KPMG has agreed expanded UAE-focused alliances with Informatica, Snowflake and Microsoft, ramping up how the consulting firm collaborates with the three major global technology houses to enhance its ‘enterprise data transformation’ services.
At a global level, KPMG has been working with Microsoft, Informatica and Snowflake for years. The alliances are led by the firm’s Advisory division.
Since the launch of its $5 billion investment agenda in digital services and alliances (unveiled in 2019), KPMG members firms from across all corners of the globe have been intensifying their work with the three software providers.
Led out of the Lower Gulf, KPMG’s latest alliance however is – according to Consultancy.org monitoring – somewhat of a pioneering move for the firm, bringing together separate offerings from all three alliance partners under one roof. While it is not uncommon for client organisations to use all three solutions in their technology mix, the formalised collaboration at the front-end is novel.
Branded as ‘Data to the power of 3’, the blending of KPMG’s business and functional expertise with technology solutions from Microsoft, Informatica and Snowflake will enable the consortium to offer “an unbeatable value proposition” in the data transformation landscape, claimed Fady Kassatly, a partner at KPMG.
Informatica provides organisations with a data management platform in the cloud. The platform supports the full data lifecycle, from storing and engineering to compliance and analysis.
Snowflake helps organisations analyse massive datasets, facilitating data driven working and decision-making. The platform brings together data warehouses and data lakes from various sources to democratise data analytics across the business.
Microsoft provides a suite of technology platforms and applications, from wide-ranging ERP systems to sector-specific solutions. Microsoft is also one of the globe’s largest players in the cloud scene with its Azure cloud.
“Together, we have the capabilities to unify, integrate, analyse and share previously siloed data with a near-zero management platform that delivers virtually unlimited scalability, concurrency and high availability,” said Kassatly.
“This partnership has the potential to transform businesses through growth, efficiency, and innovation – all providing a competitive advantage.” Meanwhile, clients won’t have to worry about data compliance. “The data will reside on the local UAE data centres of Microsoft, thereby adhering to the local data, security, and privacy compliance requirements.”
The search for the new gold
The joint launch comes at a timely moment. Investments in data driven ways of working are surging, with a recent estimate by the International Data Corporation suggesting that around two thirds of organisations across the UAE are currently engaged in such initiatives.
“Data is the new gold and now the most significant asset an organisation can possess. Businesses are making huge investments to unlock data’s secrets and enormous disruptive potential. It is at the heart of new business models, technologies and ecosystems of companies providing almost anything as a service,” explained Kassatly.
The backdrop is however one of challenges. Data driven working is new, and IT complexity (and legacy systems), data interoperability and cultural issues can make reaping the benefits a daunting prospect.
In the words of Kassatly, “Despite huge investments in technologies, many companies are still struggling to leverage the full potential.” KPMG and its partners believe they have found a silver bullet to this, because “if organisations fundamentally reimagine their relationship with data, they can quickly discover how data can help drive real competitive advantage.”
Getting started
For those interested in exploring the ‘Data to the power of 3’ offering, the four initiators have developed a low-key entry point. A business and data maturity assessment and quick scan of opportunities sheds rapid light on where organisations can benefit, and the contours of an (attractive) business case.
After that, the quartet provide the “tools, technologies, and methodologies to support an enterprise data transformation,” said Kassatly, with KPMG at the steering wheel flanked by its technology partners.
According to a benchmark by ConsultancyME, KPMG is one of the leading consultants for data science in the Middle East.
Leaders of the new offering include: Fady Kassatly and Hiren Amin (KPMG), Waqar Ahmed (Informatica), Mohamed Zouari (Snowflake), and Amr Kamel (Microsoft).
Sourced from Consultancy.me