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BetaNews.Com (10 non lus)

Microsoft Q3 2012 by the numbers: $17B revenue, 60 cents EPS

Publié: avril 19, 2012, 10:03pm CEST par Joe Wilcox
Late this afternoon, after the closing bell, Microsoft revealed results for one of its most uncertain quarters in years. That's because Gartner and IDC report tepid PC shipments and Microsoft prepares to launch a horde of new products later this year, including new versions of Office, Windows and Windows Server, among others. Sometimes sales sag in the quarter or two before new product releases -- and for 2012 there are many core ones coming.

"With the upcoming release of new Windows 8 PCs and tablets, the next version of Office, and a wide array of products and services for the enterprise and consumers, we will be delivering exceptional value to all our customers in the year ahead", Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer says.

Perhaps businesses share Ballmer's enthusiasm and aren't backing off purchases, particularly those looking to lock in Software Assurance upgrades. For fiscal Q3, ended March 31, Microsoft revenue was $17.41 billion, up 6 percent year over year. Operating income: $6.37 billion, a 12 percent increase. Net income was $5.11 billion, or 60 cents a share -- that's down from $5.23 billion and 61 cents a share a year earlier. However, in the year-ago quarter, Microsoft received a settlement from the IRS that boosted EPS by 5 cents. Removing this one-time event, EPS rose by 7 percent.

Average analyst consensus was $17.18 billion revenue and 58 cents earnings per share, for the quarter. Revenue estimates ranged from $16.61 billion to $17.46 billion, with estimated year-over-year growth of 4.6 percent. By both measures, Microsoft beat the Street.

Q3 2012 Revenue by Division
- Windows & Windows Live: $4.62 billion, up 4 percent from $4.45 billion a year earlier.
- Server & Tools: $4.6 billion, up 14 percent from $4.1 billion a year earlier.
- Business: $5.81 billion, up 9 percent from $5.33 billion a year earlier.
- Online Services Business: $707 million, up 6 percent from $667 million a year earlier.
- Entertainment & Devices: $1.6 billion, down 16 percent from $1.94 billion a year earlier.
Q3 2012 Income by Division
- Windows & Windows Live: $2.95 billion, up 6 percent from $2.8 billion a year earlier.
- Server & Tools: $1.74 billion, up 29 percent from $1.35 billion a year earlier.
- Business: $3.77 billion, up 14 percent from $3.31 billion a year earlier.
- Online Services Business: Loss of $479 million, up 38 percent from $776 million loss a year earlier.
- Entertainment & Devices: $229 million loss compared to 210 million profit a year earlier.
Whither Windows

Laggard PC shipments weighed on Microsoft, which isn't surprising given the continued distraction smartphones and tablets cause consumers -- and that includes those bringing personal devices to work. Still, Windows and Windows Live division revenue grew 4 percent year over year and income by 6 percent (after falling 6 percent and 11 percent, respectively, in fiscal Q2).

IDC puts first calendar quarter year-over-year PC shipment growth at 2.3 percent, but only 1.9 percent by Gartner's estimates.

"The consumer segment continued to be a drag on market growth, as PC demand was low", Mikako Kitagawa, Gartner principal analyst, says. The analyst firm again highlights smartphones and tablets as leaders among those "other devices".

"Slow growth in the US shows that despite interesting and new form factors like all-in-one (AIO) desktop PCs and Ultrabook-class notebook PCs, the market remains conservative and focused on replacements", Loren Loverde, IDC vice president, says. Replacements don't just refer to necessary PC upgrades but tablets being used to supplement existing PCs. The devices replace behavior rather than the older computer.

Still, both analysts expressed optimism for the holidays. "We expect PC shipments to pick up significantly by the fourth quarter and beyond as HDD supply and pricing are normalized, Windows 8 is launched, and replacements pick up", Loverde says. But "the US PC market is likely to remain constrained at least until the launch of Windows 8, which is expected in the fourth quarter of 2012".

The future looks interesting, as Microsoft prepares its increasingly aggressive response to iPad. Yesterday, the company disclosed Windows 8 Enterprise feature and licensing benefits -- and nearly all relate to mobility or mobile devices. They also tip how much emphasis Microsoft will place on Windows RT, which runs on ARM processors and is queued for tablets.

Two Software Assurance benefits stand out: Extended Virtual Desktop rights for Windows RT devices and extended rights for companion devices.

"So that means that WinRT devices, when used by someone with a PC covered by SA, are automatically given the same virtualization rights as the PC itself, notably the right to access a remote instance of Windows running in a VM (a VDI scenario)", Paul DeGroot, president of Pica Communications, tells me today.

"If you have something other than a WinRT device you have to pay more", he continues. "As with the WinRT device, you need SA on the PC; but after that you still need to purchase a Companion Device License for Windows SA. However, this license will cover up to four devices, like your iPhone, iPad, and home PC or Mac.

DeGroot emphasizes: "Overall, I'd rate this as an improvement over the old SA Roaming Rights, which were useless to most people, but this is a case where MS is clearly giving WinRT an advantage over the competition".

