2014 Medellin Blog: Interview with Hernán Rincón, President of Microsoft Latin America

By
Rachel Glickhouse

Rincón explained how technology is shaping Latin American businesses.

Speakers:

  • Hernán Rincón, President, Microsoft Latin America
  • César Giraldo, Deputy Editor, Portafolio (Interviewer)

Microsoft's Hernán Rincón explained the importance of the cloud, as well as how technology is shaping Latin American companies, and small- and medium-sized businesses (SMEs).

On SMEs, he noted that 40 percent of exports from Latin America are from SMEs. During the economic crisis, these companies adapted faster than governments or corporations, he said. Rincón explained that technology can play three roles for SMEs: integrate communication within organizations, improve productivity, and connect companies to global markets.

Technology is creating jobs, not killing them, Rincón said.

A BCG study found that SMEs that were leaders in IT adoption created jobs nearly twice as fast, he said.

Even though many acknowledge the importance of technology, some are hesitant to try new things. "The Colombian businessman is a conservative businessman," he said, which makes technology adaptation more difficult. Plus, he added, Latin Americans use technology frequently in their personal lives, but some are hesitant to use the cloud in professional settings. That may change, though: all Colombian and Latin American businesses will eventually be completely or partially in the cloud, he said.

Productivity is Colombia's top challenge for businesses, said Rincón. To compete globally, technology must be integrated into how companies work. Another problem is software piracy: over half of software used in Latin America is pirated.

Watch the interview (en español).