Data Backup Digest

Originally founded in 1901 in Chicago, Illinois, Walgreens has been a major name in health and wellness products – including prescriptions – for over a century. This puts them in a great position to help usher in the digital age on behalf of the entire healthcare industry – and they're taking advantage of their influence to make some major moves.

The New Year brought on a brand new announcement: a joint venture between Walgreens and Microsoft that promises to solidify the presence of cloud computing in the healthcare industry – and it will achieve this through Microsoft Azure.

A partnership of this scale could benefit Microsoft and their Azure platform in many ways. Since they're currently locked in a battle with the likes of Google's Cloud Platform and Amazon Web Services, this could provide the extra push they need to edge out their competition.

Satya Nadella, chief executive at Microsoft, explained the purpose of the new partnership by saying: ''"Improving health outcomes while lowering the cost of care is a complex challenge that requires broad collaboration and strong partnership between the health care and tech industries. Together with Walgreens Boots Alliance, we aim to deliver on this promise by putting people at the center of their health and wellness, combining the power of the Azure cloud and AI technology and Microsoft 365 with Walgreens Boots Alliance's deep expertise and commitment to helping communities around the world lead healthier and happier lives."''

But Microsoft isn't the only one to benefit from the new partnership. Walgreens – as well as all of its customers – will see numerous advantages as a result.

Firstly, customers will be able to access various healthcare services – including virtual triage and care – from digital devices like their smartphones or laptop computers. In addition, up to 12 select stores will feature a pilot program that highlights healthcare-oriented hardware and devices.

Moreover, the partnership between Microsoft and Walgreens will help deliver personalized services, too. As the new focus seems to be on tailoring solutions to fit individual customers and needs and driving the customer experience, Walgreens is already ahead of the game.

Finally, the partnership will bring about a comprehensive network of organizations with the goal of providing better connectivity and service continuity between consumers, providers and pharmaceutical manufacturers.

Stefano Pessina, executive vice chairman and chief executive officer with Walgreens Boots Alliance, went into further detail about their role in the partnership by saying: "WBA will work with Microsoft to harness the information that exists between payors and health care providers to leverage, in the interest of patients and with their consent, our extraordinary network of accessible and convenient locations to deliver new innovations, greater value and better health outcomes in health care systems across the world.”

Walgreens is set to begin transitioning their company to the Microsoft Azure platform immediately. For more information on Walgreens, including further details regarding their latest partnership, please visit their official website at www.walgreens.com. For more information on Microsoft, head over to their official site at www.microsoft.com.