Microsoft Ignite Australia - 17th-20th November

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Next week I'm heading to the MS Ignite conference in the Gold Coast and thought I'd sign up to some sessions & get my schedule ready today.

Looking through the sessions, there were two things that stood out to me:

  • A lack of SharePoint sessions
  • A very developer-heavy list of sessions
The first is surprising because SharePoint 2016 preview just came out and I'm not sure anyone is really doing a deep-dive session on it.  Here's what happened when I tried to filter for SharePoint sessions :S:


The second surprise around the mass amounts of developer sessions is because I'm used to Tech Ed events in previous years where they catered for all levels & occupations. Anyone from C-Class (CIO/CEO) down to developer scrubs that want super detail could enjoy the event.  Now I'm not so sure that's the case.

The truth is, it's not that surprising.  For a long time now we've watched Microsoft ramp up it's O365/Azure capabilities to match exactly what On-Premises solutions can offer.

Ignite is going to be ALL about Office 365, Azure & IoT (Internet of Things).  As simple as these platforms are to set up from scratch, they also offer an unlimited amount of power, customisation & integration.  So yes, my dad could probably set up an Office 365 environment and keep everything standard with out of the box features, but at the enterprise level there's going to be a HUGE need for system integration, reporting & customisations.  That's where the developers come in.

There's also quite a few sessions on Skype for Business, SCCM & Device management.

#DistantFuturePrediction:  Working in technology will no longer be about setting up a system and administering it.  That's what Microsoft's cloud offering is for now.  I believe working in technology will primarily be about innovating custom hardware/software to add REAL value to your business & It's customers.

With that said, some large companies are still struggling to work out why they can't pay staff because their Excel Macro is broken.  So the future is still a dream for some.

Thanks for reading, I'll be posting more musings about what I see throughout the Ignite conference so watch this space.

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