According to representatives, Microsoft Corporation is concentrating on the African market more than ever before, recognising the immense potential and opportunities present in the continent.
This is according to Aben Kovoor, Area Lead Developer & Platform group, Middle East and Africa, who was speaking at the DEMO Africa conference, that took place in Nairobi, Kenya from October 24 to 26.
“Microsoft established its first African office on the continent more than 20 years ago. We are now concentrating on the African market just to help it build its innovations and expose it to the world,” he said.
“We want to promote African startups to access our rich network of partners and customers across the globe, and it is for this reason we have established more than 16 offices in different parts of the continent, to make us more accessible to the innovators,” he added.
Kovoor promised that innovators stand to benefit more from the Windows 8 platform, calling it the most dynamic platform ever produced by the corporation, aimed at helping developers and innovators build their products and monetise them.
He added that Microsoft had three main products to help African innovators, including the Windows 8 operating system and Windows phone, the Windows Azure cloud service and Microsoft BizSpark.
The Windows Azure service is an open and flexible cloud program that enables one to quickly build, deploy and manage applications and services online. Kovoor says that there is a massive opportunity for African startups to monetise their applications on this platform.
Microsoft BizSpark on the other hand is a global programme that helps software startups succeed by giving them access to Microsoft software development tools, connecting them with key industry players including investors and providing marketing visibility to help entrepreneurs in starting a business.
This is according to Aben Kovoor, Area Lead Developer & Platform group, Middle East and Africa, who was speaking at the DEMO Africa conference, that took place in Nairobi, Kenya from October 24 to 26.
“Microsoft established its first African office on the continent more than 20 years ago. We are now concentrating on the African market just to help it build its innovations and expose it to the world,” he said.
“We want to promote African startups to access our rich network of partners and customers across the globe, and it is for this reason we have established more than 16 offices in different parts of the continent, to make us more accessible to the innovators,” he added.
Kovoor promised that innovators stand to benefit more from the Windows 8 platform, calling it the most dynamic platform ever produced by the corporation, aimed at helping developers and innovators build their products and monetise them.
He added that Microsoft had three main products to help African innovators, including the Windows 8 operating system and Windows phone, the Windows Azure cloud service and Microsoft BizSpark.
The Windows Azure service is an open and flexible cloud program that enables one to quickly build, deploy and manage applications and services online. Kovoor says that there is a massive opportunity for African startups to monetise their applications on this platform.
Microsoft BizSpark on the other hand is a global programme that helps software startups succeed by giving them access to Microsoft software development tools, connecting them with key industry players including investors and providing marketing visibility to help entrepreneurs in starting a business.
