Executive Interview vol.3

Adoption of Latest Microsoft Technologies Enables Human Resource Development Activities

Japanese >>

Akihiro Oba (General Manager, Developer & Platform Evangelism, Microsoft Co., Ltd., Japan)

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	Microsoft has long been engaged in many kinds of Corporate Citizenship Programs. What activities are taking place as its IT industry support activities, including Microsoft Innovation Center programs?
	What do you think about the current situation and challenges of the Japanese IT industry?
	What kind of support does the Japanese IT Industry need?
	How do you think Microsoft’s latest technologies will change the IT industry?
	Have these support activities produced results?
	Who can benefit from Microsoft’s support activities?
	How would you like Japan's IT industry to change through Microsoft’s support activities?

Microsoft has long been engaged in many kinds of Corporate Citizenship Programs. What activities are taking place as its IT industry support activities, including Microsoft Innovation Center programs?

Our IT industry support activities for revitalization of local areas are very important engagements.

Microsoft’s corporate mission statement is “Realizing Potential: Helping people and businesses to realize their full potential.” In order to achieve this mission by the power of software, Microsoft not only provides platforms and technologies, but is also engaged in a variety of activities as part of its Corporate Citizenship initiative.

Contributing to local society is one of these activities.

In Japan today, there is a major concern that regional gaps in industrial economy exist, while business is concentrated in the metropolitan area. For this reason, Microsoft provides information about IT utilization and promotes the IT industry itself, both of which are crucial links to the revitalization of local areas.

As our first step, Microsoft is committed to working to eliminate the information gap. Some people in local regions are concerned that access to information is rather limited. For these people, Microsoft is working to communicate information as quickly as possible through various educational activities on the latest technologies, so that they can consider adopting the latest technology at the earliest possible stage.

For example, we offer a series of Microsoft Innovation Center seminars and other programs in which people can download and evaluate out technologies. We have been promoting the earliest possible use of the latest technology by having people use these programs.

What do you think about the current situation and challenges of the Japanese IT industry?

Regardless of location or scale, our engagement is to give a boost to those who are eager to take big opportunities.

In addition to the industrial gap between regions I mentioned, another concern I have is that the industry needs to try more to bring changes.

For example, looking at the entire IT industry in Japan, I feel that there is still a culture left over from the mainframe era. In particular, large corporate customers still tend to rely on their system integrator partners. In the western world, on the other hand, the in-house IT departments evaluate new technologies and adopt them. There are just a few cases like this in Japan.

Meanwhile, many small- and mid-sized companies make technological innovations, no less valuable than those of large companies, to expand their business. However, this requires tremendous effort. In various regions, the government and local municipalities offer various support programs, but the reality is that only few local regions have made any strides forward.

To aid in solving challenges like these, Microsoft is carrying out many kinds of support activities at the Microsoft Innovation Center. Regardless of location or scale, our engagement is to give a boost to those who are eager to take big opportunities.

What kind of support does the Japanese IT Industry need?

In carrying out our Corporate Citizenship initiatives, Microsoft believes that providing environments in which “new business opportunities are open to all” is important, and we have taken various steps to ensure this.

In offering platforms and carrying out our Corporate Citizenship initiatives, Microsoft believes that providing environments in which “new business opportunities are open to all” is important, and we have taken various steps to ensure this.

For example, at Microsoft we have expanded our business into the world of cloud computing. The unique feature of a cloud computing environment is that anyone can participate in business regardless of their location or system. For Japanese companies, with their superior skill for high quality, it would be a big opportunity to break out into many kinds of new businesses.

Not only in cloud environments, but in current IT environments where many kinds of devices are used, it is necessary to focus on software development for devices other than PCs. However, it would take a lot of time to stand at the business start line if a company needs to learn the new development environment from square one. Making the best use of our skills in PC software development, Microsoft provides development environments for devices other than PCs, including cellular phones, other types of devices, and clouds.

It is one of our IT industry support activity themes to provide opportunities to participate in new business regardless of business location or size.

How do you think Microsoft’s latest technologies will change the IT industry?

I expect UX technology will help software emerge that is easy-to-use for everyone, and help new business opportunities arise for a number of IT companies.

First, we expect that the world of Software plus Service (S+S) will take hold. In the history of enterprise IT environments, the client/server-style systems were introduced, and then widespread use of the Internet drastically changed business. Now, the next big wave everyone anticipated was SaaS (Software as a Service). But because only service was taking the lead, this market still has yet to grow.

