Microsoft rings in the changes to support devices

Microsoft has announced a reorganisation which the firm believes is going to "better serve the needs of our customers and partners long into the future".

Those words were taken from a memo sent to staff by CEO Satya Nadella as he announced plans to split the former Windows and devices group into two teams.

As a result long standing Microsoft staffer and executive vice president of the Windows and devices group Terry Myerson is leaving the firm.

Nadella announced the changes putting them into the context of the movement that the firm has been making to ensure it is well positioned to take advantage of the changing technology landscape.

"Over the past year, we have shared our vision for how the intelligent cloud and intelligent edge will shape the next phase of innovation. First, computing is more powerful and ubiquitous from the cloud to the edge. Second, AI capabilities are rapidly advancing across perception and cognition fueled by data and knowledge of the world. Third, physical and virtual worlds are coming together to create richer experiences that understand the context surrounding people, the things they use, the places they go, and their activities and relationships," he stated.

"These technological changes represent a tremendous opportunity for our customers, our partners — everyone. With all this new technology and opportunity comes a responsibility to ensure technology’s benefits reach people more broadly across society. It also requires that the technologies we create are trusted by the individuals and organisations that use them," he added.

The new structure will see Rajesh Jha lead a team looking at Experiences & devices, with the aim of providing a unified experience for those using devices at work or in the home.

On the devices front Panos Panay will serve as chief product officer, leading the devices group, which includes the Surface product line. Windows will be handled by Joe Belfiore as it looks to roll the OS out across more devices.

Kudo Tsunoda will be looking at new experiences and technology and Brad Anderson gets to oversee enterprise mobility and management.

At the same time Nadella also indicated that Scott Guthrie will be expanding his responsibilities to lead a team focused on cloud and AI platform.

That move then leads to other changes with Jason Zander is being promoted to executive vice president Azure. Other fresh appointments include Alex Kipman running the AI perception and mixed reality team, Eric Boyd and friends looking after AI cognitive services and platform and Eric Lockard running the universal store and commerce platform.

"We can’t let any organizational boundaries get in the way of innovation for our customers. This is why a growth mindset culture matters. Each one of us needs to push on what technology can do for people and for our world," stated Nadella.

He also thanked Myerson for 21 years service at the firm, which included being at the forefront of introducing Exchange and Windows 10.