Microsoft Innovation Center Report 2010-2011 vol.8
Microsoft Innovation Center Alliance Activities in 2010 Summing-Up – Japan MIC Summit 2010
Published: December 29, 2010
Japanese >>
December 1st, 2010, Sun Members Tokyo Shinjuku
In addition to Microsoft Innovation Center (MIC) in Otemachi, Tokyo, Microsoft Innovation Center’s alliance organizations in Sapporo, Asahikawa (Hokkaido) and Gifu Prefecture conduct various activities to support their local IT industry. These alliance organizations gathered together at Japan MIC Summit 2010 to report their activities in 2010, and a workshop was held to report the activities and current issues in each region, discussing the role of Microsoft Innovation Center for the future.
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Japan and Global MIC Summit: Unique Activities in Different Regions Reported
 | In the aggressive discussions, I was very much impressed to know that Innovation Centers all around the world conduct their unique activities in their regions. |  | | Yukihiro Nakajima
(Administration Officer, Sapporo Innovation Center; Sapporo Information technology Promotion and Diffusion Council)
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Based on Microsoft Innovation Center at Otemachi, Tokyo, Microsoft provides a wide range of support for software/hardware development companies, system integrators, universities, and entrepreneurs with creative ideas, as well as individuals and organizations expanding businesses globally. Microsoft Innovation Center has alliance organizations in Sapporo, Asahikawa, and Gifu, and each organization provides unique support programs tailored to its region in order to contribute IT software industry in Japan. At Japan MIC Summit, Microsoft representatives and staff from the alliance organizations sum up and examine these Microsoft Innovation Center activities in the year.
A world-wide version of MIC Summit was held from September 27th to 29th at Microsoft Corporation in USA, and 75 participants from Microsoft Innovation Centers in 26 countries and 58 areas joined together, including two Japanese representatives from Sapporo Innovation Center. A report on Global MIC Summit 2010 was delivered prior to Japan MIC Summit 2010 workshop.
“Despite our over-all schedule was tight, there held aggressive discussions,” reported Yukihiro Nishijima (Administration Officer, Sapporo Innovation Center; Sapporo Information technology Promotion and Diffusion Council), “and I was very much impressed to know that Innovation Centers all around the world conduct their unique activities in the regions. In Indonesia, for example, two incubator companies were arranged exclusively for universities. On the other hand, MIC in Pakistan has 100 alliance companies that offer incubation programs for students and people with lower income, as well as providing financing help for twenty companies. In contrast to our industry and student support activities in Japan, some investment-like support programs were reported at the global summit. All the discussions were held in English, and many non-native English speakers aggressively participated in those discussions. I felt the great passion of the participants, and the meeting made me realized that English is now essential to be a part of the global market.”
Global MIC Summit had a set of sessions, including lectures about business and technologies and other lectures by business executives, and a series of group discussions with themes ranging from student support, human resource development and business incubation. From the early morning to late in the evening, a variety of programs were held. In addition to these programs, Global MIC Summit honored awards to Microsoft Innovation Centers in Pakistan, Slovenia and Tunisia for their outstanding performances with serious attitudes and aggressiveness to promote themselves to create new business opportunities.
“Global MIC Summit 2010 recognized the aggressiveness in the developing countries,” remarked Nobuaki Nagai (Senior Manager, Business Incubation (LSE), Developer & Platform Evangelism, Microsoft Co. Ltd., Japan), “Each regional Microsoft Innovation Center reported its unique activities, and all made the summit a fruitful meeting. Reflecting that, we would like to plan activities tailored for the local areas in Japan as well as the metropolitan cities like Tokyo and Osaka. One of our goals is, for example, to enable the developers in local areas, through Microsoft Innovation Center and its alliance organizations, to obtain the cutting-edge technologies and the latest business trend information which is only available in the metropolitan area now.”
