Accenture, Microsoft, and Unilever have successfully completed one of the largest and most complex cloud migrations in the consumer goods industry.
This migration has enabled Unilever to become a cloud-only enterprise, benefitting its 400+ brands used by 3.4 million people daily.
Accenture and Microsoft, together with their joint venture, Avanade, worked closely with Unilever to deliver the transformation in just 18 months with minimal disruption to business operations. It has not only helped ensure resilient, secure and optimized operations for Unilever but has provided a platform to drive growth and innovation.
Unilever’s adoption of a cloud-only approach will significantly improve business resilience, strengthening security and enhancing control of the IT landscape.
The three companies have accelerated the ability to identify trends and make decisions in the consumer goods industry by leveraging cloud, AI and its data foundation, as well as using industrial metaverse and digital twin technologies. Embracing the latest AI technologies to drive better experiences, Azure OpenAI Service has been applied across Unilever’s business to increase automation and reduce its carbon footprint by exiting its data centers and introducing Green Cloud Advisor.
Nicole van Det, senior managing director at Accenture and global account lead for Unilever, said: “The path to business resilience now and in the future is through total enterprise reinvention – which involves the transformation of every part of the business – with cloud at the core. With access to the full continuum of cloud capabilities, including generative AI, Unilever has the elasticity to drive innovation faster, accelerate growth and continue to set the pace as a digital powerhouse and leader in its industry.”
Steve McCrystal, chief enterprise and technology officer, Unilever, said: “Unilever is a truly data-powered organization. We’re using advanced analytics to make better-informed decisions quicker than ever before. Working with Accenture and Microsoft on this global transformative project, we can respond to ever-changing consumer needs faster, allocate our resources more effectively to focus on what drives growth, and bring services and products to the market faster.”
