US technology giant Microsoft completes 30 years in Mexico this week. The company has come a long way since it launched operations on November 6, 1986, growing from five employees to more than 500 today.

Interestingly, Mexico was the first overseas expansion for Microsoft after it was founded in Albuquerque, New Mexico. In addition, 1986 was a memorable year, during which they also expanded to Japan and the Netherlands, besides moving their headquarters to Radmond, Washington, where they have remained even to date.

Back then, the only solution it sold in Mexico was Windows. Today, it is selling a wide verity of products and services, including IT infrastructure, video games, and cloud services.

At this time, software piracy posed a threat when Microsoft was still operating out of a small office in Santa Fe, a bustling business district in Mexico City. The threat, however, disappeared soon with government cracking down on pirates. As Y2K came closer, it was hard for company officials to convince its Windows users that their computers would not go dark at the turn of the century.

Microsoft’s contribution to bridging the digital divide in Mexico is widely applauded by all. In February 2007, Microsoft launched its innovative schools program, distributing computing devices to children and making software available free of cost. The initiative made it easier for children to access the web across the country.

Five years later, in 2011, it inaugurated its state-of-the-art technology center in Mexico City. Reports say the center has so far trained as many as 80,000 teachers and 150,000 students in computing technology.

As years went by, its business also went from strength to strength. Today, nearly 80% of computers in Mexico run on its Windows operating system, and as many as 49,000 small and medium enterprises are dependent on its service one way or the other.

Last year, the company’s CEO Satya Nadella arrived in Mexico, and promised to invest $1 billion in building infrastructure essential for generating new generation of computer software designers.

it also owns a manufacturing plant with 700 employees in Reynosa, Tamaulipas, after it acquired Finnish phone maker Nokia.