Division Highlights

Microsoft reports revenue and earnings results for five divisons: Windows & Windows Live, Server & Tools, Business, Online Services and Entertainment & Devices.

Windows & Windows Live. Strong demand among businesses helped the division to overcome the effects of weaker than-expected PC demand. Revenue rose by 4 percent year over year, and operating income by 6 percent.

Microsoft estimates that global PC sales to businesses grew 8 percent, but were flat among consumers. However, when removing continued, steep netbook sales declines, consumer PCs actually rose 6 percent. Together, Microsoft estimates that PC sales grew by 2 percent and 4 percent, which is stronger than either Gartner or IDC estimates.

More granularly, like other recent quarters, OEMs accounted for 75 percent of Windows sales. Despite the increase in sales to businesses, the mix was only 33 percent to them but 41 percent to consumers. OEM revenue grew by 4 percent.

Looking ahead to fiscal fourth quarter, Microsoft is cautious about negative market dynamics, but expects business PC sales to continue growing.

The company estimates that Windows 7 is deployed on 40 percent of enterprise desktops.

Server & Tools. Revenue rose 14 percent year over year and operating income by 29 percent, delivering a simply stunning quarter. The division is insulated against economic maladies, because about 50 percent of revenues come from contractual volume-licensing agreements.

"Product revenue increased $396 million or 12%, driven primarily by growth in SQL Server, Windows Server, and System Center, reflecting continued adoption of Windows platform applications.", according to the company's 10-Q filing.

Looking ahead to fiscal Q4, Microsoft expects volume-license sales to grow in the high teens.

Business. The division was the quarter's big overall performer (again); revenue rose 9 percent and income by 14 percent year over year.

Annuity licensing continued to lift sales, an ongoing trend. "MBD revenue increased primarily reflecting sales of the 2010 Microsoft Office system. Business revenue increased $469 million or 11 percent, primarily reflecting growth in multi-year volume licensing revenue, licensing of the 2010 Microsoft Office system to transactional business customers, and an 11 percent increase in Microsoft Dynamics revenue. Consumer revenue increased $16 million or 2 percent due mainly to increased sales of the 2010 Microsoft Office system", according to the company.

More numbers: Multi-year license revenue grew by 13 percent, Dynamics CRM by 30 percent and Lync by 35 percent.

Like Server & Tools, Business division is largely insulated against sluggish PC sales. Sixty percent of revenue comes from annuity licensing to businesses.

Looking ahead to fiscal fourth quarter, Microsoft expects double-digit volume-license growth.

Online Services Business. Online services revenue rose by 6 percent, while the operating loss decreased by 38 percent. Search and display ads drove up online advertising revenue by 9 percent -- $51 million to $639 million. "OSD operating loss decreased due to higher revenue and lower cost of revenue and sales and marketing expenses.", according to the 10-Q.

Looking ahead to fiscal Q4, Microsoft expects continued improvements.

Entertainment & Devices. Revenue fell by 16 percent. Microsoft shipped 1.4 million Xboxes during the quarter -- a 1.3 million-unit decline from a year earlier. Xbox revenue fell 33 percent, or $584 million.

There were -- get this -- 100 billion minutes of Skype calls -- up 40 percent year over year.

Looking ahead to fiscal Q4, Microsoft expects double-digit revenue growth.

Photo Credit: Microsoft
AppSense's DataNow answers demand for corporate cloud file sharing

Publié: avril 19, 2012, 9:25pm CEST par Ed Oswald

Aiming to become the Dropbox of the enterprise, New York City-based AppSense has introduced DataNow, a cloud-based service aimed at giving companies a method to securely share documents across multiple platforms. The company says that its solution lessens the risk of the loss of sensitive information.

File sharing services like Dropbox have already been in the news for just that. Like Facebook and Draw Something, Dropbox has been found to store access tokens in plain text. Last June, a flaw in the software allowed anybody to log in to any account with any password. In the corporate world, such a breach is possibly devastating.

AppSense looks at corporate file sharing in the cloud differently. Unlike the more consumer-centric services, DataNow stores the data in a private cloud within the enterprise's own IT environment using a virtual appliance created to enable the flow of data.

This prevents sensitive files from being stored in a potentially insecure environment, and dramatically reduces the chances of a breach. It also gives the enterprise greater control over what their users can share, and how they share it.

"IT Managers have deep investments in their existing storage systems in terms of architecture, capacity, and security", says chief technology officer Harry Lebana. "It makes sense to leverage these investments first to empower users now, and introduce cloud-based storage systems as they mature and meet corporate IT requirements".

Users share files to their mobile devices by dragging files to the DataNow application, which is available for both Windows and Mac OS. These files are then accessible from authorized mobile devices on either the iOS or Android platforms, as well as any additional desktop platforms the user may have. IT administrators have the capability to develop specific policy controls for data usage, including the capability to restrict local caching or the power to remote wipe in the event of data loss.

Enterprise file-sharing has become hot, but most employ a similar strategy to Dropbox. AppSense competitor Vaultize on Thursday introduced its own file-sharing solution, which encrypts data both at the source and in the cloud to protect it from theft, however the standard offering uses RackSpace hosting. Options are available for private or hybrid deployments, although it is not standard.

