ARMONK, N.Y., Sept. 19, 2024 /CNW/ — IBM (NYSE: IBM) and Microsoft announced the official opening of three new IBM-Microsoft Experience Zones within IBM’s Client Innovation Centers. These Experience Zones are designed to help global clients across various industries. These include financial services, government, healthcare, industrial, manufacturing, and consumer packaged goods (CPG). They aim to find new ways to derive value from generative AI, hybrid cloud, and other Microsoft products and technologies.
In addition to the inaugural IBM-Microsoft Experience Zone in Bangalore, India, which opened in April 2024, the three new Experience Zones are strategically located in geographic locations that expand IBM’s reach and ability to engage with clients to take full advantage of Microsoft’s technologies to explore how to propel their business forward and innovate on potential opportunities. The new Experience Zones are located in: Bucharest, Romania; Buffalo, New York; and, Leicester, United Kingdom.
“The IBM-Microsoft Experience Zones will give clients and prospects an opportunity to explore potential solutions that leverage the strengths of both organizations,” said Brian Wood, Research Director, Global IT Services and Systems Integration Services at IDC. “The combined tools and platforms for data and AI show synergy in many environments and business processes.”
The IBM-Microsoft Experience Zones
Utilizing the Experience Zones, IBM’s global clients will have access to Microsoft technologies including Microsoft Azure, Azure Open AI Service, Microsoft Copilot, Microsoft Dynamics and more, by using dedicated technology stations to explore and co-create generative AI solutions that span internal and external business functions. Clients can also experiment with select IBM technologies that run on Microsoft Azure, including IBM Maximo Application Suite.
“Our IBM consultants understand the challenges today’s businesses face in adapting to the cloud and how AI can help them drive successful business outcomes,” said Chris McGuire, Vice President and General Manager for the Global Microsoft Strategic Partnership at IBM. “Before clients begin their cloud transformation journey, these Experience Zones can provide opportunities for hands-on access and ideation with IBM and Microsoft experts to identify those challenges and help clients develop technology solutions to create value and solve their most pressing business needs.”
At the Experience Zone in Bangalore, CIOs and their teams have explored cloud modernization. They have also explored solutions around Microsoft Azure and custom copilots. Industry clients such as manufacturing, gas and oil, and CPG are interested in augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) capabilities. They are keen on solutions like Microsoft’s Hololens and Azure Internet of Things (IoT) and Edge.
While onsite, IBM experts can work with clients to pinpoint their unique business challenges. They solve these challenges using cloud and generative AI solutions. These solutions help clients accelerate their business transformation and realize increased return on investment. For example, a financial services client could explore how Microsoft Copilot and its ability to create AI-based solutions could help cut down on the time to find documentation and review loan applications for approval. Or a client in the healthcare industry could assess ways to use various Microsoft Azure solutions to supply cloud computing for business-critical applications, such as cross-clinic access to patient files while also securing patient health information. The Experience Zones provide clients an opportunity to enhance their employees’ skills. They showcase next-generation technologies and industry-specific case studies. These resources help enterprises harness generative AI. This aids in solving complexities of competitive business environments.
“IBM’s inaugural Microsoft Experience Zone has empowered customers to harness the full potential of the Microsoft Cloud, generative AI, and Copilot, to enable business transformation, and we are thrilled that IBM is launching three additional IBM-Microsoft Experience Zones,” said Dinis Couto, GM, GSI Commercial Partners, at Microsoft. “Our partnership with IBM to establish three new Experience Zones will enable even more customers to create groundbreaking and transformative AI-powered services and solutions.”
With these three new Experience Zones, and client-focused engagements like the hackathon, IBM continues to highlight its commitment to – and momentum with – Microsoft as a strategic partner to deliver joint solutions for clients globally to unlock our “better together” philosophy and harness the full potential of generative AI and the hybrid cloud.
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