EY, on Wednesday announced a strategic alliance with Microsoft to develop and deliver innovative high-performance intelligence and analytics advisory services in India. These services will address the requirements of various industry sectors; financial services, life sciences, retail, consumer and packaged goods, and the government and public sector. The services will be powered by Microsoft’s comprehensive digital and cloud technologies, including Azure Analysis Services, Machine Learning, Microsoft Power BI and Microsoft Cortana Intelligence Suite.

The long-term strategic relationship will focus on enabling clients with real-time business insights that can enhance customer engagement, increase revenue and lower costs. With data volumes and varieties exploding (from traditional point-of-sale systems and e-commerce websites to new customer sentiment sources such as Twitter and IoT sensors), clients need to analyze massive amounts of data in real time to make informed and holistic predictive decisions.

EY’s cross-sector advisory experience and the power of Microsoft’s data intelligence and analytics offerings will enable the co-creation of a broad range of portfolios. These solutions can help businesses across sectors to derive value from data.

“Digitization and advanced analytics are transforming our clients’ businesses and we have already made significant investments to embed both these capabilities across our services. This partnership further bolsters our value proposition and brings together our deep understanding and experience in technology advisory with the robust platform and market penetration of Microsoft,” said Rajiv Memani, Chairman and Regional Managing Partner of EY India.

“Digital Transformation led growth is the key priority of Indian businesses today, and cloud enabled data analytics will play a crucial role in their success. We are committed to innovating and accelerating insightful intelligence across all sectors. This partnership with EY will not only help clients achieve greater competitive edge but also promote data-driven, customer-focused innovation,” said Anant Maheshwari, President of Microsoft India.

EY has been the leading business adviser to companies across sectors, including financial services, consumer goods, government, life sciences and automotive. With the new alliance, it aims to create greater value with digital solutions by combining its expertise as a trusted business advisor with Microsoft’s comprehensive digital and cloud technologies, including Azure Analysis Services, Machine Learning, Stream Analytics, Azure Bot Service, Cognitive & other APIs, Microsoft Power BI and Microsoft Cortana Intelligence Suite.