Here's why Microsoft is building a massive data center underwater →

The tech giant is hoping to run data centers on renewable energy and bring them closer to the people.

Data centers have long been criticized by environmental groups for their egregious energy use across the globe. A 2016 US government study found that data centers in the United States consumed 70 billion kWh of electricity in 2014, equal to 1.8% of the country's total energy consumption for that year.

In 2014, researchers estimated that data centers were responsible for about 2% of total global greenhouse emissions annually and that number continues to rise as more of the world's population gains access to the internet, cloud computing continues to expand, and artificial intelligence (AI) gets embedded in more and more devices. Many companies are now looking for ways to tackle this problem with low-cost, environment-friendly solutions.

Microsoft is hoping to address this issue from a number of different angles with the first-ever underwater data center. The initiative, known as Project Natick, began in July 2014 and officially moved into phase two on Tuesday, according to a Microsoft press release.

"When you are in this kind of exponential growth curve, it tells you that most of the datacenters that we'll ever build we haven't built yet," said Ben Cutler, leader of the Project Natick team in the release.

According to the release, their goal is to create "self-sufficient underwater data centers that can deliver lightning-quick cloud services to coastal cities" using "experimental, shipping-container-sized" prototypes. The first one has been deployed in Scotland near the Orkney Islands, and phase two will consist of watching the data center process workloads for the next 12 months to see if it is economically and environmentally viable.

"The deployment of the Northern Isles datacenter at the European Marine Energy Centre marks a milestone in Microsoft's Project Natick, a years-long research effort to investigate manufacturing and operating environmentally sustainable, prepackaged datacenter units that can be ordered to size, rapidly deployed and left to operate lights out on the seafloor for years," researchers noted in the release.

Microsoft was also quick to highlight that much of the world's population lives within 120 miles of a coast, and as populations continue to increase, demand for fast web surfing and video streaming will rise exponentially. They believe that placing data centers, which Microsoft calls the "physical clouds of cloud computing," in bodies of water near cities would lessen the need for lengthy cables and cut costs.

"If we can be within one internet hop of everyone, then it not only benefits our products, but also the products our customers serve," Peter Lee, corporate vice president of Microsoft AI and Research, said in the release.

The European Marine Energy Centre in Scotland is an ideal locale to test the idea because it already serves as a test site for experimental tidal turbines and wave energy converters that generate electricity from the movement of seawater, according to Microsoft. The entire town runs on renewable energy, making the data centers right at home.

The 40-foot structure carries 864 servers on 12 tall racks on the inside and now sits on the seafloor. The researchers believe it will last up to five years without maintenance, the release noted.

Microsoft worked with the 400-year-old Naval Group from France to create the submarine container for the data center, and said the ocean water provided a number of benefits for sustainable energy use.

"The world's oceans at depth are consistently cold, offering ready and free access to cooling, which is one of the biggest costs for land-based datacenters," the release said. "Underwater data centers could also serve as anchor tenants for marine renewable energy such as offshore wind farms or banks of tidal turbines, allowing the two industries to evolve in lockstep."

Christian Belady, general manager of cloud infrastructure strategy and architecture, said their hope is to one day have a fleet of data centers with their own sustainable power supply that can be sent anywhere.

"Energy self-sufficient data centers could be deployed anywhere within reach of a data pipe, bringing Azure cloud services, for example, to regions of the world with unreliable electricity, and eliminate the need for costly backup generators in case of power grid failures," the release said.

*this article was featured on TechRepublic.com on June 7, 2018: https://www.techrepublic.com/article/heres-why-microsoft-is-building-a-massive-data-center-underwater/

Microsoft extending GDPR protections to all global customers, here's how →

The tech giant now gives users the ability to transfer or delete all of the data it has collected through its programs, apps, and search engines.

Microsoft said it will give all of its users across the world many of the same protections enshrined in the EU's impending General Data Protection Regulation, which comes into effect on May 25.

The passing and enforcement of the GDPR has become somewhat of a watershed moment for privacy as consumers gain a fuller picture of the data tech companies collect on a daily basis. In a statement, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella laid out the plethora of ways they gather information and either use it themselves or offer it to other companies.

Nadella said Microsoft collects data on your web browsing and online searchers, places you go using map apps, Windows 10 and any of your online services, fitness and health apps, any ads you click on, sign-in, and payment data. The firm also leverages any connected device sensors you may have in your home or car, according to the statement.

But users now have access to a privacy dashboard that allows you to easily regulate or opt out of any data collection. You can delete all of your search history and data or move it somewhere else.

