TOKYO, REDMOND (Wash.), July 13, 2021 — Microsoft Corp. (Microsoft), and NEC Corporation (NEC, TSE: 6701), announced Tuesday an expansion to their decades-long partnership. The companies will use Microsoft Azure, Microsoft 365, and NEC’s IT expertise, including 5G technologies. They also each have AI and IoT solutions that can be used to assist enterprise customers and the public sector in multiple markets and industries.
NEC will adopt Microsoft Azure as its cloud platform of choice to provide enhanced capabilities for sustained digitalization, help customers change their business models, and create Digital Workplaces in the new post-pandemic world.
The companies will collaborate to move NEC’s existing IT environment to Azure. They will also deploy Azure Virtual Desktop among NEC Group’s 110,000 worldwide employees. This collaboration will accelerate NEC’s Digital Workplace innovation, workforce transformation, and workforce transformation. This modernization will build on NEC’s Microsoft 365 platform. It will create a more secure, robust environment for NEC and its customers in Japan and around the globe.
These companies will collaborate to improve digital services for the public and enterprise customers by transforming workplaces and workforces. High-speed and lower latency data connections will enable employees to have more customized work styles and create more efficient workplaces.
The companies will leverage the combined assets of both companies, including NEC’s private 5G network technologies and Microsoft’s Intelligent Edge solutions. This collaboration will help customers in all industries transform. For example, in retail, the companies will collaborate to analyze transaction data of customers using AI. This will allow them to understand better customer buying patterns and improve operational efficiency.
Combining Azure with both companies’ AI/IoT technologies and expertise will improve NEC’s customer experience by providing advanced solutions that enable store maintenance and operation to be more secure. NEC and Microsoft will also explore innovative network solutions built on Microsoft Azure to support specific industries and enterprise domains.
The partnership will see the two companies work together to increase Microsoft-focused engineers within NEC Group. In addition, NEC will invest in technical capabilities and increase the expertise of its employees to ensure digital transformation success for customers, which will benefit the market and society.
Satya Nadella (chairman and CEO of Microsoft) stated that digital adoption curves have been increasing across all industries and business functions over the past year. “Our strategic partnership to NEC brings together Azure and Microsoft 365’s power with NEC’s infrastructure and services expertise to assist public and private sector customers in transforming during this era of rapid change.
Takayuki Mrita, President and CEO of NEC Corporation, said that “NEC is delighted to enter into this strategic cooperation with Microsoft Corp.” “With Microsoft’s trusted cloud services and the IoT and AI experience NEC has gained in its systems, we will be able to enable global companies to use digital services that provide greater security and safety than ever before. This is a crucial step forward for digital initiatives.
Hitoshi Yoshida (president & CEO of Microsoft Japan) stated that “sustainable transformation is essential to ensure business resilience and growth has never been greater in the world, especially Japan.” “Our partnership will accelerate the industry’s cloud-based digital transformation, utilization of data migration, and help Japan’s continued global success. This will lead to greater economic as well as societal prosperity.”
This announcement is based upon a 40-year history of solid collaboration between Microsoft Corporation and NEC.
