This year marks 50 years of Microsoft. It’s a milestone worth pausing for as alongside the tech giant’s journey of upgrades, product launches and company acquisitions, it reveals another story – the changing (and unchanging) face of business needs.
What better way to illustrate this than through the personal recollections of HG Technology founders Paul Hill and David Gee. From COBOL to Copilot, the 80s boys to ‘wise men of tech’ have taken a trip down computing memory lane.
It makes for an interesting read and certainly shows when it comes to tech and how it can support better business, their knowledge runs as far back as when The Communards were at number one.
The 1980s: When PCs first entered the workplace
Paul began his career in 1986 straight out of school, training as a COBOL programmer at a time when computing came via twin floppy machines and 8-inch floppy drives. David started in 1988 as a CAD operator, initially working on a Unix machine before inheriting responsibility for all IT in his company – steering it toward a PC-based future.
Both remember those early systems vividly: command-line DOS, concurrent CPM, early Windows versions. Software was clunky, expertise was scarce, and everything ran on physical media. But the business need was the same as today: to do things faster, more accurately, and more efficiently.
From command lines to GUIs: A revolution in usability
The shift from DOS to Windows was nothing short of transformative. “It changed everything,” said Paul. Graphical user interfaces (GUIs) turned specialist tools into everyday workplace essentials. Productivity soared but only after a period of rather painful adaptation.
“You went from keyboard shortcuts to using this thing called a mouse,” said David. “There was resistance at first, but the gains in usability were enormous. Suddenly, more people could do more things with a computer.”
As computing became easier to use, adoption grew, and so did expectations. Businesses wanted more from their tech: faster communication, better data, smarter tools.
Remembering the damp squib that was the Millennium Bug
The arrival of the year 2000 was another turning point, when the global IT industry collectively held its breath as the clock struck midnight on 31 December 1999. Behind the scenes, people like Paul and David had been working for months to upgrade BIOS, patch software, and check systems in anticipation of there being problems.
“It turned out to be a non-event,” said Paul. “But it changed how businesses saw IT. It was no longer just about new features; it became about infrastructure and resilience too.”
Email replaces fax. The internet takes hold
By the early 2000s, email had taken over as the primary business communication tool, replacing fax machines and printed memos. For Paul and David, this era marked a sharp rise in productivity and yet more expectations.
“Information that used to take a day to share could now be sent in seconds. That changed everything,” said David.
“The internet became not just a communication tool but a platform. It enabled real-time collaboration, access to information, and remote working which of course was a foreshadowing of what was to come.”
Windows ME, XP and the maturing of business IT
While Windows ME is remembered with a wince (“It crashed constantly,” Paul recalls), Windows XP brought a wave of improvement. It was stable, familiar, and bridged the gap between desktop and server-level computing.
Security also took centre stage. As cyber threats increased, businesses could no longer afford to run outdated systems. “This was a turning point for us IT people. We had evolved from being fixers to strategic advisors,” adds Paul.
Microsoft grows up: The cloud years
Microsoft’s pivot to the cloud under Satya Nadella’s leadership marked another seismic shift. “When we founded HG Technology in 2010, we were using Microsoft 365, first for ourselves and then for clients,” says Paul.
“COVID-19 accelerated everything. Overnight, the cloud became essential as people needed access from anywhere and so Teams, SharePoint and OneDrive were no longer optional.”
Microsoft Teams replaced Skype, bringing integrated chat, meetings, and collaboration into one space. And it wasn’t just about communication – continuity was king.
From Lotus 123 to Power Platform: The low-code revolution
Paul and David’s reflections on the journey from spreadsheet mastery (first Lotus 123, then Excel) to low-code platforms like the Power Platform show that the tools may have changed but the goal has stayed the same: automate the mundane, reduce error, and empower people to do more.
But as David says: “Whilst businesses have always wanted the same thing: better data, fewer mistakes, and systems that work the way they do, what’s changed is that now, they can build those systems themselves.”
AI and Copilot: The next evolution
Fifty years on and today Microsoft’s AI-powered Copilot tools are nudging us into another new era – where routine tasks are handled by machines, and people focus on higher-value thinking. But the HG boys are quick to note that AI is a tool, not a substitute.
“Security, governance, process – those still matter,” said Paul. “AI is exciting, but it’s not magic.”
On the issue of what’s changed and what hasn’t, David concludes: “Businesses still want speed, accuracy, and reliability, and the people in those businesses still want tools that make work easier, not harder.
“But technology is at its best when it serves real human needs, not just the latest trend. That’s why good judgement, adaptability, and a deep understanding of what businesses really want is so important; timeless in fact and this is what HG Technology is all about.”
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