NEW YORK; July 12, 2017 –

Accenture (NYSE: ACN) and Avanade have been positioned in the “Winner’s Circle” and ranked as the leaders in the inaugural HfS Research 2017 Blueprint Report: Microsoft Dynamics Services. The report recognises Accenture and Avanade for their innovative vision, extensive experience, impressive industry acumen and strong client feedback, among other category rankings.

“Accenture and Avanade have extensive experience in Microsoft Dynamics services, including for the Dynamics 365 platform,” said Khalda De Souza, Research Director at HfS Research and author of the recent HfS Blueprint on Microsoft Dynamics Services. “Accenture and Avanade placed in the Winner’s Circle in our Blueprint Report because of their global deployment capability, the breadth and depth of services offered, and their investment in tools and templates. During our client and market interviews, Accenture and Avanade were also praised for their proactive approach and the strength and quality of their Dynamics resources.”

Microsoft Dynamics applications connect data across various sources, drive intelligent decisions and outcomes, and transform business processes. The report evaluated nine service providers who offer consulting, implementation, and ongoing services to support Microsoft Dynamics ERP and CRM applications, as well as Microsoft Dynamics 365. The “Winners Circle” position reflects client feedback that Accenture and Avanade excel in both the areas of innovation and execution with Microsoft Dynamics applications.

“We're face-to-face with an era of unprecedented digital business transformation,” said Paul Daugherty, Accenture chief technology & innovation officer and chairman of the Avanade Board. “Microsoft Dynamics is at the heart of business processes. So as our clients reimagine what their businesses – and even their industries – will look like tomorrow, we can help guide them with our powerful combination of proven expertise, deep investments and leading-edge innovation in Microsoft technologies.”

This market recognition from HfS follows Accenture and Avanade recently being named the Microsoft Alliance Partner of the Year for the tenth consecutive year and Azure Alliance Partner of the Year.

“Today we are experiencing the perfect storm for business and IT leaders – unprecedented levels of technology innovation coupled with increasing expectations from digital savvy stakeholders,” said Adam Warby, Avanade CEO. “As our clients look to navigate the disruption and digitally transform their businesses, they need a trusted advisor to guide them on the journey. We are honored to be recognised as leading the industry and helping our clients to leverage the power of Microsoft Dynamics.”

Details of the Accenture and Avanade strengths highlighted include:

• Scale and extensive Dynamics services experience: “Accenture/Avanade has the largest Dynamics services team in the market and the most extensive experience of Dynamics cloud deployments, including on the Dynamics 365 platform on Microsoft Azure. Accenture/Avanade has experience with Dynamics deployments ranging from single country to more than 10 countries, and working with client enterprises of all sizes. This is underpinned by an impressive Dynamics global delivery capability, with at least one delivery center in most countries of the world.”
• Breadth and depth of Dynamics-specific services: “Accenture/Avanade has developed Dynamics-specific lifecycle services and solutions. Its extensive experience in international roll-outs has generated deep expertise in governance advice and management services. These are backed by consistent deployment methodologies and best practices that help clients achieve speed and desired business outcomes.”
• Deep industry expertise and growth investments: “Accenture/Avanade’s deep industry expertise and investments lend it credibility to understand specific industry markets, processes, and end-customer requirements. In addition, Accenture/Avanade is investing in high-growth areas including AI, automation, and digital solutions.”
• Proven tools and best practices: “Accenture/Avanade has developed many tools and templates to facilitate Dynamics services engagements including best practice, horizontal tools, as well as industry-specific tools.”
• Strong vision: “Accenture/Avanade received the best client scores for its ability to deliver holistic, long-term, proactive guidance.”

The results of this report were based on data collected in the first and second quarters of 2017 from buyers, service providers and advisors in the outsourcing services industry. The HfS Research 2017 Blueprint Report: Microsoft Dynamics Services can be accessed here. More information about Accenture and Avanade’s Microsoft Dynamics 365 services can be found here.