more.
Microsoft Mesh aims to transform team meetings into immersive 3D spaces.
Microsoft has introduced Microsoft Mesh (the brand's mixed reality platform) in Teams in general availability.#MicrosoftMesh #Microsoftpic.twitter.com/0BPejTyP0Z
— Soumya Prakash Pradhan (@soumyaonlines) January 30, 2024
In a video shared by the tech giant, users can click on the 'immersive space' option, entering the Metaverse where they can choose their avatar's appearance, clothing, and accessories, as well as interact with the environment.
The platform supports audio and live reactions, allowing participants to have private conversations by moving away from others in the virtual space.
While standard features are free for Microsoft Teams business plan users, a Teams Premium license is required for a personalised immersive experience.
Microsoft is offering a free six-month trial for business and enterprise plans, and individual plans range from INR 330 per user for essential plans to INR 4738 per month for Microsoft 365 E5 users, according to the official report.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella recently expressed his admiration for Rabbit R1, an AI assistant unveiled at CES 2024 in Las Vegas.
Nadella was so impressed that he likened the launch presentation of Rabbit R1 to Steve Jobs' iconic presentation of the original iPhone in 2007.
According to a recent report from Bloomberg, Nadella mentioned, "I thought the demo of the Rabbit OS and the device was fantastic. After Jobs and the launch of iPhone, probably one of the most impressive presentations I've seen of capturing the vision of what is possible going forward for what is an agent-centric Operating System (OS) interface."
He emphasised the importance of breakthroughs in natural interfaces, envisioning a departure from the current norm of navigating one app at a time.
Nadella noted, "If you have a breakthrough in natural interface where this idea that you have to go one app at a time and all of the cognitive load is with you as a human, does seem like there can be a real breakthrough."
The Rabbit R1 is an AI-powered device with a 2.88-inch touchscreen display, running on a MediaTek processor.
This assistant can perform various functions like playing music, ordering groceries, and sending messages. Rabbit R1 is based on a 'Large Action Model.'
It claims to understand users' intentions and behaviours within specific apps and replicate those actions reliably and quickly.
Altman, who was fired by OpenAI last week, was in discussions with the company’s board for a re-entry but the deal fell apart and the ChatGPT developer hired former Twitch CEO Emmett Shear as interim CEO.
In a post on X, Nadella said they are “extremely excited to share the news that Sam Altman and Greg Brockman, together with colleagues, will be joining Microsoft to lead a new advanced AI research team”.
“We look forward to moving quickly to provide them with the resources needed for their success,” he added.
Ending the intense drama after a weekend of negotiations to potentially bring Altman back to OpenAI, Nadella said that Microsoft remains committed to its partnership with OpenAI and has confidence in its product roadmap, its ability to continue to innovate with everything it announced at the ‘Microsoft Ignite’ event.
“We look forward to getting to know Emmett Shear and OpenAI's new leadership team and working with them,” said Nadella.
Microsoft has invested more than $10 billion in OpenAI.
In January this year, it announced the third phase of its long-term partnership with OpenAI through a multiyear, multibillion dollar investment to accelerate AI breakthroughs to ensure these benefits are broadly shared with the world.
His decision, driven by a desire to reconnect with his agricultural roots and create opportunities for the local community, has proven to be fruitful. After completing his education and working with Microsoft UK at a package of Rs 80 lakh, Abhinav returned to India in 2014, seeking a more fulfilling life surrounded by family and friends. He joined the Microsoft Gurgaon office.
But in 2016, Abhinav decided to quit his job altogether. He wanted to delve into the agricultural sector by using his ancestral land. The aim was to change the living conditions of farmers and support the vision that farming is a respectable profession.
In 2016, at the age of 31, he decided to specialise in Gerbera farming, a plant with perennial flowers highly sought after, especially during wedding seasons in Uttar Pradesh.
To ensure the success of his venture, Abhinav invested in a polyhouse spanning over 4,000 square meters in his village. He invested Rs 58,16,000 in it, out of which Rs 48 lakh was a bank loan and the rest personal savings.
His first harvest in February 2021 marked the beginning of a flourishing business.
Within just 1 year of the business, Abhinav's Gerbera cultivation achieves a monthly revenue of Rs 1.5 lakh, and also provides livelihoods to 100 individuals in various roles such as farming, packaging, transportation, and sales.
By sourcing Gerbera plants locally and ensuring their freshness, Abhinav has created a sustainable business model that benefits both him and his community. Abhinav aims to inspire fellow farmers, emphasising the importance of local farming and community development.
“I may be making less than what I was earning with my job, but the happiness of generating livelihood for others, doing something unique in my hometown and also staying with my family - these can’t be replaced by huge money and luxurious life,” Abhinav says.
By using Bing's extensive resources and up-to-date information, ChatGPT can now offer users more comprehensive and reliable answers.
This integration has numerous benefits for users and expands Bing Chat's reach across different Microsoft platforms.
Microsoft's investment in OpenAI has led to a groundbreaking integration of Bing Search into ChatGPT, transforming the capabilities of this AI chatbot.
By leveraging Bing's search data, ChatGPT is now able to offer users real-time and accurate information.
The integration enhances the accuracy and relevance of ChatGPT's responses by basing them on comprehensive search results.
Furthermore, the inclusion of citations promotes transparency and enables users to explore the referenced information in more detail.
Microsoft's commitment to empowering individuals and developers with AI technologies is exemplified by the expanded integration of Bing Chat across various platforms.
At the Microsoft Build conference, Yusuf Mehdi, head of consumer marketing, emphasised the company's dedication to improving search capabilities and facilitating seamless interactions with AI.
This expansion enables developers to utilize Bing Chat's capabilities across Microsoft's copilots, such as Bing, Dynamics 365 Copilot, Microsoft 365 Copilot, and now ChatGPT.
It creates opportunities for developers to create innovative AI plugins that work seamlessly across consumer and business environments.
