Microsoft unveils expansion strategies

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Microsoft’s president for Asia Pacific region Cesar Cernuda talked about the company’s business plans in Vietnam with VIR’s Linh Mai.

As president of Microsoft Asia Pacific, what are your roles and responsibilities for the Vietnamese market?

Vietnam is a developing country and has great potential in the information and technology (IT) industry. I am very impressed to see how the country has progressed in recent years. With the right investments in IT infrastructure as well improved awareness of intellectual property rights, I have no doubt that  Vietnam will achieve its vision of becoming a strong information and communication technology (ICT) economy, becoming a source of IT talent in the region.

We have been in Vietnam for more than 16 years and have around 100 employees and 500 local partners. Microsoft has invested $80 million in Vietnam through projects such as the Worldwide Appathon, BizSpark, and Dreamspark among others.

Vietnam’s ICT industry is growing very fast. What factors are driving this growth and how is Microsoft involving itself in this process?

Vietnam has the potential to be the IT market with the highest growth rate in Southeast Asia. The advantage of having highly-skilled and competitive software developers, the implementation of big foreign-invested IT projects, the development of the third generation (3G) mobile network and investment in IT infrastructure, particularly in the private sector, will be the leading motivations for the IT market. This opens up plenty of opportunities for Microsoft to engage in partnerships with local companies in localising and developing products. As we can see, the Vietnamese government’s priorities focus on five key pillars including developing ICT human resources, developing the ICT industry, developing telco and ICT infrastructure, applying ICT in state agencies, enterprises and society, and enhancing research and development in ICT. As a global leading trusted ICT advisor, Microsoft has mapped out a strategic plan that aligns with Vietnam’s ICT 2020 master plan in key areas such as ICT infrastructure and security, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)-productivity, human resources and workforce development, and education development.

What has Microsoft had to do to stay competitive in this market?

We see great potential for Microsoft and other big names in this market and Microsoft chose Vietnam as a strategic market in which it has developed a long-term commitment. As a worldwide leading IT provider in software, solutions, and services for customers, Microsoft is also currently a manufacturer of high-end technology devices. We are very excited to bring the exquisite experience of using our products and solutions to customers. Microsoft will always be a trusted advisor, together with our powerful partners in Vietnam, to further help the Vietnamese government and enterprises realise their plans relating to IT.

Vietnamese companies, especially SMEs, have not  invested much in IT solutions or new technologies. What kinds of products will you focus to win over SMEs in Vietnam?

Many enterprises around the world, not only in Vietnam, are not really aware of the necessity of building a solid IT platform which enables them to improve effectiveness and increase productivity. This is also an opportunity for our partners to persuade and support customers in setting up a modern IT platform based on advanced solutions and services to improve their competitiveness and have more successful operations.

The lifeblood of most countries in Asia and in particular Vietnam is SMEs, who represent 97 per cent of businesses, employ 77 per cent of the workforce and account for 80 per cent of the retail market. Microsoft’s wide range of flexible solutions and products from infrastructure to cloud can help businesses save money and time and increase productivity with products such as Windows 8, Windows Phone 8, Windows Server 2012 and Windows Azure.