Aimee Thompson
Microsoft had a fantastic 2021, and as a direct consequence, that made 2021 also a good year for their customers and partners. The company reported an impressive and continuous growth of both revenue and net profit. More importantly, Microsoft actively used these resources to further strengthen and expand their position as the world’s leading provider of an intelligent cloud platform.
With that platform approach, their customers were supported in their digital transformation initiatives. These positive outcomes resulted in another year of sharply increasing stock prices. In 2021, the shares grew by 51 percent, making Microsoft one of the best-rated companies in the world.
Microsoft's turnover and profit continued to grow in 2021, despite the markets during the COVID crisis. With its comprehensive offering of modern, cloud-based products and services, the company took full advantage of the impetus that this crisis has given to the digital transformation of our world.
The good news for the Microsoft customers and partners is that the company decided to reinvest large parts of its growing profits in Research & Development, with the aim of further improving its software solutions and services. In fiscal year 2021, Microsoft invested no less than $ 20.7 billion in Research & Development; 12 percent of their total revenue. That expense represented an 8 percent increase equating to $1.4 billion compared to a year earlier.
Here's an example that shows the impact of these R&D investments on product innovation. In 2021, the use of Microsoft Teams grew spectacular as a result of the rise of hybrid work. Teams is the only all-in-one solution that supports meetings, calls, chat, collaboration and business process automation in day-to-day workflow. Microsoft introduced hundreds of new features, from new presenter modes to new inclusive meeting experiences. Today, over 250 million people use Teams every month.
Finally, Microsoft has a strong and consistent strategy for her Dynamics 365 ERP and CRM business solutions. The company succeeds time and again in expanding and improving these products. Important in this regard is the ongoing integration with the surrounding products from Microsoft's powerful intelligent cloud platform. Such as Office (productivity), Teams (collaboration), Power BI (reporting and insights) and Power Apps (low-code development). This strategy is the basis for a continuous growth in the number of customers and market share.
So, if you have plans to upgrade or modernize your existing IT solutions in 2022, it certainly makes sense to give Microsoft a position on your shortlist.
The focus of a modern and integrated set of solutions that cover any business requirement means that you only have to invest in one prime vendor: Microsoft. With a partner that is an expert in implementing those integrated solutions, you will have a modern system that will not only help you to manage your business, but give you the tools to be a market leader. But what does a modern, integrated business look like?
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