At the Software 2006 conference, Simon Witts, Corporate VP of the Enterprise and Partner Group at Microsoft discusses Microsoft's new People-Ready campaign in his keynote speech. Microsoft's applications are usually only one to two percent of the enterprise IT budget, yet Microsoft still has a broad and well-defined position as a platform company. Industry trends, such as consolidation of IT assets, can be profitable for Microsoft, though it has had to examine where it belongs in the business platform market.

One such drive within Microsoft is the People-Ready campaign. In an industry where it is people who are making decisions and driving the company, Microsoft feels it is in a position to change the formal and rigid definition of business processes. Witts highlights that what happens in the real world, dealing with exceptions, is the most important area of focus for enterprise applications. Simply put, People-Ready is a method of empowering people within companies to make decisions.

An example of where People-Ready software can make a difference is in customer relations management systems. Customer facing employees need comprehensive work-flows which deliver a profile of the customer throughout the company, thereby connecting the enterprise with the person more effectively. Microsoft feels it is in a position to deliver, leveraging its well entrenched position within the industry to change how people think about automation.