Microsoft

Well, 2010 was a year in which Microsoft was unstoppable, at least on all cylinders but one*. Microsoft delivered on many expected and unexpected products, and finally, marketing at Microsoft seemed to awaken, Rip van Winkle-like, from their decades-long slumber.

From the client – Windows 7, to mobiles – Windows Phone 7, to the servers – Windows Server, and to the cloud – Windows Azure, with all the requisite tools and management, Microsoft had something for everyone.

In fact, even within innovative products, Microsoft has had several impressive components, such as, DirectAccess, BranchCache.

For an observer of Microsoft like myself, it has been quite a plateful:

• Microsoft Windows 7
• Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2
• Microsoft Windows Azure
• Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008 R2
• Microsoft Office 2010
• Microsoft Office 2011 (for the Mac)
• Microsoft Windows Phone 7
• Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010
• Microsoft Exchange Server 2010
• Microsoft System Center Essentials 2010
• Microsoft Expression Studio 4
• Microsoft Visual Studio 2010
• Microsoft Kinect for Xbox 360

Moreover, Microsoft started targeting the very small of small businesses with Microsoft Foundation Server, and small workgroups and education with Microsoft MultiPoint Server.

With all these innovations, selecting Microsoft as our Innovator of the Year 2010 was a no-brainer.

*  Microsoft’s Slate PC strategy is either incomplete, incoherent – the Windows 7 Slates noise notwithstanding, or just not evident.