Bengaluru-based IT firm Infosys has signed a multi-year strategic deal with Australia-based electricity distributor Ausgrid that leverages Microsoft Azure. The deal will help Ausgrid accelerate its cloud transformation journey on Australia’s east coast. The engagement will also help Ausgrid revamp its IT infrastructure, systems and applications using both Microsoft’s Azure and Infosys’ Cobalt ecosystem of platforms and solutions. According to Infosys, this move will help connect communities and empower lives with a focus on affordability, reliability, and sustainability.
The partnership is in line with Ausgrid’s ongoing transformation program that was launched in the mid-2020s and is being delivered in a phased manner with a mix of cloud management platform and managed services.
According to Infosys’ official communiqué, the adoption of cloud technology will help Ausgrid improve its operations’ security, resiliency, and agility. It will also help the distributor reduce ownership costs and at the same time, improve its application and IT performance.
The company also noted that Ausgrid appreciates the adoption of a cloud-based strategy that’s integrated and is aimed at addressing people, changing management and business processes to optimize the operational efficiency and operational benefits that cloud enables.
The engagement will also enable Microsoft and Infosys leverage their respective cloud platforms – Cobalt and Azure – to improvise on Ausgrid’s application landscape and IT infrastructure.
As per Infosys’ official website, cobalt comprises services, solutions, and platforms that work as force boosters for the cloud-powered platform.
Executive Insights
“With over four million Australians relying on our services every day, it is essential for us to maintain high standards of reliability and connectivity, as well as deliver on the expectations of Australian communities. Accelerating our cloud transformation journey in partnership with Infosys and Microsoft will allow us to improve the reliability of the network, keep downward pressure on electricity prices and bring new services to market at speed and in a cost-effective manner,” Ausgrid’s acting CIO Nick Crowe noted.
“Our engagement with Ausgrid has expanded to include this strategic cloud transformation initiative, leveraging Infosys’ Cobalt ecosystem of platforms, solutions and services as well as our deep expertise in the utility industry. This engagement further strengthens our global collaboration with Microsoft, and our joint value to the industry,” Infosys Executive VP and Global Leader Communications for Media and Technology Anand Swaminathan said.
Microsoft Australia Chief Partner Officer Rachel Bondi said the company is observing a considerable rise in enterprise-wide cloud adoption, which is recognized to be critical for resilient business models.
“Through this partnership with Infosys and Ausgrid, we are leveraging the power of Microsoft Azure to create endless digital capabilities and accelerate customer value,” Bondi said.
This transformation program will help Ausgrid increase agility; simplify and modernize its digital platforms; drive tangible business outcomes; and deliver value at scale to its end customers, Bondi added.