Microsoft announces aggressive expansion in India

Microsoft Corporation India Pvt Ltd is aggressively expanding its presence in India. The US software giant, which plans to make India a global hub for research, product and applications development, will be opening offices in six cities in India. Microsoft has a presence in seven cities at present.

The company will open offices in Ahmedabad, Indore, Nagpur, Chandigarh, Cochin and Coimbatore, and the expansion is in keeping with its vision to target small and mid-market organisations.

Microsoft will enable these organisations to access a comprehensive portfolio of its products and services.

"Small and medium businesses are playing a key role in driving India's growth," says Neelam Dhawan MD, Microsoft India. "We remain committed to help them utilize technology for empowering their people, address consumer needs better and streamline their businesses. Our presence in these cities will achieve this much more effectively."

The Redmond-headquartered firm plans to forge relationships with industry associations in all these cities.

According to Anil K. Jain vice-president, corporate business unit, Wipro Technologies, "Microsoft's geo expansion initiative to reach out to local businesses is a step in the right direction to deliver value both to customers as well as the partners in these markets.
Microsoft's direct presence in non-metro markets will further strengthen the partner ecosystem as well as inspire greater understanding and trust in its offerings within local business community."

Bill Gates, the Microsoft chairman, during his visit to India in December 2005, had announced plans to invest $1.7 billion over the next four years. The company also planned to raise its headcount by more than 3,000 during this period.

About half of the investment is to expand its existing research product applications and technical support facilities, including Microsoft Research India, the India development centre, and the Microsoft global technical support centre. The American software major ultimately plans to have offices in nearly three-dozen Indian cities.