Unilever achieves cloud-only status in just 18 months with Accenture and Microsoft

Accenture, Microsoft, and Unilever have completed one of the most significant cloud migrations in the consumer goods industry.

Within 18 months, they were able to move Unilever’s entire IT infrastructure, including over 2,000 applications and more than 1,000 terabytes of data, to the Azure cloud platform. The migration was carried out with minimal disruption to business operations.

Unilever Becomes Cloud-Only Enterprise

The successful cloud migration has enabled Unilever, whose products are used by 3.4 billion people worldwide, to become a cloud-only enterprise. Azure as its primary cloud platform has empowered Unilever to accelerate product launches, enhance customer service, and improve operational efficiency. It will also allow Unilever to explore new ways of working and drive innovation and growth.

“Together with Accenture, we are proud to expand our longstanding partnership with Unilever. With Microsoft Azure as its cloud foundation, Unilever’s end-to-end digitisation will enable rapid innovation across its entire business. Unilever’s digital-first approach will empower it to grow resiliently and exceed the industry’s pace of innovation,” said Judson Althoff, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer at Microsoft.

New Innovation Opportunities

This cloud transformation project has opened new doors for Unilever by unlocking new innovation opportunities, such as using industrial metaverse technologies that use real-time data from factory digital twins to accelerate lighthouse factories of the future. The company’s adoption of a cloud-only approach has also strengthened its resilience, security, and enhanced its control of the IT landscape.

“The path to business resilience now and in the future is through total enterprise reinvention—which involves the transformation of every part of the business—with cloud at the core,” said Nicole van Det, Senior Managing Director at Accenture and Global Account Lead for Unilever. “Unilever’s digital-first approach will empower it to grow resiliently and exceed the industry’s pace of innovation,” she added.

Unilever’s adoption of Azure has also enabled it to accelerate its ability to identify trends and make faster decisions through the power of cloud and artificial intelligence. The company’s AI adoption will further drive better customer and employee experiences, such as using Azure OpenAI Service to increase automation.

Unilever’s Chief Enterprise & Technology Officer, Steve McCrystal, emphasised the importance of data for Unilever, saying: “Unilever is a truly data-powered organisation. Working with Accenture and Microsoft on this global transformation project, we can respond to ever-changing consumer needs faster, allocate our resources more effectively to focus on what drives growth, and bring services and products to the market faster.”

Green Cloud Environment

Moving to cloud will help Unilever transition to a more sustainable and efficient environment. The company’s direct carbon footprint is reduced by exiting its data centers and introducing Green Cloud Advisor by Accenture.

This successful partnership has demonstrated the transformative power of cloud technologies for a global company such as Unilever, proving that it can enhance business resilience and drive innovation and growth.