| Microsoft on Thursday announced the opening of its office in Kochi as part of its initiative to partner Kerala's growth into a knowledge-based, inclusive society. |
| With Kochi as a hub, the company plans to service the other cities of Kozhikode, Kottayam, Thrissur and Thiruvananthapuram. |
| Neelam Dhawan, managing director, Microsoft India, said, Microsoft has been working with customers in Kerala for several years and products and services have been successfully leveraged both by government organisations and the private sector. |
| Some of Microsoft's largest customers in India are based in Kerala "� such as US Technologies, NeST and RM Education. |
| The company also intends to consolidate its relationship with industry associations in the region to understand and address local business challenges and accordingly customise its local market education initiatives and programmes. |
| Besides Kochi, Microsoft opened offices in four cities - Nagpur, Ahmedabad, Indore, and Chandigarh in India this year - and will shortly open an office in Coimbatore. |