Expanding on the success of Copilot in Edge and the Office apps suite, Windows Copilot will enhance the user experience by offering a helpful chatbot in the sidebar to address queries and provide assistance.
With easy access through the taskbar, users can interact seamlessly with the virtual assistant and quickly access information.
The introduction of Windows Copilot in Windows 11 showcases Microsoft's dedication to integrating AI technologies into everyday computing.
Microsoft Translator now supports 16 Indian languages -- Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Konkani, Maithili, Malayalam, Marathi, Nepali, Odia, Punjabi, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu.
"We are excited to announce that we are broadening our language capabilities to include Maithili, Konkani, Sindhi, and Sinhala. We celebrate and support India's diversity of language and culture with the most advanced AI to enable India's growth, by making access to technology pervasive," Rajiv Kumar, Managing Director, Microsoft India, said in a statement.
The company said that users can translate Konkani, Maithili, Sindhi, and Sinhala text, supported in more than 125 languages, for their apps, websites, workflows, and tools with Azure Cognitive Services Translator.
Over two million people in India speak Konkani, primarily in the states of Goa, Maharashtra, and Karnataka. It is also spoken by a sizable population in other parts of India, such as Kerala and Gujarat.
Maithili is spoken by over 75 million people in India and Nepal.
It is the second most widely spoken language in Bihar and is also spoken in neighbouring states Jharkhand and West Bengal, the company said.
Sindhi is spoken by over 20 million people in India and several other subcontinental countries, whereas Sinhala is spoken by over 16 million people in Sri Lanka, as well as Malaysia and Singapore.
Microsoft Translator can be used across Windows, iOS, Android, and the web.
Incorporated in Nevada, Texas, the company has Musk as the only listed director, and Jared Birchall, director of Musk's family office, as secretary, according to a filing.
X.AI has authorised the sale of 100 million shares for the privately held company, reports Wall Street Journal.
Musk aims to create an AI firm to take on Microsoft-backed OpenAI, the creator of the successful AI chatbot called ChatGPT.
Ironically, it was Musk who initially invested $100 million in OpenAI, but later exited the company.
In recent months, ChatGPT and GPT-4 have become a rage worldwide.
In March, several top entrepreneurs and AI researchers, including Musk and Steve Wozniak, Co-founder of Apple, wrote an open letter, asking all AI labs to immediately pause training of AI systems more powerful than GPT-4 for at least 6 months.
The open letter came as reports surfaced that Musk tried to take control of OpenAI in early 2018 but Sam Altman and OpenAI's other founders rejected Musk's proposal.
Musk, in turn, walked away from the company and reneged on a massive planned donation, according to Semafor.
The Twitter CEO reneged on a promise to supply $1 billion in funding, but contributed only $100 million before he walked away.
In March, 2019, OpenAI announced it was creating a for-profit entity so that it could raise enough money to pay for the compute power.
Less than six months later, Microsoft infused $1 billion in OpenAI, and the rest is history.
OpenAI's last valuation was close to $20 billion, making it the most valuable company supported by AI in the world.
Musk has lately criticised OpenAI several times.
"You might be familiar with this shortcut Ctrl + Shift + V (Cmd + Shift + V on Mac) -- it's also called "keep text only" or "paste plain text" -- because of its popularity in other applications like Microsoft Teams, Word for the web, Google and Gmail. No matter what you call it, the Paste Text Only shortcut is now available in Word for Windows and Word Mac," Microsoft said in a blogpost.
To check how this shortcut works, users will need to select a range of text from their current document or another document, and then in their Word document, they will need to place the cursor where they want the text to appear.
After that, press Ctrl + Shift + V (Cmd + Shift + V on Mac) -- users will now notice how the pasted content matches the neighbouring text formatting, rather than preserving its original font size, colour, etc.
Meanwhile, Microsoft has announced it is testing an enhanced volume mixer in Quick Settings for Windows 11, which will allow users to quickly customise the audio.
This new feature is rolling out to the latest "Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 25309 to the Dev Channel," the tech giant said.
"Some hardware ineligible Windows 10 and Windows 11, version 21H2 devices were offered an inaccurate upgrade to Windows 11," the tech giant said in a support note.
"These ineligible devices did not meet the minimum requirements to run Window 11. Devices that experienced this issue were not able to complete the upgrade installation process."
According to the company, this issue was detected on February 23 and was resolved on the same day.
"This issue is resolved. It might take 24 to 48 hours to propagate to all affected devices. Affected users do not need to take any steps," it added.
The affected platforms were Windows 10, version 22H2; Windows 11, version 21H2; Windows 10, version 21H2; Windows 10, version 20H2.
In June last year, the tech giant had a similar issue when it offered the Windows 11 upgrade to PCs that were not officially supported.
However, Microsoft had said: "It's a bug and the right team is investigating it."
Microsoft currently has more than 220,000 employees, and this round of layoffs affects around 5 per cent of its workforce.
Some employees will be notified on Wednesday, but the entire 10,000 layoffs should be completed by the end of March, Nadella said.
In a blog post, Nadella said that it is important to note that "while we are eliminating roles in some areas, we will continue to hire in key strategic areas".
"We know this is a challenging time for each person impacted. The senior leadership team and I are committed that as we go through this process, we will do so in the most thoughtful and transparent way possible," said the Microsoft CEO.
The company had laid off around 1,000 employees late last year.
Nadella said that organisations in every industry and geography exercise caution as some parts of the world are in a recession and other parts are anticipating one.
"We will align our cost structure with our revenue and where we see customer demand," he said.
He said that Microsoft is "taking a $1.2 billion charge in Q2 related to severance costs, changes to our hardware portfolio, and the cost of lease consolidation as we create higher density across our workspaces".
"We will treat our people with dignity and respect, and act transparently. These decisions are difficult, but necessary. They are especially difficult because they impact people and people's lives - our colleagues and friends," said the Indian-origin Microsoft CEO.
