Microsoft Inks Three Partnerships in the Name of Empowerment, Company Exec Says
*By Amanda Weston*
Microsoft inked three major partnerships in just one month ー and each union has a common theme, according to the company's executive vice president of worldwide commercial business.
"I think to sum it up, we're about empowerment," Judson Althoff told Cheddar. "We're about empowering our customers to achieve their potential."
On Jan. 15, Microsoft ($MSFT) and WBA teamed up to improve health care for customers.
Just about a week earlier, Microsoft and Kroger opened up two digital stores. Customers can use the Scan, Bag, and Go app to use their shopping lists to find the most efficient way around the store.
The company's latest deal involved Albertsons. As part of the [three-year agreement](https://www.cnbc.com/2019/01/23/microsoft-signs-cloud-deal-with-albertsons.html), the supermarket chain will make Microsoft's Azur its preferred public cloud.
"We couldn't be more excited about the recent partnership that we announced with Walgreens and Walgreens Boots Alliance, not just because it'll enable us to help them transform their business and how they engage in retail, but frankly what it stands to bear for the promise of the entire health care industry," Althoff said.
"Lower health care costs, better care have often been the promise of this industry, and we are really excited that our technology can actually enable WBA to deliver that and make it a reality for consumers around the world."
The tech giant has seen significant momentum with the cloud. It currently works with major brands like Starbucks ($SBUX), Volkswagen, and Walmart ($WMRT), to help grow their businesses. The company said more than 95 percent of Fortune 500 companies have Microsoft Cloud.
But Althoff said it's only the beginning.
"We're excited about the momentum that we're seeing right now and we're bullish about the future," he said. "You have to keep in mind that we're really sort of just a few minutes into the first quarter of this cloud evolution in the market that you're seeing right now."
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/microsoft-gains-cloud-momentum-with-new-health-partnership).
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