Microsoft India Citizenship Report 2017

various programs and citizenship efforts, we aim and disassociation from modern technologies. to empower people through concerted efforts in Through the DigiKala project, in partnership with skill building and education, better governance the Digital Empowerment Foundation, we are through robust technology infrastructure, and aiming for the inclusive and decentralized use creating a digital economy. This is implemented of ICT and digital tools to scale up and create through our network of partners including sustainable livelihood options for traditional academia, governments and non-profits. In artisans. addition to strategic interventions, our citizenship In this report, you will read more about these activities include employee volunteerism, funding projects as well as our efforts to empower for education and other community projects, and entrepreneurs, students, and educators, innovating software grants to organizations focused on the We are living in a time when technology for societal welfare, developing communities education and employability of youth. permeates every sphere of our lives and is through our philanthropic programs, our dynamic transforming it at breathtaking speed. The For India’s economy to develop and remain work culture that fosters collaboration and world is witnessing the Fourth Industrial competitive, it is essential to build a strong inclusion, and what we are doing to achieve a Revolution where the fusion of the digital world workforce of skilled professionals. Our skill more sustainable, socially responsible world. with the physical one is transforming nearly every development efforts work towards providing We remain steadfast in our commitment to aspect of the way the world works and lives. And the underprivileged with the right kind of skills fostering India’s inclusive growth and support the cloud computing is at the heart of this massive to explore sustainable livelihood options in a Government’s vision of bridging the digital divide Microsoft India transformation. So how do we ensure that the technology driven world. One of the stories through technology. We aim to make technology benefits are universally accessible? that inspires me is of Ashweetha Shetty, CEO inclusive, ubiquitous, and accessible to all. Our business and Founder of Bodhi Tree Skills. Ashweetha, a As India migrates to the cloud, it opens new beneficiary of the YouthSpark program is a first- Anant Maheshwari Citizenship at Microsoft India possibilities in e-governance, financial inclusion, generation computer learner. After being trained President, Microsoft India healthcare, agriculture, and education to on entrepreneurial skills, she set up her social- Stakeholder engagement positively impact the lives of a billion people. To business initiative, Bodhi Tree Skills, that trains, Topics for the report realize the full potential of cloud computing, to mentors and supports rural college graduates create economic opportunity, and address the to empower them to explore and choose the Community development country’s most difficult challenges—its power best career option, giving them access to new must be available to nonprofit organizations and opportunities. researchers, and to individuals who lack access to affordable technology. India is also home to more traditional, skill-based handloom artisans who are unable to sustain At Microsoft, we believe in the power of their livelihoods owing to the unorganized technology improving people’s lives. Through our nature of business, inadequate infrastructure,

At Microsoft, we are on a mission to empower support to 4,200 start-ups, skilled 30,000 youth, every person and every organization on the planet trained 24,500+ teachers and worked with all the Microsoft India to achieve more. It is our endeavor to build best- state governments in the year 2016-17. at a glance in-class platforms and productivity services for a intelligent cloud, intelligent edge world. We seek At Microsoft, we realize our mission and strategy to reinvent productivity and business processes, by investing in three interconnected ambitions: build intelligent cloud platforms, and create more 4,200 Start-ups The Applications The Cloud and The Windows personal computing solutions. and Services Enterprise and Devices 30,000 Youth Engineering Group Engineering Group Engineering Group

24,500+ Teachers Build intelligent cloud Focuses on broad Focuses on Focuses on our 8,000+ Employees platforms applications and development Windows platform services core of our cloud across devices of technologies infrastructure, server, all types, hardware 3 Data Centers in productivity, database, Customer development of our communication, Relationship devices—including Create more education, Management Xbox consoles, 9,000+ Partners personal search, and other (CRM), Enterprise Surface devices, Lumia Microsoft began its journey in India in 1990. We are comupting information Resource Planning phones, non-Lumia an active partner in India’s growth as the country categories. (ERP), management, phones, Surface takes its place amongst leaders in the global development tools, Hub, Microsoft knowledge economy. We believe that innovation and other business Band, and other in technology forms the crux for sustainable Reinvent process applications hardware products economic growth and social development, and productivity and services for and accessories—and we seek to enable inclusive development with our and business enterprises. associated online software and technology platforms. processes marketplaces.

Microsoft India is committed to using technology to assist people and communities realize their fullest potential, enable businesses to grow, We offer hyper-scale, public cloud partners, developers and start-ups, and help citizen-facing organizations be more services from our local datacenters in addition to helping the digital in India. This has enabled us to open transformation of commercial and efficient. We partner with the commercial We strive to build the best platforms and enterprises, government and non-profit new business opportunities for our government organizations. In India, productivity services for the mobile-first, cloud- entire ecosystem of system integrators, our business is organized around five organizations to build an inclusive society by first world. At Microsoft, we develop most of independent software vendors and major units. enhancing education and skill development, and our products and services internally through enabling technology access. We have extended three engineering groups.

04 05 Citizenship at Stakeholder Microsoft India engagement

Citizenship at Microsoft India is aimed at At Microsoft India, we engage with both internal In order to have an enhanced framework for Microsoft India Microsoft research Microsoft services Microsoft global Microsoft India empowering people through technology and and external stakeholders regularly through reporting on our citizenship efforts, we have engineering groups India (MSR India) global delivery sales, marketing global technical resources. Our effort is concentrated in skill building various channels such as meetings, newsletters, adopted national and international standards (MSGD) & service support center and education, providing better governance and onsite activities. We also engage with peers such as the Global Reporting Initiative’s (IGTSC) through robust technology infrastructure, and in and CSR professionals through CSR-specific (GRI) Sustainability Reporting Guidelines, the creating a digital economy. This is implemented forums such as WEF, NASSCOM, FICCI, CII, and National Voluntary Guidelines, and the Business through our network of partners including others. We manage stakeholder relationships Responsibility Reports Guidelines, for the academia, governments and non-profits. In and ongoing dialogues to inform and guide our preparation of this report. addition to strategic interventions, our citizenship strategies. Our key stakeholders, in the context of activities include employee volunteerism, funding citizenship, are as follows: Our engineering MSR is a research lab MSGD in India The global sales, IGTSC provides for education and other community projects, and Topics for the report groups constitute focused on advancing is the customer marketing and technical resolution software grants to organizations focused on the one of Microsoft’s core research and its delivery arm of services organization services to Microsoft’s education and employability of youth. Our citizenship report aligns with Microsoft’s largest concentration applications in the Microsoft that tests is the customer-facing English-speaking External stakeholders global CSR approach, the company’s of engineering technology industry. Microsoft’s emerging organization in the enterprise customers Our dedicated citizenship team in India comprises National Empowerment Plan, and the Indian talent outside Our researchers in technologies and country. It focuses and partners across of personnel who drive community affairs, Local Governments government’s vision of creating a better, our headquarters. our lab in India, adds them to on the enterprise, geographies. It assists employee volunteerism, and communications. digitally inclusive society. It is also a product of These groups are contribute to the Microsoft’s tool kit. small and medium- organizations that use Customers Strategic direction is provided by the India active engagement with internal stakeholders, engaged in software global scientific They also help deploy sized organizations, Microsoft technologies Leadership Team that comprises the President, as described in this section. development work community regularly these technologies government to optimize their the heads of business units in India, the heads Academia as well as core and have been in customer organizations, and IT investments and of Finance, HR and the Corporate, External, & Non-Profit Organizations engineering services recognized by world- organizations. consumer segments keep their businesses Legal Affairs (CELA) team. The global Microsoft for Microsoft leading institutions. through a strong productive. Philanthropies team, which is based at our Industry Coalitions internal use. channel network of over headquarters in Redmond, USA, works closely with 9,000 members and its us to ensure alignment of our end objectives. own team of people located in 10 cities. For more information, please click here. Internal stakeholders At present, Microsoft India has offices in 11 cities across the country. The campus in Hyderabad houses the engineering and global services teams. Sales and marketing is headquartered in Gurgaon while our research and technical support centers are based in Bangalore. Board of Directors For more information, please click here . Employees Microsoft Corporation

06 07 • Empowering students and educators: This is To meet our responsibilities as a global corporate citizen, we reinforce the key to a better India. We provide technology and Microsoft global the power of technology to ensure corporate responsibility, safeguard tools to enrich the learning experience. citizenship approach human rights, and protect our planet. • Innovation for societal welfare: We are committed to improving the delivery of public services through innovative tools. National We have a National Empowerment Plan that aligns to the core agenda Empowerment Plan of inclusive growth in India. • Philanthropies: We are committed to the development of the communities we work with by applying our talent, financial resources, and All the legal entities of Microsoft India are committed to carrying out technology expertise. Government of India’s citizenship activities that align well with the Government’s vision of vision • Our people: Our world-class work environment inclusive growth for the country. and dynamic work culture drives collaboration and inclusion among employees, leading to exceptional We actively reached out to the CSR and philanthropies leads of all our personal and professional growth. Stakeholder business units in India and engaged with our key stakeholders for this • Working responsibly: By collaborating with engagement reporting exercise. The comprehensive assessment of the responses other organizations, we can make a great difference that we received helped define the topics for this report. to achieving a more sustainable, socially responsible world.

work with a network of partners, including Our last Microsoft India Citizenship Report was governments and non-profits, to use our skills released in the year 2016, and it captures our and technology to help people. citizenship activities undertaken by us in the financial year 2015–16. Empowering entrepreneurs Using technology to empower India and BizSpark partnering in the inclusive growth of the nation are key drivers of all our citizenship initiatives in Microsoft Accelerator India. These themes are an underlying feature of all topics identified for the Microsoft India Cloud Accelerator Program Citizenship Report 2016-17. It is important to recognize that these topics and their relative importance are dynamic and likely to change Community with time, forming key inputs to our evolving development citizenship strategy. The topics identified for this year are as follows: Microsoft is committed to serving • Empowering entrepreneurs: We are committed communities worldwide by empowering to promoting entrepreneurship and giving a boost youth, working with non-profits, and to the innovative processes and cultures that foster through disaster and humanitarian relief. We start-ups.

