The Strategic Value of the Microsoft and AutoRek Partnership
Question: Marcus, what attracted Microsoft to partner specifically with AutoRek, and how does this partnership align with Microsoft’s financial services strategy?
Marcus Martinez: The partnership with AutoRek is a very strategic partnership. Microsoft can provide all the infrastructure services from cloud to AI to customers, but where the business challenge in FinOps is really addressed is when we work with AutoRek. It is a strategic partnership because many of the customers that today are leveraging cloud can benefit not only from AutoRek business intelligence but also from the inherent integration between AutoRek and Microsoft, given that AutoRek is also available on the Azure Marketplace.
The Significance of Financial Services AI Certification
Question: Alastair, AutoRek is Microsoft’s solution partner certified for financial services AI. Can you explain what that designation means and why it is significant for both companies and ultimately for AutoRek clients?
Alastair Mackenzie: We’re absolutely delighted to have achieved solution partner certification, and we believe we’re one of the first companies in the UK to have achieved this level with Microsoft. The reason in part is because it’s a very rigorous, independently managed assessment.
That assessment looks at a number of dimensions, with a focus on the solution partner status first—looking at the quality, the interoperability, and the reliability of AutoRek. For that and audit purposes, they were looking at our well-architected architecture and evidence of Microsoft best practice.
The other dimension is our designation, which is Financial Services AI. This involved the same independent audit process to demonstrate customer success through case studies and testimonials. For the AI component, they tested our AI models and services, assessing our processes and policies to ensure we offer a highly compliant solution. Ultimately, for clients, it’s about trust; they can be confident that AutoRek meets the highest standards for handling critical processes and sensitive data.
Overcoming Barriers to Automation in FinOps
Question: Marcus, AutoRek research shows that 90% of financial firms still rely on manual reconciliation processes. From Microsoft’s perspective, what are the barriers that prevent firms from making such a leap onto an automated solution?
Marcus Martinez: If you look at financial services historically, return on equity has been really compressed; at the same time, regulatory capital reserves are increasing just to cover for these inefficiencies. When you think about reconciliation and FinOps, there’s a lot of value locked there.
One of the things that positions this partnership as such a compelling option for financial services institutions is that you can unlock this value by not only automating per se, but actually applying AI and using a more integrated solution like AutoRek and Microsoft. In a nutshell, the compelling driver to start thinking about adoption is that margins are very squeezed. You need to think about optimizing regulatory capital that, at the end of the day, is trapped in all the inefficiencies inherent in the legacy reconciliation process. It is a super compelling story, and we have seen very strong adoption in the market.
Scaling Globally via the Microsoft Azure Ecosystem
Question: Microsoft has a global footprint that AutoRek is leveraging for international expansion. How do you see this partnership evolving as AutoRek grows into new markets and geographies?
Alastair Mackenzie: We are very pleased with the collaboration. Working with Microsoft gives us access to global scale and resilience. We work with highly demanding customers in regulated industries that look for solutions meeting their requirements for scale and performance, so having access to Microsoft Azure on a global basis is incredibly important.
It also gives our customers choice; they can operate our solution in the regions and markets most important to them, which can be extended to sovereign cloud. We also make AutoRek available on Microsoft Marketplace, allowing customers to purchase AutoRek SaaS in their local currency using their Microsoft agreement. Where a customer has a Microsoft Azure Consumption Commitment (MACC), the AutoRek SaaS platform has been approved as “Azure benefit eligible,” meaning 100% of the subscription counts toward that commitment.
In terms of evolution, we are working closely across different functions, including engineering teams. I’m excited about where we can go; I can only see it going from strength to strength.
The Unique Value of Niche Intelligence
Question: Finally, Marcus, with Microsoft’s broader ecosystem of partners and solutions, how does AutoRek fit into the larger picture and what unique value does AutoRek bring to the table?
Marcus Martinez: One is about the niche market intelligence that we do not have as Microsoft; it’s highly complementary to our own capabilities. Additionally, the nature of the business AutoRek addresses relies on reliable infrastructure, scalability, precision, and risk management—all of which are embedded into our cloud service.
There’s an alignment in terms of driving trust and efficiency, but also an element of inherent interoperability. Ultimately, this benefits customers who can purchase the solution through Marketplace, benefiting from both AutoRek’s domain knowledge and the AI and technology services that Microsoft provides.