Executive Interview vol.1
What Microsoft Innovation Center Aims At And What It Will Do
Executive Interview Shunichi Kajisa |
Shunichi Kajisa
CTO, Microsoft Co. Ltd, Japan
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How did you come to be in charge of innovation?
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Microsoft has 20 years of experience in development in Japan, and has about 380 developers. Our developers in Japan are working on development activities targeting the Japanese market, including localization that allows works of Microsoft Corporation in the US to function in a Japanese environment.
We have actively incorporated various unique functions, for example, to support devices specific to the Japanese market on our operating system products. In our server products, too, we are working to customize the products and are providing unique solutions
Through these activities, we began to think about whether we could create a new approach. Not only through customization, but also by integrating our partners’ technologies with Microsoft technologies, we should be able to generate brand new innovations – Microsoft Innovation Center was born to realize such a concept.
As Darren Huston, President and CEO of Microsoft Co. Ltd. Japan, announced, a new management strategy called Plan-J, Microsoft Innovation Center, has come to life, and I, having been participating in development for 17 years, came to be in charge as CTO.
How will Microsoft Innovation Center change organizations with advanced technologies and innovative ideas and their workers’ environments?
When working in a single organization, your techniques are often limited and you may wish you could use other technologies (than what you are using) or advanced facilities (that other companies have). In order to bring a breakthrough into such a situation, I believe it is necessary to integrate totally different technologies and organizations together.
Through its 20-year history in development in Japan, Microsoft has technologies, knowledge, and advanced facilities that 380 developers have established in their daily activities. By establishing Microsoft Innovation Center, our partners will be able to utilize these resources.
For an organization launching a new project, Microsoft Innovation Center can help it conduct verification tasks that were not possible by itself and the organization can get support from Microsoft engineers. Microsoft Innovation Center aims at linking our partners’ unique technologies and innovative ideas to new businesses and social contributions.
How do you plan to operate it?
At Microsoft Innovation Center, we have a small but extremely talented staff working at Microsoft Chofu Technology Center. In addition, we promise Microsoft will offer full support for development, marketing, and business operation in the actual collaborations.
Until now, the sales division has taken a pivotal role in offering incubation and other opportunities. By organizing Microsoft Innovation Center, our technicians will be able to offer strong support for these activities.
Also, with Microsoft Innovation Center at Microsoft Chofu Technology Center as a hub, we are now planning to establish Microsoft Innovation Center certified organizations across the country. By building up this network, our partner companies all over Japan should appreciate the merit of Microsoft Innovation Center.
What programs will be available at Microsoft Innovation Center?
In the beginning, Microsoft Innovation Center will offer four programs.
The Technology Innovation Program is designed for partners in the field of advanced technologies and will offer Microsoft’s technologies, verification facilities, as well as channels to other business partners. As it is a huge project covering areas from data mining, to HPC (High Performance Computing) to robotics, we plan to establish partnerships with just a few organizations.
Partners developing applications based on Microsoft products are encouraged to join the Application Platform Program. In this program, latest technology information, training, migration tools, programming techniques, and verification are all packaged in one. At the beginning, we expect about 100 partners to participate in this program.
There are also organizations with innovative ideas and advanced technologies, but without the facilities to verify them. Platform Support Program is designed for such partners that lack necessary facilities. Microsoft Chofu Technology Center, one of the largest facilities in Japan, accommodating very advanced hardware requirements, has been used in our development and verification processes. By joining this program, our partners can utilize Microsoft's facilities such as this to verify their projects.
In addition, Microsoft Innovation Center will offer training designed for human resources development, covering areas from technologies, to business operation, to marketing. This Human Resources Development Program is not just a training program, but aims at training instructors as well. We plan to take internships, so participants can participate in our projects with us and improve their technologies in an actual production environment.
These programs I explained today are just initial programs at the launch of Microsoft Innovation Center. We will add other programs based on feedback and requests so that it will be an organization that reflects its partners’ viewpoints.