ust last week Microsoft agreed to buy professional social network Linkedin for a reported $26.2 billion – seen by many as both a bold move and a huge gamble.

What exactly are they getting for this vast amount of money ? Answer – access to a huge amount of personal data.

It is thought that there are currently in the region of 430 million Linkedin members. Obviously this gives Microsoft access to a vast number of people instantly making it a major player in the social network space.

This is a change in direction for Microsoft away from the products it is currently best known for – Windows and Office software – to a focus on individuals rather than companies. They now own a vast amount of valuable data – perhaps second only to Facebook and are extremely well placed to move towards selling software and services delivered over the Internet.