© Microsoft 2017 08 09 India is one of the world’s fastest growing cloud network, Smarter Biz employs machine to help start-ups mature into enterprise- innovative solutions for their business needs, Through the BizSpark ready companies by scaling every aspect of economies. The emerging entrepreneurship program, we aim to: learning and predictive analytics to identify Vymo is the world’s first personalized, while at the same time benefiting start-ups with culture in the country is benefiting from easier customer trends, and Power BI to analyze and their business. hands-free enterprise digital assistant greater market access than before. #CoInnovate access to venture capital and government monitor business transactions. comprises the following three programs: • Help young and innovative software companies for your sales, Customer Relationship support. Microsoft India recognizes that this In the course of a 14-week program, we provide gain experience and expertise in Microsoft Management, training and lead management entrepreneurial landscape will aid robust all necessary elements including CEO coaching, Market Access Program: This program connects technologies, with no upfront costs teams. They onboarded the Microsoft economic growth in the years to come and we are team culture development, recruiting talent, corporates and start-ups that have mutual interest Accelerator program when they started committed to contributing to this growth story by Rootalpha, a BizSpark member, connects creating distribution channels with global Fortune in specific business verticals. • Help start-ups establish connections with the facing challenges in the process of aligning enabling start-ups with the necessary support and employers with college students and graduates 500 companies, learning how to work with big local and global start-up ecosystems of VCs, angel all stakeholders at the client’s end for the guidance to build, scale up, and grow. We partner through its campus hiring solution ‘MyCampusing’, corporates, and developing new markets. We also High Potential Program (Hi-Po): Under this investors, incubators, accelerators, entrepreneur provide top-of-the-line technology expertise and with start-ups at different stages in multiple which relies on Microsoft Azure to streamline the B2B / SaaS model. While Vymo’s existing program, corporates nominate the start-ups associations, etc. support for marketing, finance, and go-to-market ways to help them realize their vision of creating recruitment process. RootAlpha uses Microsoft client impact and case studies convinced they want to work with. These start-ups are then Azure for most of its offerings and other Microsoft strategy. clients of the value add, having Microsoft as accelerated at Microsoft Accelerator to speed up technology-driven, innovative solutions. • Stimulate vibrant local software ecosystems and tools such as Machine Learning to improve its a partner helped accelerate the process and their business potential. promote innovation and interoperability products and increase its customer base. Throughout the program, and after graduation, bring more stability to their solution in the we serve as a strategic partner for start-ups, Microsoft Partner Accelerator Program: Here, market. The company gained strong support BizSpark Early stage start-ups having a working prototype and provide unparalleled routes to market by Microsoft Accelerator shares its know-how with and access to large enterprises, which was that meet certain criteria are supported by connecting them with our global network of organizations to help them set up their own BizSpark, a Microsoft flagship initiative, is aimed Microsoft under the BizSpark Plus program to ZingHR, a cloud-based Human Capital customers, partners, VCs, business mentors, and out of their target segment especially in the accelerator or incubator programs. at supporting early stage start-ups. It is a one-year accelerate innovation and get their products and Management (HCM) software solution company, technical experts. Banking Financial Services and Insurance services to customers as quickly as possible. The program for privately held start-ups that are less gives customers the ease of social media on an (BFSI) sector. The program helped Vymo program provides start-ups with access to: than five-years-old and have an annual revenue HCM automation app. Under the Accelerator Our market-ready start-up accelerators are located initiate their phase of growth, stabilize New initiatives under of USD 1 million or less. BizSpark helps these in several cities around the world, including their product and better their go-to-market • Microsoft Azure credits worth USD 120,000 for program, ZingHR worked on the Microsoft Cloud #CoInnovate this year start-ups succeed by giving them free access to Bangalore, Beijing, Shanghai, Berlin, London, strategies. An amplification of Vymo’s one year platform and received support from Microsoft include: Microsoft Azure cloud services, software services Seattle, and Tel Aviv. impact and credibility through events, pitch in the form of mentorship and technology. This and other support. Some of the services include: sessions, marketing collaterals, and the like • Microsoft’s platform services such as Intelligent enabled ZingHR to focus on creating applications was observed post their engagement with Analytics, Machine Learning, Media and Hub that were flexible, scalable, mobile, and Microsoft Accelerator. Vymo is a part of the Microsoft Accelerator and Up to USD 750 per month of free Azure Notification economical. Working with Microsoft helped 150+ Mentor Network ISV program at Microsoft. TCS Co-Innovation Network (COIN) cloud services for 1 year (USD 150 per ZingHR to grow its customer base five-fold in month each for up to 5 developers per More than 100 start-ups were selected under the one year. To read more about the ZingHR story, start-up) BizSpark Plus program during this financial year. click here. The collaboration aims to create an 27 Start-Ups accelerated in open innovation framework to mentor 2 cohorts in 2017 Watch this video to see what some of the other and engage with start-ups to bring A full suite of development and test start-ups have to say about the Microsoft innovative solutions to the market. software and tools such as Visual Studio, Smarter Biz Technologies is a Bengaluru-based Microsoft Accelerator Accelerator experience. Windows and Office technology start-up focused on developing USD 2.6 million average post It will provide start-ups with access program funding raised mobile business process automation platforms Microsoft Accelerator is a global program built to to the depth of Microsoft’s and TCS’s and solutions for small and medium-sized empower start-ups on their journey to build great #CoInnovate relationships and networks across Access to hundreds of free training businesses. Smarter Biz is a next-generation companies. We work with market-ready start-ups Microsoft India launched #CoInnovate in customers, investors, academia and industry, thus creating a strong classes, technical content plus 4 break-fix mobile CRM that works seamlessly with Microsoft and provide the tools, resources, connections, The Microsoft Accelerator program has several December 2015 to empower entrepreneurs by phone support incidents Excel and is designed to help business owners knowledge, and expertise that they need to success stories to its credit—Active, Acebot, value proposition in the enterprise connecting mature start-ups with corporates. marketplace. automate their sales network. Hosted in the Azure become successful companies. The goal is Cloudcherry, to name a few. The program enables corporates to access

10 11 significant partnerships we forged in 2016–17. including Snaptrude and Qwikspec. Microsoft Accelerator and Wipro Limited GenNext Hub Sandbox Startups Our partnership with Reliance Industries We have a partnership with Deshpande Foundation • The partnership will provide start- through GenNext Hub continues to help start- India for the latter’s Sandbox Startups incubator ups with more go-to-market (GTM) ups in the telecom, retail and energy sectors. to accelerate Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities of the opportunities by working with The hub hosts a four-month immersive program country. Based in Hubbali in Karnataka, Sandbox enterprise businesses. where start-ups gain access to funding, business Startups focuses on building an ecosystem to • Start-ups referred by Wipro will gain mentors, technical and design experts, plug- nurture innovative social entrepreneurs. Sandbox access to Wipro Open Innovation and-play office space and other resources. To Startups is credited with incubating more than 70 initiatives such as: date, GenNext Hub has successfully graduated start-ups, supporting more than 200 ideas and four cohorts with more than 52 start-ups, training more than 4000 micro-entrepreneurs to • Global GTM reach to rapidly build including Dattus, and Codemojo. Click here for date. One of their many success stories is Nanopix. scale the Codemojo story. • Opportunity to integrate the solutions ISDI ACE with select Wipro solutions AIM Smart City We have partnered with the Indian School of • Exposure to Wipro’s global customer As India progresses on its ambitious Smart Cities Design and Innovation (ISDI) for ISDI ACE, India’s base program, a lot of start-ups are emerging in this first Accelerator for creative entrepreneurs and design founders. ISDI ACE offers co-working and • Targeted Wipro marketing support space. To mentor and support such start-ups, DLabs at ISB and the Centre for Entrepreneurship collaboration spaces to entrepreneurs as well as for proactive business opportunities at Ashoka University jointly launched the Dalmia open and private incubator zones. Start-ups can Bharat AIM Smart City Accelerator Program, also utilize maker labs and rapid prototyping supported by Microsoft India. The accelerator arenas as a part of the Accelerator. Partner Accelerator focuses on four broad verticals: healthcare, Empowering students & educators education, transportation, and infrastructure. The Partner Accelerator model has been The first cohort from the Accelerator successfully Cloud Accelerator Project Shiksha established to help us curate better quality graduated in February 2017 and included start- start-ups and create a pipeline of solutions. ups such as Gudgudee, Ajeevi and Khetify. The Program Project Saksham Leveraging our Accelerator framework and Accelerator is currently working with its second Microsoft Innovative Educator making use of best practices from across the cohort of start-ups. The Microsoft Cloud Accelerator Program is designed to help Indian enterprises and government industry, we partner with several organizations Showcase Schools to provide technology and curriculum guidance organizations take full advantage of the cloud. The Brigade Group program serves to accelerate the adoption of services for start-up acceleration. These organizations Microsoft India partnered with Intel and the Brigade such as Microsoft Azure, and transform business Microsoft Student Partners are spread across diverse fields such as telecom, Group for Real Estate Accelerator Program (REAP), and governance in a mobile-first, cloud-first world. retail, energy, urban planning, social impact, and Microsoft Academia Accelerator a first-of-its-kind initiative, with the aim of creating As part of Cloud Accelerator, we have launched two real estate. Our partner accelerators provide high-impact solutions in the real estate space. The cloud training programs—Azure Vidyapeeth and start-ups with the necessary acceleration Imagine Cup program is intended to give much-needed impetus GuruVarta—to upskill our partners and enable them support, co-working space, mentorship, to help over 10,000 SMBs across 250 cities in moving to technology adoption in real estate. To date, Microsoft Research (MSR) academic outreach program access to funding, and market connections to the cloud. Brigade has successfully enabled five start-ups, for a sustainable growth. Listed below are the

