From Redmond to Hyderabad, the reverberations are being heard right through the lifeline of Microsoft's global operations.

The software goliath's R&D action hub at Redmond is now on the countdown for its India Development Centre “the largest outside US” to snatch-up some of the real-time action.

While charters for closer associations on new technology groups on 24/7 schedules are being planned, pumping the life-blood is also on mandate with Redmond slated to hire 1,500 in '03 followed by a 350-odd increase at the Microsoft India Development Centre (MIDC) within two years. Talking to ET , Yuval Neeman, corporate VP, enterprise storage division, Microsoft Corporation, said, "Earlier 99% of the R&D work was done out of Redmond. Now we are learning in the US to work in collaboration with MIDC."

"We are also looking at emerging technology areas and depending on the potential, to create new technology groups at MIDC to work in sync with Redmond," Neeman said.

With a $160m to be invested in two years flat, MIDC is already clued on to key focus verticals of its parent. While the hub has already been developing complete products like 'Windows Services for Unix' and 'Visual J#. Net', enterprise storage is another other high alert zone. Microsoft designed and developed new features for enterprise storage management, which will be released globally in about two months time in 'Windows Server 2003' version. Neeman said, "The aim is to make Windows Server the best storage platform and work with partner eco-systems to address customer needs."

"Window Server 2003 can replicate data in snapshots within the same server on a real-time basis, store it in a separate file system which can be recovered in seconds. As data mounts, they can be translated and stored in big discs and end users can restore it easily and the system administrator need not be involved," he added.

About 50% of Microsoft's enterprise storage division team is based at MIDC which will be growing in the coming years. Neeman also, said, "Now we are aiming to develop other features which will enable snapshots to be stored simultaneously on other servers instead of the same server and also save and store e-mails on a priority basis. These can be easily recovered by the system administrator even if accidentally deleted and reduce the overall cost of managing data alongwith better recovery experience."

Other innovative technologies and features will also be developed at MIDC in sync with Redmond. Keeping the R&D potential in view, MIDC which currently operates out of a 50,000 sq ft centre is expected to expand its development centre in Hyderabad.