Nadella: UK market a hard sell but good on cloud

Microsoft boss suggests that UK sales are an excellent test case for other markets

Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella has praised UK partners and customers for their "advanced" adoption of cloud, although he also singled the UK out for being a difficult market to sell to.

"The UK market is pretty advanced in terms of cloud adoption; I've had a chance to talk to customers and partners, and look at their enablement and what they are doing with regards to the cloud," he told hundreds of delegates at Microsoft's Future: Decoded event at London's ExCel venue today.

"Coming to the UK is always an amazing experience. And we say first launch in the UK and sell there, because then it becomes a lot easier elsewhere."

According to Microsoft, Nadella came to London to give UK customers and partners an insight into Microsoft's "journey" and the role it would like to play in future.

But beyond hinting at a technological pragmatism in the UK perhaps less in evidence in Microsoft's US homeland, Nadella (pictured) had little specific to say – perhaps wary of missteps following the media storm sparked recently by his unfortunate remarks about women in IT with regards to promotion.

He reiterated in his talk that Microsoft aimed to offer the tools, platforms, insight and inspiration needed for a more productive, technology-enabled "digital" future.

That meant the "mobile first, cloud first" messaging, and a shift away from a device focus to an "outcome" focus.

Nadella said that productivity needed to be reinvented. This meant, he insisted, not simply releasing a lot more technology but focusing launches on offerings that can help save time and other resources.

"It's not the mobility of the device, but the mobility of the individual experience," he said. "There are more devices than people on the planet, and more sensors [for devices] than devices, and all of that is capable of running general-purpose compute."

This meant, in part, further developing relationships with retail partners and ISVs to create a "digital fabric" of user experience.

He noted that a focus on developing the "right" skills in the next generation – the so-called millennials – would be key to making Microsoft's dreams a reality.

Microsoft forbade questions from the audience or press on Nadella's 20-minute presentation today.