"The US-benefit-eligible employees will receive a variety of benefits, including above-market severance pay, continuing healthcare coverage for six months, continued vesting of stock awards for six months, career transition services, and 60 days' notice prior to termination, regardless of whether such notice is legally required," he announced.
Benefits for employees outside the US will align with the employment laws in each country.
Microsoft is set to announce its fiscal 2023 second quarter earnings on January 25.
The tech giant joins Amazon and Meta in massive tech layoffs amid the deepening funding winter amid global uncertainties.
The company will release the Microsoft Edge version 109 and Web View2 runtime version on January 12, 2023, as per the blog post shared by the company. However, Microsoft Edge, Webview2 Runtime, and earlier 109 versions will continue to function on these operating systems while losing all the new updates, such as new features, future security upgrades, or bug patches.
Microsoft Edge browser version 109 and Webview2 Runtime version 109 will, respectively, be the last versions to support these operating systems, as per the revelation of the tech behemoth. Moreover, as notified by the corporation, it will withdraw support for Windows 7 and Windows 8/8.1 in WebView2 SDK versions 1.0.1519.0 and higher.
Additionally, Microsoft also disclosed that Microsoft Edge 109 would be the final version supported on Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012, and Windows Server 2012 R2. But Microsoft continues to actively support Internet Explorer 11 on these operating systems.
Furthermore, the leading company has also quit assisting Edge WebView2 for both operating systems. For those who are new to the term, Edge WebView2 is a developer control for including web content in applications. Hence, people who are still using the Edge browser for daily work on Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 need to upgrade to the most recent version of Windows.
Additionally, Google, the search engine, is also ending support for Google Chrome in Windows 7. Therefore, users who are still using an outdated version of Windows are advised to update to the latest released version, as Google Chrome will no longer support Windows 7 and Windows 8/8.1 editions, according to Microsoft's announcement in the official blog.
Reset password for Windows 10:
If you added security questions when you created your local account for Windows 10, you can sign back in by answering security questions.
After you enter an incorrect password:
1. Click the Reset password link, on the sign-in screen. If a PIN is more your style, see PIN sign-in issues. If you're using a networked work device, you might not see an option to reset your password or PIN. Contact your administrator in that case.
2. Respond to your security questions.
3. Please enter a new password.
4. Login, as usual, using the new password.
Reset password for Windows 11:
If you added security questions when you created your Windows 11 local account, you can log in by answering them.
1. If you enter an incorrect login password on the Windows sign-in screen, you will see a Reset password link. Click the Reset Password button.
2. Then you can proceed to answer the security questions. After that, Windows will prompt you to enter a new password for your local account. Create a new password for your Windows 11 account and remember it.
3. Enter the new password into your computer.
If you forgot your Windows 10 and 11 passwords, these are the easiest way to get back into your account.
According to Axios, the move is yet another example of large tech companies cutting jobs after earlier moving to slow or freeze hiring as the broader economy cools.
The tech giant declined to say how many jobs had been cut, but a source said the layoffs numbered under 1,000, as per the report.
"Like all companies, we evaluate our business priorities on a regular basis, and make structural adjustments accordingly. We will continue to invest in our business and hire in key growth areas in the year ahead," Microsoft was quoted as saying in a statement.
The cuts occurred across a variety of levels, teams, and parts of the world.
Multiple laid-off workers turned to Twitter and Blind, among other online forums, to share that their job had been cut.
The report noted that nearly all the major tech firms have slowed headcount growth, with many freezing all but essential hires.
Meta, which had already frozen hiring, plans to cut budgets in most divisions, with layoffs expected.
Meanwhile, in the past few months, the tech giant has laid off nearly 2,000 employees globally.
Other tech companies that have either laid off employees or slowed hiring in the current economic downturn include Google, Meta, Oracle, Twitter, Nvidia, Snap, Uber, Spotify, Intel and Salesforce, among others.
The company said the new update will expand Amazon App Store Preview to international markets, built-in Game Pass for Windows 11, new accessibility features, advanced security updates, and much more.
"Our launch approach to Windows 11 leverages our well-established update systems and processes. The measured and phased rollout will offer the update via Windows Update when data shows that your device is ready, as our objective is to provide a quality update experience," John Cable, Vice President, Program Management, Windows Servicing and Delivery, said in a blogpost.
"We will initially ramp up the offering availability in the first weeks as we monitor quality signals. If we detect that your device may have an issue, such as an application incompatibility, we may put a safeguard hold in place and not offer the update until that issue is resolved," Cable added.
Eligible users can choose to install the new update by opening Windows Update settings and selecting Check for updates.
The company said it is announcing a new set of experiences including the Tabbed File explorer, considered a component of the 2022 Update for all editions, which will be ready this October.
Microsoft mentioned that it has planned a phased rollout timed with the October optional non-security preview release for these features and then they will be made broadly available in the November 2022 security update release.
It has also reduced the download size of feature updates by 450MB for many users.
"We have also reduced download and installation time of the monthly cumulative update, as well as reclaimed hundreds of megabytes of disk footprint to give back to the user. Learn more about these improvements," the company said.
Microsoft discovered a high-severity vulnerability in the TikTok Android application, which could have allowed attackers to compromise users' accounts with a single click.
The vulnerability, which would have required several issues to be chained together to exploit, has now been fixed by the Chinese company.
"Attackers could have leveraged the vulnerability to hijack an account without users' awareness if a targeted user simply clicked a specially crafted link," the tech giant said in a statement late on Wednesday.
Attackers could have then accessed and modified users' TikTok profiles and sensitive information, such as by publicising private videos, sending messages, and uploading videos on behalf of users.
TikTok has two versions of its Android app: one for East and Southeast Asia and another for the remaining countries.
