Creating an IT destiny through consumerisation

Many people now find that their home-based IT equipment and services are both more capable and less expensive than what is provided in their workplace and it’s saving companies time and money. The so-called “consumer” products are evolving into reliable yet inexpensive tools, and Microsoft provides users with these products created with their IT needs in mind. At Microsoft, we know that the success of our products such as the Windows Phone 7 is based on the ability of these products to win over consumers who will take these devices into the corporate arena when they bring it to work. Our upcoming Office 365 suite, which includes online and on-premises versions of Office, Exchange, SharePoint, and Lync will serve the dual purpose of home and work uses so that consumers can enjoy the convenience of being connected to work anywhere at any time.

 

It is obvious that technology plays an increasingly crucial role in people’s personal and work lives, and our expectations of what technology can do is also changing.  Today, people have access to powerful and affordable PCs and laptops in their homes, and they are using mobile devices that allow them to have “always on” connectivity. Social networks also enable people to connect with each other in new and profound ways. All of these factors have contributed to more choice and flexibility for consumers, especially as these everyday technologies are introduced into their professional lives. A study by Unisys (conducted by IDC) found that 95 per cent of information workers used at least one self-purchased device at work. 

 

While some may dismiss it as a passing fad, those who understand consumerisation know that there are many benefits from the trend that businesses can capitalise on. Consumers love their user-friendly mobile technology because it empowers them with the ability to stay connected, access information and collaborate with each other. By taking the right approach, businesses can also make use of these same benefits. However, it is important to achieve the right balance for your business to refrain from any risks and reap the most benefits. This means businesses can choose to utilise certain consumer technologies into the workplace or continue using technology designed for corporate settings such as Microsoft’s Hotmail and SharePoint.

At Microsoft Thailand, we’ve made it our priority to focus on consumers as the trend of consumerisation has proven the fact that consumers are the driving force behind our business.

 

Thus, we are preparing to further penetrate the Thai consumer market, and plan to launch products and services to individual consumers, including xBox, Kinect, Internet services and an online market place. We expect the increased focus on the consumer market to double our growth rate in the next three years. Microsoft Thailand is currently being restructured to increase teams for consumer products. The teams will be formed from existing business units, and each one will be committed to exploring the consumer market so that the company can better serve consumer. Thailand is the only country that is being allowed to increase its number of staff, because the consumerisation trend in Thailand is very strong when compared to the other countries in the Asia-Pacific region. Thai consumers are known to be early adopters of IT products. Thus, Thailand is seen as high potential for increasing revenue. Following the global direction and benefiting from the multinational support of 36-year-old Microsoft Corporation, we will sell directly to Thai consumers through proper infrastructure, including an online service platform and market place for Thais.

 

Birathon Kasemsri na Ayudhaya is a managing director of Microsoft (Thailand).