The Role of the Communications Sector Group

A team dedicated to marketing Microsoft products to the telecommunications and media industries faces new challenges: deregulation, explosive wireless and broadband growth, and the shift to digital media are reshaping the landscape, and Microsoft’s Communications Sector group must anticipate such changes. Helping customers in this sector connect new services (such as hosted e-mail on Exchange) to legacy systems (such as their billing and customer care systems) using Web services protocols has been one strategy. However, with other Microsoft groups now looking at hosted services for new revenue, the group might have to refocus its sales efforts.

Origin and Purpose of the Group

Originally formed in 1995 and currently headed by Vice President Maria Martinez, the Communications Sector is responsible for marketing and selling Microsoft products to enterprise customers in three broad business areas:

• Telecommunications—which Microsoft defines as wireline and wireless phone carriers, network