Microsoft is planning to donate $1 billion in cloud services to communities who can’t currently afford it. Over three years, the corporation is planning to collaborate with private organizations and a few teams of researchers to give access to these communities to Microsoft’s cloud services. Will Apple and Google follow up with similar initiatives?
Long Term Perks Out of Charity Should Tempt Google and Apple Too
This is an easy way to get long-term users on the Microsoft cloud platform, so it’s not just an act made out of pure kindness. It’s mainly a win-win deal. The corporation is a strong believer in giving as many communities as possible cloud access. This gives people access to many valuable resources that are currently only accessible to rich societies.
In short words, Microsoft wants to empower everybody. There’s much to be learned in cloud computing, and these services connect people to valuable data, intelligence and analytics on it.
Google is working very hard on getting more people connected, with ventures like Project Loon and Project Ara. They have a slightly different approach than the Redmond-based company, but they’re also connecting entire countries. Apple is hard at work on making its factories greener by moving to make all factories fully sustainable in China.
Microsoft Philanthropies Take Nonprofits Under Their Wing
The company has designated a new arm dedicated to philanthropy. This office will be giving a full suite of cloud services to nonprofits. The services include Microsoft Azure, Enterprise Mobility Suite and additional data on the cloud.
The goal is to help out 70,000 nonprofits by the end of 2017. After that, the scope will get larger. Already in 2016, Microsoft is expecting to donate about $350 million to nonprofits in cloud services. These donations will be expanding by 50% to go to the Microsoft Azure for Research programs. The corporation will be using TV white spaces for last mile connectivity and bring cloud services to underserved communities over the globe.
Will Microsoft Get the Same Treatment Facebook Got?
Regardless of whether or not Microsoft has a secret agenda, this is an extremely positive move. Other tech companies have been criticized for giving away such charity, like Facebook. Mark Zuckerberg’s Free Basics initiative wasn’t met positively in India, but Microsoft isn’t imposing a system upon people. They are only offering it. For a long time, the company has been pushing for their cloud services to be used more in more places. They have been setting up data centers in certain countries to collaborate with local governments, which is very different from what Mark Zuckerberg tried to do. Hopefully, their efforts will be successful, and more countries will be better connected.
