Microsoft

Microsoft was founded in 1975 by Bill Gates and is headquartered in Redmond, USA. The company is the world's leading manufacturer of standard software, services and solutions for people and businesses of all sizes and in all industries. According to the "Great Place to Work" research and consulting institute, Microsoft's German headquarters in Munich, with more than 1000 employees, is the best IT employer for large companies.

In 2005, Microsoft was still in second place among the world's leading brands; in the meantime it has dropped back to fifth place and is still experiencing a decline of two percent. Although the US group has an almost monopoly-like position in operating systems, it is finding it difficult to compete against competitors such as Google. The company's success is due to its own Windows operating system. It is installed on more than 90 percent of the world's computers and is used by over a billion people.

Business divisions

• The "Windows & Windows Live Division" includes the development and marketing of operating systems, online services, software and PC hardware.
• The "Server & Tools" division includes Windows Server, Microsoft SQL Server and products such as Visual Studio and Silverlight. Developer tools, training and certifications also fall into this category.
• The "Online Services Division" develops solutions in the area of online marketing. Examples are Bing, MSN, adCenter and Advertiser Tools.
• The "Microsoft Business Division", MBD for short, develops and markets software and services such as Microsoft Office in order to increase personal, team and organizational productivity.
• Another area is the Entertainment & Device Division, which develops and markets products and services to connect and entertain users. The focus here is on the Xbox 360 entertainment platform. This includes the Xbox console, the compatible Kinect control system, video games, the Xbox Live platform and all Xbox 360 accessories. Furthermore, the EDD includes the Windows Phone and the Mediaroom.

Microsoft's Bing and SEO

Google is still the undisputed global market leader in search engines. For this reason, many search engine optimizers focus their strategies exclusively on Google. Even though Microsoft's search engine Bing is growing increasingly in features and extensions and is perceptibly Google, on the other hand, has a market share of 90.3% with a growth rate of 0.1%.

Web Links

• Microsoft Website