Cloud computing is fundamentally changing how individuals and organisations will use technology in the future, said Microsoft chief executive officer Steve Ballmer.

Ballmer was giving his keynote address at the opening ceremony of Microsoft OpenDoor- the largest Microsoft technical event in Saudi Arabia this year.

“Microsoft OpenDoor presents a great opportunity to share our unique vision for Cloud Computing and the enormous potential it represents. The event is to focus on cloud computing which is fundamentally changing how individuals and organizations will use technology in the future,” said Ballmer.

“As a global technology leader, we are committed to the Middle East region. Having been here for 20 years, we believe we can play an important role to drive regional growth and development by helping governments, societies and individuals realize their full potential.”

According to Samir Noman, Microsoft Arabia President,“ Over the years, we have been in a privileged position to witness the enormous commitment and resources expended by the Saudi Arabian government in building their knowledge infrastructure and a dynamic Software Economy locally. There is an innate understanding about the correlation between technology and the acceleration of productivity and GDP growth, and the need to transform the Kingdom’s technology infrastructure to bolster the largest economy in the Middle East,  create more  businesses and jobs for the future.”

No’man added: “With Microsoft OpenDoor, we are renewing our commitment to Saudi Arabia and paving the way for industry and Government to participate in becoming more aware about Microsoft’s industry leading applications, tools and infrastructure which will define this next era of computing.”

Microsoft OpenDoor is a three-day conference taking place across two locations. In the first phase, the conference will complete its second day today (Nov 3) in Riyadh city and will conclude with one day session in Jeddah on November 7. The event is designed to attract more than 3,000 technology development managers, IT technical professionals and developers in Saudi Arabia.

The main theme of Microsoft OpenDoor is "Transitioning to the Cloud & Technology Roadmap", and it will cover various Microsoft technologies in Cloud computing, core infrastructure, database and desktop client, in addition to application platform and tools.

Meanwhile, Microsoft Saudi Arabia will launch “Microsoft Phone 7” in December in the Saudi market, it was announced at the event.  – TradeArabia News Service