Microsoft Innovation Center Report 2010-2011 vol.7
Corporate Citizenship 2010 Summing-Up and Microsoft Innovation Award 2010 - Microsoft Citizenship Day 2010/Microsoft Innovation Day 2010
Published: December 27, 2010
Japanese >>
December 2nd, 2010, Bellesalle Kudan
IT venture companies, NPOs (specified nonprofit corporations), students, senior citizens and partners who contribute Microsoft’s various support activities gathered at Microsoft Citizenship Day 2010, an event to summarize Microsoft’s corporate citizenship activities in 2010. The events was successful as a good opportunity to, through case studies, demonstrations and study groups, discuss Microsoft’s support activities in the future. Microsoft Innovation Day 2010 was also held at the same place, announcing the Microsoft Innovation Award 2010 Best Commercial Business Award selected from the five recipient companies of the Award for Outstanding Performance.
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A Day to Discuss How IT Should Be Utilized to Realize Everyone’s Full Potential
 | Please work with us to achieve better results in Microsoft’s corporate citizenship activities to realize our mission, Realizing Potential. |  | | Yasuyuki Higuchi
(CEO & President, Microsoft Co. Ltd., Japan)
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Microsoft Co. Ltd., Japan held its 2010 citizenship report event, Microsoft Citizenship Day 2010/Microsoft Innovation Day 2010, inviting IT venture companies, NPOs (specified nonprofit corporations), students, senior citizens and partners who contribute to Microsoft’s various support programs to report Microsoft’s corporate citizenship activities in 2010. Through case studies, demonstrations and study groups, all the participants discussed how IT should be utilized to realize everyone’s full potential.
“Microsoft was established in 1975 with a vision: a computer on every desk and in every home,” greeted Yasuyuki Higuchi (President & CEO, Microsoft Co. Ltd., Japan), “Microsoft Co. Ltd., Japan was established in 1986, and we will celebrate our 25th anniversary in 2011. Microsoft’s mission is ‘Realizing Potential.’ It means we help people and businesses around the world realize their full potential. With the belief that the potential of software and that IT would expand people’s potential, all the Microsoft employees are engaged in various activities to realize this mission. Our corporate citizenship program is not limited to monetary donation. Please work with us to achieve better results.”
In his keynote speech, Higuchi illustrated the achievements of Microsoft’s corporate citizenship activities in 2010. For example, Microsoft had offered IT skill trainings since 2003, aiming at helping females, senior citizens and people in rural communities to be independent with motives in life. Over 560,000 people have already participated in this training program. Microsoft also offers an internship program to allow the interns to work at Microsoft or its partner companies. In addition, to vitalize industries, Microsoft participates in an industry-academic-government circle to support IT venture companies. Outstanding solutions would win Microsoft Innovation Award (MIA) and be introduced to the world.
All of these activities were conducted with help from various partners, including local governments, universities and other research institutions, NPOs and a variety of other organizations. With a network of its corporate citizenship activities, Microsoft offer various support programs to people in all over Japan.
Cloud Computing: Expanding Potential of Individuals and Society
| | I believe Microsoft, as a corporate citizen, has been contributing the society through the power of software, and we can expand its potential and lives of people using software. | | | Yasuyuki Higuchi
(CEO & President, Microsoft Co. Ltd., Japan)
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The latest cloud computing technology would promote Microsoft’s corporate citizenship activities into a new stage. Through cloud, software and platform could be utilized through network, connecting everyone on the network.
“The latest IT trend is cloud,” noted CEO Higuchi, “This event’s theme is to discuss with you all how Microsoft’s cloud technology should be utilized to contribute the society. I believe Microsoft, as a corporate citizen, has been contributing the society through the power of software, and we can expand its potential and the lives of people using software. As the devices such as smart phones and slate PCs develop further, everyone would be able to be connected each other through the cloud. Cloud is an important technology in our corporate citizenship activities, and the services delivered through the cloud would be more important in the near future.”
A lot of participants paid great attention to the utilization of the cloud in Microsoft’s corporate citizenship activities. Kan Suzuki, Vice Minister of MEXT (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology) joined the event through his video message, explaining the cloud would help educational institutions, companies and individuals be connected to a single network, enabling various collaborations to realize better local community. The cloud is already in action: Microsoft BizSpark program offers a cloud development environment for IT ventures as well as the number of MIA 2010 Outstanding Performance Award winner solutions with the cloud technology has increased. Microsoft also announced that it would provide an optimized version of Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online to help the NPOs rationalize their operation through the cloud technology.
“It is important for the NPO’s operation,” CEO Higuchi followed, “to analyze and manage information about its supporters in order to enhance its supporter network. Introducing IT to an organization’s operation calls a great attention for expanding activities of NPOs. Microsoft, Japan NPO Center, and Pageone Co.,Ltd worked together and developed an NPO operation template, which can be utilized in Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online, a cloud-style CRM (Customer Relationship Management) service available in 2011. This Dynamic CRM NPO template would be available for free, and the NPOs can focus on their activities by rationalizing its clerical and other operational works.”
Reliable Supporters Who Back Up Microsoft’s Corporate Citizenship Activities
As the image character of Microsoft’s corporate citizenship activities, Agnes Chan, a singer and essayist, had a keynote speech in Microsoft Citizenship Day 2010.
| | I am very impressed that Microsoft is making a range of social contribution through utilizing IT. I would continue supporting Microsoft’s corporate citizenship activities. | | | Agnes Chan
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“I am very impressed that Microsoft is making this wide range of social contribution through utilizing IT,” spoke Chan, “These activities, I think, enable many people achieve their dreams and help others in trouble. I had a meeting with CEO Higuchi the other day, and joined a discussion meeting with Microsoft employees. Everyone was so passionate. We had a good discussion to identify the problem to solve it, and I felt very confident because I know such people are engaged in various support activities. Microsoft’s corporate citizenship activities still have a wide range of potential, and I would continue supporting it.”
