Microsoft Canada Inc

Microsoft Canada Inc

Microsoft Canada Inc is the Canadian subsidiary of Microsoft Corporation, a US-based computer products, services and software company founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen in 1975. The Canadian arm was established in 1985 and headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario.

Microsoft Canada has nine regional offices located in Toronto, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Vancouver, Ottawa, Montréal, Québec, and Halifax. In addition to these is the Microsoft Canada Development Centre in Greater Vancouver, which employs over 300 software developers who work on more than 50 per cent of Microsoft's products, including Windows Vista, Office, Xbox and server technology. With over 1000 employees and 16 200 technology partners, Microsoft Canada is responsible for over CDN$1 billion in revenue and adds CDN$6.6 billion in employment income to the Canadian economy.

Since its inception in September 2007, the Vancouver Development Centre has played a key role in developing code and testing software systems. The centre is considered a premier Microsoft Development Centre.

Company History

Following the development of the groundbreaking computer operating system MS-DOS (Microsoft Disk Operating System) in the early 1980s for use in the IBM Personal Computer, Microsoft quickly became a leader in software development and design. Microsoft Windows was released in 1985, a user-friendly interface that replaced keystroke commands with point-and-click mouse input. Microsoft Windows used drop-down menus, scroll bars, icons and dialogue boxes to make PCs easier to use. Also in 1985, Microsoft opened its first Canadian subsidiary in Mississauga, Ontario. That same year, in a classic case of bureaucratic confusion, Rich MacIntosh, general manager of Microsoft Canada, was called to the Canadian Department of Agriculture to retrieve his quarantined Microsoft "mouse."

By 1988, Microsoft became the world's largest PC software company as computers quickly became a part of daily life. Microsoft Office was introduced in 1989, which included a suite of office productivity applications. Today, Microsoft Office remains the top office productivity system used throughout the world.

By the time Windows 95 was released in 1995, 80% of the world's PCs were running on MS-DOS or previous versions of Windows. Also in 1995, Microsoft released the first version of Internet Explorer. Microsoft products include the Windows family; software server products, services and solutions; online services; Microsoft Office suite; and entertainment and devices, including the Xbox video game system and Zune digital music and entertainment device.

Corporate Citizenship

Microsoft Canada has been recognized for its community work and commitment to Canadian charities. For instance, Microsoft Canada collaborated with the RCMP and the Toronto Police Service to develop the Child Exploitation Tracking System (CETS), which allows police to track online predators and share information with other police forces. This program is used by 25 police forces in Canada, and by law enforcement agencies worldwide. Additionally, Microsoft Canada works through initiatives like Partners in Learning, a not-for-profit program that aims to bring computers and innovative educational tools to the classroom. Microsoft Canada's I Volunteer program encourages employees to spend up to 40 hours a year during regular work hours to contribute to their community. Since 2003, Microsoft employees have contributed over 20 000 hours to Canadian communities.

Today, Microsoft remains a major global brand and is still considered the leader in computer software. Its products have redefined the global marketplace and have changed the way the world does business.

See alsoIBM Canada.