Optus and partners tout APAC's first "unified data platform"

Optus is touting the implementation of what it claims is the first "unified data platform" in the Asia-Pacific region, partnering with Microsoft, Tech Mahindra and Databricks in an effort to accelerate its data and artificial intelligence transformation.

The migration to the cloud-based platform has yielded immediate benefits, according to Optus, including reducing core operational processing time by up to 50 per cent and data engineering pipeline development time by up to 20 per cent.

Optus replaced legacy, on-premise operational data warehouses with cloud solutions located in Australia, resulting in improved data consolidation, security, governance, and scalability.

The new platform also helps Optus to accelerate implementation of next-generation technologies leveraging generative AI (GenAI) and machine learning, enabling more personalised customer experiences through relevant offers, faster issue resolution and tailored service recommendations.

"Optus is thrilled to enable our people to use our data to make more insightful decisions with our completed migration to a unified data platform," Mark Potter, chief information officer at Optus, said. 

"By collaborating with Microsoft, Tech Mahindra and Databricks, not only will our employees benefit from a better user experience and reduced latency, but our teams now can introduce and work across some of the most advanced, cutting-edge technology available."

"It's inspiring to see Optus leading the charge in APAC with a unified data platform powered by Microsoft Azure," Sarah Carney, national chief technology officer at Microsoft Australia and New Zealand, said.

"This partnership showcases how organisations can unlock the full potential of their data and embrace cutting-edge technologies like generative AI."

"We provided Optus with crucial cloud data warehousing and artificial intelligence capabilities with quick scalability and flexibility," Harshvendra Soin, president – Asia Pacific and Japan Business at Tech Mahindra, said.