Microsoft and telecoms giant HKT usher in advanced mobile 'cloud' services for SMEs in Hong Kong

US technology giant Microsoft has teamed up with HKT, Hong Kong's biggest telecommunications network operator, to accelerate adoption of the "cloud computing" version of its popular Office software among the city's more than 300,000 small- and medium-sized enterprises.

With high-speed fibre-optic broadband coverage extending to more than 80 per cent of commercial buildings in the city, HKT was named by Microsoft on Thursday as its first Hong Kong cloud solutions provider (CSP) partner, offering extensive technical support and other services to their target customers. 

Horace Chow Chok-kee, the general manager at Microsoft Hong Kong, told the South China Morning Post that the company's CSP programme would deliver "more integrated, end-to-end services" to SMEs, especially those taking initial steps into a cloud-computing environment where the business software resides online.

"We're seeing strong demand for secure, mobile and full-featured cloud-based solutions from SMEs," Chow said.

Cloud computing enables companies and consumers to buy, lease, sell or distribute online a range of software and other digital resources as an on-demand service, just like electricity from a power grid.