Julie Bort

Love it or hate it, Microsoft is a company that brings out strong emotions in just about every IT professional.

With 2011 over, it is time for our picks of some of smartest moves this powerful software company made this year - and some of the moves we'd say were not so bright.

Pirated software saves its users in developing countries more than $2.9 billion annually. So finds a study of manufacturers in Latin America, Central and Eastern Europe and Asia-Pacific commissioned by Microsoft.

The study was done by the Keystone Strategy with results announced as part of Microsoft's Global Play Fair Day on Thursday. Play Fair Day is Microsoft's attempt to raise awareness on how pirated software gives an "unfair competitive advantage" to companies that steal software compared to those that pay for it, the company says.

Debate rages among IT professionals over the value of certifications, but a survey of 700 network professionals jointly conducted by Network World and SolarWinds may help put that argument to rest. Among those who earned certifications, most saw a significant boost in their careers as a result.

Some 60% said a certification led to a new job; 50% said they earned more pay, with 40% saying their pay increased by more than 10% directly because of a certification; and 29% said a cert led to a promotion.

Seven ISVs have formed a consortium to integrate their Google Apps add-on products and offer discounted bundles, outside of Google's control.

They call themselves the Cloud Alliance for Google Apps, and their goal is to set their wares above the Google Apps Marketplace ruckus and sell via their own website. Google now claims some 4 million Google Apps business customers and an app store of add-ons that reached 300 choices in March.

Microsoft has released a Fix-it tool to allow Windows users to manually patch their systems to thwart the Duqu Trojan: Microsoft Security Advisory (2639658).

Duqu, or "son of Stuxnet" as some call it, is worrisome because it installs a keystroke logger and then can replicate itself, even across secure networks, using the passwords obtained. It communicates with other servers across the Internet, giving hackers access. The malware will remove itself after 30 days.

Microsoft has rolled out a new mobile app for Bing built with HTML5 and available first only to iPhone and Android users, not to Windows Phone users. It may be another indication that Microsoft is turning its attention away from its home-baked development platforms .Net and Silverlight and toward the industry-standard HTML5.

Because a version of Bing is already integrated with Windows Phone 7, the new Bing HTML5 app at first is available to iPhone and Android users only, with BlackBerry and Windows Phone 7 versions to follow at an unspecified later date. Internet Explorer 9 with support for HTML5 is one of the features touted with Windows Phone 7.5, the Mango release.

The battle between Microsoft and Google for office cloud dominance reminds me of the clash of the Titans. Microsoft and its classic on-premises business model is like Gaia, the earth goddess, and Google with its disruptive lightening bolt, is like Zeus, a sky god and a next generation kind of god.

On June 28, Microsoft launched Office 365, a subscription cloud service that replaced its Business Productivity Online Standard Suite (BPOS). Office 365 was a direct response to Google Apps for Business, which has been luring companies away from on-premises e-mail and Office applications with promises of better collaboration, less cost and less headaches. Google claims that it has some 4 million businesses using Google Apps for Business. To be fair, this number pales compared to the millions using Office, which by some estimates totals 750 million people.

Despite weak consumer demand for PCs, Microsoft posted record first quarter revenue of $17.37 billion for the period that ended Sept. 30. This beat analysts' reported expectations of $17.2 billion. Revenue increased 7% percent over the year-ago period. Microsoft credited the increase to enterprise demand for Office, server and development tools.

OPINION: Microsoft execs get pay raises, bonuses, and club memberships

After years of failing to get Microsoft to adopt a formal environmental sustainability policy, shareholders seem to have won: Microsoft will now insist its hardware suppliers comply with the company's social responsibility requirements.

Hardware makers will be asked to go beyond good environmental behavior and adopt Microsoft's full code of conduct. These cover legal compliance, business ethics, labor and human rights standards, respect for intellectual property and environmental protection. Two years ago, Microsoft was booted off the Nasdaq Sustainability Index "due to inadequate disclosure of quantitative environmental metrics," according to Microsoft. For the past two shareholder meetings, activist investors have been trying to get Microsoft to take board-level action to improve its sustainability track record.

After years of failing to get Microsoft to adopt a formal environmental sustainability policy, shareholders seem to have won: Microsoft will now insist its hardware suppliers comply with the company's social responsibility requirements.

Hardware makers will be asked to go beyond good environmental behavior and adopt Microsoft's full code of conduct. These cover legal compliance, business ethics, labor and human rights standards, respect for intellectual property and environmental protection. Two years ago, Microsoft was booted off the Nasdaq Sustainability Index "due to inadequate disclosure of quantitative environmental metrics," according to Microsoft. For the past two shareholder meetings, activist investors have been trying to get Microsoft to take board-level action to improve its sustainability track record.

Image Credit: Nikhil via: MMLAs a tribute to Steve Jobs, Microsoft will fly its flags at all its worldwide offices at half staff for two days, reports the blog site Microsoft news. Here is a photo taken of the Microsoft UK offices.

I congratulate Microsoft on this show of respect. Although the two companies were often bitter rivals, Steve Jobs and Bill Gates were also friends. In Gates statement on Jobs' death released yesterday, Gates said, "Steve and I first met nearly 30 years ago, and have been colleagues, competitors and friends over the course of more than half our lives. ... For those of us lucky enough to get to work with him, it's been an insanely great honor. I will miss Steve immensely."

Microsoft announced Thursday that Acer and ViewSonic have each agreed to license undisclosed intellectual property from Microsoft to cover each vendor's Android phones and tablets, Microsoft says.

The deal with ViewSonic also covers Chrome tablets, Microsoft said, and involves royalties paid to Microsoft by ViewSonic. Details of the royalties were not disclosed.