New York, Nov 14 (IANS): Global measurement and data analytics company Nielsen and Microsoft on Wednesday announced a new enterprise data solution to accelerate innovation in retail via Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven data analytics.

The strategic alliance has been brought to life through Nielsen Connect, powered by Microsoft Azure intelligent cloud platform, the companies said in a statement.

Through advanced analytics and AI services built on Azure, Nielsen Connect is helping companies integrate data assets to easily spot emerging trends, diagnose performance gaps and act faster on opportunities to grow.

"We are helping the retail industry reimagine its approach to data by creating a truly open and global environment of collaboration, encouraging companies to evolve beyond mere data management," said John Tavolieri, President, US FMCG and Retail and Chief Technology and Operations Officer at Nielsen.

The joint Microsoft and Nielsen solution is now live to create scalable, high-performance data environments.

"Because retail happens wherever customers are and whenever they choose, Nielsen Connect provides high reliability at a global scale 24/7.

"Microsoft is a natural partner for Nielsen, trusted by global enterprises to protect their data and power their critical business solutions," informed Judson Althoff, Executive Vice President of Microsoft's Worldwide Commercial Business.