Microsoft has announced new major updates related to Conversational AI tools including updates to Aure Bot Service, Microsoft Cognitive Services Language Understanding, and QnAMaker. The company has also announced the release of new experimental projects from the Cognitive Services Labs including Conversation Learner and Personality Chat. Microsoft’s Conversational AI tools will enable the developers to build, connect, deploy, and manage intelligent bots that naturally interact with their users on a website, app, Cortana, Microsoft Teams, Skype, Facebook Messenger, Slack, and more. Microsoft’s Bot... [...]

Microsoft has announced two new updates for its Outlook platform. Outlook now features Adaptive Cards that provide users with new ways to create engaging conversations. The company has also integrated Microsoft Pay with Outlook. Payments in Outlook will enable users to pay bills and invoices directly from their inbox. Mike Ammerlaan says, “Adaptive cards extend Actionable Messages to make engaging customers wherever they work easier, and more streamlined.  Even processes like payments can now be resolved in the flow of working through email. This keeps customers focused, while also... [...]

Ginny Marvin says, “Bing Ads has launched a test for app install ads in the US. The search ads link directly to an app’s download page on either Apple’s App Store or Google Play, store depending on the device the user is on. During the pilot, app install ads are available in the web interface, for Bulk Upload and in the API, but not Bing Ads Editor. In the interface, an App install ad option is available in the ad type field to create new ads for those participating in the pilot. To track installs from these ads, app developers will need to set up tracking with one of Bing’s certified... [...]

Russell Brandom says, “Today, Google’s Threat Analysis group disclosed a critical vulnerability in Windows in a public post on the company’s security blog. The bug itself is very specific — allowing attackers to escape from security sandboxes through a flaw in the win32k system — but it’s serious enough to be categorized as critical, and according to Google, it’s being actively exploited. As a result, Google went public just 10 days after reporting the bug to Microsoft, before a patch could be coded and deployed. The result is that, while Google has already deployed a fix to... [...]

Barry Levine says, “Last month, Microsoft boosted its Dynamics 365 customer relationship management (CRM) system through a new alliance with Adobe’s Marketing Cloud. This week, Microsoft and predictive analytics firm Versium are announcing a new integration that boosts the CRM’s ability to highlight which individuals and businesses are most likely to become customers. The Versium Predict integration enables Dynamics 365 for Sales to automatically — via a “single button push,” according to founder and CEO Chris Matty — generate a list of leads that can be marketed via email,... [...]

Leo Welder says, “Just a few weeks ago, Microsoft made company history by announcing a $26.2 billion LinkedIn acquisition. The deal is Microsoft’s largest to date and has sparked nonstop speculation in its wake. What changes will be made to the Internet’s largest professional networking interface? As the deal will not officially close until the end of 2016, we’re left with plenty of time to hypothesize about why Microsoft made the move it did and how LinkedIn users stand to benefit. Related Article: Windows 10 Looks Like a Great Play for Microsoft and Here’s Why Microsoft’s... [...]

Amie Marse says, “Recently, Microsoft announced its acquisition of LinkedIn, and the tech industry met the news with a mix of shock, excitement and bewilderment. In his email to employees, Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, explained that the common mission of LinkedIn and Microsoft is “empowering people and organizations.” For years, LinkedIn has been considered a mainstay in the professional networking world and has proven to be one of the most powerful tools available to contemporary companies. Microsoft has been synonymous with forward-thinking technology and enterprise solutions for... [...]

John Bruno says, “This week Microsoft announced a new offering (available in the Fall): Microsoft Dynamics 365. Sound familiar? It should. Office 365, Microsoft Dynamics CRM, and Microsoft Dynamics AX all come to mind, and this was not done by mistake. Microsoft is bringing together the capabilities from these products, their intelligence tools, and third party or internally-built apps from its newly launched AppSource. Microsoft will use Dynamics 365 to provide disaggregated applications that serve the functional needs formerly delivered through CRM and ERP suites (e.g. sales, service, marketing,... [...]

Dan Bieler says, “Bloomberg recently reported that Snapchat surpassed Twitter in daily active users. Kudos to Snapchat, which is only half as old as Twitter, but why do we keep comparing Snapchat to Twitter? Or to Instagram? The industry is desperate to neatly categorize Snapchat under social media, but I would argue that Snapchat is equal parts messaging app and social network, putting it in a class of its own. Let’s break it down: * Messaging apps are built on the premise of private conversation: 1 to 1 (yes, group chat exists, but it’s contained). You send specific messages... [...]

Caroline Early says, “This week on Rainmaker Rewind, Sean Jackson, Jabez LeBret, and Mica Gadhia have a conversation about the recent acquisition of LinkedIn by Microsoft for $26.2 billion. In this up-to-the-minute episode, you’ll hear The Missing Link team share their thoughts about this announcement and what it means for you. And as always, don’t miss out on other great episodes that were featured on Rainmaker FM. – The Missing Link. The Missing Link team explores Microsoft’s acquisition of LinkedIn and how it affects each of us: Microsoft Just Bought LinkedIn. Here’s Everything... [...]