14 DAY TRIAL // One of the biggest advantages of Cloud services over on-premise solutions is related to the cost reduction as infrastructure investment is minimized. This is precisely one of the strongest selling points of offerings from Microsoft and Capgemini, as the two companies partnered in order to bring customers a combination of the Microsoft Business Productivity Online Suite and Capgemini’s Infostructure Transformation Services. Essentially, Capgemini will offer new solutions based on the Redmond company’s communications and collaboration Cloud services, while enabling customers to perform a smooth transition, which can happen in steps, rather than all at once.
“These services minimize the need for infrastructure investments and can be deployed rapidly, but with the reliability and security that’s essential for the enterprise,” Simon Witts, corporate vice president of Enterprise and Partner Group for Microsoft, explained. “Customers can save between 10 percent and 50 percent in IT-related expenditures as a result of deploying Microsoft Online Services.”
No less than 1,000 consultants will be trained by the duo to streamline migrations into the Cloud and help with the implementation, even in the context where customers are still anchored on-premise by legacy solutions. “Capgemini brings a long history of strong customer relationships, technology consulting expertise, and valuable professional and outsourcing services — while Microsoft offers cloud innovation and the most popular productivity and collaboration technology in the world,” David Boulter, vice president of Global Infostructure Transformation Services for Capgemini, noted.
Accelerators will be provided to customers to simplify migration to BPOS, along with Capgemini’s RApid INnovation (RAIN) process to catalyze adoption. Businesses will even be offered guidance to put together a Cloud Roadmap for their transition away from on-premise solutions. “Capgemini already has a strong alliance with Microsoft, and this announcement, coupled with our recent agreement on Windows Azure, strengthens that relationship. Together, Microsoft and Capgemini are well-positioned to offer cloud services that will help customers innovate and differentiate while reducing costs,” Boulter added.
A fact worth mentioning is that Capgemini has been a Google partner, and has been pushing the Mountain View’s search giant Cloud applications to its customers for the last years. Microsoft would definitely say that Google Apps is simply not enough to satisfy customers, and the move from Capgemini comes to confirm the fact that businesses need more. More, in this regard, is represented by Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, Office Communications Online, Dynamics CRM Online, Live Meeting, etc.