Microsoft Corporation: SWOT Analysis Of Microsoft

Microsoft Corporation a multinational company headquartered in Redmond, Washington, United States that licenses, manufactures, develops, and supports a wide range of products and services primarily related to computing through its various product divisions. Established on April 4, 1975 to develop and sell BASIC interpreters for the Altair 8800, Microsoft rose to dominate the home computer operating system market with MS-DOS in the mid-1980s, followed by the Microsoft Windows line of operating systems. Microsoft is one of the largest software corporations in the world that has diversified in recent years into the video game industry with the Xbox and its successor, the Xbox 360 as well as into the consumer electronics and digital services market

If a software or a hardware firm wanted to sell to these MS end users, they had to go through Microsoft in order to write to its specifications. U.S. and European governments have sought to reduce the MS stranglehold on the software market. Even Microsoft’s enormous market share is not impenetrable and immune to attack. (Blake, 2012)

SWOT Analysis

STRENGTHS:

• Microsoft is a massive global brand. It is recognizable for two main reasons. It was one of the biggest software developers it has established a customer base of around 30 million people. It has built its reputation on the successful development of its computer software’s namely the Windows line of products.

• Brand is all-important. Microsoft is one of the most established and healthy IT brand in the World, and has a very loyal set of enthusiastic customers that advocates and uses the brand. With loyal customers, it means that Microsoft does not only recruit new customers but retains previous ones.

• The organization is built up of different lead offices in the United States and around the globe, making the development and distribution of its products easily accessible to the consumers. It has its offices in Germany, United Kingdom and Europe and sub offices in countries such as China, France and

Chatting with the great minds at Microsoft Research Asia, one is reminded of an open university that knows no boundaries. “Mentors” here are erudite but never short on passion; “pupils" are diligent and willing to take risks. This is where “Microsoft culture” resides. (Wu, 2009) All commercial dealings take place thru globally interconnected networks, on which no one can escape data and software, in a method that moves from one island of information to the next. Anything that one might need is just a simple search away. One’s life, regardless of station, is driven by technology. Economic development, propelled by digitization and computing, is advancing at the speed of light. (Wu,