Author: Amit Chowdhry / Source: Forbes
Microsoft Monday is a weekly column that focuses on updates in regards to the Redmond giant. This week, Microsoft Monday includes details about machine learning being used to enhance antivirus software, the acquisition of Cloudyn, a major cloud partnership with Box, the Timeline feature being delayed, free Xbox Live Gold games for this month, AI on the Raspberry Pi 3 and much more!
Microsoft Is Creating Smart Antivirus Software Using Machine Learning From Over 400 Million Computers
Microsoft is designing its antivirus software using machine learning from over 400 million computers running on Windows 10. With the Fall Creators Update, Microsoft will utilize data from Azure, Office and Endpoint to quickly determine malware behavior. And this upgrade will be integrated into the Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection.
So Microsoft will be able to develop a signature for malware anytime it is detected on any computer running on Windows 10. And the first time the malware appears, the virus will likely end up in a virtual sandbox on the cloud rather than a person’s device. “If we’re going to stay on top of anything that is changing that fast, you have to automate,” said Windows Enterprise and Security director of program management Rob Lefferts via CNET. And this is important because 96% of detected cyber attacks are brand new.
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How Windows 10 Will Protect Your Files From Ransomware
Some of the worst cases of ransomware that spread this year included WannaCry and Petya.
To alleviate ransomware issues in the future, Microsoft is adding a controlled folder access feature in the Fall Creators Update — which will only allow specific apps to access, read and write to a folder. And if you enable the feature, then it will prevent apps from accessing your desktop, documents folder, photos and movies.
“Controlled folder access monitors the changes that apps make to files in certain protected folders,” said Microsoft Windows Insiders head Dona Sarkar via The Verge. “If an app attempts to make a change to these files, and the app is blacklisted by the feature, you’ll get a notification about the attempt.”
Microsoft Acquires Cloud Monitoring Company Cloudyn
Microsoft has confirmed that it has acquired Cloudyn, a cloud monitoring software-as-a-service company. The value of the deal is reportedly between $50 and $70 million, according to TechCrunch.
Cloudyn offers cloud monitoring solutions and analytics based on performance and cost for hybrid cloud deployments. Cloudyn’s services work with cloud providers like Microsoft Azure, Amazon AWS, Google Cloud, and Openstack.
Cloudyn also built a customized offering for Microsoft Azure Cloud Solution Providers earlier this year. This service allows partners to manage subscriptions, analyze consumption and monitor deployments.
“This acquisition fits squarely into our commitment to empower customers with the tools they need to govern their cloud adoption and realize the strategic benefits of a global, trusted, intelligent cloud. Cloudyn gives enterprise customers tools to identify, measure and analyze consumption, enable accountability and forecast future cloud spending,” said Microsoft in a blog post. “As a Microsoft partner, Cloudyn has supported cost management for Microsoft Azure and other public clouds, helping customers continuously improve their cloud efficiency. Cloudyn customers have been able to optimize their cloud services usage and costs through automated monitoring, analytics and cost allocation. Since working with Cloudyn, one U.S.-based Fortune 500 customer has seen a 286 percent return on investment (ROI) with regard to their cloud efficiencies, demonstrating Cloudyn’s ability to help customers accelerate their cloud adoption. Cloudyn capabilities will be incorporated into our product portfolio that offers customers the industry’s broadest set of cloud management, security and governance solutions.”
Xbox One X To Be “Smart” When It Comes To Downloading 4K Content
One of the best Xbox One X features is native 4K gaming support. Fortunately, Microsoft confirmed that only the necessary assets for the 4K gaming experience will be downloaded to the console.
“With the launch of Xbox One X, when it comes to game content our intention is to download the correct assets to the correct console,” said a Microsoft representative in an interview with Stevivor. “This means, regardless of the TV you are playing on,…
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