AppSense is currently accepting beta applications to test the DataNow product. IT environments will need virtualization capability in order to run DataNow's Intelligent Data Broker and an accessible Microsoft Active Directory domain controller.

The company did not give details on final availability of the product nor its price. A call to AppSense for comment was outstanding as of press time.

Photo Credit: Yabresse/Shutterstock
Spotify for Android Ice Cream Sandwich launches in beta

Publié: avril 19, 2012, 6:15pm CEST par Tim Conneally

Popular music streaming service Spotify has rolled out a beta of its first Android app optimized for devices running Ice Cream Sandwich.

The most current version of the app, available in Google Play, was built for Android Gingerbread, and no version was released for Honeycomb. Google Play says the Gingerbread version is compatible with Ice Cream Sandwich devices, but this is not strictly true, and installing the Gingerbread version didn't guarantee local playback or playlisting, so this beta is a ramp-up to a significant release for Spotify.

That being said, this beta is not yet available in Google Play and must be downloaded directly from Spotify. They're looking for your feedback, so you know what to do.

This version has a completely revised user interface that follows the ICS design ethic, with a navigation button in the upper left hand corner that opens the menu of different views. Navigation speed has been significantly tweaked and poking around the app is swift and responsive. An impressive display of how quickly Spotify responds can be seen if you happen to be playing a track on your desktop app, and you click play on your smartphone app. The desktop's playback is instantly paused when the music starts on your phone, which is also instant.

The ability to browse "related artists" and other user profiles and playlists has been added, both of which were previously missing. A few more features have not yet been added, but are supposed to be on the way before the app launches in Google Play, including folders and Last.fm scrobbling.
Nokia's short-term pain is the result of long-term problems

Publié: avril 19, 2012, 6:10pm CEST par Ed Oswald

Point. It's always fun to point the blame at someone, and everyone loves to blame CEO Stephen Elop for Nokia's woes. As the Finnish phone manufacturer began to burn, Elop came aboard and made a deal with his former employer, Microsoft, to adopt the Windows Phone platform. Pundits thought he was insane, and have criticized him repeatedly for the move.

These criticisms grow louder as Nokia reports a $1.3 billion euro ($1.76 billion) loss in the first quarter of 2012. According to the financial statements, the company burned through 700 million euros in cash during the same quarter, and has a little under five billion euros in cash left. The company may face bankruptcy in two years.

What's to blame? Poor phone sales. Device revenues plummeted 29 percent year-over-year. Smartphone revenues were cut in half, while sales in feature phones fell a third. The launch of the Lumia 900 was just two weeks ago, so it's still too early to judge if that device was able to stop the bleeding.

Cue The Windows Phone Haters

But there's one thing that I'd like to stress here: criticizing Elop once again over Windows Phone after these results is foolish: one Nokia Windows Phone existed in the first quarter of this year. How can we call this a success or failure yet?

Elop can do nothing to change Nokia's position in the market. From the top, it gets pressure on smartphones through Apple's iPhone and a host of upper-end Android manufacturers. On the low end, budget featurephone makers like ZTE eat its lunch. Since Nokia has hands in both pots, growth on either end gives the company little wiggle room.

To break out, Nokia had to do something drastic. Releasing an Android device wouldn't make much sense: Nokia's devices would be competing with established players like Motorola and Samsung. Renewing focus on the low end was equally unwise: while the market remains large, it is contracting as more consumers choose to move up to smartphones.

What was left? Windows Phone. The adoption of the platform (and a partnership with Microsoft) gives Nokia two advantages. First, it cements position early as a leader on the platform. Second, it enables Nokia to produce stand-out devices and rebuild reputation.

I'm Not Dead Yet

The strategy paid off: the Lumia 900 is Windows Phone's top selling device to date, and has received generally positive reviews. Nokia placed itself back in the forefront by making a gamble. There was no path forward for the company without some short-term pain.

Doing nothing is no answer. Featurephones are a dying breed, and would result in a slower but inevitable death. Sticking around with Symbian is equally foolish: third-party support for the platform is dwindling, and development requirements sucked away precious resources that Nokia increasingly does not have.

Can and should Nokia eventually adopt Android? Of course, and such a move is wise as few manufacturers depend on a single platform. But first, Nokia needs to reestablish its brand, and Windows Phone is helping to do just that.

That said, Nokia must solidify its position in the featurephone market once again. Yes, I did say the market is dying earlier, but the high-volume nature will at least generate revenue for Nokia in the short term as it restructures its smartphone strategy. Elop says this is a focus during the current quarter, and I tend to believe him.

As CEO, Stephen Elop does shoulder the blame for the failures of his company. Windows Phone however is not the reason, and doesn't belong in the discussion at this point. Talk to me next quarter when Windows Phone plays a part in the bottom line -- maybe then I'll be willing to admit Nokia + Windows Phone was a failure.

Right now, the jury's still out on that one.

