How Ecolab tackles global water challenges with cloud technology

By Microsoft in Business Team

December 16, 2016

Focus on: Transforming Products, Engaging Customers

The United Nations predicts that by 2030, demand for water will outpace supply by almost 40%, putting major stress on 60% of the world’s population .

No resource at our disposal is more precious than water. Without it, our bodies cannot survive, even for a short period of time. Water is also an essential component of national and local economies, and is needed to create and maintain jobs across all sectors. In fact, 78% of jobs in our global workforce are dependent on water. Addressing issues like this one that have a profound impact on our world takes a global movement that transforms our thinking and reimagines what’s possible.

Digital Transformation is a technology-driven movement that is creating unprecedented opportunities for organizations of all shapes and sizes to reinvent processes and remake themselves into digital-first enterprises. But it’s not just about upgrading products or using the latest advances to spur growth. This Digital Transformation is about companies using technology to efficiently and effectively address the world’s challenges and working together to build something intangible – something from which our entire society can benefit.

Consider Ecolab, a leading global provider of water, hygiene, and energy technologies, committed to helping solve global water challenges through sustainability. In the face of increasing water demands, Ecolab is using the latest technology to bring unlimited resourcefulness to limited resources.

Transforming Products

Ecolab’s partnership with Microsoft is transforming how its main water operation, Nalco Water, monitors and controls water usage. By implementing a range of Microsoft solutions, including Dynamics 365, Power BI, and Azure, Nalco Water will be able to collect and analyze water usage data from customers via more than 36,000 sensors around the world in real time.
Engaging Customers

Through its partnership with Microsoft, Ecolab and Nalco Water will quickly provide customers with data-driven insights that lead to more efficient production processes, reduced operational costs, and ultimately the preservation of one of life’s most critical and finite natural resources.

The latest innovations in technology are prompting modern organizations like Ecolab to reconsider the status quo and reimagine what is possible when it comes to engaging customers, empowering employees, optimizing operations, and transforming products. Already, organizations across a wide range of industries are leveraging this next generation of technology solutions and embarking on their own digital transformation journeys with the help of tools like our own.

Ecolab is just one of countless examples of organizations taking advantage of the latest technology to drive digital transformation. No matter the size and scope of your organization, prioritizing a digital-first model can help you achieve your business goals and maybe even solve some of the world’s biggest challenges.

Perhaps it is human nature to take some things for granted. But Ecolab’s ambitious goals are helping people treat the earth’s most precious resource as exactly that. It’s a goal that not only drives the company’s growth and success, but helps customers think smarter today so that they can live better tomorrow.

Learn how your organization can impact the future by starting its own digital transformation journey today.

Experience for yourself

Want to see first-hand the technology that is helping Ecolab to empower their customers? Check out one of our workshops at a Microsoft Technology Center near you.