IBM, Microsoft launch new Experience Zone in India to help firms scale business

Global technology giants, IBM Consulting and Microsoft, announced on Thursday the opening of the IBM-Microsoft Experience Zone in Bengaluru – a first of its kind for the collaboration. The Experience Zone provides a dedicated space for clients to explore how generative artificial intelligence (AI), hybrid cloud, and other Microsoft products and technologies can accelerate their business transformation journeys and help them gain a strategic advantage.

At the Experience Zone, clients from around the globe and across industries can work with IBM Consulting, in various technology zones, to co-ideate and co-create generative AI-powered solutions that leverage Azure OpenAI Service, Copilot, and other Microsoft technologies.

Within the technology stations, clients can explore business solutions for cloud modernisation, data, analytics and advanced AI, customer relationship management, employee experience, finance and operations, IoT and edge, and emerging technology including augmented reality and virtual reality. The Experience Zone also highlights industry solutions for the government, retail, and energy sectors.

The IBM-Microsoft Experience Zone will provide clients with access to learn more about how to elevate employees’ talents with next-generation skills and access best-in-class case studies. Clients will have opportunities to connect with peers who are harnessing the power of generative AI in today’s competitive marketplace.

“The Experience Zone represents the shared commitment of IBM Consulting and Microsoft to the co-investment, co-creation, and co-delivery of joint solutions for our clients,” said Amit Sharma, Managing Partner — Global Delivery, IBM Consulting. “It brings our ‘better together’ philosophy to life, serving as a hub to foster collaboration and creativity. We are excited to present our clients with the opportunity to leverage the joint capabilities of IBM Consulting and Microsoft under a single roof and help them unlock the full potential of AI and hybrid cloud across the enterprise.”

“We are excited to launch the new Experience Zone in collaboration with IBM, bringing together IBM Consulting’s expertise and Microsoft Cloud technologies and services to deliver value for clients,” said Dinis Couto, General Manager of Global Partner Solutions for Microsoft. “Partners like IBM are key to helping businesses deploy AI and hybrid cloud solutions at scale. This brings us closer to clients and underscores our progress as partners.”

While many may see IBM and Microsoft as competitors, they have been in a long-standing partnership — bringing their current and new clients the unique opportunity to take advantage of the combined value from their technology, cloud, and consulting services alongside our ecosystem of partners to meet ever-evolving business needs.

The companies also offer joint solutions for businesses looking to improve costs, productivity, and resilience by accelerating their hybrid cloud and AI journeys. According to research, a hybrid cloud approach brings an average of 2.5 times higher ROI versus the public cloud alone. Trailblazers investing in AI are seeing a revenue uplift of 3-15% and a sales ROI uplift of 10-20%, the companies said. The new Experience Zone will further enable clients to explore joint solutions and engage with experts who can help them scale their businesses.