Microsoft Reaps Rewards of Its Cloud-Computing Business
July 21, 2017
Grazed from NewYorkTimes. Author: Editorial Staff.
A few years ago, Microsoft appeared to be another tech has-been, having whiffed on its efforts to compete in mobile phones and internet search. Although it is too soon to say whether Microsoft can pull off a full-blown renaissance the way Apple has, the company is firmly back in favor.
Not long after its shares reached another all-time high at the close of regular trading, Microsoft reported on Thursday that its profit in the most recent quarter more than doubled from a year ago. One reason for that jump was the failure of its mobile phone business, which produced big losses for the company in past years, yielding a $1.8 billion tax benefit that Microsoft was able to recognize last quarter…
At the same time, the company delivered growth where it mattered to investors — in the cloud business that has become Exhibit A for bulls convinced that Microsoft has a grip on the future of computing. The company’s shares popped more than 3 percent in after-hours trading after the release of the results…
Read more from the source @ https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/20/technology/microsoft-azure-cloud.html