The European Commission has reached a preliminary conclusion that Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure should be designated as "gatekeepers" under the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA). This move marks a significant expansion of the EU's regulatory reach, bringing cloud infrastructure—the backbone of the modern digital and AI economy—under the same strict competition rules as social media and app stores.


EU Eyes Tougher Rules For Cloud Giants | AWS and Azure Face EU Digital Scrutiny

Microsoft outage hits cloud services; users face app install failures and Windows update time-outs.
Microsoft says recovery continues after weekend disruptions.

Azure, Microsoft 365 Affected By Power Outage

Microsoft Corp. said a distributed denial-of-service cyber attack caused an outage of its Azure cloud applications. The attack began early Tuesday, the company said in a status update, which was compounded by a mistake in Microsoft's automated protection mechanisms.

The outage disrupted businesses in many regions, including the ability to run their systems on Azure. For instance, the mobile ordering system for Starbucks —an Azure-driven service, according to a person familiar with the matter— was interrupted for hours by the Azure issues.

Denial-of-service attacks inundate websites with internet traffic in an attempt to shut them down. It has been a nagging problem for financial institutions, as sometimes they face intermittent downtime, and their security teams have to ward off the activity.

Reports of outages on Azure and Microsoft 365 began to spike shortly after 7 a.m. in New York, with hundreds of complaints at the peak of the incident, according to user reports compiled by Downdetector. Microsoft said the issue was resolved by about 5 p.m. in New York.

Earlier this month, some 8 million computers running the Windows operating system crashed following a flawed software update from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike Holdings Inc. Microsoft has also been dealing with the aftermath of a string of cyberattacks that prompted the US government to issue a report that was highly critical and called for company wide action.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella called out progress in the company's cybersecurity products on a conference call Tuesday after the company's quarterly earnings report. More than 1.2 million security customers are now using Microsoft, he pointed out, saying, "We continue to prioritise security above all else."

It shows contemporary challenges and vulnerabilities in cloud service providers. As cyber threats evolve, the requirement for better security measures and quick response mechanisms becomes critical to maintain trust and reliability among customers for tech giants such as Microsoft.

Microsoft Corp. said a distributed denial-of-service cyber attack caused an outage of its Azure cloud applications. The attack began early Tuesday, the company said in a status update, which was compounded by a mistake in Microsoft's automated protection mechanisms.

Microsoft Corp. said a distributed denial-of-service cyber attack caused an outage of its Azure cloud applications. The attack began early Tuesday, the company said in a status update, which was compounded by a mistake in Microsoft's automated protection mechanisms. The outage disrupted businesses in many regions, including the ability to run their systems on Azure. For instance, the mobile ordering system for Starbucks —an Azure-driven service, according to a person familiar with the matter— was interrupted for hours by the Azure issues. Denial-of-service attacks inundate websites with internet traffic in an attempt to shut them down. It has been a nagging problem for financial institutions, as sometimes they face intermittent downtime, and their security teams have to ward off the activity. Reports of outages on Azure and Microsoft 365 began to spike shortly after 7 a.m. in New York, with hundreds of complaints at the peak of the incident, according to user reports compiled by Downdetector. Microsoft said the issue was resolved by about 5 p.m. in New York. Earlier this month, some 8 million computers running the Windows operating system crashed following a flawed software update from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike Holdings Inc. Microsoft has also been dealing with the aftermath of a string of cyberattacks that prompted the US government to issue a report that was highly critical and called for company wide action. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella called out progress in the company's cybersecurity products on a conference call Tuesday after the company's quarterly earnings report. More than 1.2 million security customers are now using Microsoft, he pointed out, saying, "We continue to prioritise security above all else." It shows contemporary challenges and vulnerabilities in cloud service providers. As cyber threats evolve, the requirement for better security measures and quick response mechanisms becomes critical to maintain trust and reliability among customers for tech giants such as Microsoft.

Azure outage: DDoS attack exposes vulnerabilities in Microsoft's cloud services

Microsoft said on Thursday it was investigating issues with its cloud services in the Central US region, which has disrupted services worldwide. Major airlines across the world said that the outage has adversely affected their flight operations, including in Delhi and Mumbai.

Microsoft investigating Azure outage after massive worldwide IT outage

Silicon Valley giants Apple and Microsoft are locked in a tight race for the title of world's most valuable company, with recent market shifts putting Microsoft within striking distance.<o:p></o:p>

This is based on a Reuters report.<o:p></o:p>

Apple's crown has grown unsteady, weighed down by declining iPhone sales in China and analysts doubts about the impact of its upcoming mixed-reality headset. Its shares have dipped 4 per cent this year, eroding its market capitalisation to $2.866 trillion.<o:p></o:p>

Microsoft, on the other hand, is riding a wave of success, with its stock price up 2 per cent year-to-date and market value hitting $2.837 trillion. This surge is fuelled by the continued strength of its cloud computing business, Azure.<o:p></o:p>

The gap between the two tech titans is narrow, with Apple clinging to a mere $29 billion lead. In December, the gap was even smaller.<o:p></o:p>

Apple's iPhone performance, particularly in China, is a major concern. Jefferies analysts reported a 30 per cent drop in iPhone sales in China during the first week of 2024, raising fears about growing competition from Huawei and other domestic players.<o:p></o:p>

While Apple's upcoming Vision Pro headset launch is its biggest product reveal since the iPhone, analysts at UBS doubt its immediate impact on earnings. They predict its contribution to be "relatively immaterial" in 2024.<o:p></o:p>

