Microsoft inspires customers and partners to envision modern workplace and future of business

Microsoft recently welcomed over 300 business and tech leaders and 180 partners to Envision Forum and Inspire Sri Lanka Partner Forum respectively, where the company showcased how it was infusing artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud services across it products to help customers and partners visualise and create the modern workplace and future of business. 

The envision forum was part of a global event series encouraging business leaders to gain actionable plans to realise business transformation. Members of the Microsoft Partner Network learned about driving customer success with Microsoft products, programs and tools for accelerating business goals. 

Empowering every person and organisation on the planet to achieve more

Microsoft Sri Lanka and Maldives Country Manager Hasitha Abeywardena kicked off both sessions, emphasising Microsoft’s mission to empower every person and organisation on the planet to achieve more. He then spoke about Microsoft’s 15-year journey in Sri Lanka and what they have done to empower the country and its citizens. 

Microsoft Asia Pacific Southeast Asia New Markets General Manager Sook Hoon Cheah spoke about innovative technology and data, what they are and how they will shape the future of business. She said that approximately 10% of global GDP will be derived from tech by 2030. 

She also said that software is being infused in every part of a business, making every company a software company. Sook Hoon closed her keynotes by showcasing Microsoft’s extensive partner ecosystem, commitment to responsible innovation, and closing the skills gap. 

The power of Microsoft Azure

Microsoft APAC Azure Business Group General Manager Mike Chan spoke about the cloud and delivered a showcase presentation on unlocking the potential of data and deriving actionable insights with Microsoft Azure. 

Mike then used an example to show why Azure is a true hybrid cloud with clients such as GeekWire serving two million readers worldwide with help from Azure Database for MySQL resulting in low page load times, on-demand scalability and a 45% reduction in costs. 

Mike also spoke about the total economic impact of Azure SQL Database Managed Instance. He said that companies experienced a 212% Total ROI in three years after the migration and up to $ 1.8 million in savings from eliminating their dependency on hardware, network, storage and ongoing maintenance costs.

Mike then spoke about how AI can help build innovative tools and services, all with the aid of Microsoft Azure. He explained how AI amplifies human ingenuity with inclusive design to help companies build trust in technology with their customers. As an example, he spoke about a cloud-based mobile app called Seeing AI that uses the power of AI to describe people, objects and even text to those who are visually impaired.

Ensuring workplace productivity

Digital Workplace Transformation and Productivity Guru Dr. Nitin Paranjape coached the audience at both forums on how to use Office 365 more efficiently and effectively. He provided them with opportunities to gain insights on how they could achieve more results with less effort. 

He also said that Microsoft Office was the most commonly used and yet the most underutilised product in the world, explaining that only a very small fraction of Office 365’s available feature set is used and why that leads to a poor return on investment in spite of businesses investing in the right technology. 

The Envision Forum and Inspire Sri Lanka Partner Forum was a great opportunity for business customers and partners to connect with regional and country representatives from Microsoft, who not only share but are actively enhancing, the company’s vision of a collaborative approach to cloud-based IT management and security. 

The forums also included modular booths for event partners ZILLIONe and Thakral One to provide hands-on technology demonstrations of their work. Microsoft recently concluded the Envision and Inspire forums in Myanmar and Bangladesh as well, ensuring that no one is left behind in their mission empower every person and every organisation on the planet to achieve more.