International outdoor clothing retailer Icebreaker is leveraging Microsoft's new Cloud Service Provider Partner Program to combine services from the public cloud, private cloud and its own on-premise IT to make its IT more powerful and efficient as the retailer expands into more markets worldwide. Based in Auckland, New Zealand, Icebreaker sells activewear made from merino wool in more than 50 countries around the world. It has its own stores in major cities like New York and San Francisco, and sells through hundreds of retailers elsewhere. Made only from the fleece of merino sheep raised in the mountains of New Zealand, merino wool is especially warm, soft, and itch-free. Founder and CEO Jeremy Moon built it into a $140 million (revenue) business over the last 20 years (the images below show how the chain’s marketing combines the technical features of merino with fashion). Early this year, Suzy Clarke took over as global head of IT with a mandate to give the company a clear technology strategy and direction and make IT.