Editor's Note: Ed Oswald and Joe Wilcox wrote opposing positions about Nokia's Windows Phone strategy, independently today (we didn't want one directly responding to the other but to circumstances). Please read Joe's "Nokia does the Windows Phone death dance".
Nokia does the Windows Phone death dance

Publié: avril 19, 2012, 6:09pm CEST par Joe Wilcox

Few high-tech companies have imploded like Nokia and at the strangest time. Typically, dominant companies get killed during transitions from where they rule to where they don't. Nokia is oddest exception, imploding during a major computing era shift that favors its core competency. Transition from the PC to the mobile device eras is underway -- to a market where Nokia was, until recently, share leader by huge margins. How low the mighty has fallen, and former Microsoft division president turned Nokia CEO Stephen Elop wields the missile codes that launched self-inflicted nuclear strikes.

Today's Nokia earnings report is a disaster. It's radioactive fallout from Elop's decision to turn over the Finnish company's crown jewels to Microsoft. Elop sold Nokia's soul to his former masters, which I described at the time as a "silent takeover" of the company. Nokia needed new leadership, not new technology -- Elop's fundamental platform and cloud services switch -- to combat escalating Android and iOS competition. Before his tenure, Nokia did the right things, just in the wrong ways. Since taking the chief executive's seat in Autumn 2010, Elop has done the wrong things in all the right ways to destroy a once proud mobile device innovator.

Elop's Nuclear Nightmare

Companies are successful for many reasons. Leadership is among the most important. Good leaders inspire their underlings. They instill confidence among the loyal troops and raise their morale. Instead Elop disgraced all Nokia employees by showing absolutely no faith in them or the hugely successful mobile business their work produced. When justifying the Windows Phone switch, he called Symbian a "burning platform".

In a long memo, Elop wrote: "I have learned that we are standing on a burning platform...We poured gasoline on our own burning platform...Nokia, our platform is burning". In business, perception is everything. Yet Elop contributed to the perception that the global leader in handsets and mobile operating systems was a failure. He fed the fire of hype burning behind Android and iPhone. If anyone lit Nokia's platform afire, it was Elop and his negative memo that spread more FUD -- fear, uncertainty and doubt -- about Nokia's future than any competitor ever could. Elop isn't the harbinger of positive change but negative perceptions.

Then he chucked away the most successful mobile operating system on the planet -- with install base that dwarfed Android and iOS. The only thing burning about Symbian and planned successor Meego was the fire Elop set. He burned down the house -- no, he nuked the city -- in order to build anew.

The extent of devastation is nowhere more apparent than Q1, the first full quarter of results after Nokia shipped the first handsets running Windows Phone. Smartphone sales boom everywhere else, globally rising 58 percent in 2011 to 472 million units, accounting for 31 percent of all handset sales, according to Gartner. There is huge market transition underway that rivals capitalize on. Look at Apple's 35.5 million iPhones sold in fourth quarter, by Gartner's reckoning.

Lumia 'Sales Have Been Mixed'

Today, Nokia revealed that Q1 sales plummeted by 29 percent, leading to a $1.76 billion loss. Sales fell 26 percent quarter-on-quarter, too. Device and services net sales plummet by a stunning 40 percent year over year and 29 percent sequentially. Other year-over year declines: smart devices, 52 percent; mobile phones, 32 percent.

Nokia's Windows Phone transition is a major part of the problem, lessening demand for Symbian smartphones. First quarter global sales aren't available from analysts yet, but, according to Gartner, Symbian smartphone share fell to 11.7 percent from 32.3 percent in Q4 2011. The company that invented the smartphone, dropped from first to third place, behind Android and iOS, respectively.

Today, Elop says the hard thing -- and he deserves credit for it: "Actual sales results have been mixed", referring to Lumia Windows Phones. That's a polite way of saying they suck. During fourth quarter, Microsoft mobile OS share fell from 3.4 percent to 1.9 percent, according to Gartner. First quarter numbers aren't available, but as the IDC chart above shows it's a trend.

In February 2011 I warned: "Nokia will lose customers and market share. It's the inevitable consequence of such a massive operating system switch. Timing is terrible". That's not a rocket science conclusion. Android and iOS device sales soared and higher still later in 2011. Again mixing metaphors, it's like Elop called his race car to the pits during the Indianapolis 500 to change engines.

Now he's desperate. "We have a clear sense of urgency to move our strategy forward even faster". Elop says -- and he should. But where was that urgency in early 2011, when he turned over platform development responsibility to Microsoft?

Burning Down the Brand

Nokia had much to build on before Elop nuked it. For starters the brand. Wireless analyst Tomi explains: "More people use a Nokia phone than drink a Coca Cola, than wear Levis's jeans, than tell time on a Timex watch, than wear Nike running shoes, than smoke Marlboro cigarettes, or write with a Bic pen". While Nokia's brand may not seem much to Americans, it's huge everywhere else, particularly Asia, Europe and Africa.

"What was life like before Stephen Elop started to destroy the brand most widely spread on the planet?" Ahonen asks. Much better is the answer. While Nokia bled share before, the Windows Phone transition and Elop's performance opened an artery.

