[Africa]KPMG, Microsoft in strategic collaboration

KPMG recently announced an expansion of its strategic relationship with Microsoft to include a global collaboration to jointly deliver new suites of innovative solutions and services in data and analytics (D&A), cloud compliance and transformation, and business solutions.

The collaboration signals an important phase in the Microsoft and KPMG relationship, driven by a shared certainty that clients are looking for business partners with solutions and services that combine the best in leading-edge technology, industry insight and innovative thinking with proven excellence in managing complex global projects. KPMG has already guided over 100 clients using Microsoft’s Business Intelligence (BI), Analytics and Microsoft Dynamics products to transform their business operations.

The new strategic collaboration, based on Microsoft’s Azure, Dynamics and data platforms, will allow Microsoft and KPMG member firms to work together to develop and deploy solutions and services that will help address the disruptive challenges topping the Board agenda today. These include realising the business potential of one global, scalable platform which can deliver cloud-based solutions for Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Data and Analytics, which will collectively help transform the business while maintaining regulatory and compliance requirements.

The global collaboration will facilitate the development and selling of new, innovative and scalable solutions and services in three key areas:

* Data and analytics – clients will derive increased performance and productivity with a new, integrated data and analytics platform and Microsoft’s data solutions within the cloud, and in their existing environment using tools from Microsoft Office over Power BI, to machine learning and predictive analytics
* Cloud compliance and transformation – clients will benefit from new cloud compliance and cloud transformation offerings. Microsoft will provide hyper-scale, enterprise-grade and hybrid cloud technologies. KPMG will work with clients to help ensure compliance requirements, supply expert know-how and change management expertise. Building on decades of experience with technology disruption and transformation, KPMG and Microsoft will help clients make the journey to the cloud safer and more secure.
* Business solutions – KPMG will use Microsoft’s Dynamics Enterprise Resource Planning and CRM Solutions to further its technology-enabled transformation and customer and growth engines. KPMG will focus on developing industry-specific solutions and services to serve the needs of companies in key industries.

Says Frank Rizzo, Data and Analytics leader for KPMG South Africa: “KPMG is excited about the collaboration with Microsoft and the possibilities that this collaboration will unlock when helping our clients to deliver value and actionable insights from their data. Using leading edge technology combined with our deep expertise in Data & Analytics will strengthen our position as a trusted advisor”.

“We are excited to bring together KPMG’s industry expertise, global network and business transformation acumen with Microsoft’s enterprise cloud technologies, data, analytic and business solutions to help customers deal with their most challenging issues,” added Scott Guthrie, Microsoft Executive Vice President of the Cloud and Enterprise. “KPMG’s deep experience in global business transformation combined with Microsoft Azure, SQL Server, Power BI and Dynamics will help our mutual customers compete in today’s mobile first, cloud first world.”

“This collaboration gives KPMG clients in Africa the opportunity to leap frog competitors in more technologically mature economies. This is convergence at its best and enables KPMG and Microsoft to bring the power of the cloud, scalable ERP systems and real time analytics to clients across industries in Africa,” adds Rizzo.

For KPMG, the collaboration with Microsoft will provide new and existing clients with preferred access to proven technology solutions including: advanced big data and analytic solutions built on Power BI and SQL Server, enterprise-grade, hybrid cloud technology from Windows Server and Microsoft Azure, and business solutions powered by Microsoft Dynamics.

For Microsoft, KPMG’s global reach and deep industry knowledge gives Microsoft access to new insights through KPMG’s role as a trusted advisor to the C-suite.

www.kpmg.com