On Monday, Microsoft kicked off its Ignite conference, an annual gathering of developers and IT professionals. Over the next week, attendees will learn about upcoming Microsoft innovations in IoT, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and cloud (all while getting some good networking in).
CEO Satya Nadella opened the event with a keynote where he reflected on the past, present, and future of digital transformation. Looking back, he remarked on the concept of technology intensity and the importance of combining adoption and capability in selecting the right technology. Looking ahead, he touched on the importance of harnessing data for improved customer experiences and announced the launch of the Open Data Initiative with industry stalwarts Adobe and SAP. Finally, Nadella reflected on the present need for security, unveiling new security features in Microsoft products and strategic partnerships with security providers.
Here’s a brief summary of some of the announcements:
- Major security updates: As indicated above, Microsoft is committed to creating a secure platform experience. Its new security products include passwordless login, security and threat mitigation software, and Azure Confidential Computing, which protects the confidentiality and integrity of sensitive data in use during an attack.
- Increased investment in machine learning: Microsoft announced a suite of new machine learning solutions included on the Azure platform, supporting higher data workloads, scalable data modeling tools, and integration of big data tools into relational databases.
- Enhanced AI experiences in Microsoft 365: End users can now make the most of their Microsoft 365 experience with artificial intelligence capabilities, including a recommendation engine called Ideas, enhanced document search, and chatbots in Cortana Skills Kit for Enterprise.
- IoT and edge computing updates: Finally, Microsoft launched several new products supporting IoT, including Azure Sphere for powering and securing devices, Data Edge Box for processing and analyzing data, and Digital Twins for highlighting the relationship between IoT devices.
You can read more about the announcements in their press release.
No matter where companies sit on the cloud maturity curve, Microsoft will continue to enhance their offerings with new and updated solutions. Cloud Academy can help you train your team for the future.
We’ll be at booth #1945 this week with our experts to answer any questions about our Azure training offerings and more.
See you there!