Unquestionably, Nokia had problems before Elop joined the company. Smartphones like N97 couldn't compete with iPhone, cloud services proved to be clunky and developers fled for Android Market (now Google Play) and Apple's App Store. But these were fixable problems with leadership and even a few cloud and software acquisitions. Instead, Elop nuked this city in lieu of urban renewal.

Nokia 808 PureView, announced in late February is sure sign of what the company could have done with Symbian. The truly innovative smartphone sports a 41-megapixel camera but not Windows Phone. So much good that was Nokia is now lost.

I'm a big Nokia phone fan -- have been for years. I would be ecstatic to be proved wrong, to a year hence write a mea culpa story. But looking at how much worse off Nokia is today than 14 months ago, when Elop cut the Microsoft deal, the big Windows Phone turnaround is more Harry Potter magic than Albert Einstein Relativity.

Editor's Note: Ed Oswald and Joe Wilcox wrote opposing positions about Nokia's Windows Phone strategy, independently today (we didn't want one directly responding to the other but to circumstances). Please read Ed's "Nokia's short-term pain is the result of long term problems".

Photo Credit: andrea crisante/Shutterstock
Bypass cumbersome iOS settings with Bluetooth OnOff

Publié: avril 19, 2012, 3:44pm CEST par Mark Wilson

Something that irritates many iOS users, and drives a large number of them to go as far as jailbreaking their phones and tablets, is the fact that Apple is so strict about what apps are able to do. The guidelines for getting into the App Store mean that it is not possible for any app to replicate an existing feature of iOS, nor access system settings in any way that Apple deems inappropriate. Despite this, Bluetooth OnOff has found its way in to the App Store, providing easy access to Bluetooth settings.

Due to battery draining, it is not a good idea to leave Bluetooth enabled when it is not being used. With this in mind, it is strange to find that in order to switch Bluetooth off, Apple makes users jump through a series of hoops in a process that takes several taps. Bluetooth OnOff is a simple little utility that reduces this to a one or two tap process so if you need to enable Bluetooth for a quick gaming session, you can do so in around a second.

Bluetooth OnOff can be used in one of two ways. The first option is to launch the app and then manually select the option to enable or disable Bluetooth, but by adjusting app settings you’ll find that there is a better option available. The app can be set up so that Bluetooth is switched on or off as soon as the app is launched, reducing the amount of time it takes to switch settings even further.

The app features a built in chatting option, but in all likelihood this is just a façade to help get a hady utility through to the store. If you’ve been frustrated by Apple’s restrictions but don’t fancy the idea of jailbreaking your iOS device, this may just be what you have been waiting for -- and at this low price you have very little to lose in testing it out for yourself.

You can find out more about the app by paying a visit to the Bluetooth OnOff review page.
IObit Advanced SystemCare adds antivirus protection

Publié: avril 19, 2012, 2:28pm CEST par Mike Williams

PC maintenance specialist IObit has released the first public beta of Advanced SystemCare with Antivirus 2012. Which, as you’ll guess from the name, not only now caters to all your PC maintenance needs, but also includes a full antivirus package as well.

The beta takes a dual-engine approach to protecting your PC, using both IObit and BitDefender technology to detect and block threats. And essentially it provides all the features you’d expect from a basic antivirus package. So you can run quick, full or custom scans; a simple scheduler allows you to configure scans to run automatically; and conveniences like a Silent Mode reduce unnecessary alerts when you’re playing games or other full-screen applications.

The inclusion of a full antivirus module in Advanced SystemCare seems like a natural progression for the package, but it does also introduce some potential problems, in particular the possibility of conflicts with other security tools that you might have running. These are generally detected during installation, when you’re given the possibility to run the program in “Compatibility Mode”, which essentially turns off real-time protection to reduce the chance of issues. But, of course, if you’re not going to use the program’s new real-time antivirus protection then there’s probably not much point installing it in the first place.

Still, Advanced SystemCare does have plenty of other features on offer. As with previous releases, the program can automatically clean the Registry, delete your Windows and application tracks, clean junk files and more; and there are stacks of tools to clean away unnecessary junk, optimize your system performance, repair problems, detect and fix security issues and more. Despite the “beta” tag everything seems very stable, so if you’re interested in the package then download your copy of Advanced SystemCare with Antivirus 2012 beta now.
Ashampoo Photo Commander 10 adds new 'quick fix' options

Publié: avril 19, 2012, 1:10pm CEST par Nick Peers

German software developer Ashampoo has released Ashampoo Photo Commander 10, a major new build of its photo management and editing tool for Windows. Version 10 introduces a number of new tools, features as well as performance improvements.

Ashampoo Photo Commander 10 adds two new photo tools, Repair Pen and Focus Effect Tool, alongside an Effect preview browser, plus adds support for directly uploading photos to three popular social networks.

The new photo tools are added to Ashampoo’s existing “quick-fix” selection. Repair Pen is designed for retouching facial impurities, while the new Focus Effect tool reduces the depth of field to allow professional portrait effects such as defocussing the background to be achieved within the program with existing images.

