Cirriusly exciting! How learning cloud skills with Microsoft Azure training helps modernise Finance

Growing your skills with Microsoft Azure training can help you turn ideas into solutions and support industries that need to migrate to the cloud.

For those in financial services departments and organisations, gaining cloud computing and virtualisation expertise supports initiatives to provide better customer service, save on costs and manage information security.

Kathleen Mitford from Microsoft Azure writes that cloud adoption continues to increase but that an enormous migration and modernisation opportunity remains.

For Microsoft Enterprise users, the rationale behind moving to the cloud can be summed up in three key themes:

• Cloud drives innovation and is a way to distinguish your brand through product and service delivery.

• The need for trusted cloud experts remains high to help navigate the complexities of hybrid, multi-cloud, and edge environments.

• Cloud computing needs to be coupled with cybersecurity, data privacy, and compliance.
  

The Rise of Cloud Computing in Finance

A report by Gartner called "Top Priorities for Finance Leaders 2022," found that the industry has started moving toward the cloud. With CFO initiatives that include:

• Developing digital skills across the organisation

• Restructuring finance to support digital

• Improving return on enterprise digital investments

• Addressing security and data governance

• Expanding robotic process automation

• Assessing digital currencies for business

• Implementing enterprise-wide cybersecurity

• Evaluating return on new enterprise digital investments

• Implementing cloud-based ERPs

• Implementing artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI and ML)
  

Confidence is growing in how security in the cloud can be managed. (Read our learner story on feeling confident in supporting the organisation with Azure database training and certification.) And there is heightened awareness of its benefits for the industry. These benefits include:

• Cost efficiency, especially on subscriptions, licensing and system maintenance and upgrades

• Faster adoption of new functionalities and updates

• Improved usability for reporting, analytics and mobile support

• The ability to start small and expand

• Updating finance systems and processes
  

By digitally transforming financial systems to move to cloud platforms such as Microsoft Azure, financial departments and institutes can mitigate challenges like the heavy reliance on traditional mainframe systems, cyber and technology risks, compliance issues and increasing competition. It also allows them to address growth opportunities and provide more value to their customers.

Azure, of course, is a cloud computing service for application management operated through Microsoft-managed data centres.

By getting started with Azure training, corporate finance departments and finance enterprises can develop experts within the team to build, deploy, and manage applications—in the cloud, on-premises, and at the edge—using the tools and frameworks.

Microsoft Azure Expertise at Work in Finance

A look at Microsoft stories shows the impact of developing Azure and cloud computing skills. It supports the growth of the company and its team members while exploring opportunities to delight consumers and address their challenges.

When major Australian retailer Woolworths Group migrated its business-critical SAP system to Microsoft Azure, the project seemed overwhelming. But with planning, the program team were able to update and move the sizeable SAP environment that is used to support Woolworths Group’s business processes across its retail capabilities and finance functions. This helped the group become more agile, resilient, and responsive to the changing needs of its customers while also improving its operational resiliency and reducing technological risk.

The Bank of New Zealand (BNZ) has been serving customers since 1861. To provide innovative products and services, BNZ wanted to modernise its aging infrastructure. It chose Microsoft Azure as its cloud platform, migrating and modernising staff-assisted applications. The team now have rich analytics and data to continuously improve the application for its performance and better customer experience.

As a leading universal bank in the Philippines, Security Bank Corporation offers a full range of financial services. The bank developed the Sales Proposal Builder application using Microsoft Teams technology. Proposal and approval times were cut from two hours to 30 minutes, and from two weeks to a day, respectively. This helped salespeople focus more time and energy on the bank’s clients. Part of what makes the Sales Proposal Builder great is that it’s hosted on Azure, and this enables automation.

Building Cloud Expertise with Microsoft Azure Training

By developing their capabilities on the cloud and specifically on Azure, organisations can let in a breath of fresh air. Businesses can gain powerful yet cost-effective Infrastructure-as-a-Service and Platform-as-a-Service options.

Individuals can also advance their careers, earn recognition, and validate technical knowledge and ability in current and future industry job roles with Microsoft Azure courses and certifications.

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