Article

Azure 2021 Year in Review: Top Microsoft channel announcements

by Eamon McCarthy Earls
Assistant Editor, MSDynamicsWorld.com

Microsoft's partner channel can serve to provide the most specific signals of where cloud services are gaining trust and traction in the market. Let’s take a look back at some of the top channel partnership and acquisition stories of 2021 related to the Microsoft cloud.

Bosch and Microsoft collaborate on "software defined vehicles" (Feb. 22)

Bosch and Microsoft announced a partnership to create a platform based on Azure with software modules created by Bosch, coming soon after the announcement of the Automated Driving Platform project with Volskwagen.

Total and Microsoft team up for digital transformation and net-zero emissions initiatives (March 15)

Total plans to assist Microsoft with its goal of carbon footprint reduction for its datacenters by 2025. Total will use Azure and Microsoft 365 for internal digital transformation, as well as for the Total Digital Factory. Simultaneously, it aims to put Power Platform to use automating business processes.

Repsol and Microsoft team up on solution development, datacenter power (March 18)

Repsol and Microsoft expanded a strategic partnership in the areas of energy efficiency and digital transformation. Together, the two companies plan to develop new AI-based solutions, with Repsol preparing to leverage Azure.

Through the agreement, Repsol will provide a long-term supply of wind and solar power to Microsoft datacenters in Europe as part of Microsoft's 2025 100 percent renewable energy target. Repsol is also expanding its use of Microsoft 365, Teams, and Power Platform.

AccuWeather partners with Microsoft around new Azure Maps capabilities (Apr. 14)

AccuWeather announced a partnership with Microsoft to expand Azure Maps options. Through the partnership, AccuWeather will integrate its weather data into Azure Maps, acting as Microsoft's exclusive weather provider. This includes MinuteCast minute-by-minute precipitation forecasts and daily forecasts, as well as severe weather alerts.

UK government inks three-year Memorandum of Understanding with Microsoft (Apr. 21)

The UK government signed a three-year memorandum of understanding with Microsoft, dubbed Digital Transformation Arrangement 2021 (DTA21). The agreement encompasses products like Azure Arc, Synapse and Cognitive Services, as well as Teams, Power Platform, Dynamics 365 and Microsoft 365. As part of the agreement, Microsoft will provide both Premier and Unified Support services for public sector organizations and new customers. Additionally, it will also provide Solution Assessments, Technical Skills for Business and implementation assistance through the FastTrack and Azure Migration programs.

Mars to expand Microsoft Azure investment to IoT, AI (May 14)

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About Eamon McCarthy Earls

As the assistant editor at MSDynamicsWorld.com, Eamon helps to oversee editorial content on the site and supports site management and strategy. He can be reached at eearls@msdynamicsworld.com.

Before joining MSDynamicsWorld.com, Eamon was editor for SearchNetworking.com at TechTarget, where he covered networking technology, IoT, and cybersecurity. He is also the author of multiple books and previously contributed to publications such as the Boston Globe, Milford Daily News, and DefenceWeb.

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