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Saturday: Brad Smith Talks Cloud Computing on C-SPAN
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Posted by David Bowermaster
Administrator, Microsoft on the Issues
As you may have read here recently, Microsoft General Counsel Brad Smith delivered a speech on cloud computing at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C. last month.
In his remarks, Brad described the many ways cloud computing can increase the efficiency and transparency of government and other parts of society, and noted areas where the development of cloud computing must be carefully managed, particularly when it comes to privacy and data security. He encouraged industry and policymakers to take action to build confidence in cloud computing, and proposed the Cloud Computing Advancement Act to promote innovation, protect consumers and provide government with new tools to address the critical issues of data privacy and security.
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Surfacing Human Potential at TED 2010
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Posted by Dan’l Lewin
Corporate Vice President, Strategic & Emerging Business Development
Dan’l Lewin
This week at TED 2010 in southern California, conferees will have an opportunity to experience the power of innovation and entrepreneurship in some new and extraordinary ways at the World of Entrepreneurs tent, hosted by the Kauffman Foundation.
Among the 30 largest foundations in the United States, Kauffman focuses on advancing entrepreneurship and improving the education of children and youth – causes that we at Microsoft also totally believe in and support. So, in keeping with the spirit of TED – “Ideas Worth Spreading” – the foundation and Microsoft have used the latest technology for digital storytelling to bring to life the many stories of how we each are working to make a positive difference in the lives of people and communities around the world.
Building on the local stories in the Microsoft Local Impact Map, an online application, we added stories from the work of the Kauffman Foundation. And to put all the stories on a human scale, we moved the application to Microsoft Surface. Surface is a new computer that responds to natural hand gestures and real-world objects, creating unique new ways for people to collaboratively interact with digital content and to communicate. The Surface computer at TED lets you navigate the Local Impact Map with your hands, finding and exploring stories through text, video and pictures from around the world.
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Steve Ballmer on Huffington Post
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Posted by David Bowermaster
Administrator, Microsoft on the Issues
As you may know, the 2010 International Consumer Electronics Show gets underway tonight in Las Vegas. Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer will deliver the opening keynote tonight at 6:30 p.m. PT. Ahead of the event, Steve has posted a blog on Huffington Post entitled “CES 2010: Beyond Fun and Games,” which talks about the important role technology can play advancing social and economic progress -- as well as entertaining us and making our lives easier.
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White House CIO Vivek Kundra Helps Showcase Windows Azure
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Posted by Teresa Carlson
Vice President, Microsoft Federal
When it comes to cloud computing, federal customers have a lot to consider and new business options to explore nearly every day. And while “the cloud” is still in its infancy, today, I’m excited to extend our cloud announcements coming out of Microsoft’s Professional Developer Conference (PDC09) in L.A., to the federal community. One of our own fearless leaders in the federal government, CIO Vivek Kundra, today joined Microsoft Chief Software Architect Ray Ozzie as Ray unveiled Microsoft’s cloud-based platforms Windows Azure and SQL Azure. Windows Azure provides developers with on-demand compute and storage power to host, scale and manage Web applications on the Internet through Microsoft data centers. Think of Windows Azure as a sort of operating system in the cloud, extending the Windows platform to allow for the creation of new, transformative cloud experiences that federal enterprises can take advantage of.
With help from Vivek, we showcased a community technology preview (CTP) of a subset of Windows Azure - codename “Dallas. ” Powered by Windows Azure and SQL Azure, this “data as a service” provides an open catalogue and marketplace for data – both public and commercial. Vivek demonstrated an app we helped to build for his iPhone - to find, query, and make meaningful use of Department of Labor teaching information and data that stored and catalogued in Windows Azure’s “Dallas.” Not only could he find out where teachers were most needed, but he could even get to the level of jobs for special education teachers.
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White House Support for Innovation Will Drive Economic Recovery
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Posted by Pamela Passman
Corporate Vice President, Global Corporate Affairs
The way out of our nation’s current economic difficulties is through innovation fostered by investments in education, technical job skills training, and science and technology infrastructure. That’s what Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said in February at the House Democratic Caucus retreat. Today we are very happy to see President Obama unveil his new national innovation agenda – a plan that will create jobs and steer our economy back toward lasting growth.
