Microsoft is one of the largest computer technology companies. This organization dominates the computer technology market and employs approximately 120,000 people (Good, 2022). The presence of serious competitors, including Apple, Google and Yahoo, also characterizes the business of Microsoft. Currently, the company’s main products are software for individual users and businesses. Furthermore, its subdivisions produce electronic devices and gadgets. For 2023, Microsoft is trending to increase its business by acquiring large companies in the entertainment and IT industries.
Regarding the SWOT, the organization’s strengths are its global market influence and high-profit margins. The weaknesses are the lack of implementation of innovative technologies at the moment and the business’s vulnerability to cyber-attacks. Opportunities for the company lie in the expansion of business through the acquisition of successful companies in the entertainment and IT spheres and the development prospects of cloud technologies (Good, 2022). Threats to the organization include severe competition within the market and increasing cybercrime. Overall, Microsoft has several characteristics that determine the business’s crucial aspects.
Information technology (IT) represents a business area selected for this project. In Microsoft’s case, the proper implementation and development of IT have a direct impact on revenues. This business area is especially relevant nowadays since Microsoft experiences issues with software development. In addition, the appropriate application of information technology is essential to avoid significant financial and reputational losses due to cyber-attacks.
Based on the above, three are two topic options to consider. First, security threats for IoT systems, including the Azure IoT service offered by Microsoft, have grown tremendously over the past years (Microsoft Corporation, 2022). Exploring Microsoft’s responses to IoT-related security concerns represents a viable project topic, but collecting enough data might be challenging due to the considerations of internal data security. Second, Microsoft recognizes ransomware as a service (RaaS) as a prominent emerging threat in the cybersecurity landscape (Microsoft Corporation, 2022). RaaS models take cybercriminals’ cooperation to the next level, requiring innovative protection-enhancing solutions. Furthermore, RaaS is a recent trend, making this project topic possess certain academic novelty. Data from open-access sources, ranging from news articles to public reports, should be enough to proceed with the RaaS-related topic. Therefore, the second topic can be recommended for implementation. The proposal is as follows: I will apply the case study approach to explore the feasibility of Microsoft’s IT responses to the RaaS trend, comparing them against measures taken by other industry leaders.
References
Good, D. (2020). The Microsoft story: How the tech giant rebooted its culture, upgraded its strategy, and found success in the cloud. HarperCollins Leadership.
Microsoft Corporation. Microsoft digital defense report 2022. Web.