Dive Brief:

• Microsoft said it will release the tool it uses to run hackathons to the public next year.

• In doing so, the company said it hopes to help businesses conduct their own hackathons, thereby assisting them in finding innovative tech solutions to a wide array of business problems.

• Microsoft also wants to test the tool with a few colleges next year.
   

Dive Insight:

Microsoft said hackathons have become important tools in helping it with internal development efforts, and now it wants to help other companies do the same.

"So the aim here is really just to make it brain-dead easy for someone to walk into a [hackathon], open their lid and start working on that hack project," said Microsoft Garage Senior Director Jeff Ramos.

The tool connects hackers with projects and also provides access to resources.

Hackathons and similar contests are becoming more important to businesses of all kinds as they seek to innovate or improve security in a fast and low-cost manner.