The cloud - an answer to everything?
Najat Messaoud, Senior Director Azure Business Group at Microsoft Germany, who is responsible for the growth of the Azure Solution Business in Germany, talks to our CCO Frederic Bauerfeind about current cloud topics. It's striking that it's not just about the cloud as a technology.
Of course, the technological possibilities surrounding the integration of the cloud and the use of corresponding services play a role in the half-hour discussion. However, both cloud experts have a very clear focus on the human factor and the cultural changes that a company must undergo in order to remain innovative and fit for the future. Microsoft Germany itself has undergone enormous cultural change in recent years. When asked how exactly this status, which is now lived in the company, can be established as the status quo in medium-sized companies, Najat talks a lot about the tech giant's way of working.
"I believe we have a lot in common with our customers."
Najat Messaoud, Senior Director Azure Business Group, Microsoft Germany
"I think we have a lot in common with our customers. We are a company that lives with tradition, which means we also have to deal with a legacy business. We have a business that is almost 50 years old and we have customers out there who have been running their businesses for more than 100 years. We had to go through our own transformation. There was also a crisis and a need for us to remain relevant in the market." This also included turning the business model inside out.
Promoting digital skills in the company
She recommends promoting digital skills within the company, making data accessible and providing structures. There is a lot of cultural change that needs to be made. Technologies should become more tangible and usable. This is exactly what Generation Z, which is now entering the job market, is demanding. The affinity for technology is much greater here than in the established world of work.
"The cloud is probably not the answer to everything, but it is the answer to some things," summarizes Najat in the end. In her opinion, the cloud should be used to take advantage of the challenges that customers face. Microsoft, together with its partners, is at every stage of this journey and tries to help whenever it can. The digital world will not be turned back: "Analysts predict that 65 percent of Europe's gross domestic product this year will be generated from digital products and services. For me, this is a symbol that there is no way back. There can only be a way forward." Companies can only take this path forward if they recognize the added value that the cloud brings them.
You can watch the entire interview with Najat and Frederic in our video:
About Najat Messaoud
As Senior Director Azure Business Group at Microsoft Germany, Najat Messaoud is responsible for the growth of the Azure Solution Business in Germany across the entire Data & AI and App & Infrastructure portfolio. In this role, she is responsible for the overall go-to-market, strategic planning, shaping growth initiatives and supporting customers and partners to be successful with the Microsoft Azure platform and solutions. Najat is a member of the German leadership team, head of Women in Tech and a member of the Global Cloud Leadership Team. She lives with her family in the Rhineland.
