Technology at Microsoft
Here's where you'll find out what we've been up to, and what we could be up to in future. Read about some of our new products, why we believe we've been able to develop them and why the demand for them is immense.
Today
Possibly the most astonishing thing about Microsoft® technology is the people who produce it, and the way they work.
Perhaps you’re used to operating in a silo – in a culture that believes if it’s not strictly your job, it’s not even slightly your problem.
It’s never worked like that here. The co-operation between teams, and between Europe and the US is phenomenal. Database people speak to Internet people, and Internet people speak to Desktop people. Everything we make and support is a product of cross-team and cross-discipline contributions. We believe it’s the best technical environment in the world.
The result almost speaks for itself.
All our products work together end-to-end too. That’s because there’s a commitment from director level down to make the experience better for the customers. And it’s not only the end user that enjoys a greater level of usability: our new products have never been easier for technical people to manage.
Releases like Windows Vista™ and 2007 Microsoft® Office system are the most significant for years. They didn’t come about by accident. Our internal training tools and development tools are just as sophisticated yet just as useable as the technology enjoyed by our customers.
We have major mentoring programmes in place. You can talk to the MD. You can talk to the developer who invented the auto update. If you need to, you can even talk to the person who wrote sections of code for the 2007 Microsoft® Office system.
If you have an idea that could change something, just go and make some great decisions. It could result in some more really great products.
And all the while you’ll be immersing yourself in some of the most amazing technology there is, following fantastic strategic directions, and providing customers with some of the most successful software on earth.
Tomorrow
What we come up with in future depends on people like you.
Every home will have broadband, which will create huge opportunities. You’ll be able to control your house from your office or the train. Mobile technology is advancing so much that you could travel around Paris in a bus, search your contact list and discover that one of your friends is in a café a few streets away.
We’ll also eventually have our own personalised TV channels, so you can put a film of your wedding or the kids’ sports day onto your channel and give friends and family access to it. Buy your next car, and the manufacturer might ask you to place an ad for it on your own channel.
Possibly the biggest difference will be Web 2.0 technology. The internet was largely static ten years ago, whereas now it’s truly interactive. Web 2.0 will drive the whole thing, ecommerce and business alike, and result in better quality products and services, whatever those products and services are.
Some of those are blue-sky projects, while others are nearly here. What’s certain is that we invest heavily in research alongside partners including NASA to put the most innovative products on the market.
We’re releasing several at the moment, and the rest are only a matter of time – ours and yours.
