Microsoft Company Analysis

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) is a US-based multinational corporation specializing in computer technology. They devleop, license, manufacture and support software products for computers and other electronic devices. Their headquarters is in Redmond, Washington.

As of the new century, Microsoft has long been a giant in the software industry. Their operating systems were dominant throughout the previous decade and appear poised to remain so. Their Microsoft Office productivity software is extremely popular and is largely the standard.

Despite all these advantages, the new millennium has brought Microsoft face to face with challenges that were not on its radar only ten years prior. The rise of "cloud computing" has brought the importance of the particular computer much lower. While the company was the target of many antitrust suits, it's not clear whether it's dominant position can be maintained as technology changes very rapidly.

Microsoft has always seemed to lag in adopting and truly understanding the nature of the Internet. They were notoriously late to get involved in the game and continue to seem to "not get it." In many ways the open nature of the Internet is in conflict with the business model that made them a giant in the industry. As of 2009 they still seemed to lack a coherent strategy for evolving with technology.