Microsoft Updates Windows Intune, Systems Center for MDM
Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) this week announced updates to System Center 2012 Configuration Manager SP1 and Windows Intune that will enable IT administrators to centrally manage all of an organization’s devices from PCs to laptops to mobile devices including iOS, Android, Surface RT and Windows 8-based devices. The mobile device management (MDM) news was part of a bigger announcement from Microsoft around its Cloud OS portfolio of products and services that are designed to manage the more complex environments of today including hybrid clouds. Here are the details.
Microsoft says the new solutions will help IT manage hybrid cloud services and connected devices faster and more cost effectively. For instance, by using System Center 2012 SP1 with Windows Server 2012, IT can shift from managing datacenter components separately to delivering resources as a whole, including networking, storage and compute, the company said. Multitenancy, software-defined networking and storage virtualization are built in. Services also can include server backup to Windows Azure using Service Center SP1.
A more comprehensive look at what’s included in Microsoft’s Cloud OS is available at Talkin’ Cloud.
Separately last week, Microsoft officials said they expected Office 365 to grow by 40 percent this year and answered MSP questions about the online version of Office, and about Office 365 Open, the version that would enable MSPs to bill their own customers for the cloud-based version of Office. In the two-some years since Microsoft introduced the concept of cloud-based Office, MSPs have moved from balking at the idea to warming up to the concept, especially since the announcement of Open. Microsoft is expected to make Open available on or before its Worldwide Partner Conference in Houston, July 7 to 11.
Microsoft is expected to ship its Surface Pro tablet next week, the first Microsoft tablet that supports Windows 8 and offers integration with the full Microsoft Office suite including Outlook. Microsoft will also announce its quarterly earnings next week.
