We’ve known about Microsoft’s reorganization efforts for months now, and today is the today the company decided to announce what exactly this could mean for the future of Microsoft and its many divisions.
Basically, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer hopes to create “One Microsoft” with this major reorganization by streamlining operations in a “far-reaching realignment of the company that will enable us to innovate with greater speed, efficiency and capability in a fast changing world” according to an internal memo.
“We are rallying behind a single strategy as one company — not a collection of divisional strategies.”
Microsoft is essentially completely removing its Windows; Server and Tools; Microsoft Business Division; Entertainment and Devices; and Online Services and replacing them with function-based organizations — including Engineering; Marketing; Business Development and Evagelism; Finance; Advanced Strategy and Research; Human Resources; Legal; and Chief Operating Officer — to go along with new engineering areas — Apps, Devices, Operating System, and Cloud. Current executives who look after these divisions will continue to do so, but will also be looking after new products and responsibilities.
“All parts of the company will share and contribute to the success of core offerings,” Ballmer says. “Like Windows, Windows Phone, Xbox, Surface, Office 365 and our EA offer, Bing, Skype, Dynamics, Azure and our servers.”
According to Ballmer, the process will take “through the end of the calendar year” to really become effective as the company tries to “figure things out and as we keep existing teams focused on current deliverables like Windows 8.1, Xbox One, Windows Phone, etc.”
Efficiency is almost always a good thing, but that all awaits to be seen. Here’s hoping that these new changes will bring more features, updates, and more to Skype as the competition in the VoIP and messaging space continues to heat up.