Windows 10: Free subscription offered by Microsoft to corporate employees.

I had windows 10 free edition through my company and today the screen message informed me that I had been subscribed to Windows. How do I verify my free subscription?

:)

 

Microsoft Employees Raise $1 Billion for Communities Around the World

Microsoft Corp. today commemorated its 30th Employee Giving Campaign and announced that U.S. employees raised $1 billion in cash since 1983 for approximately 31,000 U.S.-based nonprofits and community organizations. CEO Steve Ballmer announced the milestone during a special town hall event at the Microsoft Redmond campus, which included Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates and Washington State Gov. Chris Gregoire.

"Today, I'm thrilled to announce that since our Employee Giving Campaign started in 1983, Microsoft employees have donated a total of $1 billion to more than 31,000 nonprofits," Ballmer said. "I'm incredibly proud of our employees, and this is truly a time to celebrate, not just because we've raised a record amount of funds, but also because together with our nonprofit partners, we have impacted and improved the lives of hundreds of millions of people."





"From its earliest days, Microsoft employees have been involved in their communities and have helped contribute to their vitality and growth," Gates said. "Thirty years and $1 billion later, that impact can be felt around the world. The company and its employees have much to be proud of at this remarkable milestone and, I know, will continue to make a positive impact in the years ahead."

To mark the occasion, Microsoft announced a $25,000 grant to the top four organizations that have received the most funding from Microsoft employees during the span of the campaign: United Way of King County, World Vision International, Seattle Children's Hospital Foundation and the American National Red Cross.

Microsoft Employee Giving Program
Each year, Microsoft matches employee volunteer time at $17 per hour and dollar-for-dollar charitable contributions to all eligible nonprofits up to $12,000 per employee. When the Microsoft giving program began in 1983, approximately 200 employees raised $17,000 for nonprofits. Today, more than 35,000 employees, or approximately 65 percent of Microsoft's total U.S. workforce, participate, and the company predicts its employees will raise more than $100 million in 2012 for global nonprofits.

"The impact of all that giving is almost incalculable, and the statistics don't even begin to tell the whole story," said Jon Fine, CEO, United Way of King County. "Microsoft has created a culture of generosity that has radiated so far into the community. The standard of giving and volunteering by Microsoft employees has raised the bar and influences so many others here and around the world."

Gregoire attended the event and proclaimed October 2012 as the Microsoft 30th Employee Giving Campaign Month. "The amount of time and money contributed by Microsoft employees is beyond impressive. Given the sheer range and number of organizations that receive its support, it is no exaggeration to say that the Microsoft Employee Giving Campaign has become an indispensable program, serving Washingtonians and people around the country," Gregoire said.

Microsoft's annual Employee Giving Campaign is a year-round effort, but there's a special focus every October on the Redmond campus and in offices around the U.S. It is an opportunity for employees to combine their energy, generosity and creativity to raise money for nonprofit organizations and causes locally, nationally and globally. Beyond the direct donation of time and money to nonprofits, an army of Microsoft employee volunteers plans and executes the monthlong campaign through activities, including a 5K run, an online auction and an "underground" car show.

"Year over year, Microsoft employees have increased their generosity of time, talent and resources, which has led to the continuous growth of the Give Campaign during the past three decades," said Brad Smith, executive vice president and general counsel, Microsoft. "As our campaign has grown, we've been honored to stand alongside a long list of nonprofit partners and support their invaluable service to communities around the world."

Microsoft Total Giving by the Numbers

• Microsoft employees have donated $1 billion, inclusive of the corporate match, since 1983.
• Microsoft employees in the U.S. have volunteered more than 2 million hours of their time to causes they care about since the company began a volunteer match program in 2005.
• Since 1983, Microsoft and its employees have provided more than $6.5 billion in cash, services and software to nonprofits around the world through localized, company-sponsored giving and volunteer campaigns. This includes in-kind donations.

 

Microsoft to Offer Software on a Subscription Basis

Soon, among your usual utility bills of electricity, water, gas, telecom, could be a new addition, software. Microsoft has come up with a new subscription model, where instead of outright buying a license to use the software, consumers can subscribe to use it. A monthly or annual subscription charge has to be paid by the user (subscriber) to continue using the product.

This scheme for now covers products such as Microsoft Office and One Care security software. Analysts are already beginning to predict this will be Microsoft's next big business model which will fuel its growth in the years to come. There's much in store for both consumers and the company.

For the consumer it means value. Let's say I subscribe to Microsoft Office 2007 for this year at a charge of US $70, the next year, if Microsoft comes up with a new version of the software, say Office 2009, I can simply unsubscribe to this and switch over to that, a lot more convenient than if I were to buy a $350 copy of an Office 2007 variant at the store, and next year Microsoft comes up with the new version, I end up spending a lot more to be able to use that software.

For the company it means higher income, since each legitimate subscriber will have his own usage account and illegal copies of the software won't run since the user still needs a subscription account with Microsoft to even run the software or end up using the pirated product disc as paper-weight. While it's only limited to Office and One Care now, it wouldn't be too far-sighted to think other Microsoft products, even Windows for that matter, could come with subscription plans.

With inputs from Newser

 

AMD Named to “100 Best Corporate Citizens” List by CRO Magazine

Advanced Micro Devices today announced it has been named to CRO Magazine’s “100 Best Corporate Citizens” list for 2009. AMD secured the #46 ranking. CRO’s 100 Best Corporate Citizens List is the only list based on 100% publicly-available information and ranks Russell 1000 companies on their performance in seven key areas: Environment, Climate Change, Human Rights, Philanthropy, Employee Relations, Financial and Governance. AMD’s highest scores came in the areas of environment, climate change and human rights. This is AMD’s second award this year honoring the company’s efforts in the area of corporate responsibility. In January, AMD was named for the third consecutive year to the 2009 Global 100 Most Sustainable Companies in the World list. The annual Global 100, unveiled each year at the World Economic Forum in Davos, is a list of role models in sustainable business practices.


“At AMD, corporate responsibility is a cornerstone of our company’s culture,” said Allyson Peerman, AMD’s vice president, Public Affairs. “We believe that AMD’s social, environmental and governance programs directly enhance our value to our customers, employees and to the communities where we do business. In fact, there is an increasing body of third-party research that suggests that good corporate citizenship contributes to increased shareholder value.”

For more information on AMD’s corporate and social responsibility practices, visit AMD’s corporate responsibility page.

Source: AMD