Xiaomi signs a strategic memorandum with Microsoft hoping big in the global market

Xiaomi has gained immense popularity as a smartphone company in its home country, China, as well as in India; but it has yet to make it big in the US. In the latest move today, Xiaomi has signed a strategic cooperation memorandum with Microsoft to deepen its partnership and enhance both product services and sales by cooperating in the fields of cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and hardware products. The Strategic Framework MoU outlines the following: 1. Cloud Service Support: Xiaomi plans to utilize Microsoft’s Smart Cloud Azure platform to provide international users with better data storage, bandwidth, computing, and other cloud services. 2. Laptops: Xiaomi and Microsoft shall cooperate through means of joint marketing, channel support, and future product development for Xiaomi’s laptop and laptop-type devices to ensure that the Xiaomi devices can make their way into the international markets. 3. Smart Speakers integrating Microsoft Xiaona (Cortana) and Mi AI: The latest cooperation might contribute to the development of Cortana powered AI speakers by Xiaomi. 4. Extensive AI services collaboration : With Microsoft’s AI technologies like Computer Vision, Speech, Natural Language Processing, Text Input, Conversational AI, Knowledge Graph and Search, and AI products and services, like Bing, Edge, Cortana, XiaoIce, SwiftKey, Translator, Pix, Cognitive Services, and Skype; and Xiaomi’s experience in dealing with smart hardware, big data; its smart device ecosystem, and the significant breakthroughs in core AI technologies; the collaboration is bound to bring together the best hardware-software integration to ensure enhanced user experience. Xiaomi is one of the most innovative companies in China, and it is becoming increasingly popular in various markets around the world. Microsoft’s unique strengths and experience in AI, as well as our products like Azure, will enable Xiaomi to develop more cutting-edge technology for everyone around the world – Dr. Harry Shum, executive vice president of Microsoft’s Artificial Intelligence and Research Group For his part, Wang Xiang, Global Senior Vice President and Head of International Business, Xiaomi, has said, “Microsoft has been a great partner and we are delighted to see both companies deepening this relationship with this strategic MoU. Xiaomi’s mission is to deliver innovation to everyone around the world. By collaborating with Microsoft on multiple technology areas, Xiaomi will accelerate our pace to bring more exciting products and services to our users. At the same time, this partnership would allow Microsoft to reach more users around the world who are using Xiaomi products.”

Kagan: Why Microsoft Cortana AI is still not well-known

Why is Microsoft Cortana still the great unknown in the world of AI? We’ve all heard the excitement and read countless stories around the continual advancement of artificial intelligence with Apple Siri, Google Home, Amazon Alexa and countless others. Why then can’t Microsoft seem to get any traction? This is a marketing failure on the part of Microsoft. This is the kind of failure we have seen them suffer with the Lumia smartphone over the last decade. This is something they need to correct before it’s too late. Before the AI change wave passes them by and leaves them behind. Past success for Microsoft kept them from learning the importance of tools for growth. Marketing, advertising, public relations, media relations, analyst relations and more have not really been an effective tool for the company. Yesterday, that was not a problem since the company was only about Windows and software like Word and Outlook and their only real competitor was Apple. However, going forward, things are very different. Marketing is weak link in Microsoft chain The future is about AI, the cloud, wireless and so many new and different areas. There is fierce competition from heavy hitters like Amazon, Google, Facebook, Apple and many smaller players as well. In this new marketplace, winning companies capture the imagination with their marketing and messaging. Unfortunately, marketing is a weak spot with Microsoft, and always has been. While that didn’t matter in the past, it is important going forward. Their failure with the Lumia smartphones over the last decade is an important lesson to them, their customers and investors. Considering how poorly Cortana is doing in the marketplace today with regards to buzz, I don’t think Microsoft has learned this lesson yet. AI is the future. Microsoft can be a key player in that future. They are a player in the AI space with Cortana. However, over the last several years as we have seen artificial intelligence get better and stronger, we have not heard much at all from the Cortana front. Microsoft Cortana is barely visible in AI marketplace Cortana was developed by Microsoft to help users work with Windows 10 using their voice, along with the touch screen and keyboard on their computer. It has been in the marketplace since 2015. It has quietly grown and is now also available on Apple iOS and Google Android devices through an app. That’s all good. However, they are not part of the growing AI discussion. Microsoft says nearly 150 million people use Cortana, but if that is the case, I think we should hear more about this technology. One reason may be that while 150 million people may have enabled it and tried it, many may not use it as much as they use Siri, Home and Alexa. There is a difference. Perhaps one reason is it’s not written about, so it is not talked about. After all, a company can have the best technology, but if it’s not written about and hot on the marketing front, it will never make it. While lesser quality competitors with better marketing can thrive. This is disturbing, but true. Cortana isn’t part of AI conversation like Siri, Google Home, Amazon Alexa Microsoft is a heavy hitter. They have the most customers with Windows on the business side and the consumer side, so they have a rich environment to grow in. That’s why I expected them to really hit it out of the park. If that’s the case, why don’t we hear more about Cortana? It should lead the conversation any time we talk about AI. However, it’s quiet. It’s like Microsoft in the smartphone space. Who do we think about in this space? Apple Siri and Google Now on the iPhone and Android smartphones. We also think of Amazon Alexa or Echo and Google Home with home AI devices. Both of these spaces are rapidly growing and are capturing the attention of consumers and business customers. Their advancements are sometimes rapid and bigger than life. Other times companies struggle with this new technology. AI growth wave rises, crests and falls Either way, Cortana is not part of that discussion and this needs to be fixed. This is an important black hole that Microsoft needs to be aware of. Something that can cause problems in the future if they don’t get a handle on it today. They failed with their smartphones over the last decade. They can’t have another failure with AI. Every company needs to be on the radar of investors, customers, competitors, the media, analysts, everywhere. That means they need to have a great marketing strategy. This seems to be a problem at Microsoft today. So, this is a warning to Microsoft. I always talk about the growth wave. How companies are either rising or growing, or they’ve crested, or they are falling. Companies need to be on the growth side of the wave or it will pass them by. If the growth wave passes them by, they will find it a very challenging job to get back on and ride that growth wave like their hot competitors.

