Software-as-a-Service Companies Can Use NVIDIA GRID GPUs on Demand and Stream Graphics-Intensive Applications to Internet-Connected Devices

SANTA CLARA, CA - NVIDIA today announced NVIDIA GRID technology is now available from Amazon Web Services (AWS) through its newly announced Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2) G2 instance, delivering GPU acceleration to users running graphics-intensive applications and games in the cloud.

BARCELONA — Nov . 5 , 2013 — Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: “MSFT”) on Tuesday highlighted how businesses are differentiating themselves in the market with Microsoft Dynamics technology in the opening keynote of the company’s sold-out Microsoft Dynamics Convergence 2013 EMEA conference. The keynote address, delivered by Microsoft Business Solutions Executive Vice President Kirill Tatarinov and Microsoft International President Jean-Philippe Courtois, focused on how people and businesses can reimagine the way they engage with customers, build brand relevance, and collaborate to stay ahead of the ever-changing market and business environments.

“This is truly the era of the customer where people are more informed and better connected than ever. Businesses urgently need solutions to unite and empower their people so they can best serve and nurture their customers,” Tatarinov said. “Microsoft is positioned to deliver agile, integrated business solutions that will help organizations in this new era by delivering amazing customer experiences.”

Delivering customer-centric business solutions

Following the Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2013 Global Premiere Event, which was broadcast live from Barcelona to more than 70,000 attendees and featured customers Metro Bank, Pandora, and Servcorp, the company announced a set of 18 new predefined and configurable process templates that include sports management, healthcare, government and nonprofit, as well as some specialized areas such as prison offender management. These templates are available for customers to download at no charge from the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Marketplace.

Delivering on the promise of giving customers access to their CRM information on any device, Microsoft confirmed the availability of new touch-optimized experiences on Windows Phones, iPhones and Android phones that give customers powerful functionality and analytics on the go, without a separate license fee.* These apps are available today in their respective online stores.

To make it easy for businesses to buy Microsoft Dynamics CRM to use with Microsoft Office 365, Microsoft is also introducing a new global pricing promotion that lets eligible existing and new Microsoft Office 365 customers purchase professional licenses of Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online and get up to a 40 percent discount on the price of the CRM license, giving them immediate and significant value for their technology investment. This promotion runs through March 31, 2014, and is available in 42 markets where the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online service is offered. Specific details as well as terms and conditions can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/dynamics/offers/CRME.aspx.

Metro Bank, Great Britain’s first new high street bank in more than a century and an early adopter of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2013, is using the new solution as the foundation of its customer-first strategy.

“Metro Bank is driving a revolution in banking. We aim to create fans, not customers, and we have a culture that is all about surprise and delight,” said Paul Marriott-Clarke, commercial director, Metro Bank. “Microsoft Dynamics CRM is our platform to engage with customers and along with Yammer, SharePoint, Office 365 and Lync is helping us to deliver our promise to offer customers the very best in service and convenience.”

Designed to help businesses run an agile operation that exceeds their customers’ needs, engages with them on their terms and helps fuel growth, Microsoft today introduced new capabilities in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R3, the next update for its flagship ERP solution. Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R3 delivers new warehouse and transportation management capabilities to provide customers with real-time end-to-end insights into supply-chain execution. New Lifecycle Services available with this release help organizations improve the predictability of Microsoft Dynamics AX implementations by simplifying and standardizing processes, and bringing innovative and integrated experiences for serviceability and support.

Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R3 introduces support for deployment on Windows Azure via infrastructure as a service (IaaS), bringing customers true choice and portability between on-premises and private cloud deployments, along with all the benefits and security features that come with the world-class Windows Azure service. With the availability of Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R3 expected in April 2014, the company also shared that it remains on track to deliver the next major version of Microsoft Dynamics AX on-premises and as a public cloud service offering.

Following the delivery of Expense management and reconciliation, Timesheets and Approvals apps for Microsoft Dynamics AX, Microsoft announced an update to the Microsoft Dynamics Business Analyzer app that enables people to accelerate their business by giving them actionable and engaging business insights whether they are in the office or on the go. These apps, designed to be personal, social and immersive, provide a more relevant experience based on people’s roles and devices, helps them connect with their social networks, and provides an engaging and actionable experience. They are currently available in the Windows Marketplace.

As part of the event, Microsoft shared that Microsoft Dynamics NAV is closing in on 100,000 customers worldwide, a significant milestone for this product. It also reinforced the availability of Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2013 R2, which was released in October 2013. This release adds great new capabilities to the product such as single sign-on with Office 365 and SharePoint Online, a new user interface for the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Web client and the Windows client, a new foundation for cash management, a new Help Server, and powerful provisioning and administration tools.

