George Armah ’08 Helps Build Microsoft’s Consumer Cloud

George Armah ’08

By Carrie Havranek

As a software engineer with Microsoft, George Armah ’08 collaborated on building OneDrive synchronization technology, a part of the company’s file hosting service that offers cloud storage and collaborative space for consumers.

DropBox, Google Drive, and Apple’s iCloud are competitive offerings of a similar kind.

Armah writes code to verify expected functionality of the software. He works with other engineers, product planners, and customer support specialists at the Redmond, Wash., office to design, verify, and make updates based on customer feedback.

“We are creating something that pleases millions of people,” Armah says. “Working at that scale is fun, and we have to constantly reevaluate not just what we do but how we are doing it to ensure that we can scale in an efficient manner.”

His work involves what he calls problem finding and data-driven analysis of the software quality.

“We model what the software looks like and how it behaves to find design gaps,” he says. “We also invest in technology that helps us understand how our product is being used by our customers.”

At Lafayette, Armah worked as an EXCEL Scholar on a National Science Foundation study with Rob Root, professor of mathematics, and Chun Wai Liew, associate professor of computer science. They studied how and why fish developed backbones, creating mathematical models of swimming motion. He also traveled to Uganda with Rexford Ahene, professor of economics, to assist with the technology for a land information system.