DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA) along with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) — an information technology (IT) services, consulting and business solutions organization based in Mumbai that has been partnering with many of the world’s largest businesses in their transformation journeys for the last 50 years — have expanded their strategic partnership to advance WBA’s transformation of its global IT function by launching a new operating model for IT run and operational services.

This will enable WBA to accelerate its digitalization program to advance innovation for customers, drive organizational efficiencies across the company and further reduce its cost base.

The expansion of this strategic partnership is based on WBA’s review of its IT operating model and vendor landscape, WBA recently announced. As a result, the WBA global IT team will focus on leading and supporting strategic technology projects that create customer value through the development of new digital products and services on its business platforms.

Following a period of transition, TCS will provide run and operational managed services. The TCS approach will blend artificial intelligence, machine learning and advanced software engineering.

“WBA is building a scalable, sustainable and globally unified IT operating model that is focused on digital transformation, automation of service delivery and innovation,” said Francesco Tinto, senior vice president and global chief information officer at WBA. “The TCS strategic partnership will enhance our ability to rapidly address evolving business needs, support large-scale global technology solutions and promote investment in truly differentiating capabilities through a modernized platform.”

Ashish Khurana, head of retail industry solutions at TCS, said of the partnership: “We are delighted to build on our long-standing relationship with WBA and enable its growth and transformation. We will leverage our contextual knowledge of WBA’s business ecosystem to harness the power of digital technologies to streamline and scale-up their IT operations, while helping accelerate transformational initiatives that enhance the customer experience.”

The new WBA global IT operating model is part of the company’s strategic priority to save to invest to grow, while managing costs efficiently under its Transformational Cost Management Program.