"We believe privacy is a fundamental human right. As people live more of their lives online and depend more on technology to operate their businesses, engage with friends and family, pursue opportunities, and manage their health and finances, the protection of this right is becoming more important than ever," Julie Brill, corporate vice president of Microsoft, said in a blog post. "Today we are announcing that we will extend the rights that are at the heart of GDPR to all of our consumer customers worldwide. Known as Data Subject Rights, they include the right to know what data we collect about you, to correct that data, to delete it and even to take it somewhere else."

Other tech giants have struggled to comply with the regulations soon to take effect, and have waffled on whether their users worldwide will be given the same rights and options as those in the EU.

Just last month, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg was criticized for demurring when asked whether US users would get access to GDPR rights. In response to an uproar after his comments, he said, "We intend to make all the same controls and settings available everywhere, not just in Europe. Is it going to be exactly the same format? Probably not."

Analysts and journalists have noted that despite some cosmetic changes, Facebook still makes it very difficult for users to opt out of its robust data collection efforts. In their review of Facebook's privacy changes, TechCrunch noted that "the fact that the button to reject the new Terms Of Service isn't even a button, it's a tiny 'see your options' hyperlink shows how badly Facebook wants to avoid you closing your account."

"It seems obvious that Facebook is trying to minimize the visibility of the path to account deletion rather than making it an obvious course of action if you don't agree to its terms," TechCrunch later added.

Microsoft is also gaining business through their GDPR compliance services, which are available for businesses of all sizes.

Many tech companies will likely release new service agreements on Friday and have already made changes to how they notify you of what data they collect and share with third parties.

*this article was featured on TechRepublic.com on May 22, 2018: https://www.techrepublic.com/article/microsoft-extending-gdpr-protections-to-all-global-customers-heres-how/

Microsoft trumps Google, Dropbox in business cloud storage wars →

A Spiceworks survey highlighted the overwhelming demand for better cloud security, and showed that most companies were turning to the tried and true option of Microsoft.

As more information moves online, a significant number of companies have moved their data storage to the web as well, opting for cloud storage and data management services like DropBox and Google Drive. But with news of hacks and digital break-ins hitting headlines each day, companies are not just choosing the cheaper option, but the option that they believe will keep them, and their information, the safest.

Digital IT platform Spiceworks conducted a survey published Monday on cloud storage services, speaking to 544 business technology professionals across North America and Europe on a wide variety of topics related to cloud-based data management. Of those surveyed, 80% said their companies were using some form of cloud storage system, while another 16% said their companies would do so within the next two years. Comparatively, in 2016, only 53% of organizations were using cloud services.

But a number of companies have already been burned by poor cloud security, with 16% of respondents saying their businesses' cloud service had been hit by security incidents, generally involving "unauthorized access, stolen credentials, or data theft," in the last 12 months.

"It's evident organizations are putting more trust into cloud storage services, but some are still hesitant despite the recent growth in adoption," Peter Tsai, a senior technology analyst at Spiceworks, said in a press release. "Although cloud storage services often include features that help secure sensitive corporate information, there will always be risks involved when entrusting your data to a third party."

And one in four businesses agree. The survey found that 97% of businesses believe security is the most important factor in choosing a cloud service, and 25% of companies did not believe there was anything they could do to truly secure their cloud data.

That is where Microsoft OneDrive has an edge, according to IT professionals. Even though Dropbox was ahead of OneDrive in 2016 according to usage rates, revelations that year about a 2012 hack prompted many businesses to move over to the Microsoft service. Nearly 69 million Dropbox accounts were compromised by the hack in 2012, with passwords and login information showing up on hacker websites. Dropbox says that technically, the login information was encrypted, making it harder to use, and claims that once they discovered the hack, they forced all of their users to immediately change all passwords, rendering the stolen ones useless.

In this year's survey, 51% of organizations reported using OneDrive, up from 31% in 2016. Dropbox is now tied with Google Drive at 34% each, up only one percentage point compared to 2016, when it led the field. Another 10% of organizations said they would either be switching over to or starting to use OneDrive within the next two years.

OneDrive was particularly popular with larger companies, being used in businesses with over 1,000 employees 59% of the time. It also led the way at 54% among medium-sized businesses with under 1,000 employees.

Much of this adoption is due to how OneDrive is viewed amongst IT professionals. Tsai said in the release that 39% of IT workers identified OneDrive with security. But businesses also value ease of use, and despite high rankings for Dropbox in that category, many companies were already using other Windows services, which made OneDrive a more seamless fit.

"What can explain this shift, especially OneDrive's rise to the top (which is expected to continue over the next two years)? If you follow the dollars, the answer is clear. According to a separate Spiceworks data snapshot on productivity suites, more than 50 percent of organizations already pay for Office 365, and an additional 17 percent of organizations plan to within the next two years," Tsai wrote.

