Microsoft's Unexpected Enterprise Strategy
Silicon | at | by Mike
Microsoft and the Enterprise - It could be argued that no company has a presence as powerful or as ubiquitous in the corporate IT world as Microsoft. Only Intel, Cisco, and IBM can come close. And clearly, no software company comes close in rivaling the revenue base, branding power, and mindshare of the Redmond juggernaut, whose Windows operating system and Office productivity suite platforms are de facto standards for desktop and laptop computers in Global 2000 environments and beyond. Furthermore, over the past few years, Microsoft has made great strides in extending its influence beyond the desktop, as evidenced by the inroads made by its Windows NT/2000 (leading server operating system in terms of unit shipments), Exchange Server (controls over half of the server-based e-mail and messaging software market), and SQL Server (quickly gaining share in the market for database software for small and medium-sized businesses) platforms.