Recent
Kansas City tech events have been on fire with
Google Fiber this and Google Apps that, but there's another technology leader in town that has been a solid partner, if a little more quiet, to Kansas City for much longer than Google...
Microsoft.
First, a little history and information - Microsoft was founded in 1975 by
Bill Gates and Paul Allen, does nearly $70 billion in revenue world wide, and employs 90,000+ workers. They produce hundreds of products across many markets and their
Windows desktop operating systems and
Office productivity suites and have become the de facto standard for business operations as well as for consumers.
What many of you may not know is that Microsoft has an office right here in the
Kansas City area.
According to LinkedIn, there are over 100 local Microsoft employees based in the KC metro. Along with other offices in the Midwest the local office supports Microsoft's
North Central District which includes Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri and Nebraska.
Back to the story... Microsoft has a history of partnering with Kansas City. They are a member of the
Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce's Leadership Circle - a group that works on behalf of Kansas City in Washington D.C., Jefferson City and Topeka. Together, members support efforts to enhance quality education, encourage regional cooperation, develop Downtown and encourage growth in the life sciences industry among other issues. Recently, they sponsored the
Gigabit Challenge in collaboration with
Think Big Partners and a virtual who's who of Kansas City companies.
Microsoft has either directly delivered or provided guest speakers for literally hundreds of local events over the last 10 years. They've hosted huge release events for Windows and Office in
Bartle Hall. They've presented to user groups and corporate boards. And they regularly host partner companies in their own offices for a great variety of events.
Microsoft has engaged with Kansas City. Their
local office is an invaluable resource for the hundreds of area technology companies that depend on Microsoft for their technology and partnering support expertise and resources demanded by the ever-changing and accelerating
Information Technology race.
According to Microsoft's
career website there are 35 open positions that mention the Kansas City area. There appear to be 107 open Microsoft-related positions in Kansas City according to a job
search on LinkedIn. If you
search on Indeed.com for "Microsoft" it appears there are 2,180 open Microsoft-software related positions in the Kansas City area. That's a lot of high-tech computer, business and sales jobs that depend on Microsoft software and their partner ecosystem!
Recently, Microsoft announced the opening of a new
Microsoft Retail Store at Oak Park Mall. The grand opening event is scheduled for June 28.
See the announcement from May 17th.
So, remember as your company considers new technologies like "cloud services" that you have a partner - actually
84 Microsoft Partners according to Microsoft's Pinpoint and
seven for Cloud Computing alone - in Kansas City. No matter which industry you fall within - manufacturing & distribution, financial, local / state / federal government, legal, professional services, education, healthcare, etc - there is a Microsoft Partner match for you that specializes in providing technology services specifically to customers that look like you. The hundreds of Information Technology workers across those 84 Microsoft Partners can provide the expertise and personal attention you expect from a top service organization like Microsoft - backed by Microsoft itself with all the resources and know how of the premier business computer technology company in the world.
PS. Scott Cameron is not an agent of nor does he represent Microsoft directly in any way. This article was not reviewed nor approved by Microsoft. All information is publicly available.