New Partnership between Microsoft, Artesian and Innervate Helps Financial Services Organisations Maximise their Investment in CRM and drive adoption

(MENAFN Editorial) Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Artesian Integration Announcement 19th February 2018: Artesian Solutions, the powerful Artificial Intelligence driven relationship intelligence service that equips client facing teams with the resources they need to succeed in a modern commercial environment, is delighted to announce a new strategic channel partnership with Microsoft and IT services company Innervate Technology Solutions to enable financial service organisations to supercharge their investment in Microsoft Dynamics 365. Artesian logo Financial Service Organisations are always looking for ways to strengthen customer relationships and improve efficiencies. The Artesian-Microsoft Dynamics 365 integration enables businesses to supercharge their CRM investment by augmenting their mission-critical data with real time news, social media and people insights. By providing customer-facing teams with deep, relevant and actionable insights, they are able to understand the needs of their customers better, ensuring they never miss an opportunity to start a conversation, or get an inside track on their most valuable customers. By building a strong partnership with two of the UK's leading experts in transformative IT change for financial services, Artesian is facilitating a rapid deployment service that will assist financial services organisations to optimise the performance of the sales and marketing technology stack. Several of Artesian's existing customers have already deployed the integration including RBS, Metro Bank and Towergate Insurance and in doing so have boosted productivity, increased market share, and met customer demand for more sophisticated, intelligent and responsive engagement. Speaking about the partnership, Andrew Yates CEO at Artesian commented: "This partnership between Artesian, Microsoft and Innervate is a fantastic example of leading vendors in B2B software transformation coming together to bring next generation solutions to market. The integration, which uses AI technology to monitor and filter both structured and unstructured data based on a wide range of attributes, individual preferences and relevance, provides commercial teams with a complete 360° view of the customer ecosystem, and the functionality to respond proactively to live customer dynamics with more accuracy than ever before. The result - financial service organisations can further monetise their investment in Microsoft Dynamics 365 as well as driving adoption and compliance." David Brown, Director Dynamics 365 - EMEA at Microsoft commented on the news: "we have seen great traction with the combination of Dynamics 365 and Artesian particularly in the major banks in the UK. The Artesian service delivers proven relationship intelligence purpose-built for commercial people, fully-integrated into Dynamics 365 (on-premise and cloud) and validated by the Microsoft team." Andy Startin, CEO at Innervate said: "Our continued focus for 2018 is on ensuring that our platforms and solutions reflect the evolving needs of the Financial Services marketplace and our clients. By partnering with Artesian we can use our extensive expertise in Microsoft Dynamics 365 and take this to the next level for our clients by creating a system of engagement (using Artesian) to complement the system of record which is CRM". NOTES TO THE EDITORS For more information about Artesian Solutions please contact: Kelly Prior, PR Consultant Tel: 07730 572878 Email: About Artesian Artesian is a powerful AI driven service that equips client facing teams with the resources they need to succeed in a modern commercial environment. Apps that drive action. MI that measures impact. A service that inspires and coaches. Artesian provides the data, real-time insight and context needed to find customers, create meaningful engagements, sell more and create long-lasting business relationships. With the use of AI technology layered on top of company information, data and news, Artesian helps you uncover opportunities, build relationships and accelerate deals. Artesian continually scans millions of online sources for data on markets, organisations, individuals and topics, and uses sophisticated algorithms to filter and transform that information into commercially valuable insights. With Artesian, you can track your customers, prospects, competitors and partners; spot and capitalise on business opportunities; and manage risks in your pipeline. Artesian helps drive customer alignment, credibility, competitiveness and client satisfaction. Artesian is headquartered in the U.K, with offices in London and Winnersh, Berkshire. Headquartered in the US in Boston, Massachusetts. About Innervate Technology Solutions Innervate is a Microsoft Gold Partner that delivers mission critical solutions to financial services organisations looking to transform the way they provide their services. Innervate solutions can be easily configured to meet the needs of your business, align to your customer's demands and can provide an omnichannel experience to ensure that you stay ahead of your competition. Retaining your existing customer base whilst attracting new customers is an ever increasing requirement as technology changes and customers adopt new ways of interacting and buying. Innervate will advise and lead you through this change, to help you meet today's business demands and tomorrows technology changes. Dynamics 365, a solution for digital transformation together with Artesian, are powerful tools that will provide insight to meet your demands now and well into the future. Innervate is headquartered in High Holborn, the heart of London UK.

