Microsoft Ignite 2018 – What can we learn?

When it comes to understanding technology and learning more about the latest trends, Microsoft Ignite is arguably one of the most insightful conferences open to IT professionals.

Recently returning to Orlando, Florida, the six-day event featured a packed schedule of workshops, expert sessions and labs, allowing guests to gain valuable experience alongside some of the industry’s most talented individuals.

From high-level strategy and deep product dives to hands-on training sessions and immersive experiences, Microsoft Ignite offers the perfect learning environment, providing a platform for some of the biggest and most exciting tech announcements of 2018.

AI-Powered Meeting Features

Leaving no stone unturned, the event covered and spoke in detail about some of the biggest and most relevant industry topics and trends, from Azure and Microsoft 365 to broader subjects such as Artificial Intelligence and Security.

From a business perspective, these events provide the perfect opportunity to take a first look at some of the latest developments, spotting potential value for our clients before updates are properly rolled out.

One such example was the announcement of new AI-powered meeting features in Microsoft 365, leveraging the power of AI to improve user experience during video meetings.

Advancing the company’s vision for intelligent communications, these new features will now appear in Microsoft Teams, utilising sophisticated technology to enhance video quality.

Using facial detection, Background Blur will now be available during video calls, allowing participants to focus on the individual and not on what’s happening behind them.

The second key feature, Intelligent Meeting Recording, automatically generates captions and a searchable, time-coded transcript to be used after the call has ended.

Expansion of Microsoft Teams

Another significant announcement that caught our attention was the proposed expansion of Microsoft Teams, empowering workers in all roles and across all industries.

Delivering new experiences tailored to industry-specific and role-based workflows, Teams will be given a range of exciting new features that will empower Firstline Workers to become more effective within their roles.

With new schedule management tools, managers can now create and share schedules, while allowing employees to request time off, swap shifts, see who else is working and receive other important announcements.

These solutions have been developed with strict industry regulations and requirements in mind, delivering a bespoke service across a range of industries.

Microsoft Threat Protection

The terms ‘cyber-crime’ and ‘online security’ are being used more than ever before, with high-profile cyber-attacks attracting a lot of media attention.

With attacks becoming a lot more sophisticated and persistent, strengthening company security is a priority for businesses who store large quantities of sensitive data and information.

Building on its experience of running significant security operations, Microsoft has announced its new end-to-end solution Microsoft Threat Protection, which detects potential threats and protects organisations from attacks.

Working with unparalleled access to data across Microsoft’s services, this new solution brings together threat protection controls across email, PCs, documents, identities and infrastructure into a single integrated experience in Microsoft 365, saving thousands of hours for overstretched security teams.

Insights to help shape the future…

Although only a few key updates have been detailed in this blog, the event delivered an exciting range of announcements that will improve user experience and offer value to our clients.

Events like Microsoft Ignite and Inspire are extremely important to understanding the tech landscape, allowing businesses to identify key changes before they are implemented.

We’ll be using the info and insights delivered during the event to improve and shape our services, so if you’re looking for guidance or support then contact our in-house team and begin shaping your future.