Microsoft's revenue in Russia went up 25 percent in 2010, compared with overall software market growth of 15 percent, the company said in a statement released late last week.
“It was a difficult but very successful year,” Nikolai Pryanishnikov, president of Microsoft Russia, said in the statement. “I am pleased to point out that Microsoft's business outpaced the market,” he said.
Microsoft highlighted growth in the regions as the key to its success in the $2.34 billion Russian software market.
While Pryanishnikov did not provide a number for Microsoft Russia’s earnings in 2010, market research firm IDC’s Timur Farukshin estimated the company's turnover at about $1 billion for the year, Vedomosti reported Friday.
Microsoft currently has a total of 9,500 partner companies and 70 offices across the country, a presence that experts say is sure to have contributed to the company's success.
The successful release of a number of products, including Microsoft Office 2010 and a new version of Microsoft's Kinect for the Xbox 360 video game console, also factored in to the boom in retail sales.
Microsoft confirmed its interest in Skolkovo, a Russian version of Silicon Valley that is soon to be constructed in the eponymous Moscow suburb, by signing a memorandum of understanding in November with the Skolkovo Fund, committing to “tens of millions of dollars” of investment.
The memorandum outlines five areas of cooperation, Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer said during the signing. These include creating a center for software development, conducting joint research with universities and research institutions, expanding an already existing program to support startups and participation in creating the Skolkovo technology university.