US software giant Microsoft Corp said on Friday it saw its swelling business in the Middle East growing further as it moves its regional base to Dubai's Internet City later this year, reported the Gulf News. At more than 45 percent annual growth in sales, the Middle East and Africa is "clearly our fastest growing area," said Jean-Philippe Courtois, Microsoft president for Europe, Middle East and Africa.
"We've been growing very fast. It was 90 percent three years ago, it was 45-50 percent last year, and we plan to grow by over 45 percent this year," Courtois said.
He said he expected Dubai Internet City (DIC), a multi-faceted Information Technology free zone in the UAE, to act as a catalyst for further growth. DIC has also attracted other big names such as Oracle, Dell Computers, Compaq and Mastercard.
Microsoft will move to DIC by September, and plans to join unspecified partners to develop IT solutions, Courtois said. "Obviously DIC is really a key project for us, not just at the regional level, but certainly at a worldwide level – Albawaba.com
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