SHANGHAI; November 23, 2022 – Microsoft China and Accenture (NYSE: ACN), together with their joint venture Avanade, announced a new era of collaboration with an enhanced cloud services delivery capability in China to fuel the high-quality development of the local economy. The innovative delivery model will help more Chinese businesses move to the Microsoft cloud at scale, accelerating their digital transformation and driving intelligent operations by unlocking the power of data and analytics.
In support of Microsoft’s pivot from product-centricity to solution-centricity, the three companies will collaborate to improve customer experience on the Microsoft Cloud and drive further adoption of Microsoft products and services in the China market. Accenture and Avanade will offer cloud assessment, cloud migration and modernization, data transformation and next generation managed services to Microsoft and its customers. Microsoft will utilize the new cloud services delivery capability to accelerate its own cloud and data business in China.
The expanded business partnership is initially focused on companies in the manufacturing, automotive, high-tech, retail, and pharmaceutical sectors. Building on their global “power of three” partnership, Microsoft, Accenture and Avanade will be able to better serve multinational enterprises in the Chinese market, as well as Chinese businesses aspiring to expand beyond China.
"China's thriving digital economy is built in part on a strong movement toward digital transformation, and technology innovation is helping enterprises drive new business and business models while strengthening their resilience, competitiveness and sustainability,” said Dr. Hou Yang, Corporate Vice President, Chairman and CEO of Microsoft Greater China Region. “Over the years, Microsoft has cooperated closely with Accenture and Avanade to realize the full potential of the Microsoft Intelligent Cloud, empowering enterprises of all sizes across industries to transform and modernize, reduce costs and increase efficiency. I am delighted that we will continue to work together to win market opportunities while offering a brighter digital future for our customers and partners.”
Samantha Zhu, Chairperson of Accenture Greater China, said, "Enterprises in China have reached a turning point as the performance gap between digital champions and others is widening. It’s imperative for enterprises to accelerate digital transformation across industries to drive business value, agile operations and sustainable processes – all of which can be enabled with a digital core powered by the cloud continuum. We are delighted to reinforce our commitment with Microsoft and Avanade to scale our innovations and create new business models with our Cloud First capabilities"
Linda Lin, General Manager of Avanade Greater China, added, “Our partnership with Accenture and Microsoft is unlike any other in the market. For over 20 years now, we have been bringing the best of Accenture's industry insights, Microsoft's technology platforms and Avanade's technical expertise to help enterprises in China accelerate their business transformation. Through the new capability, we will continue to deliver more innovative solutions and experiences for our clients – helping them do what matters through the use of advanced technologies in a secure and efficient manner."
According to the Institute of International Technology and Economy under the Development Research Center of the State Council in China, the cloud adoption rate among Chinese governments and large enterprises is expected to exceed 60% by 2023. Accenture’s Cloud Continuum research finds that only half of global organizations are using the full potential of cloud, showing there is significant opportunity to leverage the cloud as a launchpad for innovation and to realize greater business value.
Microsoft, Accenture, and Avanade have collaborated extensively in cloud-first solutions, sustainability, and data and artificial intelligence to provide comprehensive digital services for businesses. Earlier this year, Accenture and Avanade were named 2022 Microsoft Global SI Partner of the Year for the 17th time, in addition to winning ten Microsoft Partner of the Year awards.