MSCI this week partnered with Microsoft to offer cloud-based ESG risk analytics to advisors and asset managers.

The new capability, called “Investment Solutions as a Service,” is powered by Microsoft’s cloud and A.I. technologies, a fusion of big data and advanced analytics with go-anywhere capabilities.

“The partnership with Microsoft underscores MSCI’s continued commitment to develop new and innovative investing solutions,” said Henry Fernandez, chairman and CEO of MSCI, in released comments. “We have combined Microsoft’s best of breed technology with our robust data and analytical capabilities and rigorous understanding of client challenges to create a suite of services to empower investors. From responding to the historic and unrivalled challenge of climate change, to harnessing the power of big data and innovative analytics, Investment Solutions as a Service is a milestone in powering the next generation of investment decision making.”

Investments Solutions as a Service delivers MSCI’s data sets, analytical models, indexing tools and the expertise of the global investment industry into the hands of firms and individual practitioners to inform investment decision making.

At launch, the new capability includes four solutions as services: ESG, indexing, data management and investment analytics.

The company described each of the offerings as follows:

• ESG Solutions as a Service uses Microsoft’s Azure and PowerBI platforms to help investors analyze investment and business risks and opportunities across the ESG spectrum, but particularly in the realm of climate change.

• Index Solutions as a Service offers users the ability to create and customize indexes, for the first time placing MSCI’s index construction capabilities into the hands of the end-user.

• Data Management Solutions as a Service and Investment Analytics as a Service allow users to access MSCI’s data sets and analytical capabilities in a dynamic manner. These solutions are accompanied by a new developer portal, which offers APIs that can integrate with users’ existing technology to allow them to find and analyze historical markets data across asset classes and develop their own investment solutions.

• Investment Solutions as a Service is a result of a strategic alliance forged between Microsoft and MSCI last year.