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BlogFreeTechnology & EthicsThe Official Microsoft Blog

Microsoft's own announcements and positions on AI, work and policy.

Why I recommend it: This is the company speaking for itself, which makes it a primary source and an advertisement at the same time. Useful for knowing what it is committing to publicly.

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microsoft.com
Free
Article
Technology & Ethics

Agents are your newest insiders. Security must move at their speed.

Microsoft describes how workplace AI agents can create insider risk through access to company systems and data. It outlines external controls for agent identity, least-privilege permissions, monitoring, and containment, alongside its Project Perception security approach.

#AI agents#cybersecurity#identity and access management#least privilege#Microsoft
microsoft.comAdded Oct 22, 20260 opens
news.microsoft.com
Free
Article
AI & Tech News

Microsoft's Latest Custom Chip: Maia 300

Microsoft press page introducing the Azure Maia 300, its second-generation custom AI accelerator chip, with links to architecture details and deployment plans.

#AI chips#Microsoft#Azure#hardware
news.microsoft.comAdded Oct 13, 20260 opens
blogs.microsoft.com
Free
Article
AI Models & Benchmarks

Introducing the New Copilot with Home, Code and Autopilot

Microsoft announcement of the September 2026 Copilot relaunch: a Home hub, a Code mode and an Autopilot mode for multi-step tasks.

#Copilot#Microsoft#AI assistant
blogs.microsoft.comAdded Sep 30, 20260 opens
dotnet.microsoft.com
Free
Tool
Entrepreneurship & Free Tools

ASP.NET Core

Microsoft's open-source web framework for building web apps and services in C# that run on Windows, Linux and macOS. Free to download and use; the page is Microsoft's own product page.

#web development#open source#programming
dotnet.microsoft.comAdded Sep 27, 20260 opens
microsoft.com
Free
Website
Technology & Ethics

Microsoft Sustainability

Microsoft's corporate sustainability hub, covering its carbon-negative, water-positive and zero-waste commitments, annual environmental sustainability reports, and progress data — relevant context for the footprint of AI data centers.

#sustainability#data-centers#environment#microsoft
microsoft.comAdded Sep 27, 20260 opens
microsoft.com
Free
Article
Technology & Ethics

Offloaded inference for real-world physical AI robotics

Microsoft Research blog post on running the heavy AI thinking for robots on remote computers instead of on the robot itself, and what that means for speed, cost and reliability in real-world robotics.

Why I recommend it: Free to read. Written by Microsoft researchers, so it presents their own approach favorably — Microsoft also sells the cloud computing this kind of setup relies on.

#robotics#physical ai#inference#microsoft research#research
microsoft.comAdded Sep 24, 20260 opens
careers.microsoft.com
Free
Training Program
Community & Government Resources

Microsoft Datacenter Academy

Microsoft's community skilling programme that partners with local community colleges and vocational schools to train people for entry-level datacenter and digital-infrastructure jobs. The five parts are aligned curriculum, a hands-on datacenter lab, mentoring from Microsoft datacenter staff, work experience at a Microsoft datacenter, and scholarships or financial grants. It runs in cohorts through named partner schools rather than as an online course you sign up for.

Why I recommend it: The honest version: this page is the program overview, not an application. The training is delivered by a local partner school, so start at the locations list and go to the school nearest you for dates, entry requirements and what the school itself charges — Microsoft's scholarships cover tuition, fees and certification exams only for students who qualify, so ask the school in writing what you would owe if you don't get one. Microsoft says more than 12,500 people have enrolled since 2018 across at least 14 countries; treat any jobs or salary figures the program quotes as its own marketing, not a promise of a Microsoft job.

#apprenticeship#community-college#datacenter#it-support#job markets#microsoft#no-degree-required#scholarships#tech-careers#training-program#work-experience
careers.microsoft.comAdded Sep 21, 20260 opens
Microsoft Research
Free
Organization
Technology & Ethics

Microsoft Research

Microsoft's research division: published papers, open datasets and tools, plus its internship and residency programs.

From the site: Explore research at Microsoft, a site featuring the impact of research along with publications, products, downloads, and research careers.

Why I recommend it: The publications are free to read and the programs page lists real entry routes into research work. Both are more useful than the marketing pages.

#ai-research#datasets#internship#papers#research#research-institute
Microsoft ResearchAdded Sep 17, 20260 opens
Microsoft Copilot: Your AI companion
Free
AI Tool
AI & Assistive Tools

Microsoft Copilot

Microsoft's AI assistant, built into Windows, Word, Excel and Outlook. Free to use in the browser and on Windows; the Office integration needs a paid plan.

