Microsoft’s cloud computing services growing sky high in China
Use of the company’s Azure platform, with customers including Coca-Cola China, General Motors and Haier Group, grew 115.6pc in the quarter to September, to corner a 17.3pc market share
More than two years since introducing its cloud computing business in mainland China, software giant Microsoft aims to kick its development up a notch, through more strategic partnerships in the world’s third-largest enterprise information technology market.
Leading the way is Microsoft veteran Alain Crozier, who was appointed in July as the 41-year-old technology company’s new chairman and chief executive for Greater China operations.
“Partnerships are front and centre of our strategy to accelerate the growth of our cloud business in this market,” Crozier told the South China Morning Post.
The Microsoft of today is very different from the one [we had] five or 10 years ago
“The Microsoft of today is very different from the one [we had] five or 10 years ago.”
The steady decline in global personal computer sales in recent years has prompted Microsoft, which built its fortune on the Windows operating system, to sharpen its focus on the rapidly developing cloud services industry, and challenge the likes of Amazon Web Services, Google and computer pioneer IBM.
It was a pivot reminiscent of how Bill Gates spearheaded Microsoft’s quick shift to the internet era, which led to the wildly successful launch of its Windows 95 and Internet Explorer products 21 years ago.
The results of the company’s shift to that the cloud has so far been encouraging, especially on the mainland.
A survey conducted by Forrester Research earlier this month showed that Microsoft has already become the country’s second-biggest cloud services provider, with its Office 365 and Azure platforms.