Grant Thornton collaborates with Microsoft and Hitachi Solutions – turning information into foresight

CHICAGO — Grant Thornton LLP is collaborating with Microsoft and Hitachi Solutions to turn information into foresight.

The collaboration uses artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to help Grant Thornton identify its clients’ nascent business needs. Grant Thornton can then design solutions to address its clients’ challenges before they balloon.

As one of the nation’s largest accounting, tax and consulting firms, Grant Thornton works with clients to overcome all manner of hurdles, from financial and operational to technological and risk-related.

“We focus on staying ahead of our clients’ needs,” explains Nichole Jordan, Grant Thornton’s national managing partner of Markets, Clients and Industry. “Our clients face obstacles that didn’t even exist five years ago – and we want to help them model, forecast and overcome these obstacles. That’s why we’re embracing potent tools like AI and ML.”

Hitachi Solutions will help Grant Thornton in its efforts by providing the firm with its technical depth – particularly its experience working with enterprise technology solutions like Microsoft Azure and Microsoft Dynamics 365.

This will allow Grant Thornton to apply AI and ML tools across Microsoft Azure, Microsoft Dynamics 365, and LinkedIn Sales Navigator platforms – helping Grant Thornton build broader customer relationships, monitor business changes 24/7 and enable valuable insights. “In other words,” says Jordan, “these technologies help organizations drive growth, create more value for customers and gain competitive advantage.”

Further, the collaboration will include risk-sensing tools developed with Hitachi Solutions’ Capax Global.

“We appreciate Grant Thornton’s focus on bringing more value to its clients, using intelligent technologies to create predictive models,” says Sharan Hildebrand, senior vice president of Sales and Strategy with Hitachi Solutions. “Helping Grant Thornton’s clients gain outside-in expertise – analyzing a sea of data in real time to achieve their goals – has truly unlimited benefits.”

This sentiment is echoed by Bharat Sandhu, director of product marketing, Azure AI, Microsoft Corp: “Microsoft is pleased to be on this journey with the team at Grant Thornton, using Microsoft Azure AI to enhance the client experience, sales, and revenue forecasting processes, while benefiting from Azure Machine Learning to generate real-time dynamic forecasts for business leaders.”

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