1. Localization / Adaptation Microsoft Financial Products
Author: Liam Cronin
Date: 12-November-2002

2. What is Microsoft Money ?.

3. What is Microsoft MSN ?

4. What is MSN Money Product?

5. How Financial Product Group look at Countries For MSN Money
Market criteria:
Size (Population, Home PCs, other Internet ready devices, etc.)
Internet penetration and growth
Financial habits: attitude towards money management and towards investing,
Financial Industry: structure and complexity of financial products offered; consumer attitude towards buying financial products online
Size of Finance opportunity for Microsoft, projected over 3-5 years in terms of revenue, units and share
Microsoft internal criteria
Strength of local MSN organization and plans for Finance channel
MSN commitment to Finance area (funds, resources, focus, etc.) and ability of local MSN to support MSN Money with marketing and promotional efforts
Channel execution and ability to monetize financial channel
Regional opportunities with cross-countries Financial Institutions and sponsors

6. Localization Process Local Features Content Localization
Extend localized product with local features
Process Driven by Ireland / European Product Planners
Content
Translated, Adapted, or Created locally
Process Driven by Ireland / European Product Planners
Localization
US product adapted for other language (or locale)
Process Driven by Ireland
Localizability
Make product localizable
Allow extensibility of feature
Globalization
Support International Settings
Able to run US version in other locales
US Code Base

7. Local Content Process
Review US content and apply content roadmap to determine what gets:
Remove!
Translate!
Adapt!
Replace!
Create!

8. Local Content Process EASY Remove! US CONTENT Translate! Adapt!
Not enough
value-added
to justify cost
EASY
Depends on how technical and complex content is to adapt. Done by Content Vendor, or SME.
Remove!
INAPPROPRIATE?
Done by Localization Vendors) US
CONTENT
Yes
Translate!
KEEP AS IS?
Adapt! No
Yes
CAN BE ADAPTED
FOR LOCAL MARKET?
Replace! No
Yes No
Original content (non US) dev’ed on a per-country or per-region basis by Specialized Vendor or ISV
INT’L
CONTENT
Create!
HARD
LOW COST
HIGH COST

9. Local Features In Money CD Product
Partner with local companies in Europe
Search for complementary product line : Mortgages, Taxes, Pensions etc…
Include features in localized versions of Money
Train and support partners
Limited development & program management involvement
Cross-promotion and marketing initiatives
From packaging to distribution

10. International Product Planning
Phase I - Define and spec Requirements for local product
Phase II - Find and execute on local solution for additions to the product
Phase III - Market and push the product

11. International Product Planners Role
Product planning & vision for site
Drive usability testing on site
Work with Financial Institutions
Content Vendor / Partner management
Work with Channel Managers
Business development
Product marketing
Public relations

12. ?