Performing a vulnerability assessment of TikTok, the Microsoft team determined that the issues were affecting both versions of the app for Android, which have over 1.5 billion installations combined via the Google Play Store.
After carefully reviewing the implications, a Microsoft security researcher notified TikTok of the issues.
"TikTok quickly responded by releasing a fix to address the reported vulnerability, now identified as CVE-2022-28799, and users can refer to the CVE entry for more information," said Microsoft.
TikTok users are encouraged to ensure they're using the latest version of the app, it added.
According to official sources, the panel, which is headed by BJP MP and former Union minister Jayant Sinha, will hold a meeting on Tuesday to discuss the matter, which has garnered a lot of attention in recent times.
The committee has also summoned representatives of e-commerce entities like Flipkart and even cab and hotel aggregators like Ola and Oyo, respectively, to discuss the matter.
The meeting comes at a time when the big players in the digital and technological space have been accused of indulging in anti-competitive methods and unfair business practices.
The summoning of representatives of Big Techs by the Parliamentary panel is in line with its earlier discussions on the matter, with competitive behaviour in the digital market space being the area of focus.
The panel has already held deliberations with the representatives of the Competition Commission of India (CCI) and also with the officials of Indian tech firms on the subject.
Gates remarks came on the occasion of India's 76th Independence Day.
"I congratulate @narendramodi for prioritizing healthcare and digital transformation while spearheading India's development. India's progress in these sectors is inspiring and we are fortunate to partner in this journey," he tweeted using the hashtag 'AmritMahotsav'.
India is celebrating Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav to marks the 75th anniversary of India's independence.
The tech giant is ending Windows 8.1 support in January 2023, and will begin pushing alerts to users next month.
"Support for Windows 8 ended on January 12, 2016, and support for Windows 8.1 will end on January 10, 2023," the company said in an update.
"Microsoft 365 Apps is no longer supported on Windows 8 or Windows 8.1 after they have reached their end of support dates. To avoid performance and reliability issues, we recommend that you move to a newer version of Windows," the company added.
Microsoft will not offer extended security opdate (ESU) programme for Windows 8.1.
"After that date, if you're running Microsoft 365, you'll no longer receive updates for the Office apps; this includes feature, security, and other quality updates," said the company, and advised users to upgrade to a supported operating system.
Most Windows 8.1 or Windows 8 devices will not meet the hardware requirements for upgrading to Windows 11.
"As an alternative, compatible Windows 8 and 8.1 PCs can be upgraded to Windows 10 by purchasing and installing a full version of the software," said the company.
Windows 10 will continue to be supported until October 14, 2025.
Microsoft recommended users to take advantage of the latest hardware capabilities by moving to a new PC with Windows 11.
According to Engadget, users will still receive IE 11 support if they are using Windows Server 2022 or an earlier OS release with a long-term service extension, but this marks the effective end of software updates for most people.
Windows 11 does not include an IE desktop app, the report said.
The Edge browser's IE Mode will still receive support through 2029 or later, so users won't be stuck if they just need compatibility with the older web engine.
The company will "progressively" redirect users from IE to Edge in the next few months, and will permanently disable the old software through a Windows update, as per the report.
Last year, Microsoft announced that it will retire its iconic Internet Explorer browser in June 2022, as it envisions the future of Internet Explorer, which was launched in 1995, on Windows 10 in Microsoft Edge.
Over the last year, Microsoft is moving away from Internet Explorer support, such as an announcement of the end of IE support by Microsoft 365 online services.
Yasser Elabd, recruited by Microsoft in 1998 who helped bring the company's products throughout the Middle East and Africa for the next 20 years, said that Microsoft is using illegal bribes and kickbacks in the Middle East and Africa.
As director of emerging markets for the Middle East and Africa, he was successful and received many promotions.
"But eventually, I noticed something strange: many employees younger than me, in lower positions, were driving luxury cars and purchasing homes sometimes worth millions of dollars. For my part, I could not afford to buy a home, let alone anything else luxurious, despite my career success," he wrote in an essay published by the whistleblower platform Lioness late on Friday.
"I wondered, naively, whether these colleagues had families with money -- but if so, why would they be working on a Microsoft sales team?"
Elabd said that in 2016, a request came through in the amount of $40,000 to accelerate closing a deal in one African country.
"When I looked through the submission, I immediately knew something was wrong. The customer did not appear in Microsoft's internal database of potential clients," he wrote.
"He had been terminated four months earlier for poor performance on the sales team, and corporate policy prohibits former employees from working as partners for six months from their departure without special approval," said Elabd.
The whistleblower escalated the issue to the senior management and the legal and HR teams put a stop to the $40,000 spend, "but to my surprise, did not look deeper into the Microsoft employees who were orchestrating the fake deal".
Elabd said he even wrote an email to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and an HR executive, and a vice president of the company "immediately got back in touch with me, to say that by escalating the matter to Nadella, I had just 'booked a one-way ticket out of Microsoft'."
Eventually, Microsoft put him on a "performance improvement plan", even though he was one of the highest performers on the team.
He also brought the reports to the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SE) but "he's seen little action from the agency".
In a statement to The Verge, Microsoft said the company is committed to doing business in a responsible way and "always encourages anyone to report anything they see that may violate the law, our policies, or our ethical standards.
"We believe we've previously investigated these allegations, which are many years old, and addressed them. We cooperated with government agencies to resolve any concerns," said Becky Lenaburg, a VP at Microsoft and deputy general counsel for compliance and ethics.
Elabd said he is not the only person at Microsoft who has alleged corrupt practices.
"I know of five others from various departments who were terminated or pushed to resign for raising flags about inconsistencies in finances," he alleged.
"In my estimation, a minimum of $200 million each year goes to Microsoft employees, partners, and government employees," said Elabd.
Set to take place on April 5, it will feature Windows exec Panos Panay showing off Microsoft's security, productivity and management features, both in the client and the cloud.
