[The articles below were posted between Jul. 30, 2007 and Aug. 20, 2007 and appear in the September 2007 hardcopy edition of Update.]

Business Applications & Services

Communications Server 2007 Packaging, Licensing, Pricing

Details the various server licenses and Client Access Licenses (CALs) required to implement a real-time communications system built on Office Communications Server 2007 and Communicator 2007

Entrepreneur Offers Entry-Level Accounting

A new entry-level business management package could help small European companies track financials and manage vendors and customers, but it may eventually cross paths with Accounting Professional and Small Business Financials

Mobile Tools for Dynamics AX

A mobile application for AX will help sales personnel look up customers and place orders with a handheld device. Partners can create similar applications, but those could collide with Microsoft's

Access 2007 Runtime, Free Tools

The Access 2007 runtime and key developer tools, which enable professional developers to do large-scale development and distribution of Access 2007 applications, have been released and are now free

Systems Management and Security

System Center Essentials Supports Midmarket

Systems management for small and medium business is the focus of System Center Essentials 2007, a just-released software distribution and monitoring product

Application Platform

Commerce Server Updates Planned

Planned enhancements to Commerce Server 2007 could fast-track development of new e-commerce Web sites ahead of a new release of the product planned for 2010

Push for Office-Based Development Continues

Office Business Applications is the latest marketing term for a long-time Microsoft goal: transforming Office into a front end for enterprise resource planning systems and other mission-critical applications

Second SQL Server 2008 Preview Released

A community technical preview could help developers investigate SQL Server 2008 as a storage engine for hierarchical data, but support for geospatial data types will wait until subsequent previews

IronRuby Presages Dynamic .NET

A prerelease of IronRuby, an implementation of the popular Ruby programming language for the .NET Framework, is available through Microsoft's shared source initiative

Consumer and Small Business

Internet Advertising Deals

The acquisition of online advertising exchange AdECN and a syndication deal with Digg continue Microsoft's expansion into online advertising

Privacy Assurances for Online Services

Updated online privacy policies give the appearance of balancing Microsoft's promises to offer more detailed user information to online advertisers

Office for Mac Delay, Tools in Beta

Office 2008 for Mac has been delayed until Jan. 2008, and beta versions are available for Mac Remote Desktop and Office XML file support

Sales, Marketing, and Services

SA Becoming General-Purpose Subscription Service

Software Assurance, introduced as an upgrade rights program in 2001, has evolved into a broader maintenance program, and is now becoming a license to license other Microsoft software and services

Early Adoption Programs Aid Product Development

Programs for early previews and adoption of new software give customers and partners a unique opportunity to influence development and give Microsoft real-world feedback that makes software better

Emerging, Mature Markets Segmented

In mature markets, Microsoft will concentrate on getting more revenue from existing customers, while in emerging markets it will focus on gaining new customers

Partner Opportunity in SharePoint Server Deployments

Partners who are certified for SharePoint deployments can get customer referrals and payments from Microsoft

Corporate and Legal

Five Businesses Steady into FY'08

The need to invest in new businesses and 'software plus services' were among the themes at Microsoft's July 2007 Financial Analyst Meeting

Record Patent Fine Thrown Out

A judge has effectively reversed a jury verdict that would have forced Microsoft to pay Alcatel-Lucent US$1.52 billion for infringing two patents related to MP3