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Microsoft Fortunes Boosted by Increased Demand for Cloud Services

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Shares of Microsoft rose in after-hours trading on Thursday, following the release of a fiscal second-quarter earnings report that exceeded analysts’ expectations. Microsoft earned an adjusted $0.78 per share on adjusted revenue of $25.7 billion, according to a report by TMFMattera‎.

Analysts had expected Microsoft to earn just $0.71 on revenue of $25.26 billion.

Although demand for Windows remains weak, its cloud services continue to grow rapidly. Let’s take a closer look at Microsoft’s report.

Commercial cloud-annualized revenue run rate eclipses $9.4 billion.

Arguably, the single most-important metricfor Microsoft investors to consider is the annualized revenue run rate of its commercial cloud services.

Microsoft is in the midst of a transition, and is slowly shifting its business away from traditional software, and toward cloud services.

Microsoft Azure, Dynamics CRM, and Office 365 generate the bulk of its commercial cloud business.

The annualized revenue run rate of these services is a hypothetical figure — it indicates how much revenue Microsoft could generate from these services over the course of a year if demand remained stable — but it provides the best insight into the pace of Microsoft’s transformation.

In the December quarter, it exceeded $9.4 billion, up from $8.2 billion the quarter before. Microsoft’s management hopes to hit $20 billion by its fiscal year 2018, six quarters from now.

In particular, Microsoft’s commercial cloud benefited from growing Azure demand.

Azure revenue rose 140% on a constant-currency basis; revenue from premium Azure services rose more than 300%.

Revenue from commercial Office 365 subscriptions grew nearly 70% on a constant-currency basis, while Dynamics CRM saw its seat adds more than double on an annual basis.

Demand for Windows continues to contract
Windows remains a soft spot for Microsoft. Microsoft’s More Personal Computing segment — which is largely composed of Windows-related revenue — saw its revenue fall 2% on an annual basis in constant currency.

Windows OEM Pro revenue fell 6%, while non-Pro revenue fell 3%. In total, Windows OEM revenue fell 5% in constant currency.

That was better than the broader PC market — last quarter, worldwide PC shipments fell 8.3% on an annual basis. Microsoft cited increased demand for midrange and high-end consumer PCs.

A growing number of consumers are also subscribing to Office 365: Office 365 consumer subscriptions rose to 20.6 million, up from 18.2 million in the prior quarter.

There are now more than 200 million devices running Windows 10.

Surface, Xbox Live, and Search
Other less-important, yet still-interesting, aspects of Microsoft’s business include Xbox, Bing, and its Surface hardware.

All three performed fairly well in the December quarter.

Microsoft no longer reports the exact number of Xbox consoles it sells, instead preferring to characterize its Xbox business through the number of active users it has on its Xbox Live gaming network.

Although Xbox hardware revenue declined, the number of Xbox Live users increased a massive 30% on an annual basis, rising to 48 million.

Microsoft’s search business saw its revenue, excluding traffic acquisition costs, rise 21% on a constant-currency basis.

Microsoft’s latest operating system Windows 10 includes deep integration with its search engine Bing, and the growing number of Windows 10 users appears to be aiding Microsoft’s search business.

During the month of December, almost 30% of Microsoft’s search revenue came from Windows 10 devices.

Surface remains a minor portion of Microsoft’s business overall, but it continues to experience growth.

Aided by the launch of the Surface Pro 4 and the Surface Book, Surface revenue rose to $1.35 billion, up more than 22% from the same quarter last year.

Overall, Microsoft’s fiscal second quarter was strong, and the rally appears justified.

The next billion-dollar iSecret ‎
The world’s biggest tech company forgot to show you something at its recent event, but a few Wall Street analysts and the Fool didn’t miss a beat: There’s a small company that’s powering their brand-new gadgets and the coming revolution in technology. And we think its stock price has nearly unlimited.


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E-Business

OADC Lagos Reinforces Commitment to Local Data Hosting and Digital Transformation @ NDPC’s National Privacy Week Summit

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Open Access Data Centres (OADC) Lagos has reaffirmed its commitment to Nigeria’s data protection and digital transformation agenda through its sponsorship and active participation in the Nigeria Data Protection Commission’s (NDPC) National Privacy Week Summit.

The National Privacy Week Summit, organised by the NDPC, convened policymakers, regulators, technology providers, and industry stakeholders to promote data privacy awareness, strengthen compliance with the Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDPA), and advance conversations around data security, sovereignty, and responsible data governance.

As a sponsor of the event, OADC Lagos demonstrated its continued support for the Federal Government’s drive toward local data hosting and data domiciliation, which are increasingly critical to safeguarding sensitive information, enhancing regulatory compliance, and building trust in Nigeria’s digital economy.

Through its carrier-neutral, Tier III Design certified data centre in Lekki, Lagos, OADC provides secure, resilient, and compliant infrastructure that enables government institutions and private sector organisations to host and manage data locally while meeting international best practices.

Commenting on the engagement, Adesola Adesugba, Country Marketing Manager, Open Access Data Centres Nigeria, said: “We are proud to have supported the Nigeria Data Protection Commission through the National Privacy Week Summit and to stand alongside the government in advancing Nigeria’s digital transformation objectives.