The event page does not say much and Microsoft has not openly discussed the event, but The Verge saw plenty of clues about the kind of hybrid work solutions and security tools Microsoft is working on for businesses where the "office" is more of an idea than a location.
That includes Windows 365 subscriptions for cloud PCs that users access via a web browser, the rollout of its Fluid framework for Microsoft Office apps (now rebranded as Loop), and a detailed vision of the future of meetings with Microsoft Teams.
Last year CEO Satya Nadella wrote that "Hybrid work represents the biggest shift to how we work in our generation. And it will require a new operating model, spanning people, places, and processes".
The software maker told its executive staff in an email that Zain, who was 26 years old and had been born with cerebral palsy, passed away on Monday morning.
The message asked executives to hold the family in their thoughts and prayers while giving them space to grieve privately, the report said.
In October 2017, the CEO talked about the birth of his son in a blogpost.
"One night, during the thirty-sixth week of her pregnancy, Anu noticed that the baby was not moving as much as she was accustomed to. So we went to the emergency room of a local hospital in Bellevue," Nadella had said in the post.
"We thought it would be just a routine checkup, little more than new parent anxiety. In fact, I distinctly remember feeling annoyed by the wait times we experienced in the emergency room. But upon examination, the doctors were alarmed enough to order an emergency cesarean section," he added.
The CEO mentioned that Zain was born at 11:29 p.m. on August 13, 1996, all of three pounds and he did not cry.
"Zain was transported from the hospital in Bellevue across Lake Washington to Seattle Children's Hospital with its state-of-the-art Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Anu began her recovery from the difficult birth. I spent the night with her in the hospital and immediately went to see Zain the next morning. Little did I know then how profoundly our lives would change," Nadella said.
"Over the course of the next couple of years, we learned more about the damage caused by in utero asphyxiation, and how Zain would require a wheelchair and be reliant on us because of severe cerebral palsy. I was devastated. But mostly I was sad for how things turned out for me and Anu," he added.
India is LinkedIn's second market to roll out the programme, after its launch in the US in September last year.
The 10-week, incubator-style programme will provide creators with coaching, recognition, resources and a financial grant to bring their ideas to life, the company said in a statement.
"By equipping a diverse range of voices with the right resources, the Creator Accelerator Programme aims to help members unlock greater business opportunities with the content they're making and the conversations they're sparking," said Ashutosh Gupta, India Country Manager at LinkedIn.
Leading LinkedIn creators Ankur Warikoo, Radhika Gupta, Pooja Dhingra, and Nuseir Yassin have come on board as mentors on the programme.
The Creator Accelerator Programme is part of LinkedIn's $25 million commitment to creators globally.
As part of this programme, the selected 200 creators will get support and access to LinkedIn's Community Management team, educational workshops, creator-to-creator networking opportunities, access to rich tools and resources, and mentorship opportunities.
The creators will be shortlisted on the basis of their ability to build passionate communities, unique content and spark discussions around a variety of professional topics such as skills, future of work and mental health.
"There's a lot of potential to stand out on LinkedIn and turn your content into your next opportunity," said Warikoo.
Applications are open till March 16, and the final cohort of 200 creators will be announced in the coming months, said the company.
Starting at Rs 1,56,999, the Surface Laptop Studio is also the most powerful laptop that Microsoft has ever released.
"Designed to light up the best of Windows 11, Surface Laptop Studio promises to help you stay in the flow, be inspired, and get closer to what you love with its incredibly powerful and infinitely flexible form factor," Bhaskar Basu, Country Head Devices (Surface), Microsoft India said in a statement.
The device is targeted at developers, creative professionals, designers, and gamers, who want a creative studio with the portability of a laptop.
The Surface Laptop Studio features a 14.4-inch PixelSense display with touch support that is attached to a Dynamic Woven Hinge, allowing the display to move in multiple angles.
Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio is powered by 11th-generation Intel Core H35 processors, along with Nvidia GeForce RTX GPUs.
The ultimate desktop setup can be created using Thunderbolt 4 technology to connect dual 4K monitors, dock additional accessories, and transfer data easily.
Tailored specifically for the country's SMBs, this effort builds on the global skills initiative that had helped close to three million people in India acquire digital skills during the pandemic.
"SMBs have been at the forefront of our country's economic rebuilding following the pandemic and are facing immense pressure to keep up with the dramatic shift in how we work and live," Harish Vellat, Country Head - Small, Medium & Corporate Business, Microsoft India, said in a statement.
"It is critical that they are equipped with the skills that can help them develop long-term strategies for their business and reimagine new paths for their success," Vellat added.
The company said that SMBs are the backbone of the country's economy, contributing to 30 per cent of India's GDP and providing employment to over 114 million people.
Digital tools are essential to helping SMBs respond to changes in the market, streamline their organisations, protect against threats and plan for long-term business resiliency.
"By providing these skill-building resources, we are fulfilling our commitment to creating an inclusive economy and helping SMBs transform and thrive," Vellat said.
The skill-building approach provides digital skilling resources via e-learning and online training assets from sources like Microsoft Learn and LinkedIn Learning.
Through the resource hub, businesses can explore proven expertise, technical training, online workshops, and best practices, as well as earn Microsoft certifications on technical learning paths.
Teams consumer and enterprise users will be able to chat between the two platforms by mid-January. The company made this capability available worldwide as a preview in November last year.
"With this update, Teams users in your organisation will be able to start a 1:1 or a group chat with Teams users who are using their personal accounts and vice-versa," the company said in an update.
With this update, the users will be able to invite any Teams user to chat using an email address or phone number and remain within the security and compliance policies of their organisation.
The feature is rolling out for Teams on the web, desktop and mobile.
Admins will be able to enable or disable this capability at both the tenant and individual-user levels.
Up to now, any attempt to chat with a Teams enterprise user from Teams consumer results in an exchange of email, which is not quite the immediate connection delivered by chat.
