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SAS Unveils SAS® Viya® Essentials on Microsoft Azure

In a significant development for the data analytics industry, SAS has launched its groundbreaking service, SAS® Viya® Essentials, designed to provide businesses with an affordable and user-friendly cloud analytics solution. This initiative was announced on October 29, 2025, and leverages the robust Microsoft Azure platform to simplify access to advanced data and AI capabilities.

Overview of SAS Viya Essentials

SAS Viya Essentials is positioned as a standard and secure deployment model that enables organizations to utilize selected SAS Viya products effortlessly. Instead of complex setups and heavy IT workloads, this service offers a ready-to-use solution tailored for various business needs. With a remarkable 99.5% uptime SLA, users can expect reliability alongside ease of use.

The offering encompasses four predefined architectural profiles that include SAS Visual Analytics, SAS Visual Statistics, and the cloud-native SAS Viya platform itself. By minimizing the barriers to entry in the world of data analytics, SAS aims to empower users from diverse industries to derive actionable insights without the typical complications associated with deploying such technologies.

Enhancing AI Accessibility

Jay Upchurch, CIO at SAS, emphasizes the company’s mission: “At SAS, we believe in making AI accessible to everyone, no matter their industry or size.” He explained that many companies struggle to maximize their AI investments efficiently. SAS Viya Essentials is designed not only to simplify the deployment of SAS software but also to provide businesses with the trusted answers they need, allowing them to maintain their competitive edge in a rapidly evolving market.

Among the early adopters of SAS Viya Essentials is Shionogi Inc., a U.S. subsidiary of Shionogi Co., Ltd., renowned for its commitment to improving patients' lives through science since 1878. Anindita Sinha, VP of Commercial Operations at Shionogi Inc., highlighted the necessity of a reliable vendor to manage their data workloads efficiently. “SAS Viya Essentials enables us to process larger data sets with speed and efficiency,” she stated, affirming the solution’s role in expediting business success and enhancing their scientific legacy.

Strategic Partnership with Microsoft

The launch of SAS Viya Essentials solidifies the ongoing partnership between SAS and Microsoft, which has recently been extended for another five years. This collaboration is rooted in the shared goal of driving innovation in data analytics. Alongside the Viya Essentials launch, SAS has introduced several notable features, including:

• - SAS Viya Copilot: An AI-driven conversational assistant integrated within the SAS Viya platform to enhance productivity through intuitive code assistance and AI-powered model development.
• - SAS Viya Workbench: A specialized cloud-based coding environment for data scientists, designed to streamline model-building using SAS, R, or Python.
• - SAS Decision Builder: A new functionality in Microsoft Fabric that integrates SAS’s decision-making capabilities, enabling users to make data-driven decisions quickly and reliably.

Brett Tanzer, Vice President of Product Management for the Azure Solutions Ecosystem Team at Microsoft, commented on the partnership's significance: “Our collaboration enables customers to quickly and confidently access SAS Viya Essentials on the trusted, scalable and secure foundation of Microsoft Azure.” This integration ensures organizations can leverage SAS’s analytical capabilities combined with Microsoft’s cloud infrastructure, ultimately accelerating their AI transformation journey.

Conclusion

SAS Viya Essentials represents a pivotal shift towards making sophisticated data analytics accessible for businesses of all sizes. With its emphasis on simplicity, cost-effectiveness, and robust support, businesses can capitalize on their data and AI investments like never before. As industries continue to evolve with technology, tools like SAS Viya Essentials will be fundamental in navigating and succeeding in this landscape.

Explore SAS Viya Essentials on Microsoft Azure for your organization’s analytics needs today.