Rich Programs to Support Activities of Alliance Organizations
| | We would be pleased to work with our alliance organizations, by making the best use of Microsoft Innovation Center facilities and programs, to backup their support activities in the regions. | | | Kenzaburo Tamaru
(Group Senior Manager, National Technology Office/Innovation Center, Microsoft Co., Ltd, Japan)
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The first report made at Japan MIC Summit 2010 was on Microsoft Innovation Center at Otemachi, Tokyo. The center is operated by Microsoft Co. Ltd., Japan, providing rich programs, including Technology Innovation Ptogram, Interoperability Program, Quality Assurance Program, Platform Support Program, Human Resources Development Support Program, and IP License Program, to companies, research institutions and entrepreneurs all over Japan, as well as baking up its alliance organizations in the local areas.
“For instance, if you have a problem with research or verification facilities,” suggested Kenzaburo Tamaru (Group Senior Manager, National Technology Office/Innovation Center, Microsoft Co., Ltd, Japan), “we encourage you to use our facilities available through the Microsoft Innovation Center programs. Otemachi Technology Center, a part of Microsoft Innovation Center, has 350 latest devices, including high-end spec machines with 48-core CPUs and 512 GB of RAM, and they are available for free for your research and verification projects. For the development companies looking for technologies to realize their ideas, IP License Program is the one to choose. Because Microsoft licenses of protocol specifications and libraries used for various research projects at Microsoft Research and product development are available through this program, you do not have to develop the necessary technology from scratch to realize your ideas. We would be pleased to work with our alliance organizations, by making the best use of Microsoft Innovation Center facilities and programs, to backup their support activities in the regions.”
In addition to these support programs, Microsoft Innovation Center at Otemachi, Tokyo, has aggressively been engaged in human resource development. As a part of these engagements, Microsoft Innovation Academy(Japanese) offers wide range of seminars and events pertaining to business and new technologies. Human Resources Development Support Program offers not only technology, management, and marketing information, but also qualification acquisition support(Japanese) and seminor support(Japanese).
“In Microsoft Innovation Academy,” noted Nobuaki Nagai (Senior Manager, Business Incubation (LSE), Developer & Platform Evangelism, Microsoft Co. Ltd., Japan), “sessions for cloud computing such as Windows Azure and Microsoft Online Services are increasing in number. In addition to qualification acquisition support available at Human Resource Development Support Program page in the MIC Japan site, Microsoft Innovation Center would continuously support human resource development programs at our alliance organizations.”
Local Innovation Centers Focusing on Cloud and New Mobile Devices
| | It is also important to continue your existing business. By connecting the local Innovation Centers, we would continue to make our effort to help the activities in the local areas in order to contribute to the industries in Japan. | | | Nobuaki Nagai
(Senior Manager, Business Incubation (LSE), Developer & Platform Evangelism, Microsoft Co. Ltd., Japan)
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The alliance organizations reported their activities in 2010, focused technologies, and current challenges. Three groups discussed on the current challenges, and the suggestions for the future activities were presented.
All three organizations listed the cloud as one of their focused technologies. Meanwhile, two organizations made an additional remark on the new mobile devices such as Windows Phone 7 Series and Slate PC.
The list of challenges and the resolution plans illustrated the regional unique features. Gifu Innovation Center, for example, focused on promoting IT among the companies in the prefecture as well as student support and IT industry vitalization, while making a note on issues in vitalizing the local industries by using IT. Sapporo Innovation Center reported its effort on IT industry support, with challenges in human resource development for advanced ICT and enhancing collaboration with the local IT industry. Asahikawa Innovation Center received high reputation on its seminars due to its rich IT industry community. Their current goal was to establish an IT version of “local production for local consumption” and to enhance collaboration with the local educational institutions.
The common challenge noted was how to achieve the best result while rationalizing business operation.
