JDA Software, Inc., today announced a strategic partnership with Microsoft to enable JDA to build cognitive SaaS solutions on the market-leading Microsoft Azure cloud platform. This will, in turn, accelerate JDA's vision to deliver an Autonomous Supply Chain through an infusion of advanced, intelligent cloud platform capabilities. This partnership further advances JDA's innovation initiatives along with its recently announced definitive agreement to acquire Blue Yonder. Blue Yonder is a market leader in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) solutions for retail and supply chain. These announcements support JDA's strategy to develop more cognitive and connected solutions to power digital transformations and create competitive advantage for its customers.

"JDA's supply chain solutions provide a faster response to demand signals from consumers, cognitive insights, and intelligent decisions based on edge sensors. Microsoft Azure will fuel our ongoing SaaS momentum as JDA applications deliver seamless customer experiences across cloud, on-premise, and edge solutions," said Girish Rishi, chief executive officer, JDA. "Our strategic partnership with Microsoft accelerates JDA‘s mission as the supply chain platform company, enabling our broad ecosystem of joint partners and developers to further leverage our AI/ML-based solutions."

Scott Guthrie, executive vice president, Microsoft Cloud + AI Group, Microsoft, said, "Microsoft Azure is driving new levels of organizational productivity and intelligent data-driven experiences, making it the ideal platform to bring JDA's vision of an Autonomous Supply Chain to life. The powerful combination of JDA's proven applications with Azure will empower customers to take advantage of real-time insights for smarter business decisions and profitable business growth."

Victoria Brown, research manager, IDC, said, "This partnership between established, trusted providers, uniting cloud services via Microsoft Azure, and supply chain via JDA addresses a gap in the supply chain ecosystem as cloud becomes a prerequisite for enterprises today as they embark on their digital supply chain transformations. Cloud-based supply chain deployments account for only about 40 percent of deployments today, and this new, trusted partnership could send that on an upward trajectory quite quickly."

JDA's solutions optimize the entire supply chain from end to end - from supplier to factory, transportation network to warehouse, store to consumer - through its market-leading solutions offerings. JDA is the only company named a leader by Gartner across all five Magic Quadrants that cover supply chain and retail merchandising solutions. Joining forces with Microsoft for go-to-market and the development of forthcoming JDA SaaS solutions on the Azure platform will reap a number of immediate benefits to JDA's more than 4,000 customers, including in the following key areas:

JDA to build cognitive, connected SaaS solutions on Azure

• This partnership accelerates JDA's SaaS solutions roadmap including those next generation solutions built on JDA Luminate, JDA's next generation cognitive, connected supply chain platform.
• JDA's customers will be able to tap into Microsoft's large global footprint and global alliances network, while leveraging Azure's large compliance portfolio, embedded security, enterprise-grade service level agreements, and industry-leading support.

JDA and Microsoft go to market together to digitally transform supply chain and retail operations

• The companies will join forces in the market to drive digital transformations across key verticals such as retail, manufacturing and logistics with their combined solution portfolios.
• JDA's leading supply chain and retail solutions highly complement Microsoft's enterprise business application solutions and will now serve as the cornerstone to Microsoft's supply chain practice offerings.

JDA Luminate ControlTower is the first solution built on Azure

• JDA's SaaS roadmap includes a first-of-its-kind digital control tower - JDA Luminate ControlTower - a virtual decision center that provides real-time, 24/7 end-to-end visibility into global supply chains that will serve as the nerve center of their operations and identify bottlenecks and propose resolutions before they occur.
• Using Azure as the development platform for JDA Luminate ControlTower will accelerate JDA's ability to deliver this key component of the autonomous supply chain.