Microsoft Researches and Strategy Chief Craig Mundie one of Microsoft’s 3 leaders visited Cairo for the first time asserting in an interview that was done by Al Alam Al Yom newspaper that the government is walking steadily with the leadership of the Egyptian Prime Minister Dr Ahmed Nazif moving towards the E-government and general impression era. He added that this governmental direction gives positive indicators to all International IT companies in expecting a bigger bounce in Egyptian information society especially in the shade of the increasing numbers of initiatives launched. The picture now is more positive and Microsoft is preparing for investment expansion in Egypt through its partnership with the government. He pointed out that Microsoft supports the software industry that represents a golden opportunity before developing countries to catch the technology train, Egypt possesses the main features of this industry in addition to the technology structure, the thing that pushed Microsoft towards choosing Egypt as the Innovation lab HQ including a group of local calibers that work in the field of development researches. It is expected that this center shall participate in offering special applications to the Arab region.

What about your concern with qualifying local human calibers?

Mundie asserted that he spoke with the Egyptian Prime Minister Dr Ahmed Nazif concerning increasing investment in the fields of E-Learning through Microsoft’s participation in the Egyptian education initiative that was launched during the WEF in Sharm Al Sheikh last May. The company trains a huge number of teachers and students through the initiative on how to use the latest communication and information technologies. The company also offers contributions in the field of E-content development for educational curriculums; it also offers computers and software to the biggest base of users through the low cost computer initiative. Microsoft also spreads communications and information technologies in universities through offering software in cheap prices for university students and professors; it also participates in the E-government project through training and technologically qualifying human calibers to cope with IT company needs. Microsoft is getting ready to offer all services and technical support to push this project towards success. Mundie pointed out to Egypt’s success in the shade of a government that believes in the role of technology in exalting benefit from the human resources existing in Egypt and the necessity of exalting benefit from these resources through finding the qualified technology channels. He added that the company seeks improving and developing computer devices’ performance as well as a new vision to secure information networks. He said that he attended the meeting that was held aside from Davos between Dr Ahmed Nazif and Bill Gates where they discussed the possibilities of supporting cooperation means between the Egyptian government and Microsoft in a lot of fields especially in enhancing Egyptian communications and IT industry competitive abilities, increasing investments in the fields of E-Learning, health, smart cards and the possibility for Microsoft to participate in a lot of other projects. Craig Mundie expressed his happiness in visiting Egypt for the first time and Microsoft’s continuous commitment towards participating in supporting initiatives and projects that aim at supporting and developing local technology industry, the industry that witnessed huge bounces allover the few past years. He added that he met the Egyptian Minister of Communications and Information Technology for the first time during his visit to Cairo and that they proceeded with discussing the issues they started in Davos. He added that they discussed what can be done inorder to proceed with the execution of programs they are working on in Egypt and suggestions concerning new operations. He said that there is a chance to agree on forming a corporate committee that shall work on pushing certain suggestions forward in some of those regions.

What is the target behind the visit?

The main target is visiting the Egyptian Innovation lab we inaugurated in Cairo. We decided focusing on working as a team in the center to support Arabic language researches and development. Although we have a lot of employees at the center who are capable of dealing with the language professionally, but the company didn’t have a location that is dedicated to profound researches concerning this issue in the past, that is why we decided proceeding with this center that shall work on such researches and at the same time shall push the wheel in important governmental directions such as health, education and converting software language into Arabic…etc.

Does the Egyptian Innovation lab differ from other Microsoft centers in its operations?

Infact, applications production needs a long time in the field of research and programming that ends up in the shape of products that are released to the markets. We need to work continuously keeping in mind the time needed to accomplish the needed tasks. My job in Microsoft is to focus on operations that shall be executed within the 3 – 15 coming years. One of the huge challenges we are facing is covering the time gap that separates between thinking of a product and converting the idea into true reality. We have a lot of activities that are related to pure researching or the developing of new technologies. We also have a huge number of employees who are developing products that are used by people at home or even inside their cars. Mundie made clear that what the company is always keen on is assuring the continuity of researches and ideas in a permanent way to develop products and applications at the end, the matter that requires the presence of a group of innovators who think different of applications and programs. That is why Innovation labs were established to fill in this time gap we’re talking about where those centers’ employees are working on the near future operations instead of focusing on the daily work activities.

Why was Egypt chosen to host such center? How relative is the connection between the local market and offering applicable researches?

Yes for sure that is what we call applicable researches and we choose Egypt because location shall affect several levels. First of all, we have a long history with the Egyptian government, the thing that makes us relieved. Second, the region in general is witnessing a fast growth characterized with its huge stability. Within this frame, Microsoft needs the presence of bigger capabilities to deal with the Arabic language inside products and that is why one of the center’s main targets is not only to offer innovative ideas but to present those ideas in a way where Arabic language speakers’ society can benefit from. He added that the situation allows the company to deploy all Microsoft’s experiences and skills for the local society to benefit from, he added that the company also believe that Egypt is characterized with a lot of talents, therefore Microsoft’s vision says that the place possesses a helpful environment concerning this direction with the presence of cooperating countries, ascending economy and Arabic language skills, the points that made us certain that Egypt was the ideal location for Microsoft to establish its Innovation lab.

You have lately focused on developing Vista and Office systems, so what is your futuristic vision?

These products represent a huge development and our thoughts are directed towards proceeding with supporting these products’ assembly lines that win huge approval allover the world. New Windows system became a lot easier to deal with in addition to the developed abilities in dealing with laptops. What we are currently working on is focusing on very small laptop devices that have started to appear lately in addition to increasing delivery abilities to deal with traditional devices, the thing that we believe will act as a giant step towards facilitating the way people deal with complicated networks through multiple applications that resemble in its operation the easy use of TVs. He added that a huge part of concern shall be directed towards cooperation and communication capabilities the thing that appeared through the development o f Office system. He said that operating using Windows shall move towards important and different directions one during the 5 – 10 coming years along with the huge chances witnessed in the field of processors development, the thing that shall require a change in the system’s operating environment or even to create new programming tools that guarantee the appearance of new levels of applications.

Microsoft Researches and Strategy Chief Craig Mundie:
Craig Mundie joined Microsoft in year 1992 and carried the responsibility of developing applications and programs that operate on devices other than personal computers. He was the one behind the appearance of Windows CE, Xbox platform and the safe computing initiative currently holding Researches and Strategy Chief position in the company.

He was promoted in May 2006 to work as Microsoft’s Researches and Strategy Chief working close to Bill Gates to handle the company’s researching responsibility preparing for the departure of Bill Gates by July 2008.

Mundie was formerly the company’s Policies and Advanced Strategies Technical Chief through which he worked with Bill Gates on developing ideas in the field of technology, business and policies on the global level. He worked with the government and business leaders as well in Washington and the majority of world counties working on policy and technologies related to security, privacy, communication regulations, intellectual property and software merchandise standards.

Mundie joined Microsoft in year 1992 to establish Consumer Platforms Department, the department that is in charge for developing services and platforms not depending on computers. This department presented Windows CE and a lot of software to cell phones, PDAs and pocket PCs.