Google and PwC bundle services in digital landscape
Professional services firm PwC has launched a joint business relationship with technology and online search giant Google. The strategic alliance aims at helping companies across the globe with more effectively adopting and using technology and information.
The rapid pace of innovation in technology is fundamentally changing the business landscape, obliging organisations, large or small, to embark on a digital transformation journey towards a new ‘future-proof’ business model. For businesses the rise of new technologies and Big Data techniques provides massive opportunities, both commercial and in terms of efficiency, yet at the same time it poses large operational challenges. Recent research from Capgemini Consulting for instance shows that although digital has grown to a top of mind priority for executives, they struggle with its implementation, citing lack of leadership commitment, complexity, insufficient funding and ailing cloud adoption* as key reasons for sluggish adoption.
To support organisations with their digital journey and embedding digitisation into their operations, PwC and Google have decided to team up. Google offers enterprises – through its Google for Work suite of services – a wide range of tools and platform that support business and data processes, such as data storage, collaboration, knowledge sharing and analytics. PwC, with 195,000 people in 157 countries the globe’s second largest professional services firm, offers businesses a broad range of business services, from strategy through execution. Together, they believe they will be able to “help companies collaborate more effectively, better use technology and information, and adapt to the disruptive forces shaping the world.”
The joint offerings of PwC and Google will focus on three areas:
Firstly, the partners will leverage PwC’s business insights along with Google Apps to help companies boost their productivity, this can range from back-office efficiency to front office activities as sales & marketing. Secondly, data analytics services will be built around Google’s Cloud Platform and PwC Big Data offerings. And lastly, the firms will bundle propositions to provide advisory services.
“Ultimately, our collaboration is about helping clients to embrace their journey to the cloud, and transform their organisations to thrive and maintain relevance in a rapidly changing world,” says Tom Archer, PwC’s Google Strategic Alliance Leader. Mike Burwell, Vice Chairman of PwC Transformation, adds: “We are teaming with Google to offer our joint knowledge and capabilities to clients - giving them one place to go, maximizing experience and assets from both organisations.”
“We’re delighted to enter into a relationship with PwC — a leading advisor for businesses around the world — to bring the best of Google to work and help companies innovate,” comments Amit Singh, President of Google for Work.
* A recent research from Atos reconfirms this point: 64% of executives believe that vital digital initiatives are being held back by the lack of cloud investment.
