Microsoft Taps into Oil and Gas Business     

On February 10th, speaking from the Cambridge Energy Research Associates' CERAWeek 2009 gathering in Houston, Albrecht (Ali) Ferling, Ph.D., managing director, Worldwide Oil and Gas Industries for Microsoft Corp., announced that the leadership for the company's worldwide oil and gas industry business is now located in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
    "Our industry is facing unprecedented challenges that demand a truly borderless response," Ferling said. "From Dubai, Microsoft will be centrally located for ready access to our customers in the prevailing and emerging energy centers of the world. Future demand growth will come largely from countries like China, India and the Middle East. Dubai, located midway between Central Europe and the Far East, is ideal for business travel to all oil capitals, from Houston to Beijing. And with the power ultimately shifting from consumer to producer in the global energy equation, the Middle East is an important location for Microsoft and our partners."
    Microsoft has oil and gas initiatives in more than 70 countries, and every day it sees innovations arising from its partner ecosystem that give operators and service providers the tools they need to grapple with today's industry. The company focuses on solving real-world field challenges that stand in the way of global energy supply and demand.