Chan joined two special sessions. In Cloud Demonstration, along with other participants, received a detailed lecture from Shunichi Kajisa (CIO, Microsoft Co. Ltd., Japan) about Microsoft’s latest cloud technology. In Bond Enhanced by IT, Chan spoke about the situation of children in various parts of the world and a gap in IT utilization based on her own experience as an ambassador of the Japan Committee for UNICEF. Chan also joined a study group for students, Student IT Technology Project Presentation Competition, and she reviewed students’ presentations for Imagine Cup Japan Finals with staff from UN Development Program.
“Everything was very compelling,” commented Chan, “Students IT projects to achieve UN Millennium Development Goals, great solutions from Microsoft Innovation Award 2010 Outstanding Performance Award winner companies and Microsoft’s latest cloud technology that Mr. Kajisa explained in detail. Each one of them was appealing and I really felt I want use them and the world would be great. I am also very impressed that the senior citizens, NPOstaffs, students, and representatives from IT venture companies listened to my speech with a great interest.”
IT Venture Companies’ New Power: Innovation from Japan
| | We would not have won MIA without help from various people, and I thank for our staff that had a strong motivation to make this project successful to contribute the society. I would like to keep growing our company with a help from Microsoft. | | | Kenji Ito
(President, inotech Co. Ltd.)
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Microsoft Innovation Day 2010 was also held in the same place as Microsoft Citizenship Day 2010. Microsoft Innovation Day is an IT conference started in 2007, with a keyword “Innovation from Japan,” to offer an opportunity for domestic IT venture companies utilizing Microsoft Technologies. In this event, Microsoft Innovation Award (MIA) 2010 Best Commercial Business Award was announced.
Shunichi Kajisa (CEO, Microsoft Co. Ltd., Japan) and Agnes Chan honored MIA 2010 Best Commercial Business Award to inotech's Knee OA Computer-Aided Diagnosis (KOACAD).
“I can hardly believe we won this award,” commented Kenji Ito (President, inotech Co. Ltd.) “I am very pleased to receive this prestigious MIA Best Commercial Business Award. It would not be possible if we did not meet various people including our mentor and Microsoft staff, and I thank for our staff that had a strong motivation to make this project successful to contribute the society. I would like to keep growing our company with a help from everyone participated in our development and Microsoft.”
Ito received a trophy and cash award of 1 million JPY presented by CEO Higuchi and CIO Kajisa.
“Best Commercial Business Award was elected,” noted Kajisa, “by approximately 3,000 participants in Tech Ed 2010 and 3,000 Microsoft employees. The level of MIA is getting higher year by year, and it took a while to select the winner because all the solutions were quite compelling as seen in the Best Commercial Business Award with the latest technology including the cloud. We would provide various supports for inotech Co. Ltd, and other winner companies of the Award for Outstanding Performance.
The award winning solution KOACAD supports Osteoarthritis treatment, and healthcare facilities around the world contacted the company for the details of the solution. inotech is planning to market KOACAD globally. inotech aims at developing the solution further by adding additional features and increasing reliability so that it can be used at any medical institution.
| IT ventures companies, NPOs (specified nonprofit corporations), students, senior citizens, and partners who contribute Microsoft’s various support activities joined together at this Microsoft Citizenship Activities 2010 report event. A number of participants joined in study groups and a network event in various fields. Agnes Chan made a toast at the networking event. In addition to exhibitions of Microsoft’s corporate citizenship supporters: Yamagata Prefecture, Gifu Prefecture, City of Asahikawa and Sapporo Electronics and Industries Cultivation Foundation. Sponsored by Akinaisouken, a MIA 2010 Best Commercial Business Award winner guessing contest was held and the winner received a present. At the closing ceremony, following the closing speech from Shunichi Kajisa (CIO, Microsoft Co. Ltd.), all the participants came to the stage for the photo session.  | • | Keynote Speech: Potential of People and Society Realized via Cloud – Connecting, Expanding, Changing
Yasuyuki Higuchi (President & CEO, Microsoft Co. Ltd., Japan) | | • | Presentation of Microsoft Innovation Award 2010 Best Commercial Business Award | | • | Special Session I: Cloud Demonstration
Agnes Chan, Shunichi Kajisa (CIO, Microsoft Co. Ltd., Japan) | | • | Special Session II: Bond Enhanced by IT
Agnes Chan | | • | Study Group for Students ・Student IT Technology Project Presentation Competition | | • | Study Group for Senior Citizens ・Renewed Windows Live in Detail
・Mastering the Latest Note Taking Software: OneNote | | • | Study Group for NPOs ・Rationalizing NPO Supporter Management by CRM
Yuzuru Shiraishi (President, Pageone Co., Ltd), Kazutaka Sakaguchi (Deputy Director-General, Japan NPO Center) | | • | Study Group for IT Ventures ・IT Ventures’ Success Check Points Based on “Ecosystem Operation”
Nobuya Yoshida (Vice-President, MIT Enterprise Forum Japan)
・How Local IT Ventures Should Collaborate with Microsoft
Uichiro Nozawa (Executive Director, Meister Corporation) | | • | Exhibition Programs ・Industries to Vitalize the Local Communities
・Experiencing Large Touch PC
・Experiencing Xbox 360 + Kinect
・Introduction of Microsoft Innovation Center’s Future Vision | | • | Networking Event ・Exhibition of MIA 2010 Best Commercial Business Award Solution
・Exhibition of Yamagata Prefecture, Gifu Prefecture, City of Asahikawa and Sapporo Electronics and Industries Cultivation Foundation |   |