“With the current economic situation and reduced IT budget,” noted Nobuaki Nagai (Senior Manager, Business Incubation (LSE), Developer & Platform Evangelism, Microsoft Co. Ltd., Japan), “ any business faces difficulty in getting budget. With the limited budget, what is important are passion and idea to achieve the best result while rationalizing business operation as much as possible. At your discussion, I would like you to simulate the listed issues and regional features to look for solutions. In addition to developing a new field, it is also important to continue your existing business. By connecting the local Innovation Centers, we would continue to make our effort to help the activities in the local areas in order to contribute to the industries in Japan.”
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| Alliance Organizations | Focused Technologies | Challenges and Solutions |
| Gifu Innovation Center | | • | Windows Phone 7 Series
(Visual Studio and Silverlight) | | • | Cloud computing
(Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1, Hyper-V, System Center Family, and Windows Azure) | | Enhancing local companies and supporting IT promotion | • | Lack of knowledge and experience of new technologies (need for education) | | • | Offering case studies | Provide lab environments to local IT companies | • | Environment for 24x7 verification and testing (facility, machines, and staff) | Gifu Innovation Center’s structure | • | Inheritance of knowledge and know-how’s | | • | Utilizing network (cloud) | |
| Sapporo Innovation Center | | • | Public cloud (Windows Azure) | | • | Private cloud (virtualization technology) | | • | Windows slate PC | | • | Windows Phone 7 Series | | Business continuity | • | Continuous human resource development activity (ensuring budget) | | • | Training staff (stable source of manpower) | | • | Significant decrease of participants in fare-paying activities (lack of compelling trainings) | Business matching (departure from metropolitan-depended subcontracting structure) | • | Cultivating opportunities (promotion of the local industry by using IT) | | • | Expanding direct business with large enterprises (promotion of collaboration) | |
| Asahikawa Innovation Center | | • | Cloud computing | | • | Security technology | | • | Application technology | | Imbalance between supply and demand | • | Technology needed now and technology needed in a long run. | Improving the local power | • | Utilizing and collaborating with the local assets (institutions of higher education and other assets) | Local production of information systems for local consumption | • | Improving development skills and promotion mechanism | |
Backing up the Motivation and Skills of Young Generation with Passion
| | I would like each Microsoft Innovation Center alliance organization to backup the young people’s strong motivation and technical skills. | | | Shunichi Kajisa
(CIO, Microsoft Co. Ltd., Japan)
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After the annual activity report session and a constructive discussion for the future plans, a Q&A session with Shunichi Kajisa (CIO, Microsoft Co. Ltd., Japan) closed Japan MIC Summit 2010. In his Q&A session, Kajisa answered and made comments to each question from the participants.
To a question about the difference between the engineers in Japan and other part of Asia with significant economic growth, Kajisa pointed out the difference in the environments.
“It is sure that Asia is now vigorous and there are a lot of young engineers with high motivation in other parts of Asia,” remarked CIO Kajisa, “Like the young generations at the time of the high economic growth in Japan, they have strong motivation and their society backs them up. In Japan, I am sure that there are a lot of young people with outstanding courage and IT venture companies with outstanding skills. I would like each Microsoft Innovation Center alliance organization to backup their strong motivation and technical skills.”
Kajisa also introduced a case study that illustrates tips of the best practices to expand business with support from Microsoft.
“Today, one of the reports noted on the human resource development plan for Windows Phone 7 Series software developers,” said Kajisa, “In other countries, in contrast, there are a number of cases in which a venture company adopts a new technology from an early development stage, providing recursive technological feedback to their product, and become a Microsoft partner when the product is finally released. In the case like this, you would be steps behind from such early adopters if you wait for the release of the new product or device. I strongly encourage software development companies to catch up with Microsoft’s roadmaps, so that you can adopt the latest technology from the early development stage. Microsoft Innovation Center and Microsoft employees, including myself, are your source of such information.”
Questions to Kajisa came up not only in the Q&A session but also at the fellowship banquet that followed. Staff from the alliance organizations had constructive discussions to redefine the role of Microsoft Innovation Center for the future.