Microsoft’s cloud computing environment provides a platform, consisting of Windows and Office, which our customers use most, and other server products. This platform is also suitable to use with on-premise (company-implemented) servers, and it is an easy-to-use environment when providing software not only for PCs, but also cellular phones and other devices. I believe that it will contribute greatly towards increasing efficiency in business IT system operations.

Also, we often hear that the IT literacy gap is widening between those in the IT industry and those who are not. This can point out the difference of software usability between those who use PCs for their work, and those who use other devices including cellular phones and digital cameras. As software becomes more highly functional, the command array gets more complicated. People who are not used to using PCs may find such software “difficult” to use.

To improve this situation, Microsoft is advocating UX (user experience). An excellent UX is an interface in which the software functionality can be fully utilized regardless of IT literacy or the device used. Microsoft provides the latest technologies and development tools for developers to create better UX. In turn, the developers provide us great feedback. I expect UX technology will improve the operability among devices, help software emerge that is easy-to-use for everyone, and help new business opportunities arise for a number of IT companies.

Have these support activities produced results?

Local regions that make effective use of the partnership with Microsoft are increasing, and we believe this leads to the revitalization of local IT companies through the spread of technologies.

We are beginning, bit by bit, to see solid results.

For example, Microsoft Innovation Award (MIA), which is presented every year to exceptional IT companies, is a solid result of our IT industry support activities. MIA introduces solutions utilizing the latest technologies, and there is a lineup of surprising cases of technology adoption every year, which I think is a wonderful outcome of our efforts.

Another example that has posted results in our human resource development activities for students is the Imagine Cup, an IT contest entered by students from all over the world. The selected Japanese students participated in the World Finals and won third place in the algorithm division last year, and in the photography division this year. Microsoft technologies are being adopted not only by companies, but among students as well, and we are very pleased that challengers like these are performing on the world stage.

Also, Microsoft Innovation Center has local alliance organizations in Gifu, Sapporo, and Asahikawa, and is engaged in a number of human resource development activities. For example, at Asahikawa Innovation Center, which is focusing efforts on UX technology at Asahiyama Virtual Zoo, over 1000 participants have attended its seminars in only six months since the establishment of the center. Microsoft provides support through supplying resources such as technologies, information, and tools, but dispatching lecturers is extremely rare. Most of the lecturers are all from local companies or alliance organizations, who acquired the latest technologies through Microsoft’s programs.

In this way, local regions that make effective use of the partnership with Microsoft are increasing, and we believe this leads to the revitalization of local IT companies through the spread of technologies.

Who can benefit from Microsoft’s support activities?

By providing many opportunities to use technical information and development tools, we hope to deepen people’s understanding of the latest technologies.

Microsoft provides an array of programs for use by a number of people who have an interest in utilizing the latest technologies.

To promote technologies, technical information is extremely important. Microsoft strategically invests in such technical information, striving to be the first to provide high-quality information in Japanese. This information is available to anyone.

At the same time, Microsoft has implemented the DreamSpark program, through which students may download development software and resources to use for self-study. Also, for those IT venture businesses that have been in existence for less than 3 years, or individual business owners seeking to start companies, our BizSpark program provides a way to use Microsoft platforms and development tools.

By providing many opportunities to use technical information and development tools, we hope to deepen people’s understanding of the latest technologies.

How would you like Japan's IT industry to change through Microsoft’s support activities?

It is precisely such an attention to detail in making products that Microsoft believes will be the catalyst to creating a completely new software.

We believe that there are many more opportunities for all those involved in business, software development, and who utilize IT to challenge on the world stage.

As I said, in the world of cloud computing, it is now possible to create a new business that transcends many barriers like location and size. Also, through widespread use of clouds and UX technology, it will be possible for those utilizing clouds to access the latest information with easy-to-use software, and from any device.

I hope those in Japan’s IT industry make use of these new technologies from Microsoft, and expand their business onto the world stage.

Also, in Japan there are unique characteristics of product manufacturing with detailed concern for the end-user’s perspective, or with regard to the end-user’s viewpoint. We are sure this sensitivity can be exploited in the UX technology sector. Using the latest UX technology to make use of Japan’s unique manufacturing sensitivity in software development will cause big changes in the IT world. It is precisely such an attention to detail in making products that Microsoft believes will be the catalyst to creating completely new software.