© Microsoft 2017 12 13 Education is the key drivers for the growth and Under this project, each teacher undergoes a sessions across cities and universities shows that: Teacher Ambassador program prosperity of a nation. At Microsoft India, we believe comprehensive six-day, face-to-face training, Institutes covered under project Saksham: that technology can empower both teachers and imparted in a classroom setup. The curriculum • Educators now feel acquainted and more The Teacher Ambassadors are a worldwide students, and transform the educational landscape is specific to the needs of teachers and enables comfortable with Office 365 and associated group of passionate educators committed in India through a combination of quality content, them to use information technology in academics tools, specifically OneNote Class Notebook, Andhra University Xavier University Don Bosco Tech Society to introducing a range of education apps enduring partnerships, world-class training, and and school administration. Sway, and Office Mix. access to technology. It is our mission to create KIIT University Techno India group Graphic Era University and tools into schools in their respective immersive and inclusive experiences that inspire • They understand how to share and collaborate countries. They combine their knowledge Calicut University NMIMS Parul University of Microsoft tools with their classroom lifelong learning, and stimulate development of Project Shiksha: Impact in FY 17 with peer educators using Word Online. experience to provide trainings that are essential life skills. VIT University GITAM University … And More Activities like formulating question papers, relevant and customizable. We are enthused by the Government’s recognition group programs, workshops on academics of the role technology plays in bridging the digital • 8,124 teachers trained under have become more organized with reduced Saksham Impact in FY 17 As of now, we mentor 17,000+ Teacher divide, as it presents a tremendous opportunity Project Shiksha. time to deliver. Ambassadors across the country who can visit for us to contribute to India’s growth story in schools to showcase the latest in education • 3,638 teachers in Tamil Nadu, 1,103 in an even more meaningful manner. Our priorities technologies and conduct free professional Rajasthan and 2,493 in Madhya Pradesh. at Microsoft India include transforming the Teachers: 661 Universities: 21 development sessions for their peers. All education ecosystem by empowering policy • 889 teachers across all KVS schools. Teacher Ambassadors are qualified teachers makers with analytics to make sustainable who are passionate about teaching, and love education investments; preparing teachers • 361,000 students impacted. to transform learning by using technology to teaching with technology. have access to the best technology platforms. collaborate, innovate, and become life-long However, technology alone is not enough. learners. We are committed to building integrated Technology in the hands of educators can cloud solutions with our education partners. transform our education system. We have been accelerating STEM (Science, Project Saksham Technology, Engineering & Maths) education and The Microsoft Innovative Educator (MIE) student employability; and making students more Microsoft believes that effective professional programs recognize global visionaries among productive, and helping them innovate. development is critical for teachers to be able educators, who use technology to inspire their to integrate technology into their teaching and peers and enhance learning outcomes. The following sub-sections provide details of improve the learning experience for students. some of our initiatives in the field of education. We have been working with institutes of MIEs work closely with Microsoft to lead higher education in the country through innovation in education. They advocate the Project Saksham since May 2011 to equip Project Shiksha faculty with 21st century skills and develop effective use of technology in education with ICT Champions. Saksham equips them to peers and policymakers, provide insights on At Microsoft, we believe that in order to improve the digitize their institutions, build technology- new products and tools for education, and learning experience for students, it is imperative enabled content repositories and schedule share and exchange best practices to promote to impart technology skills to teachers. online sessions. To date, Microsoft has innovation in teaching and learning with their Project Shiksha was launched in 2003 with a conducted trainings for over 3,307 educators Microsoft Innovative peers from across the world. view to empowering government teachers to across 123 universities. These faculty members integrate computing into their teaching, thereby have, in turn, trained 1,126 of their peers. Educator Microsoft created a community of 238 creating a fun and interactive learning atmosphere educators from India for the Microsoft for their students. The post-training assessment of our training We believe that it is important for educators to Innovative Educator program in FY 2016–17.

14 15 other resources available on Microsoft Educator of time but also gave him exposure to adapt to a been perusing MS Word along with OneNote to In Disale’s words, “Education makes us capable CASE STUDY - 2 Teacher Ambassadors Community. Now they can just scan the QR code of interpreting things, among others. It is not variety of voices rather than getting used to only check spellings and punctuation and improve the his educator’s voice and instructions. He has also writing quality. present in the textbook and receive the related just about lessons in textbooks. It is about the OneNote: An enabler in the special needs 17,316 teachers resources on their mobile phones. lessons of life. One thing I wish I can do is, provide classroom in FY education for all; no child left behind and change Ranjitsinh created this repository by tabulating 2017 the world for good!! It is said that technology in “OneNote has provided us an integral way of 4,632 institutes resources for relevant data corresponding to the hands of teachers is transformational, and teaching and learning that we’ve been trying to the chapters/contents in the text books. Next, Microsoft has been a great support in this respect. figure out for a long time for children with special he used Augmented Reality (AR) technology to A small village from Maharashtra is now connected needs”, says Gunjan Tomar, Special Education create QR codes for all the lessons/chapters. He to 82 schools from different countries. We are Needs HOD and Middle School Mentor at Ridge mapped all the lessons to the learning activities very thankful to Microsoft India for empowering Valley School, Gurgaon. published on Microsoft Educator Community, the teachers who empower our students.” printed these QR codes on a sticker page and She has students with varied needs in her school and OneNote has helped her in many ways in meeting those. She has been experimenting with The State government of Maharashtra has unanimously several personalized solutions over the years to accepted this idea and now more than 1,800,000 bring learning closer to her students. students of Maharashtra are using these books. The state government has started printing QR coded textbooks One common problem her students face is organizing their learning material in one place. from June 16, 2016. Below are a few instances of QR coded OneNote has come to their aide as a digital textbook experiences: binder that can be accessed anywhere, anytime eliminating chances of forgotten work or lost Lesson published on Microsoft’s community notebooks/worksheets.

Video showing innovative use of Microsoft’s community Rupa, a 16-year-old student, with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has the academic Students using QR coded textbooks ability of an 8-year-old. Tomar has very effectively used the Immersive Reader pasted them on the corresponding lesson pages. feature in OneNote to empower the student’s QR code textbook includes links of lessons, vocational/functional and communicative abilities. Additionally, Bing’s speech resources published on the website, videos recognition and simultaneous audio text CASE STUDY - 1 related to the content on that page and online playback has helped another student improve assessments. Thus, if an educator or a student Defining Digital: Quotient QR Coded Textbook his reading and writing abilities. Through QR Coded Textbook is an innovative use of the wants to teach or learn a specific concept/chapter listening assignments, the student refined his Microsoft Educator Community resources. Thanks or lesson, they don’t need to search any resources, auditory processing skills, i.e., the ability to to MIE Expert Ranjitsinh Disale of Z.P. Primary all they need to do is to scan that QR code and all hear, process and implement the instruction/ School, Solapur, Maharashtra, educators can the matching resources are available on mobile. read text. This not only helped him deal with easily search relevant content, lesson plans and View the Sway the given assignment at his pace and his choice

