As an international company with offices on the five continents, Microsoft develops products that meet the needs of a wide range of consumers and organizations all over the world. To enable this we rely on Microsoft Research laboratories in Redmond and San-Francisco, Cambridge (UK) and Beijing (China), where we are deeply involved in fundamental software research. In addition we also have R & D Centers located all over the world, including five in Asia Pacific, focused on adapting products to local market needs. Further, our global support centers in the USA, Europe and China (the latter, located in Shanghai, employs 400 highly skilled engineers) provide round the clock service to our enterprise customers. And we have established close working relationships with millions of independent developers worldwide.
Microsoft pledge for APAC: enabling a knowledge economy
Faced recently with tough worldwide economic conditions and with an increasingly complex and global marketplace, Asia Pacific countries aspire to sharpen their competitive edge. One key way for the region to achieve this goal is to develop a new definition of national infrastructure that does not rely solely on bricks and mortar investments, but more and more on information and knowledge. To achieve a state of the art information infrastructure, we think that Asia Pacific countries should invest or continue to invest in 4 areas:
Education. Affordable broadband access. Compelling online services from government. Strong respect for intellectual property.
We are convinced that such a solid information infrastructure will clear the path for a thriving knowledge economy to develop in Asia Pacific, and that software development nurtured by local entrepreneurs will be one of its significant driving forces.
Microsoft favors heavily the emergence of an indigenous software industry in Asia Pacific. Our belief is that the company is well positioned to contribute significantly to this phenomenon, as its business model is heavily dependent on a strong partner community.
Partnering in APAC
Over the past few years, Microsoft has established close links with an increasing number of partners in Asia Pacific (up to 140,000 today!). IDC in a recent research estimated that each $1 spent on Microsoft software generates another $8 in sales for Microsoft's partners. The company is committed to help them grow and find new business opportunities based on the technologies it makes available.
Education.