Passion for Life (PFL) Healthcare , a United Kingdom-based manufacturer and distributor of medical products with an annual turnover of 2.5 million pounds ($4 million), is benefitting from a hosted version of Microsoft Dynamics NAV and Microsoft Dynamics CRM today. As Will Web, commercial director, PFL Healthcare noted, “We aim to grow the business by 20 percent next year, and Microsoft Dynamics will help us do that. It was the right decision for us.”

More information

More information about Microsoft’s Dynamic Business vision can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics/about.aspx. More information and news from Convergence 2013 EMEA is available at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/presskits/dynamics. The opening keynote presentation and general session keynote speeches are available on the new virtual event platform for Convergence 2013 EMEA at http://www.microsoft.com/dynamics/convergence/emea13. Those who want to follow and engage with the Microsoft Dynamics Twitter community can do so at @MSFTDynamics and @MSFTConvergence using #Conv13EMEA. Partners interested in starting a Microsoft Dynamics CRM practice can get more information by contacting mbsjoin@microsoft.com.

About Microsoft Dynamics

At the heart of every successful business are the people who make things happen. Microsoft Dynamics designs modern business solutions that empower individuals with intuitive tools that allow them to do their best work. Our proactive, easy-to-use business applications adapt to the way people and systems work, enabling businesses to rapidly deploy and be forward-looking in an ever-changing world.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

* Some functionality requires Wi-Fi, Internet connection or mobile data plan (fees may apply).

Note to editors: For more information, news and perspectives from Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft News Center at http://www.microsoft.com/news. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft’s Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at http://www.microsoft.com/news/contactpr.mspx.

JOHANNESBURG — Nov . 5 , 2013 — Microsoft Chief Operating Officer Kevin Turner on Tuesday unveiled an online hub that will give South African small and midsize enterprises (SMEs) access to a range of free products and services from Microsoft and other partners.

The hub, at http://southafrica.biz4afrika.com, is specifically designed to aggregate all the best resources — both IT and non-IT — available to local SMEs. The baseline services offered are free and highly relevant for South African SMEs looking to bring their business online and improve their general competitiveness. The launch offer will provide SMEs with the opportunity to get their businesses online for free for the first year. This includes a free .co.za domain, a free website, as well as free email and collaboration tools.*

Speaking at the launch in Johannesburg today, Turner said the opening of the Biz4Afrika hub was a strategic component of Microsoft’s 4Afrika Initiative announced earlier this year, when the company committed to bringing 1 million African SMEs online in three years’ time. He also noted that this launch was the latest step in the company’s heritage of investing and supporting entrepreneurs across the world.

The launch follows research released last month by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), which showed that tech-savvy SMEs created twice as many new jobs and grew revenues 15 percentage points faster over the past three years than SMEs using little technology.

“Our objective is to help more SMEs transition to, and benefit from, modern IT so they can improve their overall competitiveness,” Turner said. “Our commitments under the 4Afrika banner are focused on actively engaging in Africa’s economic development, and for SMEs this means providing training on how to apply technology to their business and helping them understand how they can benefit from a broad range of available devices and services.”

Microsoft South Africa managing director and vice chair of the 4Afrika Advisory Council Mteto Nyati said the research underlined Microsoft’s belief that the best way of addressing unemployment in South Africa, and Africa, is by creating small businesses.

“If we can help small companies succeed in the first three to five years of their lives, we will help grow job creation and economic development significantly,” Nyati said. “By doing this, we’re supporting government’s national priorities of creating jobs, growing skills and giving people meaningful work, while investing in local communities to help remove some of the systemic barriers that hold SMEs back.”

Nyati said that to further support the development of small enterprises and to help address employability, Microsoft will also place one 4Afrika intern in each of the Small Enterprise Development Agency’s 43 centers across the country, where they will receive on-the-job-training on technology and other SME-related issues to become fully fledged SME business and technology advisors in needy communities.

Speaking at the launch of Biz4Afrika, Yusuf Abramjee, Primedia Broadcasting head of communications and head of Crime Line, said “a lot” hinges on getting South Africa’s entrepreneurial culture right.

