Microsoft Opens Its First Office in Gujarat

Microsoft opens its first office in Gujarat Office to be based in Ahmadabad Move to enable better support to Channel Partners and Customers Ahmedabad, February 14th, 2007: Microsoft Corporation India Pvt. Ltd., today announced the opening of its office in Ahmadabad as a part of its efforts to strengthen its India-wide presence. The Ahmadabad office will aim at strengthening direct sales infrastructure, broadening partner eco system and starting market education initiatives and programs. With an enhanced presence Microsoft will enable the small and mid market organizations in the state to easily access a comprehensive portfolio of its products and services, faster deployment solutions customized to their needs, and increased support from both Microsoft and its partners.

Announcing the opening of the new office, Neelam Dhawan MD, Microsoft India said, “Ahmadabad stands as the hub of textile and pharmaceutical industry in India and has emerged as an important base of commerce, trade and industry in West India, due to rapid industrialization. Our expansion is in keeping with Microsoft’s vision to empower a broad section of small and mid market organizations here to better understand , the role which technology can play in driving growth and competitiveness of the local industry in the global and local arena.”

The direct team in Ahmedabad will be supported by respective regional branchs for deeper functional expertise as per Microsoft’s Hub and Spoke model. Microsoft also plans to forge relationships with Industry Associations in Gujarat to understand and address local business challenges. Microsoft aims at catalyzing its ISV partners to provide localized solutions for the market. Elaborating on the geo expansion plans Rajeev Mittal, Group Director, Small and Mid Market Solutions and Partner said, “Our partners have been providing solutions and services to the customers in Gujarat already. We believe that our direct presence will help these partners provide better solutions, services and support with faster turnaround time. Our local presence will also instill confidence in our existing and potential customers.”

The channel engagement will be under the Microsoft Partner Programme (MSPP) framework. Microsoft hopes to strengthen as well as invigorate its partner ecosystem in the respective areas so as to help them accelerate the pace of their delivery and thereby their success in meeting the needs of business customers in the area.

1 The information technology industry itself has developed significantly in Ahmadabad. Given the rapid strides which the city is making on the economic front, a NASSCOM survey in 2002 dubbed it as a "Super Nine Indian Destinations" for IT-enabled services had ranked Ahmedabad fifth among the nine, top most, competitive cities in the country. The textile and garments industry is also rapidly shifting from conventional technology to more modernized and automated processes. The city also serves as the corporate headquarters of large number of detergent and chemical industrial units.

Welcoming the announcement, Anil K. Jain Vice President, Corporate Business Unit, Wipro Technologies, said, “Microsoft’s geographical expansion initiative to reach out to local businesses is a step in the right direction to deliver value both to customers as well as the partners in these markets. Microsoft’s direct presence in non metro markets will further strengthen the partner ecosystem as well as inspire greater understanding and trust in its offerings within local business community. We are committed to work together to drive IT as a tool for business advantage among SMEs, along with Microsoft”.

Besides Ahmadabad, Microsoft plans to open offices in four additional cities in India. This would take its direct presence to thirteen cities, up from the existing seven cities, providing coverage of 33 markets under its hub & spoke model. The cities where offices are in the process of being opened are Indore, Nagpur, Chandigarh Cochin, and Coimbatore. About Microsoft Founded in 1975, Microsoft (NASDAQ "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in software for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software-any time, any place and on any device. Microsoft Corporation India Private Ltd is a subsidiary of Microsoft Corporation USA. It has had a presence in India since 1990 and currently has offices in Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, New Delhi, and Pune.

For further press information, please contact: Priyanka Goel /Seema Siddiqui Nitin Thakur Text 100 Pvt Ltd Microsoft Corporation India Pvt 4th Floor, MCT House DLF Cyber Greens Sarai Julaina Institutional Area 9th Floor, Tower A, DLF Cyber Citi Opp. Holy Family Hospital Sector 25A Okhla Gurgaon 122002 New Delhi 110 02 Tel.: 91-124-5158000; 9873347428 Mobile: +09899114204 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] [email protected] 2