Microsoft's $2 billion bet
C|Net | at | by Mike
How do you get 800,000 people to sing in harmony? Microsoft executive Orlando Ayala may have an answer--but we won't know for sure for another 18 months. Ayala, former head of Microsoft's worldwide sales organization, is settling into his new responsibilities as chief of Microsoft's Small and Midmarket Solutions and Partner Group.
One task is to boost sales of Microsoft products from all seven divisions to small and medium-size businesses with 1,000 or fewer employees. To succeed he must rely on and improve relationships with about 800,000 dealers and consultants worldwide. While Microsoft has had great success selling to larger corporations, the company has struggled to achieve even a fraction of the penetration into the overall small and medium-size business market.