“South Africa is a society of extremes. A glittering modern consumer culture sits alongside — and just out of reach of — a society mired in dire poverty,” Abramjee said. “South Africa’s unemployment rate, at 25 percent of the workforce, is one of the worst in the world. There is growing recognition that the job creation outcomes of economic development are not solely about putting unemployed people to work for a wage, as important as that is, but about offering those presently excluded a stake in society.”

The BCG report revealed that high-performing SMEs stayed ahead of mainstream IT adoption, riding new waves of advancement to improve productivity, connecting with new customers and markets, particularly outside their own region or country, and competing with much larger players.

An interesting finding was that technology leaders in emerging markets grew jobs and revenue faster than in developed markets, and are even quicker than their developed market counterparts to embrace new tools. Also, women-owned firms are among the most technically advanced, innovative and successful firms interviewed.

But at the same time, Turner said, the research revealed a risk, because adoption of IT by SMEs is decidedly uneven.

“Across the world, many SMEs, and their customers, don’t have access to modern broadband networks, and many lack the skills to get the most out of IT. Many SMEs are also still using large amounts of old and less efficient hardware and software,” Turner said.

“What we are seeing is that technology can help level the playing field for groups with historical disadvantages in business, and we would like to see more SMEs benefit from technology to help them become strong, local business leaders.”

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

* Connect-time charges may apply.

Note to editors: For more information, news and perspectives from Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft News Center at http://www.microsoft.com/news. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft’s Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at http://www.microsoft.com/news/contactpr.mspx.

REDMOND, Wash. — Nov . 4 , 2013 — Microsoft Corp. on Monday announced a new program to provide software development training and testing to U.S. active duty service members transitioning out of the military. The Microsoft Software & Systems Academy aims to offer America’s veterans the opportunity for new careers in the growing technology field.

“American service members possess the drive, self-discipline and problem-solving skills that are essential for the technology industry,” said Microsoft Executive Vice President and General Counsel Brad Smith. “The Microsoft Software & Systems Academy is a bridge between one great career — serving in the U.S. military — and another, creating technologies that improve lives.”

The Microsoft Software & Systems Academy consists of a 16-week course to prepare U.S. service members to obtain the certification required for technology careers such as a developer, applications engineer and IT project manager.

Beginning as a pilot program with Saint Martin’s University at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state — the largest military installation west of the Mississippi — the program will be available later this year on key bases in California and Texas, with additional locations to be announced in coming months. Active duty service members transitioning from all branches of the military as well as members of the National Guard and Reserves returning to their civilian jobs are eligible for the academy.

In addition to receiving a Microsoft IT Academy-powered curriculum provided by Saint Martin’s University, service members who complete the pilot program will be hired into entry-level roles as software testers by either Microsoft or Launch Consulting, the technology consulting firm administering the program.

The Microsoft Software & Systems Academy was inspired by the “VOW to Hire Heroes Act,” legislation that was signed into law in 2011. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., allows service members to begin the employment process before their separation from the military to facilitate a seamless transition from the military to other jobs.

“Providing on-the-job training for transitioning service members into high-tech jobs is exactly what our legislation was written to accomplish,” said Sen. Murray. “Our veterans have the talent and training to succeed in any workplace, and the technology industry is a particularly great fit. This new program demonstrates that more employers see the value of what veterans offer, especially in jobs that require hard work and collaboration.”

The program is run on the base, allowing active-duty service members to easily receive training during the final stage of their military service. In December, the first group of 22 participants will complete the program.

“Unemployment rates are higher among veterans because it’s not always easy for service members to understand where their skills apply outside the military,” said Joint Base Lewis-McChord commander H. Charles Hodges Jr. “This program cuts through the uncertainty and helps service members transition into their next missions in the civilian workforce.”

The Microsoft Software & Systems Academy is part of the company’s broader efforts, through programs such as Microsoft YouthSpark, to help young people gain the critical technology skills required for today’s jobs. Further, the company’s commitment to supporting veterans is longstanding, and includes the following:

• The creation of Elevate America for Veterans, a two-year program in which Microsoft invested more than $12 million in cash, software and related support that enabled veterans and their spouses to take advantage of technology skills training, certification, job placement, career counseling and other support services.

• Development of Microsoft’s We Still Serve site, which provides translation of military skills to Microsoft job opportunities and connections with Microsoft employees who have served.

Microsoft’s broad support for the military community also includes active participation in many programs and organizations, including 100,000 Jobs Mission, the Student Veterans of America Success Corps and Hire America’s Heroes.

About Launch Consulting Group

Launch CG, is a division of Direct Technology — a leading Veteran-owned and operated technology consulting firm that fulfills the promise of technology. Launch designs and builds cutting edge new technological solutions that fuel individual & organizational growth.

