Microsoft Thailand, a local unit of the US-based giant, is focusing on the small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) market to help the sector speed its adoption of technology.
The move by the company, part of the world's biggest software maker, is expected to be the key driver of its business growth this year.
Alvaro Celis, vice-president of Microsoft Asia-Pacific, said SMEs are an important market because they are still at a basic technology adoption level.
But he said they need to adopt new technologies, especially mobility, cloud computing and big data, to improve their competitiveness and productivity.
Thai SMEs represent up to 99% of overall businesses, accounting for 78% of the 10.5-million-strong workforce.
But SMEs generate just 37% or 3.75 trillion baht of Thailand's annual GDP.
"Encouraging SMEs to invest more in technology will also help increase the country's GDP growth," Mr Celis said.
Haresh Khoobchandani, managing director of Microsoft Thailand, said the company is in talks with local mobile operators for possible cooperation to expand in the SME market together.
"SMEs are a key growth segment, and they need to invest in IT infrastructure in order to capitalise on opportunities stemming from the upcoming Asean Economic Community late next year," he said.
Mr Celis said Microsoft expects the local operating unit to double the growth of the overall IT industry.
Based on a Microsoft report entitled "The Link Between Pirated Software and Cyber Security Breaches", enterprises worldwide are expected to spend nearly US$500 billion in 2014 to deal with issues caused by malware deliberately loaded onto pirated software.
According to the report, which was jointly produced with IDC and the National University of Singapore, an additional $127 billion will be spent to deal with security issues and another $364 billion to handle data breaches.
Consumers worldwide will spend nearly $25 billion and waste 1.2 billion hours in 2014 dealing with security issues created by malware on pirated software.
The study probed computers bought in Thailand and 10 other countries, surveying 1,700 consumers, IT workers, chief information officers and government officials.
Of the PCs examined in all 11 countries, 61% had pirated software infected with malware. In Thailand, with 20 PCs surveyed, the infection rate was 84%.