"Unlike external federation with Skype consumer users, Teams consumer supports both 1:1 and group chats. Another interesting aspect is that Teams enterprise users can find Teams consumer users with their email address or phone number (obviously, this must be the phone number registered by the user when they signed up for Teams consumer)," according to the update.
You can add a Teams consumer user to a group chat, but you can't share previous chats as a new chat starts to accommodate the external user.
The company said that the programme is designed to give learners hands-on experience in the fundamentals of security, compliance and identity.
"Investing in cybersecurity skilling and preparing the next generation of security leaders is a big part of that effort. Microsoft is deeply committed to democratize skilling for all and this program is a strong step in making cybersecurity skilling accessible and affordable for all," Anant Maheshwari, President, Microsoft India, said in a statement.
The company will conduct these courses along with its strategic consortium of partners including Cloudthat, Koenig, RPS and Synergetics Learning.
The course modules are designed to support all levels of learners, regardless of where they are in their cybersecurity journey.
Microsoft has introduced four new security, compliance and identity certifications, of which the accredited certification for Fundamentals will be offered at zero-cost for any individual who attends the associated training through this initiative.
Additionally, in collaboration with its partners, Microsoft, offers learners deeply discounted offers on the rest of the advanced role-based certifications to drive deep skills for addressing cybersecurity challenges.
After Google-parent Alphabet's CEO-Sundar Pichai, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, IBM CEO Arvind Krishna, Palo Alto Networks CEO Nikesh Arora, Adobe Systems CEO Shantanu Narayen, IIT Bombay alumnus Parag Agarwal joined this elite list as CEO of Twitter.
As soon as Parag’s appointment as Twitter CEO announced, the internet was flooded with wishes and praises, and acknowledgment of India’s contribution to the silicon valley.
Industrialist Anand Mahindra wrote in a tweet: "It's the Indian CEO Virus and no vaccine against it." Even Tesla CEO Elon Musk said that the USA is benefiting greatly from Indian talent.
Many attributed this trend to the India’s diversity, which makes Indian’s skillful at managing people. While many were quick to spot the trend, some also highlighted some black spots in the trend.
Their argument, Indians are figuring as professional CEOs, but it would be a day when Indians figure prominently as founder CEOs. A netizen also said that the growing list only shows the dearth of opportunities in India.
Video Editor: Partha Narayan Das
The apps, including, Mail, Calendar and Calculator app updates are rolling out to Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel at first.
The Calculator app now has a beautiful new look for Windows 11. It also includes a new app theme setting so that you can set the app in a theme different from Windows, Dave Grochocki, Senior Program Manager Lead - Windows Inbox Apps, said in a blogpost on Thursday.
Besides these, the Calculator app is packed with useful features. It's the perfect tool to help you complete your math homework, manage your finances, plot, and analyse equations on a graph and evaluate algebra, trigonometry, and complex math expressions, Grochocki added.
In Windows 11, both the classic Snipping Tool and Snip & Sketch apps have been replaced by a new Snipping Tool app that represents the best experiences of both apps in the next evolution of screen capture for Windows.
The Snipping Tool for Windows 11 includes new visuals that build off the classic app with added functionality like the WIN + SHIFT + S keyboard shortcut from Snip & Sketch and richer editing.
The company said it is also introducing a new settings page for Snipping Tool.
Taking a screenshot is super easy using the WIN + SHIFT + S keyboard shortcut. This will bring up the snipping menu with options to choose from including Rectangular Snip, Freeform Snip, Windows Snip, and Fullscreen Snip.
Mail and Calendar are updated with a new visual style.
"We have added rounded corners and other adjustments to make them look and feel part of Windows 11. As before, Mail and Calendar can reflect your Windows theme so you can send emails and check your schedule using the theme you prefer," Grochocki said.
"We look forward to releasing even more updates to the apps that come in Windows 11 for you to enjoy," Grochocki added.
Reliable sources told IANS that a deal may close soon once the due regulatory processes are met. The size of the deal could not be ascertained.
There was no official confirmation from either Microsoft or OYO as of now.
The Ritesh Agarwal-run hospitality chain has Airbnb, Chinese ride-hailing giant Didi Chuxing and ride-hailing firm Grab as strategic investors.
Founder and CEO Agarwal said earlier this month that the company would consider a potential IPO soon.
The news about the Microsoft-OYO deal surfaced after OYO announced earlier this month that it has raised $660 million from global institutional investors as TLB (Term Loan B).
A company statement had said that the offer was oversubscribed by 1.7 times and the company received commitments of close to $1 billion from leading institutional investors.
"We are delighted by the response to OYO's maiden TLB capital raise that was oversubscribed by leading global institutional investors. We are thankful for the trust that they have placed in OYO's mission of creating value for owners and operators of hotels and homes across the globe," said Abhishek Gupta, Group Chief Financial Officer, OYO.
The company said it will utilise these funds to retire its past debts, strengthen the balance sheet and other business purposes including investment in product technology, it said.
OYO is the first Indian startup to be publicly rated by Moody's and Fitch, two of the leading international rating agencies.
The Microsoft deal "may also involve OYO shifting to use its cloud services," a TechCrunch report mentioned.
OYO has aggressively been expanding its operations to several markets including Southeast Asia, Europe and the US in recent years.
“This year, Microsoft has included a certification programme on Microsoft Office Examination (MS Word, MS Excel, MS Power Point) as a value addition for students who are going to receive Laptops under Biju Yuva Sashaktikarana Scheme 2017-18,” the notification read.
The three-month certification programme would train the students in basic computer skills using Microsoft Office package that includes word, excel and power point and after successfully clearing the MS Office exam they will be awarded certificates directly from the global IT giant Microsoft.
The HE department has also shot letters to the 30 laptop distribution nodal centres in the state in this regard.