Microsoft and Xiaomi to collaborate on AI, cloud computing and hardware

After Microsoft signed a deal to test Windows 10 on Xiaomi devices in 2015 and then Xiaomi bought a trove of patents to help run other Microsoft services on its devices in 2016, today the two companies announced another chapter in its collaboration. Xiaomi and Microsoft have signed a Strategic Framework Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to work more closely in the areas of cloud computing, AI (including Microsoft’s Cortana business) and hardware. To date, Xiaomi has largely focused its mobile phone strategy in Asia Pacific, where Gartner revealed yesterday that it (and Huawei) were the only two vendors to increase their market shares at a time of general decline. This deal could point to how Xiaomi is looking to raise its game in the West, specifically in the US, especially as it eyes up an IPO that has been reported to potentially value the company at $100 billion. On the side of Microsoft, it’s particularly interesting given that the company has largely pulled back on a lot of its hardware efforts, and has visibly had some major stumbles in this area especially in mobile — most recently with its failure to take on and grow the Nokia mobile business and Windows Mobile. Understanding that mobile isn’t an area that Microsoft can quite step away from altogether, it seems that the company is going to have one more go now on with a different partner (one that is still on the rise) and a different approach. “Xiaomi is one of the most innovative companies in China, and it is becoming increasingly popular in various markets around the world,” said Harry Shum, EVP of Microsoft’s Artificial Intelligence and Research Group, in a statement. “Microsoft’s unique strengths and experience in AI, as well as our products like Azure, will enable Xiaomi to develop more cutting-edge technology for everyone around the world.” “Microsoft has been a great partner and we are delighted to see both companies deepening this relationship with this strategic MoU,” Wang Xiang, Global Senior Vice President and Head of International Business, Xiaomi, added in his statement. “Xiaomi’s mission is to deliver innovation to everyone around the world. By collaborating with Microsoft on multiple technology areas, Xiaomi will accelerate our pace to bring more exciting products and services to our users. At the same time, this partnership would allow Microsoft to reach more users around the world who are using Xiaomi products.” The deal covers four major areas of services for the two companies. Cloud support will include Xiaomi using Microsoft Azure for data storage, bandwidth and computing and other cloud services. Meanwhile, Xiaomi’s efforts in laptops and “laptop-style devices” that run Windows will be co-marketed by Microsoft. Then Microsoft is also going to be talking with Xiaomi on how to improve collaboration on AI-powered speakers using Cortana. That appears to be just the start for the company’s AI collaborations. They also “intend to explore multiple cooperative projects based on a broad range of Microsoft AI technologies, such as Computer Vision, Speech, Natural Language Processing, Text Input, Conversational AI, Knowledge Graph and Search, as well as related Microsoft AI products and services, such as Bing, Edge, Cortana, XiaoIce, SwiftKey, Translator, Pix, Cognitive Services and Skype,” Microsoft said in a statement. No financial terms to the arrangement are being given at this time, a Microsoft spokesperson said.