Page 1 of 3
Microsoft's traditional cash cows in its client and server software business continue to propel the software giant to quarterly financials that make competing CEOs drool with envy, even as the company transitions into the great unknown of cloud computing.
In Microsoft first quarter earnings call Thursday, the company reported profit of $5.4 billion, or 62 cents per share, a 51 percent jump from the $3.6 billion and 40 cents per share it racked up in the year-ago quarter. Microsoft also saw bookings rise 24 percent during the quarter.
Microsoft Q1 revenue grew 25 percent year-over-year to $16.2 billion. Wall Street analysts had expected revenue of 15.8 billion and earnings of 55 cents per share, according to Thomson Reuters.
The trusty revenue engines of Exchange, Sharepoint, Dynamics CRM and Lync (formerly Office Communications Server) all grew "healthy double digits," Microsoft CFO Peter Klein said in the call. Overall, Microsoft's Server and Tools Business saw revenue grow 12 percent during the quarter.
Microsoft Office 365, its newly unveiled suite of cloud apps that includes the re-branded Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS), will enable new growth opportunities for Microsoft and its partners and will be available "in calendar 2011", said Klein.
Next: How Windows Azure Is Faring