President Obama’s innovation plan commits the nation to several important strategies that Microsoft wholeheartedly supports: investing in the nation’s future workforce by reemphasizing science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education, and focusing R&D on national priorities such as health, broadband and energy. We also support the administration’s decision to appoint the first federal Chief Information Officer and Chief Technology Officer to coordinate the government’s research, technology, and innovation policies.
President Obama’s focus on innovation strikes home for Microsoft, as we invest over $9 billion each year in R&D. We’ve long believed that government investments in STEM education pay huge social and economic dividends in the form of young minds eager to innovate, and we’ve recognized that companies such as Microsoft have a vital role to play in this process, which is why we’ve devoted hundreds of millions of dollars to improving education through Partners in Learning. It’s also why we launched Microsoft DreamSpark, which provides U.S. students with free, professional software development tools to help them gain the skills they will use to contribute to our nation’s innovation capacity. By promoting a well-rounded education for young people, the federal government and partner companies like Microsoft are making the soundest financial decision: investing in the future of American ingenuity.
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Microsoft and Boys and Girls Clubs of America: Training tomorrow’s leaders
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Posted by Pamela Passman
Corporate Vice President
There are few institutions that can boast an alumni list that includes Bill Cosby, Michael Jordan, Brad Pitt and Bill Clinton. There are even fewer that have been positively impacting the lives of young people for over 100 years.
But that’s exactly what Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) has been doing. BGCA challenges kids to “BE GREAT” while providing a supportive environment that fosters learning and development. In fact, some 52 percent of Club alumni feel that the Club saved their life. BGCA’s incredible work is helping kids across the United States and on U.S .military bases around the world.
BGCA has been consistently successful because it adapts to the changing needs of our youth, while providing a consistent, supportive environment in the neighborhoods where it operates.
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Inspiration at the Imagine Cup Finals in Cairo
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Posted by Ray Ozzie
Chief Software Architect
Today I had the privilege of kicking off the worldwide finals of the seventh annual Imagine Cup in Cairo, Egypt. The event is an inspiring culmination to a six-month, global technology competition that has included more than 300,000 students from over 100 countries and regions.
The Imagine Cup grows each year and is one of the most powerful demonstrations of our belief that students must have the educational foundation and access to technology required to pursue their dreams and contribute to improving the human condition. Initiatives like the Imagine Cup give students the opportunities and confidence to experiment and explore what’s possible.
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Global Challenges Await New Patent Office Director
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Posted by Horacio Gutierrez
Corporate Vice President and Deputy General Counsel
Yesterday President Obama announced he intends to nominate David Kappos, vice president and assistant general counsel for intellectual property at IBM, to serve as Undersecretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. This is a huge job, managing a workforce of 9,000 employees and directing a central part of an intellectual property system that drives American innovation, economic growth and job creation.
It would be difficult to envision a new USPTO director who understands the U.S. and global patent system better than Dave Kappos. Dave’s nomination marks a return to the kind of experienced industry leadership that had often been tapped to head the agency in years past. Dave’s extensive background in all aspects of patent law and policy, and his experience managing one of the world’s largest corporate patent departments, make him well suited to take on the parallel challenges of improving patent quality and agency efficiency. We applaud his selection, and offer him our full support and commitment to work with him upon his appointment and with others in industry to tackle the challenges ahead.
The challenges the new Director will face are daunting.
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Can the U.S. Retain Its Innovation Edge?
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Posted by Brad Smith
General Counsel
The Conference Board today released an important study about the state of innovation in the United States. This past weekend I read the report, which Microsoft sponsored. Somewhat to my surprise, I found it both disturbing and encouraging. The report suggests that unless we take new steps, the U.S. could lose its competitive innovation edge. Yet the report also provides some good suggestions about positive steps we can take to reinforce and enhance our capacity for creative problem-solving.
Most Americans appreciate the important role innovation has played historically in establishing and reinforcing U.S. competitiveness. Since the end of World War II, the country’s investments in education and research and development have been powerful engines of innovation and economic growth.
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The Power of Students to Change the World
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Posted by Anthony Salcito
General Manager, U.S. Education
This week I traveled to Cambridge, Mass. for the U.S. finals of the Imagine Cup, a student competition sponsored by Microsoft that encourages students to apply technology in creative ways to tackle real-world problems. This year’s competition specifically challenged students to use technology to achieve the U.N.’s Millennium Development Goals, which include fighting hunger and poverty, eradicating AIDS, improving education and advancing environmental sustainability.
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