Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella outlines vision for the future of the company

past and future

Microsoft's CEO Satya Nadella has hinted that the company will be changing its direction to ensure mobile and cloud solutions are at the forefront of its strategy.

He said in an email to employees:"I want to synthesize the strategic direction and massive opportunity I've been discussing for the past few months and the fundamental cultural changes required to deliver on it."

Nadella wishes to reshape Microsoft, moving away from its products and services core and embracing mobile and the cloud more readily.

"We live in a mobile-first and cloud-first world. Computing is ubiquitous and experiences span devices and exhibit ambient intelligence. Billions of sensors, screens and devices in conference rooms, living rooms, cities, cars, phones, PCs are forming a vast network and streams of data that simply disappear into the background of our lives," he said.

"We will reinvent productivity to empower every person and every organisation on the planet to do more and achieve more."

The Microsoft chief wants to focus on creating new categories of device, citing the Surface Pro 3 as an example as to how the company has done this in the past.

"At times we'll develop new categories like we did with Surface. It also means we will responsibly make the market for Windows Phone, which is our goal with the Nokia devices and services acquisition."

To do this, Nadella said Microsoft's product teams need to be restructured to be "customer-obsessed, data-driven, speed-oriented and quality-focused," with less process getting in the way of decisions. To meet these targets, the company also wants to improve its training and build on investments in data and computer sciences, ensuring each of its engineering groups has the correct resources for the levels of innovation required.

"I consider the job before us to be bolder and more ambitious than anything we have ever done," Nadella concluded.

Clare Hopping
Freelance writer

Clare is the founder of Blue Cactus Digital, a digital marketing company that helps ethical and sustainability-focused businesses grow their customer base.

Prior to becoming a marketer, Clare was a journalist, working at a range of mobile device-focused outlets including Know Your Mobile before moving into freelance life.

As a freelance writer, she drew on her expertise in mobility to write features and guides for ITPro, as well as regularly writing news stories on a wide range of topics.