Ashampoo Photo Commander 10 also introduces new gradation curve and histogram tools for correcting lighting problems -- the newly integrated histogram tool makes it easy to see critical data such as exposure time, focus and white balance.

The social networking tools work with YouTube, Facebook and Picasa, and allow users to add photos to existing albums as well as creating new ones from scratch. Uploaded files can be resized and all metadata stripped for privacy purposes if necessary.

A new Effect preview browser makes it easy to see how different effects will alter the currently selected photo, while version 10 also adds support for the new Google WebP image format as well as color profiles in JPEG files. It also claims improved support for importing RAW formats from digital cameras.

Despite these new features, Ashampoo claims Photo Commander 10 promises better performance and faster loading times thanks to more efficient memory usage, plus wraps everything up in a streamlined user interface with more intuitive navigation thanks to fewer symbols cluttering up the menu navigation structure.

Ashampoo Photo Commander 10 is available now as a free trial download for PCs running Windows XP or later. The full version retails for $49.99.

Photo Credit: Laborant/Shutterstock
Is Microsoft's carrot enough for businesses to take the Windows 8 Enterprise stick?

Publié: avril 19, 2012, 3:21am CEST par Joe Wilcox
Microsoft pours out the Windows 8 news this week, ahead of fiscal 2012 third quarter earnings results. Yesterday, the company revealed the new SKUs and Windows Server 2012 naming. Today comes more information on the most distinct edition -- Windows 8 Enterprise. I debated all day what to write about the software, feeling that there's more marketing speak than substantive information in the blog post announcement. The devil is in the details as they say, and never more than Windows Enterprise and so-called Software Assurance benefits coming with it.

That's because Enterprise is a slippery slope for large businesses to climb. Most enterprises acquire Windows on new PCs -- OEMs account for 75 percent of sales -- but from there Microsoft licensing rules get sticky. Businesses can reimage PCs based on whatever license rights they have. Those wanting to deploy Windows Enterprise must take on something else: Software Assurance is required and adds considerable upfront cost: 29 percent of the full price for two or three years, paid annually. The real benefits -- that carrot -- are all about licensing, for those businesses willing to be beat by the stick (Software Assurance).

Assessing Software Assurance

Eleven months ago, Pica Communications president Paul DeGroot wrote an 8-part Microsoft licensing series for BetaNews. Microsoft has tweaked licensing over the past year, largely to support the cloud and Windows 8 Enterprise Software Assurance reflects some of the tweaking. Largely, what DeGroot laid out in May 2011 still holds true. That 29 percent works out to 13 percent savings over a three-year annuity contract. He explains:

At 29 percent a year on desktop products like Windows and Office, if you hold out for four years or more, the non-SA customer will pay 'only' 100 percent for the upgrade license, while the SA customer will pay 116 percent. In effect, the Software Assurance customer is paying a 16 percent premium to get a 13 percent discount. In fact, since larger business customers pay for Software Assurance three years at a time, they pay 87 percent for the first three years, and if they renew SA without getting an upgrade, another 87 percent for the next three years. That adds up to 174 percent, or a 74 percent premium to get a 13 percent discount.

Most enterprises upgrade less frequently than three or even four years, based on multiple analyst studies and an easily observable situation: More than 10 years after its release -- with Vista and 7 in between, XP is still the most widely deployed Windows. As an upgrade plan, for the majority of large businesses buying Windows, Software Assurance is no benefit at all from cost-savings perspective.

However, one benefit is commonly used -- and it's one Microsoft likes to keep secret: Many large businesses use annuity contracts to exercise downgrade rights, so they can maintain compatability across the organization. So they buy new PCs with, say, Windows 7 and reimage with XP.

But there are other benefits that Microsoft touts, and few have done much to increase Enterprise Edition adoption. When Windows 7 launched nearly three years ago, OEMs accounted for 80 percent of sales. Since, with Microsoft all but forcing enterprises to take Software Assurance, there has been 5 percent shift. I have argued since Vista's release more than 5 five years ago that the Software Assurance requirement discourages enterprises from deploying newer Windows versions.

Microsoft won't change, because it wants for Windows what it has with Office: The majority of sales are tied to lucrative annuity contracts, not uncertain PC sales.

