Information Management & Innovation : Key To Microsoft

Steve Ballmer,in his recent speech at Stanford sees the software industry witnessing more growth over the next five years than it has over the past decade. "I've lost track of the number of times someone has said that personal computing had reached its limits," Ballmer said. "But potential is still largely untapped for software and computing."Ballmer predicted that most of this growth would come from innovations in information management technology. "One of Microsoft's goals is helping customers find, manage, and organize the ocean of digital information that's accessible to just about everyone in the world," he said. "All of the information is there, but it's often very difficult for people to find and manage. We want to help people to organize and visualize their information in new and rich ways." Ballmer says today the world's largest manufacturer of software for personal and business computing must focus unrelentingly on "sustained, tenacious innovation." "Innovation is the lifeblood of software business," he said. And as Microsoft's CEO for the past five years, Ballmer has considered it his primary responsibility to drive the innovation and growth agenda for the company. "As a leader, your job is to set the tone for big, bold innovation," he said. At Microsoft, that means fostering an environment that continually focuses on the potential for future growth—not on the long-term challenges that slow it down.

Ballmer, predicts that future innovations in information management, unified communications, and digital technology will inspire people to "re-imagine the role that computing will play in our daily lives." VoIP will enable people to manage various modes of communication more effectively. Ballmer also cited digital entertainment as an area with extraordinary potential for future growth. Microsoft must maintain a corporate culture that nurtures and rewards innovation in order to tap the full potential of technologies like these. He also highlights, In addition to passion, an almost stubborn persistence and a tolerance for risk-taking are critical to Microsoft's culture of innovation. "Successful innovation is a lot like hitting in baseball: No one hits it out of the park every time. Many different factors—both internal and external—affect your success at the game. You can strike out by getting to the game too early and by getting to it too late, but the only way to hit a home run is to keep swinging at balls."