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The best way to predict the future is to invent it!

It was just this sentence that the well-known computer scientist Alan Kay said one day and it matches very well the today’s rapid development of information technologies as well as the way of their use in the everyday life. In this context a new era of IT is often mentioned. It is mainly reflected by innovations of technological companies that are trying to respond to the changing lifestyle, ergonomic requirements or for instance requirements for simple and intuitive operation. Among the companies that have adopted this idea it is Microsoft that is becoming distinctive this and next year as its long-term position of the biggest IT investor in research and development has allowed this company to bring an impressive series of news for the corporate as well as public spheres, small and medium-sized entrepreneurs, schools, but also families and children.

Virtually all key products have received a new version or improvement emphasizing also their on-line versions and functionality on more platforms. This means that in response to the current “mobile” way of life the products and services can not only be used any time and anywhere, but also regardless of the used device. Firms can expect interesting solutions for increasing efficiency in combination with better security and considerable cost reductions while the company wants to attract common users with new technologies that offer every one of us huge possibilities of communication and quick access to information and people we really care about.

Continuously in movement and in contact

It is also the by far largest computer platform in the world that has had to cope with the current trends. Naturally, we are speaking about computers with the Windows system the previous version of which, Windows 7, has sold 670 million copies. At the end of October Microsoft then introduced Windows 8. It is still unclear today whether it will continue the success of its predecessor, but even now we can frankly confirm that it is bringing a new and useful user environment. It is especially characterized by the Live Tile concept, the tiles displaying real-time information from the corresponding applications, which is a huge change compared to the static icons.

Thanks to the flexibility of this modern environment and especially trouble-free functionally of the touch control you can select whether you want to work with Windows 8 on your tablet, personal computer or another device as e.g. a mobile phone with Windows Phone or an Xbox 360 game console with the Kinect movement control as necessary. On-line services interconnect everything on all the devices no matter whether you want to work or have a good time with your friends at home or while travelling.  

Advanced solutions for companies and normal users

A special trend of the recent years is the frequently discussed “IT consumerization”, which brings services and devices from homes to companies and vice versa. Although it has its objectors even today, this phenomenon is not anything that is primarily negative and if correctly applied, can bring companies and their employees many benefits. Of course, software and solution must be adapted to the trend referred to as BYOD (“bring your own devices“).

The New Office will take care of more comfortable work of most of us, bringing a lot of improvements and new functions besides the touch control features. In the context of higher emphasis on the working mobility and flexibility on-line communication options are increasingly integrated in the applications, which holds good both for the Office for workstations (and especially the cloud Office 365, which is being used by more than 40 thousand users in the Czech Republic now) and for the new versions of Windows and Windows Phone. So during joint work you can use platforms for phone calls, video calls or chats, as e.g. Skype or Lync specially designed for corporate users. But it is not just the question of direct communication – it is a comprehensive ecosystem of services in which users can be in contact with their colleagues, family and friends any time and from anywhere where Internet connection is available. This category especially comprises the SkyDrive on-line document and image storage, the Xbox Live game ecosystem or the new free Outlook.com e-mail. 

Special solutions for companies and the public administration will not get a bad deal either as in the new IT era they are changing into the shape with support or even full conversion to on-line services that can be more flexibly used by their employees, bringing their companies considerable savings. These solutions get from the producers to companies and public authorities mainly through partners while e.g. the number of Microsoft partners in the Czech Republic is about 3,300. As regards news in this field, the cloud OS Windows Server 2012 was introduced in September, which is without rival in the sphere of server operation systems, the above mentioned Office 365 has been improved and in the near future you can expect news in the field of Microsoft Dynamics business solutions, where improvements in the area of CRM and ERP will arrive, and many other corporate applications for Windows Phone, Windows Azure and Windows 8 that will make the work of every one of us even more efficient.