16 17 Microsoft Student Showcase Schools Partners applications, and has seen many success stories Skype and Minecraft. Code.Fun.Do The Microsoft Showcase Schools program standards. It has kick-started various initiatives The Microsoft Student Partners program emerge from it. Sanket Ghorpade, winner of such as high-speed Internet backbone, WiFi recognizes the achievements of student leaders is a leadership-focused initiative to the Imagine Cup India 2015 under the World At present, there are 106 Showcase Schools in campus, smart classes, laptops, project from Showcase Schools. We offer them additional Our annual hackathon series, Code.Fun.Do, has highlight innovative learning and teaching Citizenship Category, launched his project into India impacting over 4,000 students. based teaching, etc., to achieve this vision. leadership opportunities and skills, and work with been particularly successful. Held exclusively for across globally recognized schools. a company, Manage Code Cultivate. Based in The school is the only one in the vicinity them to drive innovation and support integration the students of each of our partner campuses, it Microsoft Showcase Schools are a global Mumbai, the company provides a solution The Titan School in Tamil Nadu conducted to have all 70 classrooms digitized and of technology in their classrooms and with peers, is open to students from all streams. It gives them community of schools engaged in digital called “Brain Board” a Windows desktop transformation to improve teaching and learning. a Microsoft tour, reaching out to 20 other teach through laptops. It aims to be the first educators, and staff. an opportunity to learn how to build modern, school with 1:1 tablet based learning from real-world applications that leverage the latest application that helps users to communicate Showcase Schools create immersive and inclusive schools in the state and sharing the benefits of even if he is not able to physically move and the new session (2017–18). Their partnership The Student Partners are nominated by their technology platforms including Mobile, Cloud, experiences that inspire lifelong learning and Microsoft tools in education. verbally challenged. stimulate development of essential life skills so with the Microsoft team has proved to be respective schools and collaborate with a IOT, and Cognitive Services. that students are equipped to achieve more. very effective and beneficial. global community of student leaders from Delhi Public School in Ghaziabad partnered The competition features three categories: Microsoft India to organize a two-day INFINITUS other Showcase Schools to share best practices. The hackathons are preceded by fast-paced, Equipped with structured criteria for learning These students get access to exclusive Microsoft hands-on talks and demos that orient students Fest, where 17 schools participated. There was • World citizenship- It seeks ideas focused on solving 106 Microsoft and showcase schools and a chance to evolve within the comfort of products, and opportunities to interact with to key concepts needed to build apps for modern a presentation on technology-based learning global problems in areas such as health, environment, their workplace and home, the DMA teachers professionals and attend global conferences. platforms such as smartphones, tablets, gaming programs, with tablets provided to meritorious are now more engaged. They are exploring and human rights. They work closely with the MIE and Microsoft consoles and the cloud. A 20-hour overnight Impacting 4,389 educators through students as part of Microsoft Showcase School’s new tools for teaching and connecting to host events and workshops, and assist them coding competition follows under the proctorship tours and training Digital Literacy Program. with their students while discovering new • Innovation- It seeks ideas that appeal to consumer with trainings. and guidance of experts from Microsoft or dimensions of innovative teaching-learning audiences, as well as inspire and delight a wider Microsoft-appointed training partners. Top teams The Ashok Leyland School in Tamil Nadu process. The Microsoft workshops provided audience. from the college-level hackathons join a 3-month Microsoft India, in collaboration with The conducted a computer literacy program on them a unique platform where they not only Microsoft Academia long online Code.Fun.Do Finalists Forum, • Games- It challenges teams to develop innovations Aga Khan Academy, hosted the Microsoft Microsoft tools and applications. 46 students learnt but also shared their innovations with the global community of teachers. The where India’s best student developers get the that raise the bar in the global game revolution. Showcase School Leaders Forum on from the Government High School in Mornapalli Accelerator sessions provided by Chandeep Marwah, opportunity to refine their winning ideas and take ‘Innovation in Education’ in May 2016, benefited from the program. The eager learners Teacher Ambassador, Microsoft were them to the next level, supported by Microsoft The Imagine Cup continues to witness strong bringing together Showcase School We launched the Microsoft Academia Accelerator were taught about Touch develop basics, refreshing and informative. So much so that mentors. participation from India. This year, more than leaders to facilitate collaboration, create program in 2014 with the objective of building a Webpage creation, Microsoft Minecraft, Office each of them have now registered with the 15,000 students registered from 1,600 schools a confluence of ideas and collaborative deep, long-term association with the academia. Mix, Sway, OneNote, Yammer, Microsoft Office Microsoft Education Portal and enrolled and colleges across the country. The top three experimentation, and chart out new Under this program, we collaborate with leading Imagine Cup 365, MOS Championship, Imagine Cup, Dream themselves for various courses. teams in India from amongst 27 finalist teams will milestones for collective achievement. It Spark, Virtual Academy and Activity Academy. engineering colleges and business schools represent India at the upcoming worldwide finals was attended by 26 Microsoft Showcase The school has also deployed Office365 in India to foster the spirit of innovation and Now in its 15th year, the Imagine Cup is an annual in July in Seattle, USA, to compete with global School principals and other delegates and the teachers have started using entrepreneurship among students, and help the global competition sponsored and hosted by CASE STUDY faculty with curriculum development and delivery. teams for a prize of USD 100,000. from the field of education across India. MS PowerPoint and OneNote in their Microsoft to bring together young technologists classrooms. It looks forward to transforming worldwide to help resolve some of the world’s The Microsoft Academia Accelerator program Enhancing education through the education model to provide future toughest challenges. It encourages the next technology has grown its partner base to 18 of India’s Microsoft Showcase Schools emphasize ready education for students and believes generation of computer science students to personalized learning for students through that having access to the right tools from finest technology and business institutes, and team up and use their creativity, passion and the use of 1:1 learning devices and tools such The Dayawati Modi Academy (DMA), teaching Microsoft will be a game changer. is receiving extremely positive response from knowledge of technology to create innovative as Office 365 Education, Office Mix, OneNote, and learning process at par with modern students and faculty alike.

18 19 in a chosen area by leading experts from The Top 3 entries from Imagine Cup around the world. It aims to introduce students and researchers to important new areas and India 2017 the latest results and to provide a forum for • Content Holmes from BITS Pilani: A one- researchers to interact. The 2016 Summer click AI based online parenting solution School, co-organized by Microsoft Research that will help keep children secure from and the Department of Computational & Data cyber bullying and adult content online. Sciences at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, focussed on the area of Internet of • Mi-amigos from Chameli Group of Things (IOT) It addressed both theoretical as well Institutes: An app that assists and diagnoses as practical aspects of the chosen area and is Alzheimer’s and other degenerative targeted at faculty members, research scholars, diseases in a quick and easy way. The app masters and senior undergraduate students. A hopes to reduce medical expenses and by-invite only event, it was attended by over 100 man hours involved. students and faculty members from 22 institutions. • PocketConfident AI from IIT Hyderabad: RX Labs the first ever AI powered virtual life coach that guides users on self-development, Most undergraduates are often unaware about needs, goals and aspirations. It is available what a career in research entails and Microsoft across all messaging platforms (web, feels it is important to highlight the path of Skype, slack, Facebook, Microsoft teams) research to students. The RX lab program aims to give students exposure to a research in real time. environment at premier institutes such as IITs and IITS. MSR works with faculty members and Innovation for societal welfare enables them to take students from nearby non-PHD granting institutes as summer Connected Eyes and Microsoft Intelligent Microsoft Research interns for up to 12 weeks. The program has Network for Eyecare citizenship at received enthusiastic response over the years Microsoft India (MSR) academic and produced several entrepreneurs. 175 students received internships in FY17 across Enabling outreach program five institutes and the total funds disbursed amounted to INR 12,00,000. Cybersecurity engagement center – commitment In order to foster innovation through research, to the ‘Digital India’ vision MSR offers several programs and grants to university students and researchers. Travel grant for students Accessibility and inclusion Grant for students: MSR offers sponsorship for eligible research students to present their work The MSR India summer school to institutes outside India, with them minimum series, held in collaboration with the Indian grant amount being INR 75,000 per student. A Institute of Science (IISc), consists of lectures total of 60 students received the grant in FY17.

