San Francisco: Microsoft will start layoffs from today as it refocuses its sales force on making the software colossus a pivotal part of businesses relying on cloud computing.


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The technology giant cut 7,800 jobs in 2015, and 4,700 last year.


Chief Executive Satya Nadella has sought to reduce the tech giant's focus on software, shifting to cloud computing and business services.


Microsoft reported revenue gains in cloud and business service operations, which offset a drop in "personal computing," which includes the Windows operating system that once made up its core business.


Microsoft said revenue from its "Intelligent Cloud" rose 11 percent from a year earlier to USD 6.8 billion.


Microsoft said its Office commercial products and cloud services revenue increased seven percent.


Office consumer products and cloud services revenue rose 15 percent, as the number of Office 365 consumer subscribers increased to 26.2 million.


Microsoft is to release its earnings for the recently- ended quarter on July 20.


Microsoft's cloud platform, called Azure, faces competition from technology powerhouses Amazon and Google.


Each of the companies has also been investing in artificial intelligence which can make services hosted in the internet cloud more intuitive and insightful when it comes to handling data or catering to needs of users.


Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft has announced thousands of jobs cuts in recent years, the most severe being 18,000 positions eliminated in 2014 related from its acquisition of Nokia and failed efforts in the smartphone market.


With AFP Inputs