Wednesday, December 29, 2021
Don't miss another post! Subscribe now!
Stay in the loop on all things DevOps. For tips, tricks, and news on Microsoft DevOps with GitHub, Design Visual Studio, Azure, and more—subscribe now!
Curate an end-to-end digital buying experience with AI-generated customer insights
Learn how to curate an end-to-end digital buying experience with AI insights. Subscribe now!
View: Curate an end-to-end digital buying experience with AI-generated customer insights
Transition to Cloud: A journey to Modern Work with Microsoft 365
The digital transformation of the business world has pushed businesses to address new challenges: remote work, cloud migration, and device security is the new normal. Today's decision makers need to create people connections, address burnout, and work toward consolidating apps.
With Microsoft 365, you get a platform boosted with industry-leading apps, intelligent cloud services, and world-class security. You can download and sync devices, detect threats before issues occur, simplify through vendor consolidation, and so much more.
This infographic explains the 6 ways Microsoft 365 apps and services can ease your organization's journey to modern work.
View: Transition to Cloud: A journey to Modern Work with Microsoft 365
5 ways to lead effective virtual meetings with your remote teams
With virtual meetings, your team can connect from across the globe. In this article, read 5 tips to help you ensure high productivity and efficiency during your virtual meetings. You'll also learn techniques for keeping cameras on, connecting with your people with empathy, asking if there's anything they need, ensuring there's space for attendees to share their thoughts, and setting an agenda with an outline.
Employ flexible, open hybridcloud solutions—transform customer engagement
Enable remote work, take advantage of cloud innovation, and maximize your existing on-premises investments by relying on an effective hybrid and multicloud approach. Sign up to stay connected so we can help you modernize your .NET apps on Microsoft Azure and stay up to date on the latest cloud computing trends.
View: Employ flexible, open hybridcloud solutions—transform customer engagement
Tuesday, December 28, 2021
Realizing results with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
Financials, sales, services, supply chain, project management, analytics—they're all separate departments but they no longer need to be silos. Thanks to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, you can connect them through a single, unified application.
Today's marketplace is more competitive than ever. With every day bringing a new technological advancement, you'll need the best business solutions to keep pace. Review the infographic to explore your options and unlock the possibilities.
View: Realizing results with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
H&R Block delivers with Azure DevOps and Microsoft
With recent changes in the tax industry, H&R Block made plans to stay ahead, providing seamless multichannel experiences and unifying its disparate data sources to better serve its customers. By moving its various workloads to Microsoft SQL Server 2017 and Microsoft Azure and using Azure data services, the tax provider has been able to enhance service delivery, scale to meet its peaks in demand, and accelerate innovation. Watch this video for the story.
Streamline solutions with Microsoft Teams
Using Microsoft Teams helps you save time by having all solutions in one place for improved collaboration and information sharing. Foster a collaborative environment and embrace the upside of teamwork - frictionless sharing that makes good ideas exceptional.
Your business survived the pandemic—now what?
Businesses are learning lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic. Operations have changed and things aren't going to go back to the way they were pre-pandemic anytime soon. However, opportunities exist for businesses to flourish—if they take certain steps.
Resizing operations, refocusing products, reducing risks, and reanalyzing capital are key moves to consider as the pandemic loses strength. Companies that best prepare themselves to adapt to changing scenarios should come out stronger in the end.
Learn with Visual Studio Remote Office Hours
Remote Office Hours is a new live broadcast directly from the Microsoft Visual Studio team. It's about everything Visual Studio, with rare insights into the inner workings of features, processes, and the people that make it all happen. The style is conversational, light, and casual—a show by developers for developers. Read on to learn more here:
Monday, December 27, 2021
How NASCAR team Hendrick Motorsports uses Microsoft Teams to win races
For the 2018 racing season, NASCAR imposed new regulations on competitors, including limiting the number of team members allowed on the track during races. For legendary race team Hendrick Motorsports, this meant that many of the race-day crew would now need to perform their critical duties remotely from the team headquarters in Concord, NC. Hendrick Motorsports adjusted to the new regulations with technology, by making Microsoft Teams their new hub for all race communications and decision making.
Grant Thornton closes new opportunities faster with Dynamics 365 Sales Insights and AI
To best serve its clients, Grant Thornton must tie its extensive knowledge of macro-level economic and industry trends to the micro-level business needs, motivations, and challenges faced by individual executives within its client base. The global accounting and consulting firm does this by using Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales, Microsoft Azure, and LinkedIn Sales Navigator to "connect the macro with the micro" and deliver that information quickly and accurately to geographically distributed team members. They also use Dynamics 365 Sales Insights to understand the health of client relationships and where new opportunities may lie, take actions based on those insights, close new opportunities faster, and win more deals.
Helping customers across every industry prepare for the future
Seven of 10 board directors accelerated digital initiatives due to COVID-19, executing two years' worth of digital transformation in two months. Learn how Microsoft is helping customers across every industry prepare for the future.
Transition to Cloud Deployment checklist
Businesses rely on cloud transformation for the stability and agility it offers to their operations. Microsoft 365 enables this transformation by realizing modern work environments where users are productive and secure while working from anywhere. Review the infographic and get started today with this 5-step deployment checklist. Learn how you can rapidly deploy Teams, secure access, provide employees with adequate support, and more.