© Microsoft 2017 20 21 Microsoft India is committed to addressing Microsoft India announced the Microsoft in the mixed language, while speaking through The project began in May 2016 and the residents of Sangam Foundation societal challenges in the country through Intelligent Network for Eyecare (MINE) in applications such as Cortana or Skype translator. Harisal now have access to the Internet, which was innovative use of technology and cloud December 2016 in partnership with five global By building computational techniques and Natural set up first via TV White Spaces and now through Sangam Foundation started as Massively Empowered computing. Today, more and more people are eyecare partners. MINE is a mission-driven global Language Interfaces for mixed-script, mixed-code broadband. Connectivity has also facilitated the Classroom (MEC) at Microsoft Research to understand the using the transformative power of the cloud to consortium of like-minded commercial, research, text and speech, Project Mélange enables us to launch of other digitally-enabled facilities such as a online education ecosystem in India. It follows a blended- improve their lives and businesses. and academic institutions that collectively work design end-user applications and experiences that common services centre, computer and technology- learning model to engage with students, teachers, and on diverse datasets, including the rate of change cater to the linguistic behavior of multilinguals. To enabled education, telemedicine and eyecare, and institutions simultaneously, and enables a self-sustained Advanced analytics, mobile devices, artificial of myopia in children, conditions that impact know more about Project Melange, click here. agricultural and banking services in the village.. Watch ecosystem of community learning, teaching, and evaluation. intelligence, machine learning, robotics, and children’s eyesight, predictive outcomes of Sangam Foundation is available for testing. genomics are transforming every aspect of refractive surgery, optimal surgery parameters, as the Harisal story here. how we live, communicate, work, and learn. We well as ways to personalize a surgery. By applying Digital Village – Harisal are bringing Predictive Analysis and Machine advanced analytics with Microsoft machine Learning technologies to education, healthcare, learning technology to derive insights, MINE The ‘Digital Village’ project in Harisal is a and agriculture in partnership with several drives strategies to prevent avoidable blindness partnership between the government of state governments. Our integrated cloud- and increase efficiency in the delivery of eyecare Maharashtra and Microsoft India to create a Connectedness is the key first, mobile-first solutions improve processes, worldwide. MINE is based on Microsoft’s Cortana technology-enabled village with a provision for productivity, mobility, and accelerate India’s digital Intelligence Suite. Internet and digital literacy. Harisal, a tribal village transformation. with a population of two thousand, was chosen Government citizen centre Computer aided education due to its nodal location for over 50 villages in Providing over 40 services to 10 villages Digital enablement of schools and As part of our efforts to build a cloud for global Enabling the Melghat region, which face challenges such anganwadis good, we also offer our Microsoft Azure suite of as malnutrition, poor quality of education and Over 1400 users of Setu services 501 students benefiting through e-learning cloud services to non-profit organizations to enable unemployment. Over 300 Aadhaar registrations them to achieve more through increased insights, Project Mélange efficiency, and impact. It integrates seamlessly Microsoft India recognizes the cultural and with the existing IT infrastructure and scales as Telemedicine and Eyecare Skilling through Digital Classrooms the non-profit grows, giving them the ability to linguistic diversity in the country and aims harness the power of Microsoft’s datacenters for to foster a more pluralistic, equitable, and 16 telemedicine sessions 15 youth trained for ICT a wide range of capabilities and scenarios. Non- inclusive society. In a multilingual society Groundbreaking interventions for 77 57 youth digitally literate profits can use Azure credits to purchase all Azure like ours, people rarely use a single language critical patients while communicating with each other; instead Over 30 women participating in workloads created by Microsoft. Eyecare OPD for 521 villagers they tend to use a mix of several languages – tailoring training a phenomenon known as code-switching or 3,636 students (29 schools) screened code-mixing. Project Mélange endeavors to for eyecare Connected Eyes and improve the performance of systems such as Microsoft Intelligent Machine Translation to reveal the true meaning of code-mixed sentences by analyzing and Agriculture (m-Krishi intervention and Banking Network for Eyecare understanding code-switching behavior at the Virtual Agri Services - VAS) 5,100 JAM account holders formal structural level as well as the functional 68 farmers registered on VAS app level. This allows us to process mixed language, ATM set up with support from Bank of There are 285 million visually impaired people Organic farming groups of 23 farmers Maharashtra, 1,975 ATM users in the world, of which 55 million reside in India. and to model conversations and dialogues in m-Krishi project to reach 52 villages Almost 80 percent of these cases could have a multilingual setting better than before. With 400 users of Internet banking been prevented with early intervention and Mélange, we aim to use artificial intelligence to correct treatment. enable a multilingual user to converse naturally

22 23 Cybersecurity people with impairments. We collaborate with Capacity-building of 20 NGOs engaged in governments, industry, academia, and NGOs Accessibility features are factored into the skill-building programs for PWDs Tamana also launched the HOPE to develop innovative solutions that remove Engagement Center early stages of product planning, research • Enhance their capacities to maximize impact Application—a Kinect based therapeutic- barriers to accessibility. Our accessibility and development at Microsoft, making us of trainings educational application to enhance – commitment to the initiatives are focused on four key areas: the industry leader in building products cognition, fine motor & joint attention in that are safe and easy for anyone to use. • Ensure quality in their training programs children with autism and special needs. ‘Digital India’ vision • Accessibility in Products: Microsoft creates Our commitment to accessibility began and modules technologies that are accessible by design, over two decades ago, and continues with Microsoft aims to follow this event with the development and launch of a A data-driven economy can flourish only when that enable everyone to personalize their PCs each new product we develop. Scale up and manage employability portal governments, businesses, and individuals access to make them more comfortable and easier to substantive program to promote coding, cloud computing with the confidence that their use. • Knowledge platform for resources on computational thinking and technology data is secure. In line with our commitment to the employability and livelihoods for PWDs skills for youth with development Mobile vision ‘Digital India’ program, Microsoft India launched • Leadership and Awareness: Microsoft is a disabilities, autism and special needs. Product localization • Interactive communication channel between rehabilitation unit a CyberSecurity Engagement Centre (CSEC) in global leader in the sphere of accessibility. stakeholders September 2016. Located in Delhi, the center is We continually raise awareness of accessible Microsoft Windows and Office has been localized aims to foster deeper cybersecurity collaborations technology by publishing in-depth information to include 14 Indian languages. We have Microsoft has collaborated with Sankara Eye with public and private sector organizations, about accessible technology, and empowering introduced proofing tools as an added feature in Networking and policy advocacy for PWDs Hospital in Bengaluru to launch Maitri, a governments, and academic institutions, and to accessibility trainers and experts. the Microsoft Office Suite for Hindi and several • Stakeholder engagement for resources-sharing customized rehabilitation bus that visits remote build a trusted and secure computing environment other Indian languages, to deliver an improved and for mainstreaming learnings villages in Karnataka to identify citizens suffering in the country. The CSEC provides a robust security • Innovation: Our concept of ‘Inclusive customer experience. from vision problems and provide comprehensive layer for critical information infrastructure, and Innovation’ combines the principles of user- • Formation of a consortium, and policy advocacy rehabilitation services. Maitri provides these helps to reduce digital risk in the country. The centered design, accessibility, and usability with services to visually impaired patients at their CSEC also enables customers to tap into a pool forward-looking design trends to reinforce the Tech4Inclusion doorstep. Microsoft has contributed by way of of resources such as security specialists and value of creating products and services that are To ensure that accessibility is integrated into Coding for students with funds to build and launch the bus. The program technologies at Microsoft. This is Microsoft’s designed to accommodate a variety of users all aspects of Microsoft’s community work in learning disabilities intends to serve 50 villages, with a population of eighth CyberSecurity Center in the world and will and environments. almost 50,000, in the Hoskote taluk of Bangalore India, we launched the Tech4Inclusion program As part of Hour of Code 2017, Microsoft serve as a dedicated hub for Microsoft in India. in partnership with Charities Aid Foundation Rural district. • Collaboration: Microsoft works in close commemorated the Computer Science to implement integrated skill-building and Week and the Week of Empowerment collaboration with state government bodies Skilling of people with employability initiatives for organizations, and of People with Disabilities together and nodal IT agencies to create glossaries, by hosting a YouthSpark Live event disabilities Accessibility which are used to create local language people with disabilities. The program covers regions in Karnataka, Telangana, and Delhi promoting coding and computational interface. We conduct Accessibility Learning thinking for children with developmental and inclusion NCR and our collaborative partners include We are in partnered with Bangalore based Sessions aimed at building awareness amongst disabilities and autism. FAME India, Sarthak Education Trust and Ashray Samarthanam Trust to facilitate basic livelihood skill Accessibility is at the core of Microsoft’s special educators and non-profits, who work Akruti. The four legs of the pillar are: training and accessible employment opportunities mission of empowering every person and with students with disabilities, so that they We partnered with Tamana, a non-profit organization, to host 85 students with organization on the planet to realize their may optimize the use of technology in their to people with disabilities. We have two active teaching. We also actively engage with student Direct skilling initiatives for 250 youth developmental disabilities and autism skilling centres in Anantpur and Guntur, Andhra full potential. Applications such as Windows enrolled in special wings of 19 mainstream and Office have been developed in such and developer communities to ensure that with disabilities Pradesh to provide holistic technology driven accessibility is a key feature of applications. schools in the national capital region and a way as to be accessible to everyone – • Training courses and mentoring on IT sector skills 40 special educators, parents and experts training for improving communication skills, regardless of age or ability. Features such to introduce coding and computational accent training, customer service, soft skills, as the narrator, magnifier, and on-screen Watch this video for an overview of thinking promoting inclusive IT-based Microsoft’s accessibility initiatives. • 80 percent of the trained youth will be placed client relations and conflict management. keyboard make computing possible for in jobs opportunities.

24 25 Microsoft India has been committed to serving Education and skilling of underserved the local communities since the company’s 01 youth, children, and women inception. Community development is an integral part of the activities of all Microsoft ii. Coding and computer science skilling for entities in the country. We believe that 02 employment Impact so far technology is a powerful force for improving iii. Technology-enabled learning for people’s lives and overcoming India’s socio- 03 inclusion of youth with disabilities economic challenges. Building on over 25 years of giving, Microsoft Philanthropies was created 4,22,000 youth placed as a separate unit in December 2015 to bring the benefits of technology to people who need YouthSpark them the most, and to non-profit organizations Microsoft YouthSpark goes beyond philanthropy that work to address society’s most pressing and brings together a range of global programs issues. Over a year, Microsoft Philanthropies that empower young people with access to 5 Youth Spark grantees has invested over 10 million USD in cash and technology and better education, and inspire technology to transform the way non-profits them to imagine the opportunities to realize their deliver impact in India, offer educational potential. YouthSpark is an important pillar of opportunities to the next generation, and Microsoft’s corporate citizenship efforts, and has extend support during humanitarian crises. Our been on the forefront in achieving Microsoft’s community development initiatives also cover vision of helping India realize its potential since 8 partner NGOs skilling, employability, entrepreneurship, women 2004. Initially launched as Project Jyoti in India, empowerment, employee giving, sanitation with dedicated centers to support training in drives, and opportunities for the disabled. vocational and digital literacy skills for youth PHILANTHROPIES from underserved communities, the program has grown in scope over the years. It now seeks to 98 Youth Spark centers Skilling for livelihoods Skilling for create opportunities for youth to learn not only information communications technology, but ICT enablement of weavers livelihoods also computer science. It teaches them about the and artisan clusters world around them, empowering them to become We recognize that a majority of India’s population well-informed citizens and imaginative creators. Tech4Good will qualify under the ‘working age’ category by 1,425 CTLCs the year 2022. For India’s economy to develop In the last one year alone, Microsoft has provided Employee giving training to more than 30,000 youngsters, of which and remain competitive in the world markets, about 18,000 have been placed in jobs; about it is imperative to bridge the widening gaps in Water Sanitation & 1000 have started their own entrepreneurial the required and available skill levels. We are Hygiene (WASH) ventures; and 2,600 were inspired to continue 2,800 entrepreneurial committed to the government’s Skill India vision education and training in computer sciences. ventures and work towards providing the underprivileged Microsoft has also provided cash grant support with the right kind of skills to explore sustainable to NASSCOM Foundation and QUEST Alliance livelihood options in a technology driven world. for investing in the development of coding and Our skill development efforts therefore focus on: computer science training modules for youth.

