ESADE: President of Microsoft Spain promotes Joint-Investment Partnerships

At a recent ESADE event, María Garaña, President of Microsoft Spain, noted that Spain is among the countries with the highest rates of piracy, which discourages new investment in Spanish industry. We are currently seeing the convergence of three industries: technology, telecommunications and the media. “There are more and more points of contact between the mobile telephone industry, television and the technology industry", said María Garaña, President of Microsoft Spain, at a recent session of Desayunos ESADE. The convergence of these three industries may result in two distinct business models: vertical integration and alliances. According to Ms. Garaña, Microsoft has chosen the latter.

In today’s market, it is essential to be involved in the entire chain and be able to intervene in manufacturing processes in order to dictate parameters that affect service optimisation. According to Ms. Garaña, “The idea is to form partnerships with operators and device manufacturers in order to make joint investments".

“The Spanish technology industry exports very little", explained Ms. Garaña. “The main barriers to export include the disconnect between technology and the upper echelons of business management, the failure to analyse how technology can positively affect a company’s bottom line, and the lack of public-private collaboration".

On a more positive note, Ms. Garaña explained that “two factors are enabling technological advances¿ in Spain. First, technology is entering Spanish households at a rapid pace (consumerisation), which helps it gain a foothold in various areas of business; and second, cloud computing is encouraging technology suppliers to focus on generating consumer confidence with regard to privacy and data handling. “This has led to a change in business model, since now the key moment in the relationship with the customer begins when the contract is signed", said Ms. Garaña. “From that moment forward, privacy, security and support become key factors".

These aspects may hold the key to bolstering Spain’s technology industry. Nevertheless, as Ms. Garaña explained, “We must address the issue of piracy, because it seriously affects us as a country". Investors seek profit, and the fact that Spain is always near the top of worldwide piracy rankings, with figures of around 48%, can “act as a deterrent".