This isn't the first time Microsoft has threatened Apple's top spot. Since 2018, they have briefly exchanged positions several times, including in 2021 when COVID-related supply chain issues hit Apple hard.<o:p></o:p>

Both companies currently trade at relatively high valuations compared to their expected earnings. Apple's forward price-to-earnings ratio is at 28, significantly above its historical average of 19. Microsoft fares slightly better at 31, still surpassing its 10-year average of 24.<o:p></o:p>

Apple's recent quarterly report offered a lukewarm outlook for the holiday season, missing Wall Street expectations due to weak demand for iPads and wearables. Analysts still anticipate a meagre 0.7 per cent revenue increase for the December quarter, marking the first year-on-year increase in four quarters. Apple's official results are due on February 1st.<o:p></o:p>

Microsoft, on the other hand, is expected to report a 16 per cent revenue increase to $61.1 billion in the coming weeks, driven by the robust performance of Azure.<o:p></o:p>

(With inputs from Reuters)<o:p></o:p>

Silicon Valley giants Apple and Microsoft are locked in a tight race for the title of world's most valuable company, with recent market shifts putting Microsoft within striking distance.

Silicon Valley giants Apple and Microsoft are locked in a tight race for the title of world's most valuable company, with recent market shifts putting Microsoft within striking distance. This is based on a Reuters report. Apple's crown has grown unsteady, weighed down by declining iPhone sales in China and analysts doubts about the impact of its upcoming mixed-reality headset. Its shares have dipped 4 per cent this year, eroding its market capitalisation to $2.866 trillion. Microsoft, on the other hand, is riding a wave of success, with its stock price up 2 per cent year-to-date and market value hitting $2.837 trillion. This surge is fuelled by the continued strength of its cloud computing business, Azure. The gap between the two tech titans is narrow, with Apple clinging to a mere $29 billion lead. In December, the gap was even smaller. Apple's iPhone performance, particularly in China, is a major concern. Jefferies analysts reported a 30 per cent drop in iPhone sales in China during the first week of 2024, raising fears about growing competition from Huawei and other domestic players. While Apple's upcoming Vision Pro headset launch is its biggest product reveal since the iPhone, analysts at UBS doubt its immediate impact on earnings. They predict its contribution to be "relatively immaterial" in 2024. This isn't the first time Microsoft has threatened Apple's top spot. Since 2018, they have briefly exchanged positions several times, including in 2021 when COVID-related supply chain issues hit Apple hard. Both companies currently trade at relatively high valuations compared to their expected earnings. Apple's forward price-to-earnings ratio is at 28, significantly above its historical average of 19. Microsoft fares slightly better at 31, still surpassing its 10-year average of 24. Apple's recent quarterly report offered a lukewarm outlook for the holiday season, missing Wall Street expectations due to weak demand for iPads and wearables. Analysts still anticipate a meagre 0.7 per cent revenue increase for the December quarter, marking the first year-on-year increase in four quarters. Apple's official results are due on February 1st. Microsoft, on the other hand, is expected to report a 16 per cent revenue increase to $61.1 billion in the coming weeks, driven by the robust performance of Azure. (With inputs from Reuters)

Silicon Valley Showdown: Microsoft nips at Apple's crown as world's most valuable company

Microsoft Corporation has partnered with Chines electronic and software company Xiaomi to work together on cloud computing, Artificial Intelligence, and hardware.

Under the signed memorandum of understanding, Microsoft has allowed Xiaomi to use its computing products including Azure, to develop phones, laptops, and other smart devices.

The move by Microsoft to collaborate with the Chinese company is expected to work in favour of Microsoft as it will give more reach and access to the Chinese market to an American company.

Currently focused on the Asia Pacific, Xiaomi will also be expanding its reach to West market as well.

According to reports both&nbsp;companies are also holding discussions to integrate Cortana, Microsoft&#39;s AI assistant currently struggling to compete with other AI assistants, with Mi AI speaker.

In 2017 Xiaomi was world&#39;s fifth most popular smartphone company trailing Apple and Samsung.

Earlier in 2015, Microsoft had signed a deal with Xiaomi to tests its Windows 10 on Xiaomi devices.

Microsoft had some major stumbles in recent time as they officially announced to end support for windows phone in 2017.

Under the memorandum of understanding, Microsoft has allowed Xiaomi to use its computing products including Azure, to develop phones, laptops, and other smart devices

Microsoft Corporation has partnered with Chines electronic and software company Xiaomi to work together on cloud computing, Artificial Intelligence, and hardware. Under the signed memorandum of understanding, Microsoft has allowed Xiaomi to use its computing products including Azure, to develop phones, laptops, and other smart devices. The move by Microsoft to collaborate with the Chinese company is expected to work in favour of Microsoft as it will give more reach and access to the Chinese market to an American company. Currently focused on the Asia Pacific, Xiaomi will also be expanding its reach to West market as well. According to reports both companies are also holding discussions to integrate Cortana, Microsoft's AI assistant currently struggling to compete with other AI assistants, with Mi AI speaker. In 2017 Xiaomi was world's fifth most popular smartphone company trailing Apple and Samsung. Earlier in 2015, Microsoft had signed a deal with Xiaomi to tests its Windows 10 on Xiaomi devices. Microsoft had some major stumbles in recent time as they officially announced to end support for windows phone in 2017.

Microsoft, Xiaomi collaborate to make AI powered speakers and smartphones

azure

Azure, News on Azure, stories on Azure, articles on Azure, Azure stories at Wion, Azure news, Azure latest news