Experian and Microsoft have formed a partnership to help brands improve their data, the firms announced on Thursday. 

The arrangement will allow business users worldwide to access Experian data tools, including its Aperture Data Studio, through Microsoft’s AppSource and the Microsoft Azure Marketplace, they state. 

Brands can also access email and phone validation API’s and real-time addresses. 

The validation APIs can be easily integrated into Microsoft’s suite of business applications, the companies say.

Experian’s Open Data Platform supports more than 180 million API requests a month, they continue. 

This is happening as the need for cloud-hosted solutions has been furthered by the COVID-19 pandemic and the speeding up of digital transformation projects, the companies note. 

“Having accurate, complete, valid and well managed data is essential for businesses to deliver better outcomes for their customers,” states Andrew Abraham, managing director of Experian’s Global Data Quality division.

Abraham adds, “The publication of Experian’s suite of products provides access to the solutions that can really help them achieve this and unlock the many opportunities that data can bring.” 

The integration also gives Microsoft partners important “exposure to cloud customers around the globe,” adds Jake Zaborowski, general manager, Microsoft Azure Platform at Microsoft Corp.