Microsoft

After finishing dead last in a comparative antivirus test, recently garnered some positive press. The latest tests performed by AV-Comparatives.org seem to show an improvement, with OneCare moving up two places. While OneCare is certified by West Coast Labs and ICSA, it is the competitive independent antivirus testing results that mean more in terms of …

Microsoft on Thursday said it has acquired privately held Stratature, a company that specializes in so-called master data management software. Through the acquisition of the , Microsoft will build master data management tools into its Office System line. The move complements the company’s strategy to bulk up the business intelligence tools in Office and SQL Server. describes a way to store information according to certain attributes so it’s easier to retrieve and work with. For example, information from various sources can be aggregated relating to customer, product or partner. The idea is that by using master data management with Office, people will more easily find appropriate information, particularly data aggregated from multiple sources. IBM has in master data management capabilities, which are typically included in package applications from SAP and Oracle as well.