NEW YORK, April 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- UBS, Maersk,
Hershey, Fruit of the Loom and GEICO are among the companies that
have embraced digital transformation, and Wednesday announced new
solutions that use Microsoft technology. These solutions, announced
and on display at today's Microsoft Digital Difference event, will
not only improve the speed and efficiency of how they do business,
but also give them a significant digital edge over their
competitors.
Also, a Harvard Business Review Analytic Services report,
sponsored by Microsoft Corp. and released Wednesday, finds that
while 80 percent of business leaders think their industry will be
positively disrupted by digital transformation within the next
three years, fewer than half actually have a digital strategy in
place.
"It's time for businesses to take digital disruption seriously,"
said Abbie Lundberg, contributing
editor and author of the Harvard Business Review Analytic Services
report, released today. "Many firms struggle with what it means to
be a digital business and how to get there. But given what we heard
from global leaders, becoming a digital business is the top
priority for every leader who wants to survive beyond 2020."
The companies at the event have done just that — putting
strategies in place that use technology to move their businesses
forward. These brands are building industry-leading solutions with
Microsoft's intelligent cloud, Internet of Things, mixed reality
and artificial intelligence — and the results are tangible.
From industrial to infrastructure, more than a dozen global
brands and digital startups are demonstrating how they're
rethinking everything from transportation and work environments to
accessibility and transactions. Other companies showcased at
today's event include Bank of America, Gensler, Intermountain
Healthcare, King's Hawaiian, LaLiga, Mojix, Powershelf, Sarcos,
Steelcase, ThyssenKrupp, Trimble and WebJet. News and stories can
be found at www.microsoft.com/digitaldifference, and people can
join the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag
#DigitalDifference.
"Companies are choosing Microsoft to empower their digital
difference," said Judson Althoff,
executive vice president of the Worldwide Commercial Business at
Microsoft. "Microsoft has the edge in development in the cloud,
IoT, advanced analytics, mixed reality and artificial intelligence.
We understand companies' needs for innovation, speed to market, and
the importance of continually transforming and re-evaluating how
business is done."
Check out these highlights from the announcements and solutions
showcased at the event:
UBS
The world's largest and fastest-growing wealth manager, UBS, is
turning to Microsoft Azure to power its digital transformation,
aiming to reduce dependency on legacy technology, find new ways to
leverage digital channels, and rethink how its businesses and
people work.
UBS is currently using Azure to power its risk-management
platform, technology that requires enormous computing power, to run
millions of calculations daily on demand. The result — speeding
calculation time by 100 percent, saving 40 percent in
infrastructure costs, gaining nearly infinite scale within minutes
— means the firm can have more working capital on hand and
employees can make quicker, more informed decisions for their
clients.
In terms of UBS' strategic journey to the cloud, the risk
platform is just the first step. UBS is actively partnering with
Microsoft for opportunities to move more business applications to
the Azure cloud.
Hershey
So what about the maker of everyone's favorite candy and snacks?
Hershey, a company with 123 years in business and more than 80
brands, knows how to win customer loyalty: Deliver exactly what
shoppers want, when they want it. Hershey puts this expertise to
use as a trusted advisor to brick-and-mortars and online retailers.
The company's insights show that combining new technology with
beloved consumer brands can help transform today's shopping
experience.
By using Internet of Things (IoT) sensors that feed data into
the cloud where it's then analyzed via Machine Learning in Azure,
Hershey is able to produce and innovate products faster. As a
result, Hershey can extract insights and identify trends that
enable the company to better understand how to manage costs and
make strategic business decisions.
Maersk
Maersk is the largest transport and logistics company in the
world, with offices in 130 countries and a fleet of more than 1,000
vessels. Its Maersk Line sails in all major trade lanes,
transporting more than 17 million containers annually, and its
terminal operating unit, APM Terminals, operates in more than 70
ports worldwide. There is an enormous opportunity to tap into the
sheer volume of data generated across operations — in fact, Maersk
estimates that the power of data will help add tens of millions of
dollars to the bottom line annually.
As a start, Damco, Maersk's supply chain solutions business
unit, has already built several solutions on Microsoft Azure,
turning on the data spigot for actionable insights and strategic
decision-making. Next up, Maersk is building a digital platform
(app store) on Microsoft's intelligent cloud to enhance operational
performance, increase the visibility and predictability of supply
chains, and improve service to millions of Maersk customers
worldwide.
And what about other companies that choose Microsoft for their
digital transformation? Here's what's new from Fruit of the Loom
and GEICO:
Fruit of the Loom
Everyone knows Fruit of the Loom for its comfy casual wear and
underwear, but what about its commitment to improving employees'
work processes? By capitalizing on Office 365 and the Azure cloud
platform, Fruit of the Loom is transforming and powering
productivity across the business. Recently, it began harnessing big
data and developing predictive models that help the business better
understand consumer behavior through Microsoft Azure Machine
Learning from the Cortana Intelligence Suite and Power BI for
Office 365.
GEICO
With 15 million policyholders, direct auto-insurer GEICO is
enhancing its digital presence in the cloud to better connect with
customers and drive innovation. As part of its strategy to increase
efficiency, ensure greater application availability and lower
costs, GEICO announced an aggressive hybrid-cloud course from
legacy systems to the Microsoft Azure cloud. This technology
will automate and build infrastructure in the cloud on its own
terms from delivering optimal experiences 24/7 for customers to
making faster and easier transactions possible.
GEICO is committed to engaging with its customers more
frequently and in new and interesting ways. By working with
Microsoft's cloud, it's sure to be ahead of the curve when it comes
to where the next big digital opportunities lie.
About Microsoft
Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT" @microsoft) is the leading platform and
productivity company for the mobile-first, cloud-first world, and
its mission is to empower every person and every organization on
the planet to achieve more.
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SOURCE Microsoft Corp.