Enterprise Edition Benefits

Microsoft's Software Assurance stick is hard. What about the carrot? In today's blog post, Erwin Visser breaks down the benefits by features and licensing terms -- but they're really all about licensing. Microsoft makes a choice to license certain features in one Windows 8 edition or another. There is no technical reason, as there might be for hardware, for any distinction. About features, he explains:
- Windows To Go is a fully manageable corporate Windows 8 desktop on a bootable external USB stick. This will allow IT organizations to support the “Bring Your Own PC” trend and businesses can give contingent staff access to the corporate environment without compromising security.
- DirectAccess allows remote users to seamlessly access resources inside a corporate network without having to launch a separate VPN and helps IT administrators keep remote users’ PCs in compliance by applying the latest policies, software updates, is easier to deploy, and it can be implemented with the existing IPv4 infrastructure.
- BranchCache allows users’ PCs to cache files, websites, and other content from central servers, so content is not repeatedly downloaded across the wide area network (WAN). When used with Windows Server 2012, Windows 8 brings several improvements to BranchCache to streamline the deployment process, optimize bandwidth over WAN connections and ensure better security and scalabilty.
- AppLocker can help mitigate issues by restricting the files and apps that users or groups are allowed to run.
- VDI enhancements: Enhancements in Microsoft RemoteFX and Windows Server 2012, provide users with a rich desktop experience with the ability to play 3D graphics, use USB peripherals and use touch-enabled devices across any type of network (LAN or WAN) for VDI scenarios.
- New Windows 8 App Deployment: Domain joined PCs and tablets running Windows 8 Enterprise will automatically be enabled to side-load internal, Windows 8 Metro style apps.
Regarding benefits directly related to Software Assurance:
- Windows To Go Use Rights: Windows To Go will allow companies to support Bring Your Own PC scenarios and will give employees who need to work from home more secure access to their full corporate environment. With Windows To Go use rights under Software Assurance, an employee will be able to use Windows To Go on any company PC licensed with Windows SA as well as from their home PC. Additionally, through a new companion device license for SA, employees will be able to use WTG on their personal devices at work.
- Windows RT Virtual Desktop Access (VDA) Rights: When used as a companion of a Windows Software Assurance licensed PC, Windows RT will automatically receive extended VDA rights. These rights will provide access to a full VDI image running in the datacenter which will make Windows RT a great complementary tablet option for business customers.
- Companion Device License: For customers who want to provide full flexibility for how employees access their corporate desktop across devices, we are introducing a new Companion Device License for Windows SA customers. For users of Windows Software Assurance licensed PCs this optional add-on will provide rights to access a corporate desktop either through VDI or Windows To Go on up to four personally owned devices.
In looking over both lists, I make an immediate observation: The major benefits are all about enabling businesses to better handle different device types. Stated differently: Windows 8 Enterprise is Microsoft's solution to businesses' consumerization of IT problem -- if you can really call it a problem.

Analysts Weigh In

When Microsoft introduced Software Assurance in May 2001, it positioned the annuity license plan for upgrades. But over time, businesses consistently used SA to exercise the aforementioned downgrade rights, while many others chose to pay full price since they wouldn't upgrade any sooner than four years. Microsoft responded by adding so-called benefits, such as home use rights, to tempt more enterprises to Software Assurance. The real question about Windows 8 Enterprise: Are the select features and new SA benefits enough for the bulk of businesses?

"The transition is going to be pretty slow for enterprise", Roger Kay, Endpoint Technologies president told me today. "It always is, and it seems like the pace of OS turnover is slowing as the incremental increase in value of each transition declines (oddly, because the last one was so good)".

In looking at new features, "there is some new value here", Kay says, "but is it enough to stimulate a large-scale transition? The Win7 transition is still under way. So, I'd say first tentative experiments in 2012 and 2013, more adoption in 2014, and flood tide in 2015". Oh? If Microsoft keeps to releasing a new Windows every three years, the tide would like, Windows 8 this year, flood the new version.

DeGroot is a bit more optimistic, but not exactly glowing. He told me today:

Windows RT VDA rights and the Companion device licenses could be very important. While I still think Microsoft's VDI licensing stinks, and this doesn't change it a lot, these new rights are vastly superior to the current SA Roaming Right for Windows, which are ridiculously restrictive. The SA Roaming Right only gives you the right to use third-party devices over other people's networks.

My short description of this is that it gives you the right to access corporate resources only over insecure networks from untrusted devices. These two benefits, in contrast get it right: SA on Win 8 will give customers the added flexibility that they should have been getting all along when they bought SA.

Earlier today, Microsoft refreshed Intune. Licensing changes related to Windows 8 Enterprise are promising.

"The accompanying Windows Intune blot/release says you'll be able to manage up to four addtional devices, and it will cover iPads, Android, etc, at the same $11 a month price", DeGroot explains. "I have always thought Intune was seriously overpriced, but this really can deliver value, and it's much better for mobile devices than using conventional management tools".

That circles back to the actual features and extent of their appeal.

"They've got some new stuff here: AppLocker, probably the VDI stuff (although it would be nice to get a closer look), the sideloading of Metro apps", Kay says. "I imagine Windows To Go and DirectAccess, taken together, make a pretty nice offering".

DeGroot sees Microsoft making an important concession to all businesses that actually diminishes Windows 8 Enterprise's appeal. "The two most important enterprise pieces, BitLocker and the MUI, are in Win 8 Pro and don't require SA anymore. I'm happy to see those changes, but they also reduce the value of SA somewhat", he says.

"The other stuff, like App Locker, DirectAccess, BranchCache, are features that some folks appreciate, but they're not going to drive many people to Enterprise", he adds. "Microsoft is always evolving RDP, and I'll give them credit for an excellent job there, so I'm not sure what additional VDI enhancements SA provides".

Consider all this an introduction to posing the question to you and your IT organization: Is Microsoft promising enough for you to seriously consider adopting Windows 8 Enterprise, particularly if you don't have Software Assurance coverage today?

