Five ways Microsoft has changed since Gates left

What's becoming of Microsoft post-Bill Gates? Tim Ferguson tracks the trends in Redmond over the past 12 months.

It's been a year since Bill Gates left Microsoft in his official capacity. At the time many speculated his departure would spark a significant shift in Redmond.

But how much has really changed during Microsoft's first year without Gates?

Here I chart the major trends in the company's product strategy and leadership style since Gates's departure.

Embracing the cloud
Under the leadership of chief software architect Ray Ozzie, Microsoft has been keen to get more involved with cloud computing. One of the company's most intriguing new products in this area is cloud-based computing platform Windows Azure, which was announced in October 2008.

David Mitchell, analyst with Ovum, says Windows Azure represents a clear break from the Gates days.

He told silicon.com: "With the announcements around Azure that were made at PDC [Microsoft's Professional Developers Conference] last year, Microsoft has embraced the move towards cloud computing with considerable gusto. The extent of their investment in physical infrastructure is enormous but it is the evolution of their software product portfolio that is perhaps most ambitious."

This evolution includes Microsoft's "software plus services" model, which has seen many of its heavily used applications being hosted and distributed online. Mitchell suggested this is likely to accelerate…

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