© Microsoft 2017 26 27 DigiGirlz practices. It is available online, hosted on an Azure Growth Gene project first pitch for Bodhi Tree Skills at a YouthSpark supported platform with an integrated assessment Microsoft launched DigiGirlz with the aim Live event, where she met some amazing component. Participants get free certification – CHORD of introducing young women to computer people who inspired her to think of using upon completion of the course. The Growth Gene Project is a community development science, and inspiring them to break down any technology to reach a lot of people. initiative by CHORD (Child Welfare and Holistic barriers they may face while pursuing studies Organisation for Rural Development) in collaboration in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. Soon, Bodhi Tree Skills was set up. A social with Microsoft India. The project focuses on bringing The program provides middle- and high-school business initiative, Bodhi Tree Skills is trains, intrinsic growth and development in Yellamabanda, girls opportunities to learn about careers in mentors and supports rural college graduates the largest urban slum in Hyderabad, between 2015 technology, benefit from mentorship of Microsoft to empower them to explore and choose and 2018, through a three-pronged approach: employees, and participate in hands-on computer the best career option-either by joining the and technology workshops in the course of a day- workforce or pursuing higher education. She • Provision of employable skill training in tailoring, long event organized by Microsoft employees on has also launched a website and is working and computer applications, to 450 women, (150 our campuses. During the event, the students towards developing an app specifically women every year) interact with Microsoft employees and managers designed for rural college graduates to access to learn about careers in technology, and to get opportunities. • Rescue, rehabilitation, and education of 450 an inside look at what it’s like to work at Microsoft. children including child laborers and school The event includes career planning assistance, Ashweetha - the inspirer and mentor that she dropouts (150 children every year) an overview of technology and business-related is, was also a Youth Panelist at our YouthSpark roles, thought-provoking exercises, and Microsoft Live event this year which brought together • Sensitization and awareness - building through product demonstrations. 300 young girls for coding, she laid emphasis community awareness programs, plus on the importance of knowledge of Computer orientation and counseling for women Science in this world and how it impacted her Supporting education for a training on trade and computer skills, academic CASE STUDY life, making her from a “First Time User to material, and financial support to pursue college- Through this project, we hope to set up an Becoming and Enabler”. better tomorrow level education. education-employment cycle that will enable Microsoft also supports projects that work on a future generations to step out of child labor. Ashweetha Shetty – reaching the holistic development model not just addressing unreachable the educational needs of underserved people, So far, 300 children have been enrolled in the Build your business: An but also in providing development support in the bridge school and 220 women have received skill A YouthSpark Beneficiary - CEO and Founder entrepreneurship curriculum communities. Three such projects are currently training. Thirty of these women are now employed of Bodhi Tree Skills: An endeavor to equip being implemented in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh in the training-cum-production unit that has rural college graduates with professional Developed by Microsoft in partnership with the and Karnataka. been set up under the project, and are earning an skills self-development, allowing them to International Youth Foundation, and localized by income for their families. Some have found jobs explore and choose career opportunities. QUEST Alliance for an Indian context, the Build in local businesses, while some others have set up Your Business Curriculum is designed to introduce businesses of their own. Ashweetha, a first generation computer young entrepreneurs to the basic ideas, activities, Project BOSCO - Bangalore learner from her family, was 20 years old and skills needed to successfully launch and grow Oniyavara Seva Coota when she first used a computer. She is an a small enterprise. It covers essential steps such alumnus of the YouthSpark Live Program, as market research, developing an effective sales Microsoft India, in partnership with Bangalore Knowledge lab project - where she was trained on entrepreneurial pitch, and ways to obtaining start-up capital. The Oniyavara Seva Coota, has launched a project Vidyanikethan skills using the Build Your Business curriculum is designed as a series of modules, to rescue and rehabilitate street children in Entrepreneurship Curriculum. She made her and features several case studies in India, to Bengaluru. Under this project, children rescued Microsoft India has embarked on a project to provide students with insights into local business from the streets are provided with vocational build digitally-enabled knowledge labs in schools,

28 29 with a view to contribute to the educational Recognizing these challenges, Microsoft India, communicate and connect with markets and Project ReWeave: Reviving • Established connections with NHDC depots to infrastructure in the country. To begin with, we in partnership with the Digital Empowerment customers online. So far, the project has touched source hank yarn, and with Veda Agrofarms for have established computer laboratories in four Foundation, launched DigiKala - a project aimed more than 22,000 weavers and 9,000 handloom traditional handloom art indigo dyes The inspiring story of government schools in the south of Bengaluru at the inclusive and decentralized use of ICT stations in these regions. For more information, forms in Telangana Saroja, a craftswoman with a combined strength of almost 1,026 and digital tools in critical aspects of cluster visit the DigiKala Web Portal. • Convinced 10 cotton farmers to produce students. The project also focuses on creation development such as scaling up weaving skills, We started in April 2016 with five weaving organic cotton for organic handloom weaving Saroja, 34, was born and brought up in and maintenance of library spaces, and the design, marketing, and entrepreneurship, besides clusters in the State of Telangana. Each cluster a traditional Banjara tribal family. As a provision of science kits for students in addition creating sustainable livelihood options for the represents a distinct style or variation in the • Secured bulk orders and orders for corporate young girl, Saroja started picking up craft to the upgradation and maintenance of sanitation youth in these clusters. process of weaving. We looked at the weavers’ gifting and event giveaways, in addition to skills, and later, developed her needlework facilities. The underlying objective of the project lives and livelihoods, and identified problems traditional products skills as well. Under the Digikala project, is to instill a sense of pride amongst students The model is replicable and the project is currently that needed to be resolved. Saroja received training in design • Provided quality assurance and enrich their learning experience, resulting in being implemented in the Nuapatna and Barpali development and insights on colour improved attendance. The enhanced facilities will districts of Odisha. The weaver communities in We have partnered with Chaitanya Bharati, a combinations. Saroja also trained in encourage conceptual learning among students these regions have been trained to use the mobile Vishakhapatanam-based non-profit organization, • Trained 10 banjara craftswomen and 125 soft skills at the National Institute of and improve their learning outcomes, while the applications ‘Sprightly’ and ‘Kaizala’, developed by to work towards building sustainable handloom- women from slums in garment-making Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, libraries will serve as a source of reference on a Microsoft to help businesses create marketing and based livelihoods for the weavers in these clusters. Hyderabad. The trainings brought about variety of topics, both within and outside the promotional content, and keep track of inventory The scope of intervention includes counseling • Connected weavers with end customers; ensured they receive a fair price a remarkable improvement in Saroja’s curriculum. and team members. The apps not only simplify the weavers, conducting training workshops, business operations, but also help the weavers securing customer orders for them, repairing skills and business abilities. Today, Saroja We seek to collaborate with the Government their looms, sourcing yarn and other raw material is a seasoned craftswoman, selling in scaling up the program further and ICT enablement of for them, and supporting them throughout the beautiful needlework blouses and kurtas, implementing it in other clusters. We also intend process. We have participated in four national and earning INR 12,000 a month. She is weavers and artisan exhibitions during the year, showcasing and to leverage technology platforms for marketing now gearing up to try and impart her skills selling their products. the products, and expand the distribution reach to 10 other women. clusters to international markets. India is home to more than 470 traditional, skill- Microsoft India is now setting up a technology based handloom clusters that offer the second training center, where weavers can use design largest employment opportunity in the country, software to create motifs and have an online after agriculture. However, these clusters are sales presence. Microsoft is providing the unable to sustain their livelihoods due to funding and machines for the center, while the their unorganized nature, dispersed structure, Government of Telangana is providing 2,500 inadequate working capital, inadequate square feet of space to set it up. infrastructure, poor institutional framework, lack of education among workers, and disassociation from modern technologies. Under Microsoft The impact of the project, Philanthropies, we also try to revive of some so far, has been as follows: of India’s fading and forgotten indigenous handloom forms. • Worked with 25 weaving families, each representing three generations of weavers

Digikala: Integrated digital • Conducted two workshops on natural dyeing development in Odisha with participation from more than 50 artisans