Photo Credit: mikeledray/Shutterstock
Painless IT administration is easier than you think

Publié: avril 19, 2012, 1:52am CEST par BetaNews Staff

IT administration can be a daunting task, and require hours of additional work to ensure a deployment is operating properly and at peak efficiency. Oftentimes, administrators are faced with overly complex administration software that takes months or even years to figure out.

Worse yet, this software is "built in the bubble"; that is, developers create the platform based on what they think the administrator needs rather than what he or she wants. This results in software that does not mold to the needs of its users, and further adds to its complexity.

That's where Austin, Texas-based Solarwinds comes in to the picture. Founded in 1999, the software maker serves about 93,000 customers from small business up through Fortune 500 companies. Solarwinds' focus is what it calls "user-centric software", and the company has built its suite of products around this premise.

Making IT Work for You

"We believe that the IT pros who use our products everyday should be excited about them", the company says. "That's why we put our users first in everything we do, and strive to deliver powerful functionality while making their jobs easier". This should be music to an IT administrator's ears, given the state of most of the software out there today.

Solarwinds prides itself in building flexible software to meet the diverse needs of IT, while keeping in close touch with professionals to ensure the software is meeting the needs of the administrator. Since Solarwinds' products are built by administrators themselves, better software is the result.

A better equipped IT department means a more efficient enterprise, especially these days where a company's use of technology is a major key to success. "IT departments looking to stay competitive should ask themselves what direction their company is heading, identify the goals and determine IT's strategic role", Solarwinds senior product management director Jonathan Reeve says. "The good news is that IT departments already have the upper-hand in understanding the unique requirements of the businesses they support".

How can this company help you maintain a competitive edge? Below, we take a look at three of Solarwinds' most compelling products.

Staying Fast and Nimble

The larger the deployment, the more difficult it is to make sure everything runs in tip-top shape. Having the capability to measure performance of both the applications you run and the servers that power them is the first step in trouble-free IT administration.

Solarwinds' Server & Application Monitor does that, offering reporting and alerting to issues in your environment. The setup automatically detects active servers and applications in your deployment, monitors for issues with Microsoft's Exchange and Active Directory and performance issues with Java applications, for example. Compatibility with Dell, HP, and IBM System X servers allows for extensive reporting and diagnosis of problems on the server side.

Solarwinds' expertise also shines in that Server & Application Monitor includes built-in suggestions on optimal performance for popular apps and servers to assist in diagnosis and remedying of detected issues. The company also includes a "knowledge base" including broader tips on how to run efficient IT environments to further optimize your deployment.

Server & Application Monitor licensing begins at $2,495, with a 30-day free trial available.

Tackle Issues Before They're Problems

There’s always room for trouble in any IT environment, thus an established system in place to warn of potentially serious issues is vital. Such a system should be able to warn you of negative events and be able to isolate the issue quickly with ample time to react.

Log & Event Manager is Solarwinds' answer to this issue, and will provide that key line of first defense. Say a running service in your environment begins to malfunction. Log & Event Manager's console warns of this, and presents the administrator with options to mitigate the issue, such as restarting the service.

Active Response & Threat Mitigation is a key feature of this product. Quick action is key in today's world where an administrator can be dealing with any number of security threats. Log & Event Manager automatically quarantines infected machines and IP address without user interaction, preventing significant security issues well before they become serious problems.

Solarwinds offers a 30-day free trial of Log & Event Manager, as well as offering licenses starting at $4,495.

Don't Get Caught in Patch Hell

Making sure apps and tools across your environment are up-to-date can be a serious undertaking. But not keeping on top of it is equally serious; any unpatched issue in apps in use by your users could be opening the network up to potential security risks. Developing a solid updating strategy is a vital step in ensuring network health.

So what should you look for in a service to help you stay on top of such an important facet of IT administration? Your selected solution should have the following features: the ability to deploy patches automatically and dynamically, which allows for minimal disruption in your IT deployment; the ability to scan the entire network to locate unauthorized and unpatched machines; and the capability to ensure the patch was installed right the first time.

Solarwinds' Patch Manager includes these features. This service catalogs third-party patches from a host of vendors including Adobe, Apple, Google, Mozilla, and Sun. It also pre-tests these patches, which ensures a problem-free installation when you are ready to apply them.

Patch Manager automates the process of patching and allows for the control of its rollout. This is a good thing, as applying a patch everywhere at once can be disastrous. As any administrator will tell you, Murphy's Law is always in effect when it comes to network administration. By staggering the rollout through Patch Manager IT administrators will be able to monitor and adapt based on the results.

Knowing is half the battle, they say. Patch Manager offers the capability to quickly see across your environment who is unpatched, improperly patched, or worse yet unauthorized. This further tightens up your environment, ensuring all users are using the latest and safest software.

Like all of Solarwinds offerings, Patch Manager is available for download as a 30-day trial, and begins at $2,995.

Editor's Note: Solarwinds sponsored this post.

Photo Credit: .shock/Shutterstock