MICROSOFT - Dictating the Technology agenda for the 21st Century organizations..
The
technology story of the world would never be complete without the mention of
Microsoft. Bill Gates and Paul Allen started Microsoft in 1975. Microsoft is
the largest software company in the world with an annual turnover of over US$ 68
biliions.
Microsoft
started with the audacious vision of the founders to have a ‘computer at every
desk and every home’
Microsoft
windows is now more or less an integral part of people’s computer related work.
Bill Gates and
Paul Allen studied together in high school. In Lakeside Prep School, they had
their first interaction with computers. Both of them were hooked. They loved
programming and spent hours working in front of the computer.
The turning point for them came when Allen brought a magazine where they came across an article about Altair 8000, a mini computer. The duo approached the manufacturer to launch a programming language for Altair, even though they did not have any exposure of Altair. The manufacturer was busy and gave them 8 weeks for the demonstration. In these 8 weeks, Gates and Allen developed the interpreter. The interpreter worked at the demonstration and MITS agreed to distribute Altair BASIC. This was the start of many achievements that shaped Microsoft and the computing industry.
Here is a list of things that make Microsoft the most successful software company on the planet.
The turning point for them came when Allen brought a magazine where they came across an article about Altair 8000, a mini computer. The duo approached the manufacturer to launch a programming language for Altair, even though they did not have any exposure of Altair. The manufacturer was busy and gave them 8 weeks for the demonstration. In these 8 weeks, Gates and Allen developed the interpreter. The interpreter worked at the demonstration and MITS agreed to distribute Altair BASIC. This was the start of many achievements that shaped Microsoft and the computing industry.
Here is a list of things that make Microsoft the most successful software company on the planet.
Vision
The teams are guided
by a vision statements for general guidance. They have the freedom to implement
things their ways keeping in mind the objectives of the company. The focus is
on the essentials but with a vision towards the future.
Smart
people
Bill Gates has always advocated working with the best professionals to build the best products. The most important factor for building products is the quality of people involved. Microsoft has been built around the best people.
Bill Gates has always advocated working with the best professionals to build the best products. The most important factor for building products is the quality of people involved. Microsoft has been built around the best people.
Bet Your
Life
Since its
inception, the DNA of the company has been to put everything into the projects.
The projects are reported on a regular basis to the higher management to avoid
any last moment surprises. The focus is on the results and addressing the
issues at the earliest through proper communication.
Early
Mover Advantage
Microsoft has shown the ability to be the first, or early, to enter a market, find and build mass markets, don't wait for perfect products but build incrementally better products in the direction of the market.
Microsoft has shown the ability to be the first, or early, to enter a market, find and build mass markets, don't wait for perfect products but build incrementally better products in the direction of the market.
Solution rather than problem
Excuses don’t work,
solutions do. The teams at Microsoft are often small and focused on achieving
their results. They are primarily focused on delivering quality products and do
everything possible to fix the problem.
Focus
At Microsoft, the employees
are focused on one task or project. This helps them to keep away from the
distractions and help them stay focused with increased productivity.
Market Dominance
The windows operating
system accounts for nearly 90% of the PC market. Microsoft completely dominates
markets in which it competes. Go for 100% of every market you are in. Market
share is the key to success.
Results rather than
Rules
The focus is on the
results and not on rules. Microsoft believes that employees’ time should not be
wasted on irrelevant rules and processes. Empower the employee and they will
make reasonable choices and make them accountable for the results.
Ruthless Competitor
Microsoft almost missed the opportunity provided by Internet
browser. However, once Microsoft had realised Internet’s potential, the company
not only rapidly caught up but overtook all its competitors. In 1995 Netscape
Navigator was the leading the market share with approximately 90% market share,
but Microsoft soon took over using its
monopoly in the operating system market. They started bundling internet
explorer with the operating system and regained the lost ground. Users no
longer needed to install netscape navigator and internet explorer dominated the
market.
An eye on the future
The leaders at Microsoft keep an eye on the
changing market dynamics. They do whatever is necessary to shape future
opportunities in the market, and capitalize on them for Microsoft. Microsoft has now trained its eyes on the
exploding market of Cloud services with the launch of Microsoft Azure. With an aggressive
strategy, it is rapidly penetrating the small and medium enterprise segment and
is empowering lakhs of businesses to leverage the power of the cloud. This
enables them to reduce their infrastructure requirements to take their products
and services to market and hence reduces the cost of running their businesses.
With more productivity of their scarce resources and investments, small
businesses have a much higher chance of success, thanks to Microsoft.
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