Think about the best partners you’ve encountered in life. They could have been by your side in sports, business, public service, science, romance. What made the partnership work? I suspect there were several factors—how well you know each other, trust, and that ability to inspire and push each other to be better, to go farther, and to achieve more than you thought was possible.

Avanade was founded on this belief in the power of partnerships. More than two decades ago, Microsoft and Accenture came together to create Avanade – and for more than 20 years we’ve been working together to make a genuine human impact with our clients around the world. Together we’re advancing the world through the power of people and Microsoft and creating deep, lasting relationships with our clients as we help them transform their businesses and their relationships with their customers. We work together at the cutting edge of partnership collaboration to expand what is possible together.

And that’s why being recognized by Microsoft globally and locally across more than 10 countries as 2022 Microsoft Partner of the Year is such a big deal. Because we strive every day, all year, to push ourselves to deliver on that promise for our clients. We want them to see the value of our deep, long-standing relationship in what we do together, and how we deliver it together. The recognition from our closest partner is a testament to how we show up together every day. The 2022 Microsoft Global SI Partner of the Year doesn’t make us complacent, it inspires us to push the boundaries even harder, to innovate further, to help more clients achieve more than they thought was possible.

As we reflect on Microsoft Inspire 2022, I think about the inspiration we get every day from our partnership and our legacy of innovation, year after year. Because of the depth of the relationship, we have the ability to push each other, to test limits, to question what’s possible, and ultimately to deliver the best possible outcome to our clients. We are able to go further together because of the trust we’ve built over time. We’re able to do more together at the leading edge of Microsoft technology because together we’re committed for the long-haul. Our passion for innovating with purpose is fueled by Microsoft’s commitment to innovation and empowering people and organizations. We continue to be the first to collaborate with Microsoft on the development and launch of new technologies like Microsoft’s Industry Clouds. Together, Microsoft has the technology and Avanade brings the vision and expertise to deliver that technology for clients and industries.

In the end, our clients are the true recipients of the Microsoft Partner of the Year Award. It’s their trust that enables us to keep exploring and stretching the capabilities of the Microsoft ecosystem. Every day, the energy and commitment of the hundreds of Avanade and Microsoft alliance professionals around the world continue to bring the partnership to life with our clients.

Where will our inspiration take us next? We’re excited to continue evolving our partnership with Microsoft to discover what’s possible – like helping clients elevate their employee and customer experiences, tackle their greatest sustainability challenges, bring Microsoft Industry Clouds to life across industries like healthcare, retail, manufacturing, and financial services. And together we’re exploring the next frontiers of what our clients can do in the metaverse.

We are grateful that Accenture and Microsoft were inspired 22 years ago to bring Avanade to life. And we appreciate every chance we get to help our clients and our people to achieve their ambitions. We are a testament to the power of partnerships, and we’re more than honored to have the recognition to show for it.