A few weeks have passed since we announced our position as a Leader in the Forrester Wave: Microsoft Business Applications Services Q1 2024 – another proud moment for Avanade and our people.

Achieving this ranking and extending the gap between Avanade and other Microsoft partners is something we’re incredibly proud of. We feel privileged to have achieved this position amongst a pool of esteemed partners, but it takes a dedicated, thoughtful strategy and significant effort to become a leader, to maintain and extend that position. In this post, we’ll share some insights into what it takes to gain this recognition and lead the market. The Forrester report includes these two quotes (which we love!):

“Known as one of the best in Microsoft Business Applications implementation services”

“The breadth and depth to serve any client anywhere in the world”

Doing what matters for clients: What it takes to be a business applications leader
Consistently recognized by Microsoft awards and independent analysts such as Forrester, IDC and Everest Group, our commitment to helping clients to transform their businesses through technology is the driving force behind what we do.

As the largest Microsoft partner in the market, here are a few key insights into our learnings and what it takes to achieve and maintain this leading position:

• Client transformation: We take clients through transformative journeys, enabling them to push the boundaries of their industries. We don’t just implement a technology solution, we partner to understand their business goals and drivers. This commitment to client outcomes helped us to achieve the highest possible scores from Forrester in digital transformation consulting and experience design – aided by our Avanade X (Experiences) business group. As part of Forrester’s process, Forrester interview clients, who regularly give us glowing references as testament to the benefits we deliver. Check out a couple of examples in Mercedes-Benz and UNICEF


• People and skills: None of the market recognition we receive would be possible without our people – they’re critical to delivering value for clients and staying on top of all the latest technology developments. We hire and work hard to retain the best talent in the market, with a significant number of Microsoft MVPs and thousands of Microsoft certifications, and constantly upskill our people on the latest technology evolutions (or revolutions in the case of AI!)


• Accelerated delivery at scale: We’ve embedded AI to track all project deliveries across every one of our clients, and our extensive range of pre-built IP and industry accelerators enable us to accelerate delivery and outcomes for clients. We frequently harvest deliverables that will be relevant to other organizations to create ready-made capabilities that accelerate client journeys with building blocks that are relevant and functional, such as the Avanade Nonprofit Grant Operations add-on


• Innovation at the bleeding edge: Technology never stands still and our top scores for vision and innovation recognize our commitment to staying ahead of the latest Microsoft technology developments. It’s not always simple to keep up, and the majority of organizations struggle. That’s part of our purpose at Avanade, to absorb all the noise and announcements, to understand what’s available and what’s coming, and to share that deep expertise with clients. We work hand in hand with Microsoft, trial new technology and develop new capabilities that Microsoft themselves then adopt into their products. Staying ahead of the curve helps us to be more relevant to our clients and enable innovation for them. We innovate internally and don’t ever stand still. Have a look at how we piloted Microsoft Copilot for Sales in our own organization as an example – giving us a unique perspective and learnings we continue to take to clients.

These are just a few of the ways in which we achieve and maintain our market leading position in Microsoft Business Applications Services.

Read the Forrester report or contact us today to find out for yourself why clients choose Avanade. How can we help your business transform?