Deloitte Microsoft Technology Services Practice BrandVoice: Maximize Cloud ROI: How To Harness Technology Investments To Drive Competitive Advantage
by Deloitte Microsoft Technology Services Practice Contributor · ForbesThe Forbes Content & Design Studio conducted a written interview with Patel, who develops and executes Deloitte’s strategic vision and priorities including global capabilities, offerings and solutions for clients using Microsoft technologies. The following excerpts from that interview have been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Most enterprises have made significant cloud investments. As new tech emerges, how can they maximize that spending?
Our observations are that many clients have put systems in the cloud, but are at varying stages of their modernization efforts to achieve significant business value and realize the ROI that can be associated with their technology investments. It’s important to establish a foundation to rapidly innovate with new technology, such as generative AI, within the business.
Our focus is to meet clients where they are, and work side-by-side to achieve their business initiatives and drive results. That working relationship can range from simple engagements all the way to strategic build-operate-transfer engagements to help clients mature their own organizations with the long-term in mind.
How can companies unlock new value from existing applications, like integrated Microsoft technology?
Deloitte has capabilities and offerings broadly covering the entire Microsoft technology stack, so when a client has chosen this as their platform, we can help them focus on enabling business outcomes through these various technologies, while not compromising quality or security. We are actively working with clients in new areas, such as Fabric and Copilot, where they’re looking to develop business-specific use cases in order to integrate to their existing investments.
We bring to the table our deep industry and sector expertise and focus on business outcomes and value. Our objectivity allows us to focus on the right platforms required to meet our clients’ requirements. Our global footprint allows us to serve them holistically around the world. With 26,000+ Microsoft certifications and 25,000+ dedicated Microsoft technology services consultants, Deloitte is uniquely positioned to achieve end-to-end enterprise transformation for clients leveraging the Microsoft technology stack.
Are there client success stories that showcase the business benefits of Deloitte’s transformation services?
Yes, a few quick examples are:
- A multinational oil and gas client, one of the largest global companies in the industry, collaborated with Deloitte to modernize its many manual analytical processes used to coordinate data, including market conditions, contract terms and trading activity. Virtually all decision-making was segmented, despite the material impact each choice had on the rest of the value chain. The company needed to make a strategic shift to achieve system-wide visibility across business units and marketplace silos so it could unlock the potential of interconnected data, anticipate and leverage supply and demand fluctuations, and make value-based decisions in real-time. This resulted in over $200 million in annual savings.
- Idaho’s Department of Health and Welfare (DHW) collaborated with Deloitte to implement Ensuring Safety and Permanency in Idaho (ESPI), a Comprehensive Child Welfare Information System (CCWIS)-compliant technology solution built on cloud native Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Microsoft Power Platform. As a result of the client’s collaboration with Deloitte, DHW’s strategic business office lead said: “With Deloitte’s help, we are setting the standard for transformational delivery of child welfare services, helping to keep children safer and families healthier.”
- An automotive captive finance provider needed to streamline its financial operations by upgrading its loan origination platforms and accelerating delivery of new services and capabilities. Deloitte helped the client with application modernization, product management and delivery—including assistance with addressing funding—which provided an improved experience for both the dealership and for customers by simplifying and accelerating the loan application and processing timeline.
How can cloud and tech solutions be tailored to industry-specific needs?
With Deloitte’s investment in IndustryAdvantageTM, we are bringing our extensive sector knowledge and intimate understanding of our clients’ challenges to address targeted transformation across commercial, product and operations functions. This industry-specific approach and our comprehensive capabilities are what drive the vision around the solutions we build with cloud, artificial intelligence, cyber and emerging technologies.
Technology today is important in accelerating business and societal value and, as an organization, we at Deloitte have a chance to positively impact clients and society. In the age of AI, this is a pivotal moment for humanity, with technology driving profound change and transformation for every company, community, country and society.