"Because 1TB of OneDrive storage is included per user with each Office 365 subscription, it makes sense that OneDrive usage tracks very closely with Office 365 adoption. As organizations want to do more with less, it makes financial sense for companies to go with OneDrive if they're already paying for Office 365."

Tsai said that as "bundling" becomes more common, OneDrive and Google's G Suite will be easier options for businesses, and standalone cloud storage systems like Dropbox may struggle to innovate and differentiate themselves.

*this article was featured on Tech Republic on May 21, 2018: https://www.techrepublic.com/article/microsoft-onedrive-most-used-cloud-storage-service-for-businesses-report/

The 5 greenest tech companies in 2018 →

Tech giants are rethinking their reliance on 19th-century energy sources and hazardous chemicals.

The environmental movement has shown no signs of slowing down nearly half way through 2018. In advance of Earth Day, Apple announced that it was going full clean energy, powering all of its offices, data centers, and stores with a variety of environmentally-friendly power sources. Apple also wrangled some of its suppliers into committing to 100% clean energy, too.

Apple and other tech companies have gone to great lengths to project an awareness of the environmental impact of their business models. Many now release yearly "Environmental Impact" reports and one-up each other with admirable strides toward cleaner technology use.

But the reality, as a number of environmental organizations continue to point out, is that most of these companies are reliant on a business model that requires consumers to buy new phones, laptops, and tablets frequently. And that creates a lot of waste.

The problem has little to do with how we use a device and more to do with how we acquire it and get rid of it. There are more than 65 million metric tons of e-waste worldwide now, yet 70-80% of the energy footprint of a device occurs during manufacturing, according to Greenpeace.

The manufacturing of these devices, which occurs mostly in China and Southeast Asia using products mined in dangerous conditions across the globe, requires extensive waste and coal burning. Some companies are beginning to address this, with new recycling programs and energy-conscious supply chains. Here are the five greenest tech giants, as ranked by Greenpeace.

1. Apple

When it comes to going green, Apple has had a very successful year so far, after facing heavy criticism last fall following allegations that it may have intentionally degraded the batteries in their phones. Apple has been more transparent than many companies about its supply chain and the need to make it more energy conscious. They have invested more in recycling programs that can harness some of the materials needed for devices outside of the mining process.

Their massive data centers are powered 100% by renewable energy, according to a press release. They have come out in support of the Paris Climate Agreement and have worked to root out child labor issues amongst larger efforts to move to a closed-loop supply chain.

2. HP

HP is one of the few companies striving to do the opposite of most other tech companies. Oversaturated markets have forced some companies to make products that degrade quickly. According to Greenpeace, the average smartphone lasts only two years now, forcing users to buy new models with increasing frequency. But HP, along with Dell and a few others have moved in the opposite direction, making products that do stand the test of time and are upgradeable.

HP set concrete goals on reducing emissions throughout their supply chain and actually publish a list of materials that they restrict during the manufacturing process. The company claims to have seen a 21% reduction in greenhouse gas intensity in its supply chain since 2010, and has been able to strong arm more than 90% of its suppliers into setting emissions targets.

In addition to their internal efforts, HP also backed the Paris Climate Agreement. According to their Sustainability report in 2016, HP has worked hard to bring their consumption down to 900,000 tons of materials used in 2016 for products and packaging and 119,900 tons of equipment collected for recycling.

3. Dell

Dell is one of the only major tech companies that openly provides a detailed and extensive list of suppliers in addition to what kind of services were rendered for each deal. Like HP, they are bucking the trend and making devices that are lasting longer and easily upgradeable. When it comes to their plastic use, its on a closed-loop, so anything used is recycled and reused. They claim to reuse more than one third of the plastic involved in their manufacturing process.

The firm heavily markets their refurbished devices and laptops, designing them specifically with repair in mind. Dell also sells spare parts widely, and releases extensive manuals on how to repair their laptops and tablets. Due to a reliance on cobalt, they have worked with authorities to clear their suppliers of child labor. Transparency has been one of Dell's major focuses, and they worked to identify, contain, and limit the use of dangerous chemicals necessary for their devices.

4. Microsoft

Although it has been on the receiving end of criticism for the short lifespan of its devices, Microsoft has been public about its support for green initiatives, backing the Paris Climate Agreement and the Clean Power Plan. The company also supported environmental efforts in Japan.

The repairability of their devices can range widely, but they have a robust offering of refurbished devices and do report some of the materials used in the manufacturing process. They have also been working to make their data centers more environmentally conscious as they expand across the globe, as noted in a blog post. The targets for emissions they have set are lower than those of Apple, but they are one of few companies to actually set any goal at all.

