Microsoft Corp. (Microsoft) and NEC Corporation (NEC; TSE: 6701) on Tuesday announced an expansion of their decades-long collaboration through a strategy that will leverage Microsoft Azure, Microsoft 365, NEC’s network, and IT expertise including 5G technologies in order to help enterprise customers as well as the public sector across different markets and industries with the objective of accelerating their cloud adoption.
As part of the partnership, NEC will adopt Microsoft Azure as its preferred cloud computing platform to deliver enhanced capabilities and drive sustained digitalization. It will also help customers transform their business models and build strong digital workplaces for the post-pandemic “new normal.”
NEC will work with Microsoft to migrate its current on-premises IT environment onto Azure and deploy a variety of other services such as Virtual Desktop into their 110,000 employees worldwide. This would help accelerate NEC’s Digital Workplace innovation and workforce transformation by making these processes more fluid through the use of cloud computing technology.
With NEC’s new Microsoft 365, customers will enjoy a more sustainable and secure environment that is accelerating cloud migration. This will have immense benefits in Japan and around the world alike.
Both the companies aim to work together to change the way people in the public and private sectors use technology, improving their digital services through workplace and workforce transformation. They’ll do this by using better data connections that are faster and less likely to slow down or crash when apps get used at any given time. This should empower employees more so than before as they have a new set of tools for professional success with high-performance network experiences
Working together with NEC, Microsoft will help customers across industries transform and revolutionize their business. Leveraging its Intelligent Edge solutions and private 5G networking technologies as well as NEC’s AI expertise in retail analysis, the two companies are ready to make a big impact on customer experience through data-driven insights that can be used for operational efficiency and new product development.
The combination of AI and IoT solutions and Azure expertise will improve NEC’s customer experience through advanced solutions and lead to better and secure maintenance and operation of stores.
The companies also aim to explore network innovations built on Azure for specific industries and enterprise domains.
The partnership will help double the number of digital-focused solution engineers within the NEC Group who have expertise in Microsoft technologies. This investment in the technical capabilities of NEC’s employees will help secure their end customers’ digital transformation success, which will benefit both the market and society.
“As we’ve seen over the past year, digital adoption curves are accelerating across every industry and business function,” said Satya Nadella, chairman and CEO, Microsoft. “Our strategic partnership with NEC brings together the power of Azure and Microsoft 365 with NEC’s services and infrastructure expertise to help public and private sector customers build resilience and transform during this era of rapid change.”
“NEC is pleased to enter into this strategic collaboration with Microsoft Corp.,” said Takayuki Morita, president and CEO of NEC Corporation. “With Microsoft’s trusted cloud and services, the experience that NEC has cultivated in its own systems, and both companies’ AI and IoT technologies, we will enable companies globally to use digital services that are safer and more secure than ever before as they progress with digital initiatives.”
“The need for sustainable transformation to ensure business resiliency and growth has never been more important in the world and especially Japan,” said Hitoshi Yoshida, president & CEO, Microsoft Japan. “Our partnership will help accelerate the industry’s cloud-based digital transformation and utilization of data migration and help Japan’s continued success globally, leading to greater economic and societal prosperity.”
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