REDMOND, Wash. — June 27, 2012 — Microsoft Corp. today announced that Lowe’s Companies Inc. has signed an agreement to implement Microsoft Office 365 across more than 1,745 stores, 200,000 employees and its corporate offices in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Office 365 will help the home improvement retailer improve customer service by providing collaboration tools to increase communication among its stores and employees. The technology will be available for Lowe’s employees soon and will help customers enjoy even more expertise and consistency as they shop at Lowe’s.

“Office 365 is another tool we’re using to help redefine customers’ home improvement experiences,” said Paul Ramsay, senior vice president, IT Solutions at Lowe’s. “We’re giving our employees the tools to connect quickly and easily, with one goal in mind: to make home improvement simple.”

As Lowe’s strives to help its employees seamlessly communicate, collaborate and connect with other employees, Office 365 offers the ability to grow with Lowe’s users and provides simple interoperability and familiarity with Microsoft programs.

“What’s inspiring about the plans Lowe’s has for Office 365 is it really shows the power of the cloud by giving its employees the ability to deliver what they need to best help their customers, the very moment they need it,” said Kirk Koenigsbauer, corporate vice president, Microsoft Office Division.

More information about Office 365 is available at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/presskits/office, and more customer success stories can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/presskits/customerspotlight.

About Lowe’s

With fiscal year 2011 sales of $50.2 billion, Lowe’s Companies, Inc. is a FORTUNE® 100 company that serves approximately 15 million customers a week at more than 1,745 home improvement stores in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Founded in 1946 and based in Mooresville, N.C., Lowe’s is the second-largest home improvement retailer in the world. For more information, visit Lowes.com.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

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