Software beast Microsoft is working overtime to claw back a greater share of the search market from industry king Google. 

"The best engineers at Microsoft are working on our answer to win back the search market," Microsoft International President Jean Philippe Courtois on Monday told attendees of the Red Herring ETRE European technology conference in Budapest. 

The Microsoft executive said the company was focusing its efforts on a highly competitive advertising platform, though he did not reveal when it would be released.  He said that it would not be an easy task to succeed.

Mr. Courtois also said that Microsoft was planning an even greater emphasis outside the United States. 

He said Russia is the fastest-growing market, followed by China, India, and several other Asian countries.  For these markets, he said, the software company is experiencing double-digit growth.