Microsoft

Microsoft is a US-based technology company. It was founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen in 1975 and quickly grew to become the largest software company in the world. Today, Microsoft is still widely known for its software, but the company also develops hardware and provides a number of cloud services.

Microsoft's most recognizable software titles include Windows and Office. Microsoft Windows is the world's most popular desktop operating system and Office is the most popular productivity suite. Below is a list of some of the software, hardware, and cloud services provided by Microsoft.

Software

• Windows - operating system for desktop computers, laptops, and tablets
• Office - productivity suite including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Access
• Outlook - email and calendar software
• Visio - diagramming and vector drawing program
• Visual Studio - multi-platform software development IDE for building apps
• Skype - video conferencing application
• Halo - popular series of video games for Xbox

Hardware

• Xbox - video game console first launched in 2001; followed by Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Xbox One X
• Surface - line of tablets and laptop computers
• HoloLens - head-mounted smartglasses designed for augmented reality
• Input devices - Microsoft branded keyboards and mice

Services

• Bing - web search engine integrated into Windows 10
• Outlook.com - free webmail service also used for Hotmail accounts
• OneDrive - cloud storage with web-based access
• Azure - cloud computing platform for hosting data and deploying applications

Microsoft's headquarters is located in Redmond, Washington, but the company has corporate offices and data centers around the world. Microsoft Corporation's ticker symbol is MSFT.