Many of the company's products and suppliers are listed in an effort to combat trafficking or child labor within their supply chain.

5. Lenovo

Lenovo has worked hard to surpass its Chinese peers by presenting clear plans demonstrating how it will cut its emissions, which are growing steadily each year. They provide a detailed snapshot of their greenhouse gas emissions and carbon footprint, according to a recent sustainability report.

Lenovo has also committed to ending its use of certain hazardous chemicals and recycles some of the plastic used in its manufacturing process, the report said. The company has worked to sell lines of refurbished devices and controls nearly 20% of the global laptop market.

As noted in the report, Lenovo made a commitment to cut greenhouse gas emissions in their own operations by 40% before the year 2020. When it comes to their suppliers, they have forced most to set some emissions goals, but could do more.

*this article was featured on the Tech Republic website on April 20, 2018: https://www.techrepublic.com/article/the-5-greenest-tech-companies-in-2018/

Microsoft inches closer to commercially-viable quantum computing →

Microsoft's quest to create a powerful quantum computer comes closer to reality with the help of an elementary particle.

Microsoft is slowly making headway in the race toward commercially-viable quantum computing, tapping into the unique properties of a certain particle to address issues engineers at many tech companies have been struggling with for decades.

Alphabet, IBM, and a number of smaller companies are all competing for "quantum supremacy," a disputed term referring to the point at which quantum computers will be able to handle calculations beyond the capacity of the world's best supercomputers.

"[Quantum supremacy] is very catchy, but it's a bit confusing and oversells what quantum computers will be able to do," Simon Benjamin, a quantum expert at Oxford University, told MIT's Technology Review. He added that even as the abilities of quantum computers improve, classic computers will still be faster and cheaper.

"Using a quantum computer would be like chartering a jumbo jet to cross the road," Benjamin said.

Quantum computing relies on quantum bits or qubits, which store information. Classic computers store information as either 1s or 0s, but qubits are special because they "can exist in multiple states of 1 and 0 at the same time—a phenomenon known as superposition," according to MIT's Technology Review.

"What this boils down to is that even though a few extra bits make only a modest difference to a classical computer's power, adding extra qubits to a quantum machine can increase its computational power exponentially," they wrote. "That's why, in principle, it doesn't take all that many qubits to outgun even the most powerful of today's supercomputers."

The problems come in creating and maintaining qubits, which require conditions akin to outer space and can lose their fragile quantum state, making them more likely to be significantly error-prone, according to MIT While scientists and engineers are working to deal with this through software and additional qubits, the exponential errors that come with higher numbers of qubits have kept commercially-viable quantum computing a distant dream.

"If you had 50 or 100 qubits and they really worked well enough, and were fully error-corrected—you could do unfathomable calculations that can't be replicated on any classical machine, now or ever," Robert Schoelkopf, a Yale professor and founder of a company called Quantum Circuits, told the MIT Technology Review. "The flip side to quantum computing is that there are exponential ways for it to go wrong."

Alphabet announced earlier this month, at the annual American Physical Society meeting in Los Angeles, that their quantum computing chip "Bristlecone" had 72 qubits, surpassing IBM's 50-qubit processor released last year. But the more qubits you add, the more potential errors that come along with it, leading some researchers to ask how the computers can be trusted with calculations that cannot be checked by any other machine.

Alphabet has tried to address this issue by performing calculations right at the edge of what most supercomputers are capable of, believing that if they can show they can get that far, the addition of even one more qubit would prove the quantum computer could vastly outperform a classic computer.

Microsoft is trying something different than the other companies, focusing their attention on Majorana fermions, particles that can be their own antiparticle, according to Bloomberg. When these particles are used in quantum computers, the error rates are significantly lower than those of the machines heralded by Alphabet and IBM.

The goal, according to Microsoft, is to eventually rent access to quantum computers for a variety of purposes, including artificial intelligence (A), drug design through chemistry, and financial industry models. While Alphabet and IBM are racing to get to quantum supremacy first, Microsoft is focusing on how to make quantum computers viable machines that can be used in any number of fields and produce accurate information, the Bloomberg report noted.

Microsoft has not even been able to create a qubit yet, but they believe that once they can, their quantum computer will be 10,000 times more accurate than anything currently being produced by Alphabet, IBM, and D-Wave Systems Inc., which was the first company to sell limited-application quantum computers.

Todd Holmdahl, a Microsoft executive, told Bloomberg that they are at most five years away from producing a quantum computer that could be sold on the market.

*this article was featured on the Tech Republic website on March 29, 2018: https://www.techrepublic.com/article/microsoft-inches-closer-to-commercially-viable-quantum-computing/