Microsoft Plans Major E-Commerce Push

Microsoft Corp. “plans to quintuple” its
electronic commerce unit by hiring 400 more employees, stepping up its
efforts to sign additional small- and medium-sized businesses around the
world, according to a published report.

Half of the new employees will be based overseas, Microsoft spokesman Dan
Leach told the Associated Press. The e-commerce
unit, which currently has about 100 employees, is part of Microsoft’s newly
reorganized consumer and commerce division.

Microsoft is focusing its e-commerce efforts on four areas: providing access
to the Internet; hosting Web sites for small businesses; gaining distribution
for its Microsoft Network Web sites; and selling Windows and other software
as a platform for e-commerce offerings, Leach said.