MTC official opening 2 - Director Demonstrating Analytics to GOH party (1)
Microsoft today opened a S$23 million technology centre in Singapore to enable companies to test out new technologies such as cloud computing and unified communications before rolling them out at their own premises.
The first in Southeast Asia, the centre joins another 26 worldwide in showcasing and concept-proofing the software giant’s new offerings to corporate customers.
The centre will offer servers, storage devices, network equipment, Microsoft software and even Windows smartphones to customers keen to run through potential rollouts in a test environment.
Among the other areas that the centre will focus on are business productivity optimisation, mobile workforce applications and virtualisation, according to the company’s website on the technology centres.
Microsoft Singapore managing director Jessica Tan said the new centre will let customers “see, discuss and try” before they incur costs to deploy new technologies and applications. This, she added, would enable the adoption of cutting-edge technologies at their own pace while saving time and money.
Other company executives say the centre, informally opened to selected customers since February, has already drawn about 1,000 visitors. About 6,000 are expected to visit by the end of this year, reports ZDNet Asia .
Microsoft has been a mainstay in Singapore. Since 1990, it is said to have invested more than S$4.7 billion in the country. It will pump in S$23 million in the new centre over the next five years.