CASE STUDY
Transforming IT to enable Accenture’s reinvention
How a strong digital core built on a foundation of cloud, data and AI is helping us operate our business smarter and more efficiently.
5-MINUTE READ
The technology underpinning our reinvention
What would it mean for your business if leaders could base decisions on data and insights from across the enterprise instead of being limited to the systems in their functional area? Imagine how advanced technologies like machine learning and generative AI could improve how you operate your business. And what if you had an IT infrastructure that allowed new capabilities to be added easily and cost effectively to support your changing business needs?
At Accenture, we have made all this possible by creating an interconnected foundation of cloud, data and AI – what we call the “digital core”. We also moved from a complex, on-premise technology landscape to a “composable architecture” that is now 95% in the cloud. This means that we can plug and play the best software as a service (SaaS) applications for our business and just use what we need. And because we no longer own the infrastructure, we have richer functionality and more speed all at a lower cost.
By connecting the data from our five core systems in the cloud, our leaders can now use our 360° Value Navigator to look across the enterprise in real-time—from the biggest picture down to the smallest snapshot—and get a view of our business that can’t be seen within functional silos. Not only does this provide a better understanding of what’s happening and why, but it also allows us to add more advanced technologies to really make a step change in how we operate our business. The 360° Value Navigator includes AI-powered descriptive, predictive and prescriptive analytics, along with generative AI capabilities, that allow for scenario planning, which can lead to smarter decisions and even course-correction when necessary; for example, it can simulate the impact an acquisition might have on profitability.
Embracing change by evolving IT
Our partner ecosystem also plays an important role in our reinvention and how we help our clients reinvent their enterprises. From improving security through password-less sign-ins to scoring supplier sustainability data for more responsible buying decisions, our technology partners help to build new capabilities that drive value for our business. But it’s not just about the technology – it’s also about the people who use the technology and building their skills. We’ve invested heavily to train our workforce to be the most tech-advanced in the world through innovative learning courses, such as data literacy programs, our Digital Transformation Academy and our Technology Quotient program.
This is important as we become more data- and insights-driven. Through training and learning programs, we’re helping our people think differently about data and AI, fundamentally changing the way we work. And as we take an early leadership position in gen AI, we expect to increase the speed, quality and consistency of work while improving employee experiences. In fact, we already have a number of use cases across our organization; our investor relations where a gen AI-based solution that helps synthesize commentary about Accenture and our competitors to support analyst interactions.
We know that it’s a big change to move from an on-premise world to a cloud-based world with a composable technology landscape, but it’s worth it. Our strong digital core is enabling us to continuously reinvent every part of our business and embrace new ways of working. In fact, 40% of the outcomes we have achieved so far in transforming our corporate functions are the result of using data, analytics and AI to augment our processes. Our experience in reinvention at scale is helping Accenture and our clients increase agility and resilience while achieving new levels of performance.