Expanded alliance brings complementary skillsets to strengthen client outcomes

NEW YORK and ARMONK, N.Y., Oct. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, IBM (NYSE: IBM) and KPMG LLP announced they are expanding their alliance to help enable business transformations for clients implementing SAP S/4HANA^® across the energy and utilities industry. Cloud enterprise resource planning (ERP) projects run the potential risk of failing without the right technology in place and the right business expertise to fully integrate it. IBM Consulting and KPMG together are bringing a breadth of consulting, operations, tax, risk and finance experience to the ERP implementation process to help energy and utilities companies automate and manage core business processes for optimal performance.

IBM Consulting is a global leader in SAP transformations, delivering cohesive collaborative solutions based on in-depth industry experience, AI, and hybrid multi cloud deployment. IBM has well-established technology and deep experience within a broad partner ecosystem, including a 50-year history partnering with SAP. KPMG brings business-led, SAP-enabled functional transformation experience in more than 25 countries while leveraging deep energy and utility industry knowledge to deliver business value.

"As companies across industries accelerate the shift to cloud and contemplate the move to SAP S/4HANA, they will need the support from trusted experts to help achieve success in any transformation project," said Bill Piotrowski, Americas SAP Leader for IBM Consulting. "We're excited to partner with KPMG to provide Energy & Utilities clients access to industry insights that will help them capitalize on their SAP investment supported by experience in supporting numerous SAP S/4HANA transformations worldwide."

KPMG and IBM Consulting bring complementary skillsets across SAP technology implementation, cross-sector business processes, regulatory, risk, finance, and tax considerations, and operational issues. The combination of the firms' skills and experience can strengthen outcomes for the benefit of clients, and successful enterprise resource planning transformation across the energy and utilities sector.

"Identifying the potential value created by financial considerations up front in the planning of an ERP implementation can significantly improve the likelihood of success," said Brad Stansberry, Energy & Chemical Industry Advisory Leader at KPMG. "Working with IBM Consulting and the business and technical expertise they bring will expand our ability to help our joint clients accelerate productivity and unlock growth opportunities."

Together, KPMG and IBM have already delivered a comprehensive business transformation program at Liberty Utilities, a leading provider of local utility management, service and support across the United States and Canada. The four-year program builds on Liberty's "Customer First" project to revolutionize the company's Customer, Finance, Asset Management, Field Services, and Supply Chain Operations.

"IBM Consulting has been our trusted partner, and we continue our collaboration to accelerate our remarkable transformation journey," said Jody Allison, Vice President, Transformation at Liberty Utilities. "IBM's unique relationship with KPMG brings valued finance and advisory expertise which will help extend our 'Customer First' platform into every aspect of our organization, allowing us to deliver to our customer's expectations, enable our employees to serve, and facilitate growth as we will be able to easily integrate acquired businesses and assets in the future."

IBM Consulting helps accelerate business transformation for our clients through hybrid cloud and AI technologies, leveraging our open ecosystem of partners. With deep industry and business expertise spanning strategy, experience design, technology, and operations, we have become a trusted partner to the world's most innovative and valuable companies, helping them modernize and secure their most complex systems. Our 160,000 consultants embrace an open way of working and apply our proven co-creation method, IBM Garage, to scale ideas into outcomes. As the only major global systems integrator inside a technology company, we don't just advise -- we invent and build what's next together with our clients. Find out more at IBM.com/consulting.

Statements regarding IBM's future direction and intent are subject to change or withdrawal without notice, and represent goals and objectives only.

About IBM

IBM is a leading provider of global hybrid cloud and AI, and consulting expertise. We help clients in more than 175 countries capitalize on insights from their data, streamline business processes, reduce costs and gain the competitive edge in their industries. More than 4,000 government and corporate entities in critical infrastructure areas such as financial services, telecommunications and healthcare rely on IBM's hybrid cloud platform and Red Hat OpenShift to effect their digital transformations quickly, efficiently and securely. IBM's breakthrough innovations in AI, quantum computing, industry-specific cloud solutions and consulting deliver open and flexible options to our clients. All of this is backed by IBM's long-standing commitment to trust, transparency, responsibility, inclusivity and service.

Visit www.ibm.com for more information.

About KPMG LLP

KPMG LLP is the U.S. firm of the KPMG global organization of independent professional services firms providing audit, tax and advisory services. The KPMG global organization operates in 144 countries and territories and has more than 236,000 people working in member firms around the world. Each KPMG firm is a legally distinct and separate entity and describes itself as such. KPMG International Limited is a private English company limited by guarantee. KPMG International Limited and its related entities do not provide services to clients.

KPMG is widely recognized for being a great place to work and build a career. Our people share a sense of purpose in the work we do, and a strong commitment to community service, inclusion and diversity, and eradicating childhood illiteracy. Learn more at www.kpmg.com/us.

Media Contact
Michelle Mattelson
IBM External Relations
morrison@us.ibm.com

Elizabeth Lynch
Associate Director , Corporate Communications, KPMG US
elizabethlynch@KPMG.com
201-505-6316

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SOURCE IBM