Our Saskatoon IT Tips are from the Trusted professionals at Burnt Orange Solutions.  We promise to have a one-hour response time for all your Saskatoon IT support needs. Honesty and respect are important to us. In our latest  IT Expert tip Article, we discuss the redesign of Microsoft’s icons to reflect its move to the cloud.

Microsoft’s New Icons Reflect It’s Move To The Cloud

New icons at Microsoft..why are we interested? It’s cosmetic, but it says a lot about how Microsoft is evolving.

Today’s workforce includes five generations using Office on multiple platforms and devices and in environments spanning work, home, and on the go. We wanted a visual language that emotionally resonates across generations, works across platforms and devices, and echoes the kinetic nature of productivity today.

Yes, they’re purely superficial changes that don’t translate to functional improvements. However, it’s easy to see this as a symbolic milestone for Microsoft as a whole, not just Office. The 2013 icons came at the tail end of the Steve Ballmer era, when the company still revolved heavily around Windows and was only just ramping up its cloud services (Office 365 launched in 2011). Flash forward to 2018 and it’s a different story. Conventional Office releases and Windows still exist, of course, but Microsoft is thriving in the cloud and considers Windows just one piece of a larger puzzle.

Overall Microsoft revenue increased 19 percent year-over-year to reach $29.1 billion, while net income of $8.8 billion represented a 34 percent increase over the prior year. Microsoft’s “more personal computing” segment grew 15 percent overall to $10.7 billion in revenue — the biggest of Microsoft’s main three categories it tracks. Other products from that group helping the bottom line included Windows “commercial products and cloud services,” which increased revenue 12 percent. More modest were the gains reported by Microsoft’s Windows OEM business, which only grew revenues by 3 percent. Microsoft continues to rake in huge money from its enterprise-focused “intelligent cloud” offering, of which Azure is a major factor. Indeed, server products and cloud services led to a 24 percent increase in Microsoft’s intelligent cloud segment; total revenues for intelligent cloud were $8.6 billion. Azure revenue in particular increased 76 percent.

Microsoft revel in being part of the global design community

Their new icons will begin rolling out across platforms in the coming months, starting with mobile and web.

There’s a real chance you might never click these icons on a PC’s desktop, and that speaks volumes about the tech giant’s transition.

We hope this article gave you some insight into Microsoft’s goals.

Why Does Your Business Need “The Cloud”?

Did you know that cloud computing can boost worker productivity and protect your sensitive business data from being lost in emergency situations? Many progressive companies are implementing services through the cloud and gain more than just mobility. Cloud-based solutions are shortening the technology gap between small and large companies as it enables users to leverage enterprise-grade solutions at small business prices. Burnt Orange Solutions can offer you hosted services, contact us today to discuss options and to get a quote.

Take control of the cloud by contacting Burnt Orange today!

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