“The initiative has been taken to digitally empower the students. Only getting a laptop won’t serve their purpose, they need to be imparted knowledge about that. However it’s not compulsory for students to participate in the certification programme,” said Mihir Das, Admission In-charge of HE Department.
The programme will help the students in their academics and also in their future job requirements, added Das.
Meanwhile, majority of the students have welcomed the move of the State government and said the programme would be a step towards equipping them to switch to the digital platform.
“Most of the students who are getting laptops are technically challenged, hardly they know about the system applications and software. Though it’s not a compulsory examination, the move is definitely beneficial for the students for their future,” said Saswati Soumya Mishra, a student.
With the distribution of laptops still underway, the education department has directed to expedite the process and release a merit list again in case some of the meritorious students do not receive the laptops.
Since 2013, the State Government has been distributing laptops to 15,000 Plus II meritorious students in different colleges of the state, belonging to Arts, Science and Commerce streams besides Sanskrit and Vocational Departments.
https://youtu.be/I7xUkPwxfrs
The development came after a surge in shares of Bezos by 1.3 percent to $1,065.92 on Thursday morning giving him a net worth of $90.9 billion as against Gates’ $90.7 billion who had ceremoniously held the top spot since May 2013.
Bezos kicked off his new year as world’s fourth-wealthiest person and has since leapfrogged Inditex founder Amancio Ortega, who ranks third with $82.7 billion, and Berkshire Hathaway's Warren Buffett, No. 4, at $74.5 billion.
Amazon which initially started as an internet book store has quite literally gone on to revolutionise the world of online retail across the globe. It has now developed into world’s largest online retail company providing web services to apparel, groceries to electronics, furniture, toys, and jewellery and much more.
Deepak is a security researcher, who has discovered security flaws in websites such as Facebook, Microsoft, Blackberry, Sony, MasterCard and Adobe. He is also listed on the Facebook and Microsoft Hall of fame.
Below are the excerpts of the interview, where he speaks about ransomware WannaCry.
Q: What is Ransomware?
A: Ransomware is like a virus or it may be a malware which can be injected into a system to go through the vulnerable parts of the system and after infecting all the files, they will be encrypted. Now the attacker will ask for money to pay through bitcoins to restore the data.
Q: What is WannaCry?
A: WannaCry is one type of ransomware that has affected systems worldwide. It has attacked the earlier versions of Microsoft Windows that were vulnerable. The vulnerability is in the SMB (Server Message Block) that is present in all those operating systems through which the attacker can inject .exe file, a malware that spreads in a network and encrypts all the files.
Q. Can the data of the affected systems be restored?
A: Shadow hackers have already encrypted the data in the systems by using some hashcodes. It is very difficult to decrypt the code and as large numbers of files are infected, finding the decrypter key is next to impossible.
The systems that are not infected can be secured by using some antivirus, updating the operating systems, and disabling SMB exploit. The users should also get knowledge of cyber security.
Q. Is Microsoft responsible for the attack?
A: We cannot blame Microsoft. It has its own bug bounty program that invites hackers to find vulnerability in its system and pays them. I had also earlier found out some vulnerability in its operating systems, but suppose I found one ‘zero-day vulnerability’ and did not report it to Microsoft. What if I use it in a negative way or use black-head methodology to hack into systems of people and earn money.
However, Microsoft security researchers should also be alert and update their systems from their own end. All should be concerned including Microsoft team and security researchers.
Q. Is ransomware attack in Berhampur the first case in Odisha?
A: No it is not the first case in Odisha. One year back some of my friends were also attacked by a ransomware called CryptoLocker, but it had only targeted individual computers and not affected any networks. Now the Berhampur attack was on a network where many systems were infected.
Q. Were you able to find any solution to the earlier attack?
A: The earlier attack was not solved. It is nearly impossible to grab the codes as already huge data has been encrypted. Lot of time, huge server space and large amount of money will be necessary to decrypt it.
Q. Will the Cyber Cell team be able to restore the data?
A: I don’t think so. They will face a lot of problem in decrypting the hashcodes and restoring the data.
Q. What are hashcodes?
A: HashCode is like a cryptology algorithm. All are now using crypto analysis technique for security purpose that can also be used for wrong purpose. My name also can be encrypted into a hashcode, for example WhatsApp is also using the hashcodes to convert the messages to an encrypted format so that nobody will be able to read it.
Ransomware uses the same technique. After encrypting all the files they are charging for money for decryption. Suppose I use user-defined encryption, than none other than me will be able to crack it.
Q. What is user-defined encryption?
Let’s say I am the scientist and crypto analyst, so I will define the hashcode algorithm from my side, it is in my brain. Any other person will not be able to know about it and so cracking it will be difficult.
Q. One person from Google had alleged that the attack in done from North Korea; is it true?
A: Defining the source of the attack is difficult.
If a hacker from India designs a ransomware and names it WannaCry 1.0, we will not be able to say if it is coming from North Korea or any other place. Anyone with knowledge of crypto analysis can design a ransomware and demand for money through bitcoins. As it is bitcoin, you will not be able to trace the hacker.
Q. What are bitcoins?
A: Bitcoin is a crypto currency that is only available in internet. We don’t need a bank account, any ID proof to create one bitcoin account, only one verified Email-Id is sufficient. There is a bitcoin address that is nothing like sixteen digit code of a bank account, it is only a hashcode. Anyone can transfer money through this bitcoin account and none will be able to track it.
Q. Do you have any suggestions what people should do now?
A: They have to first update their operating systems, install antivirus, disable SMB present in control panel of their operating system to be secured from WannaCry and they also have to learn cyber security awareness. They should also be careful while browsing through websites and checking mails.
Backup of data is also not a solution, as one infected file can corrupt all the data in the Pen Drive or hard disk on which they are doing the backup.
Note: Watch the video for more suggestions on protecting your system and securing your data.
The India software market was pegged at $7 billion in 2020, registering a growth of 13.4 per cent year-over-year (YoY) compared with that in 2019.
