Microsoft announces three new industry-focused cloud offerings

Microsoft has announced three new industry-focused cloud offerings for financial services, manufacturing and not for profit, plus updates for its cloud for healthcare and a public preview date for its cloud for retail.

This comes as part of Microsoft’s ongoing strategy to work with partners to create customised cloud solutions designed to better fit the needs of specific industries.

“The future of the cloud is customized and purpose-built for industry. By designing clouds that meet unique industry needs, we can help amplify business resiliency and performance for entire sectors. While leaning into specialized clouds is a fresh approach, our commitment to helping you and your customers master your industry is anything but new,” Microsoft's global channel chief Gavriella Schuster wrote in a blog post. 

Cloud for Financial Services is focused on core banking services, deep analytics, expanding customer contact options, and meeting strict compliance requirements. Public preview is scheduled to start on 31 March 2021.

Cloud for Manufacturing aims to provide improved remote work security, frontline worker safety, factory agility, supply chains resiliency, and enable always-on service. It will be available for public preview by the end of June 2021.

Cloud for Nonprofit (known as not for profit in Australia) will provide a platform to enable constituent engagement, program design and delivery, volunteer management, and fundraising, and will be in public preview by the end of June 2021.

The first update for the vendor's cloud for healthcare will be available in April 2021 and will include new features for virtual health, remote patient monitoring, care coordination and patient self-service, and support for eight new languages.

Currently in private preview, cloud for retail will be available for public preview in March 2021.

“We created the Microsoft industry clouds by bringing together common data models, cross-cloud connectors, workflows, APIs, and industry-specific components and standards, with the breadth of Microsoft’s cloud services, including Microsoft 365 and Teams, Azure, Microsoft Power Platform, Dynamics 365 and security solutions,” Microsoft's business applications and global industry exec Alysa Taylor wrote in another blog post.

“Through these industry clouds, we aim to empower everyone to deliver value faster, adapt quickly to changing conditions, build for the future and do all of this with security at the core.