Microsoft 2006 Annual Report Download - page 5

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PAGE 4
In 2006, we introduced Windows Live, which includes a wide range of personal Internet services and software, and Office Live,
which provides small businesses with affordable Internet-based business services hosted by Microsoft. We rolled out new
search services, including beta releases of Windows Live Search and Windows Live Academic Search. We introduced new and
enhanced services for computer safety and computer maintenance (Windows Live SafetyCenter and Windows Live OneCare),
communications (Windows Live Mail and Windows Live Messenger), and entertainment (Xbox Live). We also created Live Labs,
an applied research program that targets Internet products and services.
Because software services offer strong opportunities for growth, we will continue to refine and improve adCenter, our
advertising engine for Windows Live, MSN®, and other Microsoft online services. We will roll out new service-based solutions,
such as Microsoft Dynamics CRM Live, which we announced in July 2006. We will also continue to build out our services
infrastructure, providing new tools to help partners and businesses create and host services, and adding new data centers to
meet growing consumer demand for services.
Investing in Our Employees and Our Communities
The cornerstone of our success has always been our ability to attract and retain the most talented employees from around the
world. In May, we announced important changes to help us ensure that Microsoft continues to be one of the world’s best places
to work. These changes will enable us to better reward and retain top talent, while providing a workplace that is positive,
inclusive, and collaborative.
We also continue to work to foster social and economic advancement for communities in developing nations through
partnerships with public- and private-sector organizations. We support a broad range of efforts to expand access to technology,
provide training that can give people the skills they need to thrive in today’s economy, and nurture local software economies
that open the door to new opportunities and greater prosperity.
In 2006, community learning centers supported by our Unlimited Potential program reached more than 14.5 million people in
100 countries. Through our Partners in Learning program, we helped provide information and communications technology
curriculum and skills training to 42 million primary and secondary teachers and students in 101 countries. By 2010, we intend
to provide technology training to 250 million people who were previously underserved by technology.
Incredible Opportunities in the Decade Ahead
In many ways, the founding of Microsoft 30 years ago was a critical catalyst for the creation of the software industry, the
popularizations of the PC, and the rise of the information revolution.
Today, it’s not just the PC that is changing the world. Software is everywhere. It is revolutionizing the telephone and transforming
the way we watch television. It ties businesses to customers and partners in new ways. It links students to vast collections of
information stored around the world. It connects hundreds of millions of people across the globe to incredible economic, social,
and cultural opportunities.
As thrilling as the last 30 years have been, we think the next 10 years promise to be the most exciting in the history of Microsoft
and our industry as a whole. We believe strongly that everything this company has delivered to date is really just the foundation
for the truly profound changes we will see during the next 10 years. Because software is more central every day to the way we
work, communicate, learn, and play, we believe no company is better positioned than Microsoft to thrive in the coming decade.
We are deeply inspired by the incredible opportunities that lie ahead for our company. It is your support that enables us to
continue to pursue these opportunities. Thank you.
William H. Gates III
Chairman of the Board
Steven A. Ballmer
Chief Executive Officer