Tao Group, based in the United Kingdom, is a leading provider of multimedia software solutions for consumer and communications equipment. Its product range—known as intent—brings award-winning technology to software players for consumer electronic devices. Its customers include Sony, Philips, and HTC.

By partnering with Microsoft, Tao has received technical insight and guidance to build on the Windows Mobile® platform and expand its market reach. Association with Microsoft has led to increased confidence in the brand and investments of £38 million (U.S.$75 million) from venture capital companies.

Partner Profile

Founded in 1992, Microsoft® Partner Tao Group provides through its flagship product range intent, a modular series of multimedia solutions for consumer devices.

Benefits

Opportunity and Innovation

The market for digital devices is rapidly evolving. Businesses and consumers alike are keen to take advantage of global mobile communications, interactivity, and entertainment. However, the non-standardised range of networks, technologies, and devices available represent an obstacle to seamless services and consistent consumer experience.

Tao saw an opportunity to overcome this issue by applying its intent product range to the mobile industry. intent is a rich multimedia software platform for embedded, mobile, consumer electronics, and automotive solutions. The open solution provides network operators, mobile device manufacturers, and content developers with a canvas to build their own mobile applications.

Targeted at the interactive mobile-entertainment market, intent Java Player offers best-in-class solutions for the J2ME platform, including off-the-shelf Java solutions for Windows Mobile 2003 software for Pocket PCs and Windows Mobile 2003 software for smartphones.

Jeff Moles, Director, Technology & Business Development, Tao Group, says: “Tao and Microsoft share an ethos to work on platforms that encourage innovation and best-in-class solutions, setting the highest standards while enabling anywhere, anytime communications and interactive entertainment. We share an understanding of the symbiotic nature of intuitive solutions across mobile, home, and personal computers, recognising the revolution around convergence in computing.”

Partnership Boosts Image

By partnering with Microsoft, Tao Group has seen a huge growth in market penetration and been positioned as one of the most significant providers of Java Solutions for the Windows Mobile platform. Support from Microsoft has increased credibility and enhanced brand value.

“Recommendations and references to manufacturers by Microsoft have been very powerful in legitimising our offering,” Moles says. “As a small and medium-sized enterprise (SME), we found that Microsoft’s overt help increased the confidence of investors. For growth venture companies, a partnership with Microsoft clearly has substantial branding benefits and makes raising finance significantly more straightforward.”

Association with Microsoft Opens Business Opportunities

Hazel Cameron, Managing Director, Cross Atlantic Capital Partners UK, says: “The relationship with Microsoft has increased the confidence with which investors look at Tao. The large number of Microsoft mobile devices shipped with intent underscores the value of Tao’s technology—everyone knows of the qualities of Microsoft.”

Association with Microsoft has not only improved the company’s image, but also given Tao opportunities to expand its reach. Through its partner events, Microsoft has been introducing Tao to mobile device manufacturers. “Microsoft has given us access to new markets that may otherwise have been denied to us. The result is new business opportunities and further expansion of our offerings,” says Moles.

Strong Products and Expert Support Help Speed up Technical Development

The Microsoft partnership has given Tao access to a wealth of information, tools, and support through the Mobility product group. “We have managed to get advanced access to product information, working at a strategic level and planning accordingly. We found that the supporting information Microsoft supplies up-front combined with our own high levels of technical competence were pretty self-sufficient, but when we did require support, the Microsoft Developer teams were very responsive,” says Moles.

The strong integration possibilities offered by Microsoft products support the commitment of Tao to reduce fragmentation while enabling connected devices and services to be brought to market faster and at lower cost. The development and maintenance overhead resulting from binary portability has been reduced, cutting costs by up to 50 per cent. “The consistency from one Microsoft platform to another, combined with overall product stability, drives time-to-market advantages and reduced development resources,” says Moles.

Strategic Relationship Builds Future Growth

Tao Group is looking forward to further collaboration with Microsoft. “Our partnership with Microsoft has affected the way we visualise our company’s expansion in the future. With 10 million licences sold in 12 months and positive market expectations, we believe there is substantial sustainable growth in Windows Mobile.”

“We see our intent Java Player as the first of several products to be shipped on Microsoft platforms delivering solutions for mobile gaming and location-based services. We also expect to see significant growth in terms of market opportunities based on the personal computer in an increasingly pervasive and convergent digital market,” says Moles.

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© 2007 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. This case study is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY. Microsoft and Windows Mobile are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

Document Published February 2007