MICROSOFT
adding : “ Every customer wants to prioritise certain aspects of their supply chain , and we have partners that play very well to all these various needs – whether it ’ s end-to-end or for specific functions of the supply chain .
“ We partner with ecosystem companies to bring the operational efficiency and agility that companies are looking for . Most importantly , we recognise customers ’ need to simplify the way they work with vendors while ensuring a secure platform that ’ s flexible and extensible . We built Microsoft Supply Chain Center because we recognise this security and flexibility is very important .”
Gomez describes Microsoft as “ the most trusted , secure cloud provider that provides the infrastructure and connectivity to partner solutions ”, adding that the very nature of the platform is to recognise that “ no one partner has everything a customer needs and so it provides a platform to enable an ecosystem of solutions ”.
Ecosystem helping Microsoft modernise supply chains This ecosystem is helping Microsoft modernise supply chains , which by nature are complex , and involve many operational steps and activities , whether it ’ s manufacturing , procurement or logistics .
“ There are many partners we work with to address the various challenges in supply chain ,” says Gomez , “ and we bring them together to light up the digital transformation of the supply chain .”
She adds : “ Partners are the lifeblood of how we execute transformation . They have deep knowledge of the industry and know what , exactly , is the right solution . And then we , Microsoft , bring our secure and intelligent infrastructure technology to enable our partner to deliver a solution that is secure and that leverages the best cloud-based digital capabilities and latest solutions to enable customers to become more agile and resilient .”
Businesses , she says , have discovered that operational and supply chain resilience is the key to their competitive advantage ; to help them build this resilience , “ I encourage customers to work with us to advance their digital journey ”.
“ The start point is always what they are doing today ,” says Gomez . “ What ' s your current state ? What are your top operational problems ? What is your digital maturity ? Then we bring them the digital solutions and roadmaps to help them orchestrate , so they can better plan and optimise to improve their supply chain visibility , execution and logistics models .”
“ Most importantly ,” she adds , “ we deliver all of this in a secure manner , meaning customers can really embrace digital transformation .”
This is where Gomez ’ s supply chain experience stands her in good stead .
She says : “ Before Microsoft , I was part of industry myself . I was a leader of supply chain , and so I understood that supply chain people often don ' t know how to get started on digital transformations .
“ To build resilience , supply chain leaders have to understand how digital capabilities can enhance each step of the supply chain operational process . It ’ s about working with partners and getting a dynamic going . I think that ’ s how companies can start their journey toward building a more resilient supply chain .”
14 microsoft . com