Corporate Vision June 2017

8 CORPORATE VISION / June 2017 , We interviewedMichael J. Saylor about MicroStrategy’s work, his own role as CEO and the importance of technology in the wider industry following the firm’s success inwinning the prestigious CEO of the Year – Virginia award. Creating Countless Opportunities Founded in 1989, MicroStrategy is a leading provider of enterprise software platforms. The company provides powerful enterprise analytics, mobility, and business intelligence (BI) software solutions for some of the world’s largest organisations. Their scalable platform delivers enterprise capabilities and user-friendly tools that helps organisations arm every individual across the enterprise with intelligence—meeting the needs of both business and IT users. With their solutions, organisations can maximise the value of information and unleash the full potential of their employees. Michael begins the interview by telling us more about the company in his own words. “Our customers span a variety of industries, from retail, to banking, insurance, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, consumer packaged goods, manufacturing, telecommunications, and federal and municipal government. Customers include Whole Foods Market, Coach, Netflix, United States Postal Service, Hilton Worldwide, McCain, and more. When MicroStrategy went public in 2000, we had 100 competitors. Today, we are the only remaining independent company of that original group. “While others have grown through mergers and acquisitions, we have remained focused on sustainable, strategic growth. That means we aren’t purchasing other companies or outsourcing our technology. Rather, we’ve developed our own technology and talent internally, maintaining the technical integrity of our platform and authenticity of our culture. For the last 25 years, this unique approach has defined our growth and has been instrumental in the lasting value we deliver to our customers.” In terms the process the firm takes to promote their growth; Michael explains the key principles they adhere to and the customers they serve. “Our growth is tied to our customers and their evolving needs. While every customer has unique technology requirements, MicroStrategy succeeds because we get to know our customers, ask for feedback, and work together to create solutions that help them gain a competitive edge and drive them towards long-term success. “We aim to serve customers on the following arc: traditional, evolutionary, and revolutionary. Firstly, we know that we need to meet our customers where they are and help them transform their current data assets into actionable intelligence with powerful reporting and analytics. Secondly, we help enterprises evolve beyond simple data analytics. We become a change partner for our customers, helping them extend BI to everyone across the company with tools like powerful mobile analytical apps. Thirdly, we help our customers look beyond the state of the market today. “For example, our Usher technology, when deployed to employees’ mobile devices, generates telemetry data that gives organisations a 360-degree view of how people move throughout the enterprise. Combined with powerful back- end analytics, this solution opens new opportunities to drive change and reach new levels of efficiency. We help our customers move through each phase by partnering with them to deliver solutions that fit their unique needs and make them more competitive in their respective industries.” Michael then turns his thoughts on how he keeps himself motivated as a CEO, the challenges he has had to overcome to be successful in this position and the essential key attributes that a senior leader must possess. “MicroStrategy has been a leader in the business intelligence space since 1989. For more than a quarter century, I’ve learned a lot as a CEO and have one overriding goal: that is to build the best company possible. I’ve seen seven generations of the MicroStrategy core product, ebbs and flows of the tech market, and shifts in the overall economy. I’ve seen ‘big data’ grow and transform from an IT-only concern to one that can empower the average business user. MicroStrategy stands in a unique position to help enterprises seize the opportunities presented by these trends. I’m motivated because there’s still a lot of work to be done. We’re not here to simply offer solutions that make life a little easier—we’re committed to fundamentally changing the way enterprises do business. “Simply having an idea does not guarantee you’ll get rewarded. Learning this was humbling and helped me mature. In 2008, I wrote The Mobile Wave and successfully predicted the way mobile would transform our daily lives. Soon after, I built up new products within MicroStrategy. Some of these products did not pan out, others were successful, but didn’t quite fit into MicroStrategy’s core product. The process taught me that to be truly successful, you must commit to an idea so deeply, it’s worth the future of the business. It was challenging to let some of these technologies go, but, as a result, the future of MicroStrategy was set into motion. 1701CV24