India accounted for 17.5 per cent share of the overall Asia/Pacific (excluding Japan and China) (APEJC) region software market in 2020.
Microsoft, Oracle and SAP maintained their leadership positions in the India market during the same year.
"Although the pandemic had a minor impact on the overall growth of the India software market, it acted as a catalyst for strong growth across some of the software segments as enterprises reevaluated their IT strategies and took concrete steps to move toward digital business models," said Shweta Baidya , Senior Research Manager for Software and IT Services at IDC India.
IDC estimates that India's overall software market is likely to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.6 per cent from 2020 to 2025.
"Digitally matured enterprises were able to smoothly navigate through the crisis and maintain business continuity and operational resilience. However, enterprises with traditional business models charted out new strategies to leverage cloud and digital to stay relevant and consistent," Baidya added.
According to the report, the Indian enterprise will continue to invest in technologies that will help them spur innovation to improve operational efficiency and employee productivity, and in turn, maintain business momentum.
IDC expects the contribution of platform-as-a-service (PaaS) and software-as-a-service (SaaS) markets to the overall software market to increase from 36.8 per cent in 2020 to 57.1 per cent in 2025.
The commercial Cloud business registered $9 billion in sales for the quarter, for a $36 billion annual run rate.
"Our strong commercial Cloud results reflect our deep and growing partnerships with leading companies in every industry including retail, financial services, and healthcare," said Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella.
"We are delivering differentiated value across the cloud and edge as we work to earn customer trust every day."
The revenue from Surface laptops increased 39 per cent. The company released Surface Pro 6 and Surface Laptop 2 during the quarter, along with Surface Studio 2 and Surface Headphones.
Revenue in personal computing was $13 billion and Surface is now almost a $2 billion business for Microsoft.
"Our solid execution delivered another strong quarter, with commercial cloud revenue growing 48 per cent year-over-year to $9 billion," said Amy Hood, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Microsoft.
The revenue in productivity and business Processes was $10.1 billion and increased 13 per cent.
"Office Commercial products and cloud services revenue increased 11 per cent, driven by Office 365 Commercial revenue growth of 34 per cent," said the company.
Office 365 consumer subscriber base has now hit 33.3 million.
Gaming revenue increased 8 per cent, with Xbox software and services revenue growth of 31 per cent.
LinkedIn revenue increased 29 per cent while Dynamics products and Cloud services revenue increased 17 per cent, driven by Dynamics 365 revenue growth of 51 per cent.
In an "End of Support" page, the company told users that Windows 10 Mobile will stop receiving new security updates after December 10.
"With the Windows 10 Mobile OS end of support, we recommend that customers move to a supported Android or iOS device. Microsoft's mission statement to empower every person and every organisation on the planet to achieve more, compels us to support our Mobile apps on those platforms and devices," the company wrote in the support page late on Friday.
According to Microsoft, its virtual assistant Cortana is no longer in direct competition with Amazon's Alexa and Google's Assistant.
"Cortana needs to be that skill for anybody who's a Microsoft 365 subscriber. You should be able to use it on Google Assistant, you should be able to use it on Alexa, just like how you use our apps on Android and iOS, so that's at least how we want to think about where it'll go," Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella was quoted as saying in the support page.
Back in 2017, the New York City Police Department (NYPD) reportedly scrapped as many as 36,000 Windows phones and replaced them with iPhones after previous acknowledgment that Microsoft mobile support would be ending.
"A tectonic shift is happening in AI. Nearly 85 per cent of enterprises globally will use AI in some form or the other by 2020. Indian firms are now fast catching up," Anant Maheshwari, President, Microsoft India, told reporters on the company's flagship Media and Analyst Days here.
Nearly eight per cent of GDP components in India are currently impacted by digital technologies and by 2021, 60 per cent of those will be impacted.
"Almost every sector is becoming digital and that transformation is impacting every company in India across the spectrum," stressed Maheshwari.
Driven by Intelligent Cloud, Intelligent Edge and spurt of data, AI and its growing use cases are set to change the game.
Microsoft currently has 54 Azure Cloud regions -- more than AWS and Google combined.
"We will continue to work closely with the countries when it comes to data localisation. India already has three Azure regions which shows how serious we are for keeping data within the boundaries," said Maheshwari.
"After January 14, 2020, Microsoft will no longer provide security updates or support for PCs running 'Windows 7'," the company wrote in a post on Monday.
Even after Microsoft ends support for the older OS, users would still be able to operate on it but would not receive any security, software or feature updates.
"You can continue to use 'Windows 7', but once support ends, your PC will become more vulnerable to security risks," Microsoft said.
"Windows 7" however, would also still be available for installation and activation after January 14, 2020.
"To avoid security risks and viruses, Microsoft recommends that you consider upgrading to Windows 10," the company added.
"Windows 7" was released in October 2009, less than three years after the release of its predecessor, Windows Vista.
Through this innovative partnership, Kroger will pilot a connected store experience and together with Microsoft, jointly market a commercial Retail as a Service (RaaS) product to the industry, the company said in a statement late Monday.
"Our partnership brings together Kroger's world-class expertise in the grocery industry with the power of Azure and Azure AI," said Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella.
"Together, we will redefine the shopping experience for millions of customers at both Kroger and other retailers around the world, setting a new standard for innovation in the industry," he added.
The Kroger Technology team has developed a smart technology system, powered by Microsoft Azure and connected by IoT sensors, to transform two pilot stores located in Monroe, Ohio and Redmond, Washington, respectively.
Both stores will feature technology such as digital pricing signage which will provide consumers with richer data.
"Kroger is building a seamless ecosystem driven by data and technology to provide our customers with personalised food inspiration. We are excited to collaborate with Microsoft to redefine grocery retail,a said Rodney McMullen, Kroger's chairman and CEO.
Amazon has also been testing connected cashier-less stores in the US.