30 31 Our employees also have the opportunity to give Tech4Good back to the community by supporting a cause of CASE STUDY - 1 CASE STUDY - 2 their choice through a certain percentage of their The Tech4Good program is in line with Microsoft continued engagement between technologists, pay. We recognize that even small contributions India’s commitment to working towards a digitally social innovators, and the NGO community, Child MISS Habitat for humanity by employees can have a huge, positive impact inclusive society and ensuring that the benefits for greater efficiency in the use of technology on the lives of the underprivileged. There are Child MISS (Management Information System of technology reach the underserved sections. through: Habitat for Humanity works with low-income three aspects to this program: Under this program, Microsoft works with non- and Services) is a comprehensive child tracking families to build homes, and to repair and system, developed with the intention of profits to provide them with greater access to • Trainings and webinars rehabilitate houses, in the belief that everyone • Cash contributions by employees through creating a network that contributes to speed, Microsoft Cloud. It offers a single window for their should have a healthy, affordable place they payroll deduction process, structure, knowledge, and services technology requirements: training, understand • Toolkits can call home. Microsoft India has provided for the care, protection, and development of and advice on IT requirements, software Habitat for Humanity with a customized Office • Microsoft Match program with annual limit of donations, and mapping future technology needs • O365 Deployment Centre vulnerable children through the intervention INR 250,000 per employee in the Engineering of NGOs and government bodies. It is the 365 package and a stabilized mail server, along right up to adaption of advanced technologies with its OneDrive and SharePoint platforms. team and 50,000 for all other employees. • NGO Connection Days 2.0 result of a collaboration between Don Bosco and trends. Since 2006, we have donated over These products have enabled Habitat for National Forum for the Young at Risk and App • Employee Volunteering Policy of three INR 4.35 billion in software products to non-profits Humanity to increase data storage, ensure Solutions: Support non-profits to create Point Software Solutions. The solution has working days to aid their community development initiatives. website protection, and improve internal This includes access to Microsoft offerings and technology that improves their communities been hosted on the Microsoft Azure public operations and communication. volume discounts through Microsoft licensing through: cloud platform and granted USD 30,000 in During 2016–17, employees donated INR 29.5 million for non-profits. The program is managed by Azure credits to be used over three years. towards the funding of 140 NGOs as compared to Microsoft India in partnership with NASSCOM • Generators, hackathons, and other events This helps with scalability and backup, and INR 23.1 million the previous year. Foundation. There are mainly three parts to the increases the efficiency and speed of access program: • Technology for Social Good’ competitions to critical data. The cloud-based infrastructure Employee Giving also makes it extremely reliable, especially in times of natural disasters, when incidences of Software Donation: Help NGOs create maximum Microsoft employees are passionate about missing children are generally higher. impact through optimal implementation with a offering monetary help to address important robust set of technology offerings: Trained through Find video stories here. issues facing our local communities, and the world at large. It is part of our culture, and how • Cloud for non-profits workshops – 2800 we live our mission of empowering every person • Hardware discounts/donations from 1600 NGOs and every organization to achieve more. Technology Keeping this in mind, Microsoft India started • Strategic donations and grants the Employee Giving Campaign in 2000. It is, Number of NGOs for Social to date, the largest corporate giving program Curriculum Donation: Microsoft provides its in the world. Our employees participate in the Digital Literacy Curriculum to NGOs interested supported: 600 annual Giving Campaign, which is held every in imparting basic computer literacy to Good year during the month of October, and donate disadvantaged sections. Microsoft has invested towards localization of the curriculum into to a charity regularly. The funds raised through Hindi, Tamil, Gujarati and Malayalam in order to Worth of s/w the Giving Campaign are equally matched by maximize reach and impact. Microsoft before being handed over to trusted donated: 450 crore non-profits. Community and Capacity-building: Facilitate

32 33 Water Sanitation & Employee Hygiene (WASH) Participation Sanitation4Education to bring about a positive behavioral change in matters of hand-washing and menstrual hygiene, INR 29.5 Million their families to lead a healthier lifestyle. environmental hygiene, and open defecation. Sanitation for Education’ was launched in Microsoft is supporting the construction of in cash partnership with Charities Aid Foundation Bhagavatula Charitable Trust collected data separate latrine blocks in all the schools for girl contributions to ensure the functioning and maintenance such as school strength with gender bifurcation, students. Water tanks are being installed to of facilities for sanitation and hygiene in existing water facilities, the condition of urinal provide clean, hygienic water for drinking and every school in India. Microsoft contributed and toilet facilities, and data related to personal cooking purposes. INR 14 million to this program, which will and menstrual hygiene practices of girl students. benefit nearly 30,000 students from 42 schools The project has impacted 8,461 students to date – Sanitation drives were conducted in all these 3,764 girls and 4,787 boys. across three states in India. The objective is schools with active participation of students, to provide young children, especially girls, teachers, and community members. School-level with access to sanitation facilities, and engage trainings were conducted to increase awareness in relevant stakeholders to build capacities for the sustainability of the program. Sanitation for Education is aligned with the government’s ‘Swachh Bharat Swachh Vidyalaya’ initiative. 140 Over 50% NGOs Employees supported through participated Water and sanitation project: cash contribution in FY16 Bhagavatula charitable trust

Microsoft has collaborated with the Bhagavatula Charitable Trust to address Employee Giving and Volunteering problems related to water disposal and sanitary practices in high schools in the tribal areas of Visakhapatnam district. The lack of sanitation facilities there is one of the main Giving back to the community is not just Furthermore, in a month-long engagement, reason for girl children dropping out from an annual event at Microsoft. Microsoft’s the IT team volunteered at the Amar Jyothi school. Also, the water facility in cooking longstanding commitment to philanthropy is Foundation in Delhi, training two students with areas is also an issue in several places. evident in the efforts to support education disabilities to compete at an IT Challenge based of young children from Lotus Petal on Microsoft’s Office suite and MIT Scratch, hosted To help address these issues, we have Foundation School in Gurgaon. A BPO team in China. Both participants, Nishtha and Punyat, extended support to 25 high schools in the has been volunteering every Wednesday bagged the 2nd position in the Scratch challenge district to provide access to clean water for since March 2016 to conduct support and a gold and silver medal, respectively, in the drinking and cooking purposes, and water for classes and weekly engagement sessions to individual office suite challenges. toilets. The project aims to improve personal enhance communication skills of students. hygiene among students, and inspire them

34 35 The Microsoft Compensation Programs for Culture and benefits employees

Our people are our biggest strength. We Our compensation and benefits policy is Mindful of the holistic well-being of everyone at provide them opportunities to grow, both at a instrumental in our efforts to attract and retain Microsoft India, we organize events and activities professional and a personal level, and help them the best talent in the industry. The policy is round the year to keep up the levels of vitality realize their potential. We work to create a culture based on the idea of ‘Pay for Performance’, which and excitement in our offices. Some of these are that inspires everyone to seek meaning and pride enables meaningful reward differentiation based listed below: in their work, and give their best to their job and on impact and team results. to their community. Our culture is centered around • Confluence: Started in 2008, Confluence delighting our customers, experimenting with new Microsoft employees are eligible for a is Microsoft India’s signature diversity and ideas, failing fast and learning from our failures to combination of rewards comprising base inclusion conference that brings together build innovative products. pay, performance bonus, stock awards, and employees on a single platform to listen and benefits. We offer several benefits such as learn from company’s leadership and external The Microsoft culture is manifested child care, tuition assistance, vehicle lease and inspirational personalities, and participate in through three distinct areas: relocation, which an employee can opt for, collaborative learning events. Focused on the should the need arise. three pillars of diversity – abilities, gender and • Customer-obsession: We are passionate about generational, the forum focuses on expanding helping our customers achieve more. We listen to Our policy covers not just monetary aspects, inclusive practices, and the opportunities and them, and learn from them. We deliver solutions but is designed to support our employees challenges faced by different employee groups. that don’t just meet business needs, but often non-monetary needs. We believe that happy surprise and delight our customers. employees are productive employees. By • Bring Your Child to Work: welcome our offering flexible work timings, teleworking, and employees’ children into our office for a day of OUR PEOPLE • Diversity and Inclusion: Microsoft is a place the option of working from home, we encourage fun and learning where employees can be who they are. We value employees to find a healthy work-life balance. Compensation diverse perspectives. As a result, we have better • Management Excellence Community: a peer- and benefits ideas, better products, and happier customers. We have doubled the maternity leave for women driven community of managers who learn and employees to six months in February 2016 prior share best management practices from each Programs for employees • One Microsoft: We are a family of individuals to legislation. Additionally, they can opt for other at a truly global company, united by a single unpaid leave of up to three months, and enjoy Employee wellness mission. We work together, build on each other’s flexible work hours for up to two years. We also • Garage: an initiative to encourage employees to and safety ideas, and collaborate across boundaries to appreciate the fact that fathers need to spend hone their creative side bring the best of Microsoft to our customers and time with their newly born babies and all male Culture of appreciation to the world. employees can avail six weeks of paternity leave. • The ‘Guardian’ app: aimed at promoting women The same leave entitlements apply to those who safety Diversity and inclusion We believe in building and sustaining adopt a child or who choose to have a child via relationships with our people, and this reflects surrogacy. In April 2017, we announced a new We also support Employee Resource Groups in everything we do, right from recruitment to Family Caregiver Leave which entitles every and Employee Networks, which provide cultural professional and personal support. We go the employee to 4 weeks of paid leave every year awareness and social networking opportunities, extra mile to ensure the comfort and well-being at full pay to take care of an immediate family and are linked to the overall business goals of of our employees while they scale new heights. member with a serious health condition. the organization. One of the largest employee