“Strengthening local data hosting and domiciliation is fundamental to national data sovereignty, improved security, and sustainable digital growth, and OADC Lagos remains committed to enabling this future.”

OADC’s participation at National Privacy Week Summit underscores its role as a trusted digital infrastructure partner to government and enterprise, supporting secure cloud connectivity, regulatory compliance, and the long-term development of Nigeria’s digital ecosystem.

Open Access Data Centres is part of the WIOCC Group and operates open-access, world-class data centres across Africa, serving cloud providers, network operators, enterprises, and public sector institutions.


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Kaspersky Launches OT Calculator to Align Cybersecurity Investments with Business Goals

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Kaspersky’s new online tool has been specially developed for industrial organisations to assess the potential costs associated with insufficient operational technology (OT) security.

By offering detailed financial forecasts, the calculator empowers senior management to make well-informed decisions regarding security investments.

Industrial organisations increasingly depend on interconnected systems, elevating cybersecurity to a critical factor in business resilience and profitability.

According to VDC Research, over 60% of industrial companies last year reported that cybersecurity breaches had led to significant costs. Despite this, a persistent disconnect remains between security teams and executive leadership as security professionals focus on minimising risk, while executives must balance cybersecurity concerns with broader business objectives. This misalignment often results in competing priorities and underfunded security initiatives.

To bridge this gap, Kaspersky has launched the OT Cybersecurity Savings Calculator, an innovative online tool designed specifically for industrial organisations to assess the potential costs of inadequate operational technology (OT) security¹.

The primary aim of this tool is to translate cyber risks into tangible financial metrics and support strategic discussions around priorities and budget allocation. By entering details such as their sector, sub-sector, region, company size, breach history, and existing cybersecurity measures, organisations can estimate their potential cost savings and receive customised, actionable recommendations.

The calculator benchmarks performance against industry peers and highlights the company’s position within the current threat landscape.

“We believe this calculator is a powerful resource for transforming complex cyber risk data into straightforward financial insights. It enables OT leaders, security professionals, and executive teams to develop clear, data-driven business cases and recognise the value of cybersecurity investments. With actionable guidance, it promotes a comprehensive approach to resource management and strengthens overall organisational resilience,” comments Andrey Strelkov, Head of Industrial Cybersecurity Product line at Kaspersky.


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Local App Developers Rake $1m in Sales in 2025- NOTAP

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National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP) has said Nigerian software developers have reached significant milestones with locally made applications generating over one million Dollar in sales across domestic and regional markets.

Local App Developers Rake $1m in Sales in 2025- NOTAP

Dr Obiageli Amadiobi, director-general of NOTAP, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on Thursday in Abuja.

Amadiobi said the development signified the growing strength of Nigeria’s digital innovation ecosystem and how local innovation powers digital growth.

She said it was also a direct outcome of targeted support initiatives led by NOTAP.

She added that the initiative helped to build capacity, protect intellectual property, and connect developers to market opportunities.

According to the NOTAP boss, the journey from concept to impact started with understanding and securing intellectual property (IP) rights, a step many local innovators missed.

“Whether it’s a literary work, a laboratory invention, or a creative digital product, the process of bringing an idea to life demands immense time, skill, and dedication.

“An innovator might wake up with a solution to a pressing problem; spend months testing and refining it and achieve remarkable results; so it is their fundamental right to patent that creation and claim ownership.

“Without this protection, someone else could easily replicate their work; patent it in their name; and legally control what was built with Nigerian brainpower,” she said.

Amadiobi said that the challenge was compounded by widespread digital piracy and counterfeiting, which hit the ICT sector hardest.

“From copied software applications to replicated content on social platforms like TikTok, unauthorised duplication has become a major barrier to growth.

“We see talented young creators develop unique digital content or tools, only to watch others rebrand and profit from their work within weeks,” she said.

The DG noted that most popular online personalities with distinctive styles often don’t realise they could protect their original contributions through IP registration.

She said that to address these gaps and unlock the value of Nigerian innovation, NOTAP implemented a multi-pronged strategy,- a cornerstone initiative – which is the Local Vendor Policy.

“The Local Vendor Policy mandates that foreign technology firms entering Nigeria partner with domestic counterparts,’’ she said.

Amadiobi said that among the performing apps are solutions addressing critical local challenges such as a mobile health platform that now serves 750,000 users across six states.

“There is also the agricultural marketplace connecting smallholder farmers to buyers; and an educational tool that has been adopted by 200 schools to improve learning outcomes,” she said.

She added that the apps were developed by teams that gained skills and resources through NOTAP’s Local Vendor Policy.

According to her, the policy requires foreign technology firms operating in Nigeria to allocate a portion of their technical service fees to local partners.

“Three years ago, many of these developers were only providing support services to foreign companies.

“But today, they are building their own products that compete globally. 60 per cent of last year’s sales came from other African countries, showing our developers can lead on the continent,” she said.

The D-G explained that the one million dollar figure represented sales from over 50 locally developed apps, with individual developers earning between 5,000 dollars and 80,000 dollars from their products.

“Looking ahead, NOTAP aims to double these sales figures by 2027, with plans to expand support to developers focusing on fintech, renewable energy management, and climate adaptation tools.

“These are the sectors identified as high-growth opportunities for Nigerian innovation,’’ Amadiobi said


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