Microsoft's 4 Challenges in 2010
When you're a technology mongrel like Microsoft, challenges are constant -- and 2009 was chock full of them. It was a tumultuous year that saw the software giant's first widespread layoffs and its worst quarterly revenue earnings ever.
Yet there were some rays of sunlight flickering through the clouds. Windows 7 survived its many pre-launch milestones and launched successfully in October; search engine Bing debuted with aggressive marketing and innovative features; the launch of Windows Azure pulled Microsoft's cloud computing strategy together; Office, Exchange, and Sharepoint software continue to own the enterprise; and Microsoft's public presence on television improved with the Laptop Hunters, Windows 7 and Bing ad campaigns.
But still, due to its massive size, Microsoft has been more affected by the global economic downturn than tech companies of smaller stature. So 2010 is likely to be a rebuilding year for Redmond as the economy slowly improves, say industry analysts.