© Microsoft 2017 36 37 resource groups is Women@Microsoft, which service, equips our employees to meet life’s strives to develop and support female employees challenges in a mature and balanced manner. at Microsoft through opportunities such as global Professional counselors from Microsoft CARES Springboard Elevate conferences, networking events, and mentoring. assist them with developing coping skills to help Elevate is a reverse mentoring program These members voluntarily serve as internal them maintain an emotional balance. Our Springboard program helps women at Microsoft that leverages the power of resources to ensure that diverse perspectives are make an easy transition back into the generational diversity amongst our teams. included in business operations, marketing, and corporate world, post a sabbatical, with It aims to connect leaders with millennials, product development activities. the flexibility to choose the duration and Culture of even the work hours, giving ensuring an enabling learning for our current as easy rerturn to work well as our future leaders. The millennial appreciation mentors share their perspectives, thoughts Employee wellness and ideas in 1:1 sessions with the leader We understand that even small acts of appreciation mentees. The leaders gain from an help in keeping employees motivated and letting and safety objective view of ground realities and them know that their hard work is truly valued. fresh perspectives, while our mentors get We believe in inculcating a culture of wellness We have initiatives like Wall of Fame and Send a the opportunity to also learn from the Kudos, which help to maintain a healthy culture among our employees. Our comprehensive Codess experiences of these senior leaders. In of appreciation. insurance policy offers nine different options that FY 2017 Elevate was conducted across 4 cover employees and their families – employees Through Codess, we engage with our local cities during Confluence week, it received can choose the plan that suits them best. Not communities to promote gender diversity encouraging feedback. 16 senior One India only does our Benefits Policy include insurance Diversity and in the field of engineering. The program LT members had 1:1 reverse mentoring cover but we also encourage our employees to focuses on empowering, educating, and sessions with 16 diverse employees, on proactively care for their health and stay fit. inclusion celebrating a community of women skills of leader’s choice (such as how coders, who are interested in shaping the millennials view careers). We cover OPD, dental and vision expenses as well We seek to be open to recognizing our own technology innovations of the future. It as executive health checks for every employee and biases and changing our behaviors so that we offers them a platform to network with their dependents. In addition to this, we sponsor can tap into the collective power of everyone. We each other, share personal and professional and organize on-site diagnostic and doctor don’t just value differences; we seek them out, experiences, and learn from their shared consultations camps at our offices. and invite them in. Our diversity emerges from knowledge. Young women coders in India our unique experiences and skill sets. were introduced to this initiative in 2016 Through our wellness brand—LiveWell365—we through Microsoft India. This year, Codess focus on building awareness. From webinars on has received more than 1200 applications different health aspects to quarterly newsletters from over 40 colleges across the country. and programs. Employees can access the LiveWell365 wellness portal serves as a single- point destination for everything related to wellness. In 2016, we moved from broad-based programs and general awareness, to targeted wellness initiatives establishing programs specifically for diabetes management, weight loss and cholesterol management.

Microsoft CARES, a confidential counselling

38 39 Our long-standing commitment to being agencies, and government officials. Microsoft’s for responsible business practices, and for how responsible in everything we do reflects in our Standards of Business Conduct are the they treat the people who work for them. Click respect for our stakeholders in the ecosystem foundation of our commitment to engage with here to know more about our sourcing practices. we operate in. We have a wide range of policies, all these groups in a respectful, ethical manner, in practices, and programs pertaining to human compliance with all legal requirements. Click here rights, ethical business conduct, data privacy and to know more about our ethics and standards of Environmental security, and environmental sustainability. We business conduct. adhere not only to our global policies, but to the sustainability laws of the land, and its anti-corruption policies. Privacy and data Commitment to environmental sustainability underlines every aspect of our company. We Human rights security believe that technology can empower people and organizations to achieve a more sustainable Microsoft respects human rights, and takes We set stringent privacy standards and adhere future. We apply technology to minimize the all necessary measures to protect them – a to them. We have developed industry-leading environmental impact of our business operations fact that is reflected in the way we do our privacy policies, compliance programs, and and our products. Microsoft India’s commitment business. We work with some of the world’s security measures, which we apply across our cloud to environmental sustainability is articulated leading human rights organizations to apply computing ecosystem. We strive to be transparent in our environmental principles and climate technology for the advancement of human in our privacy practices, offer meaningful privacy change policy statement. We invest in programs rights, and we expect employees, partners, choices, and responsibly manage the data that we – involving facilities, commuting, recycling waste, suppliers, customers, and governments to store and process. and more – that reduce environmental impact share our commitment in this regard. across our business operations. The entire It is extremely important for us to ensure data company, including our data centers, has been We respect the rights of our employees security for our customers. Our cybercrime experts carbon-neutral since 2013. in accordance with the ILO Declaration on focus on two areas: fighting malware and reducing WORKING RESPONSIBLY Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work. risk, and protecting the vulnerable population Our policies, including the Equal Employment - especially the young and the elderly. As part LEED gold certification Human rights Opportunity Policy, the Anti-Discrimination of this mission, we have set up a Cybersecurity and Harassment Policy, and our Standards of Engagement Center in New Delhi, which is part of The Hyderabad Real Estate and Facilities (RE&F) Ethics and standard of business conduct Business Conduct, incorporate this protection. a global network of eight centers. team has achieved the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) Gold certification Privacy and data security for three buildings on our Hyderabad campus, after two years of working with the U.S. Green Building Sourcing from indirect suppliers Ethics and standard Sourcing from Council. The LEED Gold certification—a green Environmental sustainability of business conduct indirect suppliers building certification program that recognizes best-in-class building strategies and practices— Trust is paramount to realizing our mission of We screen our indirect suppliers on an ongoing is an example of the RE&F team’s commitment empowering every person and every organization basis against 23 different ethical, social, and to sustainability. The Hyderabad campus has to achieve more. We build trust by making environmental risks by country and by commodity also been recognized for its landscape, having ethical choices, and acting with integrity in our category, and apply assurance requirements for bagged the first prize at the Garden Festival 2016 dealings with customers, partners, competitors, suppliers that pose the highest risk. We strive to organized by the Department of Horticulture, shareholders, suppliers, representatives, regulatory ensure that our suppliers uphold high standards Government of Telangana, twice in a row.

© Microsoft 2017 40 41 Water conservation and Energy efficiency measures Sustainability initiatives by Waste management Water conservation waste management We have implemented several energy efficiency employees Our Real Estate and Facilities (RE&F) team measures at our Hyderabad campus, which has We believe that each one of us is responsible for • Zero Waste discharge status • Automated Centrifuge System that treats implements waste minimization programs resulted in power-saving of 17,52,270 units over a sustainability. Our employees engage in planting 20,000 liters of waste water in an hour such as office supply reuse, recycling, and span of one year. These measures include: saplings every year on World Environment Day. We • 670 kg of plastic and 600 kg of thermocol composting. Although our operations are not also participate in Earth Hour by turning off non- recycled every quarter • 63,774 KL of waste water treated water-intensive, we promote water conservation • Installation of efficient water-cooled chillers essential lights for one hour. Our Hyderabad campus boasts of 40 percent landscape area with indigenous measures at our facilities. The RE&F team has • More than 14.7 tons of paper waste instead of air-cooled chillers, which reduce • 30 million liter capacity reservoir to store plant species, many of which are contributed by our introduced several water conservation initiatives recycled every 90 days rainwater for the irrigation of 20 acres of energy load by approximately 10 percent at our Hyderabad campus including rainwater employees. The Campus also actively participates in landscaped gardens sustainability activities during the World Earth Day, harvesting, sensor-based taps, aerators for taps, • Approximately 4 tons of gypsum land filled • High-performance design envelops to reduce heat and light coming into the building (solar wherein this year, approximately 100 kg of eWaste effective recycling, reusing water to maintain our every quarter • Low-flow fixtures and sensor-based urinals heat gain coefficient 0.25) was collected from employee contributors, for green cover, and storing water for contingency installed in toilets save up to 20 percent of onward disposal. • 84 tons of metal waste recycled annually to avoid business impact. water consumption (approximately 2,000 • Visible light transmittance of more than 30 KL/month) percent, maximizing passage of natural light, Contribution and collaboration are the cornerstones • Construction waste recycled to build other by using double-glazed façade glass of Microsoft’s sustainability initiatives, and we work facilities, such as a parking bay, within • Dawn and dusk watering practices to with Governments, policymakers, and NGOs to campus reduce wastage by water evaporation • Installation of motion sensors in all conference address key environmental issues that affect our rooms, boardrooms, and workspaces to reduce business, employees, and the communities we • Reduced carbon footprint through electricity wastage serve. We continue to drive policy development usage of up to 66 percent of regionally and research with a wide range of diverse groups to sourced construction material - steel, • Installation of energy and water meters achieve a more sustainable future. cement, fly ash blocks, sand, granite, tiles, and aluminum

42 43