Facts and Figures
For more than 20 years, Microsoft has been operating in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), enabling people and businesses throughout the region to realise their potential.
The Microsoft EMEA organisation encompasses 61 local offices and delivers products and services in 139 countries across the region. The company’s 15,000 regional employees engage in a wide range of functions including research, product development and distribution, sales and marketing, customer service and support, and partner support.
An industry leader, Microsoft is also committed to corporate responsibility and community participation. The company works with all levels of government and academia, and supports numerous programmes for social and economic development.
People, Operations and Facilities Microsoft beginnings in EMEA: Microsoft UK was established in 1982, the first office outside the US, followed by Microsoft France and Microsoft Germany in 1983.
Subsidiaries: Microsoft has offices in 61 countries across EMEA.
Employees: More than 15,000 people work for Microsoft in the region.
Regional coverage: Microsoft EMEA offers services and products in 139 countries and territories.
Manufacturing, distribution and logistics: Supported by the European Operations Centre (EOC), manufacturing operations were set up in County Dublin, Ireland, in 1986.
Product localisation: Microsoft Office is available in 29 languages spoken in the EMEA region, as well as 21 additional languages via downloadable language interface packs (LIPs). Microsoft Windows is available in 19 regional languages, with 35 additional LIP languages. At the European Product Development Centre (EPDC) in Dublin, Ireland, Microsoft developers and linguists specialise in more than 50 languages and dialects to create these local-language products.
Microsoft EMEA Leadership
Jean-Philippe Courtois: President of Microsoft International and Senior Vice President, Microsoft Corp.
Neil Holloway: Vice President Business Strategy, Microsoft International
Umberto Paolucci: Senior Chairman, Microsoft EMEA, and Vice President, Microsoft Corp.
Goran Radman: Chairman, Microsoft South-East Europe
Ali Faramawy: Vice President, Middle East and Africa
Pierre Liautaud: Vice President, Western Europe
Vahé Torossian: Vice President, Central and Eastern Europe
Jan Muehlfeit: Vice President, Corporate & Government Strategy, Microsoft EMEA
Gordon Frazer: Managing Director, Microsoft Ltd, UK
Eric Boustouller: General Manager, Microsoft France, and Vice President, Microsoft EMEA
Building Partnerships Across EMEA
Customer and partner ecosystem: There are more than 250,000 Microsoft partners in EMEA including over 97,000 resellers, distributors and systems integrators, and 33,000 independent software vendors. Among these are:
3,500 Microsoft Business Solutions partners 109,000 software developers registered in the Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN)
Public sector: Microsoft EMEA partners with local, national and regional governments and administrative bodies to help achieve public service objectives, ranging from e-government and e-democracy to digital communities. (Microsoft and EMEA Government)
Education: Through the Partners in Learning programme, Microsoft EMEA collaborates with schools and universities to enable better integration of technology into the curriculum. To date, Partners in Learning agreements have been signed with 62 national governments in the region. (Microsoft EMEA and Education)
Nongovernmental organisations and charities: Through the Unlimited Potential programmes, Microsoft EMEA partners with organisations to improve lifelong learning for disadvantaged youth and adults through Community Technology Centres. To date, Unlimited Potential has supported 239 projects in EMEA serving more than 7,400 Community Technology Centres in 65 countries across the region. Over the next five years, Microsoft will commit up to $1 billion to Unlimited Potential partnerships worldwide. (Microsoft EMEA and Digital Inclusion)
Promoting Regional Economic Growth
Microsoft is helping to foster a thriving information technology sector in Europe and across the EMEA region. Microsoft products act as an engine of economic growth, driving opportunity for companies that develop, support and distribute technology and provide IT-related services.
In a study of six key European markets, IDC predicted that the availability of Windows Vista will be a major driver of revenue and employment creation for more than 150,000 IT companies. According to IDC, the new operating system will sustain and support over 1 million jobs — approximately 20 per cent of all IT employment in the six countries — and create an additional 50,000 new positions (IDC, September 2006). For every $1 of Microsoft revenue in the region, another $7.68 was generated by other companies selling hardware or software that works on Microsoft operating systems, or servicing that software (IDC, June 2006). In a study of 19 countries in EMEA, including much of Europe plus Turkey, Israel and South Africa, IDC found that the IT industry employs nearly 9 million people in the hardware, software, services and channel segments, as well as IT professionals. Of these, more than 3 million are in positions related to Microsoft products — 36 per cent of the industry’s total employment (IDC, October 2004). The technology industry is growing. In the next four years, the IT sector is projected to generate an additional $50 billion in tax revenues in these countries — a 25 per cent increase from 2004 (IDC, October 2004).
R&D: Investing in the Future
Microsoft makes a considerable investment in innovation-related activities worldwide, in excess of 15 per cent of revenue in recent years. Few other companies — in any industry — make such a significant investment in R&D.
In EMEA, approximately 2,000 Microsoft employees work in research and development. The company operates more than 47 facilities in the region dedicated to technology innovation and software development:
Microsoft Research Centres, whose mandate is to develop new technologies through long-term “blue sky” research as well as applied, product-focused research — UK Microsoft Innovation Centres, where the company works with industry partners and governments to share expertise and speed time to deployment, time to market — Croatia, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Poland, South Africa, Spain Microsoft Development Centres, where Microsoft products are developed and enhanced — Denmark, Ireland, Portugal, Serbia, Switzerland, UK Microsoft Institutes, research centres of excellence that Microsoft has established in collaboration with leading research and academic bodies — France, Italy, South Africa Microsoft Technology Centres, where enterprise customers can test their applications and obtain support and advice from Microsoft engineers — Denmark, France, Germany, UAE, UK
 |
Key Issues for Microsoft in the Region
Responding to local needs: As part of Microsoft’s commitment to the countries and communities where it operates, the company helps bring technology access and opportunity to underserved populations through formal agreements with local governments and some of the world’s most influential development organisations.
Building Skills and Knowledge: Companies have a responsibility to support the communities in which they do business. Microsoft embraces this viewpoint in its work with a wide range of organisations – including governments, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and private companies – to create opportunities for underserved populations, to promote ICT in education, and drive local innovation and economic development.
Improving Access to Technology: Although information technology is an integral part of today’s global society, not everyone has an equal opportunity to take advantage of ICT. Through numerous programmes, Microsoft is increasing access to computers for people with disabilities, speakers of regional languages, people in underserved areas, and small businesses.
Strengthening the Local Knowledge Economy: Wherever Microsoft does business, the economic and social benefits of its partner-driven business model are felt. Microsoft creates business opportunities for local companies and works with governments to support economic growth and spread the use of ICT in support of education, jobs and competitiveness in the global marketplace.
Contributing to Business and Industry Dialogue: Microsoft is a vocal contributor to IT-industry forums – participating in cross-industry organisations and conferences where all points of view can be heard and debated. Among the most important issues in the industry today are intellectual property protection, software interoperability, and security and online safety.
| |