About Saint Martin’s University

Saint Martin’s University is a Catholic Benedictine institution of higher education with a mission to empower students to pursue a lifetime of learning and accomplishment in all arenas of human endeavor. Saint Martin’s began offering programs at Joint Base Lewis McChord in 1972 and is currently one of 7 on-base schools providing education programs for the military community.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

Note to editors: For more information, news and perspectives from Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft News Center at http://www.microsoft.com/news. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft’s Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at http://www.microsoft.com/news/contactpr.mspx.

Paris, France - October 31th, 2013

DALIBO is proud to announce the release of pgBadger 4, a PostgreSQL performance analyzer, built for speed with fully detailed reports based on your Postgres log files.

This major version comes with a bunch of new features including a complete overhaul for the HTML reports, some new statistics, compatiblity with PostgreSQL 9.3 and Time Period Exclusion...

Better Reports / Improved user experience

With a full rewrite of its graphic design, pgBadger has now turned the HTML reports into a more intuitive user experience and professional look.

Every statistic report now include a key value section that shows you immediately some of the relevant informations. Pie charts have also been separated from their data tables using two tabs, one for the chart and the other one for the data.

Tables reporting hourly statistic have been moved to a multiple tabs report following the data. This is used with General (queries, connections, sessions), Checkpoints (buffer, files, warnings), Temporary file and Vacuums activities.

PostgreSQL 9.3 compatibility and new stats

Recent PostgreSQL versions add additional information about checkpoint, the number of synced files, the longest sync and the average of sync time per file. pgBadger collects and shows these informations in the Checkpoint Activity report.

There's also some new reports:

• Prepared queries ratio (execute vs prepare)
• Prepared over normal queries
• Queries (select, insert, update, delete) per user/host/application
• Pie charts for tables with the more tuples and pages removed during vacuum. The vacuum report will now highlight the costly table during a vacuum or analyze of a database.

The errors are now highlighted by a different color following the level. A LOG level will be green, HINT will be yellow, WARNING orange, ERROR red and FATAL dark red.

Some changes in the binary format are not backward compatible and option --client have been remove as it was replaced by --dbclient for a long time now.

Time Period Exclusion

If you are running a pg_dump or some batch process with very slow queries your report analyze will be annoyed by those queries taking too much place in the report. Before that release it was a pain to exclude those queries from the report. Now you can use the --exclude-time command line option to exclude all traces matching the given time regexp from the report. For example, let's say you have a pg_dump at 13:00 each day during half an hour, you can use pgbadger as follow:

pgbadger --exclude-time "2013-09-.* 13:.*" postgresql.log

If your are also running a pg_dump at night, let's say 22:00, you can write it as follow:

pgbadger --exclude-time '2013-09-\d+ 13:[0-3]' --exclude-time '2013-09-\d+ 22:[0-3]' postgresql.log

or more shortly:

pgbadger --exclude-time '2013-09-\d+ (13|22):[0-3]' postgresql.log

Exclude time always require the iso notation yyyy-mm-dd hh:mm:ss, even if log format is syslog. This is the same for all time related options. Take care that this option has a high cost on the parser performances.

Links & Credits

DALIBO would like to thank the developers who submitted patches and the users who reported bugs and feature requests, especially Keith Fiske, Marco Baringe, Herve Werner, Den Untevskiy and Mael Rimbault. The new HTML report was designed by Art Is Code.

pgBadger is an open project. Any contribution to build a better tool is welcome. You just have to send your ideas, features requests or patches using the GitHub tools or directly on our mailing list.

• Download : http://dalibo.github.io/pgbadger/
• Mailing List : https://listes.dalibo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/pgbagder

About pgBadger:

pgBagder is a new generation log analyzer for PostgreSQL, created by Gilles Darold (also author of ora2pg, the powerful migration tool). pgBadger is a fast and easy tool to analyze your SQL traffic and create HTML5 reports with dynamics graphs. pgBadger is the perfect tool to understand the behavior of your PostgreSQL servers and identify which SQL queries need to be optimized.

Docs, Download & Demo at http://dalibo.github.io/pgbadger/

About DALIBO:

DALIBO is the leading PostgreSQL company in France, providing support, trainings and consulting to its customers since 2005. The company contributes to the PostgreSQL community in various ways, including : code, articles, translations, free conferences and workshops

Check out DALIBO's open source projects at http://dalibo.github.io