From the site: Microsoft Copilot is your companion to inform, entertain and inspire. Get advice, feedback and straightforward answers. Try Copilot now.

Why I recommend it: If your employer runs on Microsoft 365, this is the assistant you will actually be allowed to use at work.

#ai-assistant#microsoft-office#windows#excel#writing#free-tier#ai-tools#productivity#documents#job-search
Microsoft Copilot: Your AI companionAdded Sep 17, 20260 opens
events.teams.microsoft.com
Free
Live Event
Career & Professional Optimization

Let's Talk - The IBM Z USA Apprenticeship Program - Free

Oct 6, 2026 – Oct 6, 2026IBM Z USA Apprenticeship Program

A free live conversation about the IBM Z USA Apprenticeship Program — learn how the program works, who it's for, and how to apply.

#apprenticeship#career-change#early-career#entry-level#free-event#ibm#ibm-z#job markets#live-event#mainframe#tech-careers
events.teams.microsoft.comAdded Sep 16, 20260 opens
learn.microsoft.com
Free
Training Program
Career & Professional Optimization

Microsoft Learn Training

Free learning paths for Microsoft 365, Azure, Power Platform, and Copilot, with certification prep.

Why I recommend it: If your target roles run on Microsoft tools, this is the official free path and it lines up with the paid exams.

#azure#career#career-development#certification#copilot#course#excel#free#free-training#learning#microsoft#power-platform#program#training
learn.microsoft.comAdded Aug 31, 20260 opens
learn.microsoft.com
Free
Training Program
AI & Assistive Tools

Microsoft AI training paths (Microsoft Learn)

Free learning paths on Copilot and Microsoft AI services, with certificates you can share.

Why I recommend it: Worth doing if you are targeting corporate or enterprise roles — Copilot is what those teams actually use.

#ai#ai-tools#certificate#copilot#course#enterprise#free#learning#program#training
learn.microsoft.comAdded Aug 30, 20260 opens
about.ads.microsoft.com
Free
Platform Tool
Marketing & Platform Tools

Microsoft Advertising

Microsoft's paid search advertising platform, running ads across Bing, Yahoo, and partner networks.

#advertising#free#marketing#marketing-platforms#microsoft-bing#small-business#tool
about.ads.microsoft.comAdded Aug 29, 20260 opens
learn.microsoft.com
Free
Article
Marketing & Platform Tools

Microsoft Ecosystem Integration

Microsoft documentation on integrating third-party apps and services with the Microsoft 365 Copilot ecosystem.

#article#automation#free#integrations#marketing#marketing-platforms#microsoft-bing#reading
learn.microsoft.comAdded Aug 29, 20260 opens
powerautomate.microsoft.com
Free
AI Tool
Marketing & Platform Tools

Microsoft Power Automate

Microsoft's workflow-automation tool for connecting Microsoft 365 apps and other business software.

#ai#ai-tool#automation#automation-integration#free#integrations#marketing#marketing-platforms#tool
powerautomate.microsoft.comAdded Aug 29, 20260 opens
clarity.microsoft.com
Free
Platform Tool
Marketing & Platform Tools

Microsoft Clarity

Free heatmap and session-recording analytics tool from Microsoft for seeing how visitors use a site.

Why I recommend it: A completely free way to watch exactly how visitors use your website.

#analytics#free#marketing#marketing-platforms#microsoft-bing#seo#tool
clarity.microsoft.comAdded Aug 29, 20260 opens
leap.microsoft.com
Free
Apprenticeship
Career & Professional Optimization

Microsoft Leap

A 16-week immersive program mixing classroom learning with hands-on work on real Microsoft products, across Software Engineering, Technical Program Management, Support Engineering, and Data Analysis. Recruits heavily from bootcamps and non-traditional paths.

In plain terms: This 16-week program helps people with basic technical training and non-traditional backgrounds break into the technology industry. You can apply to combine classroom learning with hands-on experience working on real Microsoft products.

Why I recommend it: One of the most respected career-changer programs in tech. Read the application-process page closely; it tells you exactly what they score.

#apprenticeship#bootcamp-grads#career#career-change#career-development#entry-level#free#job markets#program-management#software-engineering#tech-jobs
leap.microsoft.comAdded Aug 29, 20260 opens

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ChatGPT Enterprise now available in AWS Marketplace

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