Wednesday, December 22, 2021
Security and privacy with an integrated portfolio of cloud services
Businesses rely on cloud transformation for the stability and agility it offers to their operations. Microsoft 365 enables this transformation by realizing modern work environments where users are productive and secure while working from anywhere. Secure your business with technology you can trust, ensure only the right users have access without affecting productivity, and protect your data through security best practices and easy-to-use policies that prevent accidental data leaks.
Sign up to say connected—we'll help you learn more about making the transition to the cloud and into a more secure environment.
View: Security and privacy with an integrated portfolio of cloud services
Don't miss another post! Subscribe now.
Learn more about Microsoft Teams for remote work. Subscribe now!
Selling successful process
Today, success is about quality over quantity, replacing the days of cold calling and cut-and-pasting of boilerplate email copy. This infographic provides 3 key themes to each part of a successful sales process.
Cincinnati Children's makes tough times easier
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center is well known for excellent care and its commitment to the well-being of the families it serves. To reduce strain for parents and make their lives easier, the hospital created the Caren mobile app using Microsoft Azure and Azure services. Parents turn to Caren for help navigating the hospital, getting answers to their questions, and entertaining their children. Using the app lets parents focus more on their families and less on stressful details.
Tuesday, December 21, 2021
What's driving application modernization?
Digital transformation—the adoption of leading-edge technologies to improve business value and increase customer success—is seen by most organizations as more critical than ever and accelerated by the effects of the pandemic.
Application modernization is driven by the need for transformation, privacy, remote work, government regulation, risk assessment, worker productivity, data growth, and the need to stay competitive.
Sign up to stay connected so we can help you understand what's driving enterprises to modernize their .NET apps by migrating to the cloud with Microsoft Azure.
Thought Leadership: Teams Future Features
This article describes various new features in Microsoft Teams, including enabling calls in separate windows and pinning meeting controls to the top of your screen.
CTTI transforms the Generalitat de Catalunya with Microsoft Dynamics 365
The Center for Telecommunications and Information Technology (CTTI), a public company that brings together the computer and telecommunications services of the Generalitat de Catalunya, is using the Microsoft Dynamics 365 platform to manage in a unified way all the information related to its customers. This enables personalization and omnichannel attention for better customer experiences and improved customer satisfaction and retention.
The DevOps Imperative: Keep Up or Get Lost
When the software industry is moving faster than ever, security testing must keep up. The only way to sustain a high release cadence is to progress through the software development life cycle (SDLC) the right way the first time.
A company crazy about chocolate, serious about people, uses Microsoft Teams to build personal relationships
Dutch startup Tony's Chocolonely grew out of a journalist's exposé of child slave labor in the cocoa industry and his dream of making the chocolate trade slavery-free. The Amsterdam-based company grew quickly, but its original collaboration apps didn't support its international expansion or its work-life balance ideals. Teams enables Tony's Chocolonely workers to communicate on a personal level with their colleagues in Europe, America, and Africa. Adding telephony capabilities makes it even more powerful, with everything available in one single interface.
Monday, December 20, 2021
Romanian healthcare provider improves customer experience and business operations with Microsoft
Regina Maria is a leading provider of healthcare services in Romania. Microsoft equips them with technology to optimize business processes and maintain a high level of patient care. Microsoft Teams unifies their communication applications into a single system, allowing them to reduce the approval process time and increase speed and rate of response to customer feedback. With Microsoft tools, Regina Maria's database is 20% more accurate and complaint management is 50% faster.
The future of cloud in a post-pandemic world
COVID-19 dramatically changed the way people work. There were severe shifts in the cloud sector caused by changing work patterns, and this forced C-suite executives to fast-track their cloud migration plans. While the cloud was a lifeline for many of these organizations, they now must prepare to continue this transition. Companies must work towards cloud modernization in partnership with their CIOs and IT departments.
Proactively prepare for and readily respond to disruption
The pandemic created havoc across nearly every industry. How will you continue to adapt as it continues to affect supply chains, how employees work, customer behaviors and demands, and various other aspects of the business landscape? Will you be ready for the next major disruption to your business? With the right tools, you can prepare and flex more efficiently as new challenges (and opportunities) emerge.
Sign up to stay connected—we can help you prepare for future change.
View: Proactively prepare for and readily respond to disruption
Goodyear drives more remote collaboration to keep plants running with Microsoft Teams
As a company dedicated to keeping people moving, Goodyear tire company wasn't about to slow down because of global travel restrictions due to COVID-19.
When engineers could no longer travel to factories for equipment installation or troubleshooting, Goodyear turned to Microsoft Teams running on RealWear voice controlled, assisted-reality wearable computers to bring the engineering experts into the plants virtually—enabling instantaneous collaboration from remote locations, and saving money on travel costs.
Thursday, December 16, 2021
Use popular frameworks to build and deploy with Microsoft App Service
Quickly build, deploy, and scale web apps and APIs on your terms. You can work with popular frameworks like .NET, Java, Ruby, PHP, or Python using Microsoft App Service. Sign up to stay connected so we can help you modernize your apps on Microsoft Azure.
View: Use popular frameworks to build and deploy with Microsoft App Service
Wednesday, December 15, 2021
How SMEs can cure their fear of digital transformation
There's a perception that digital transformation is hard. Businesses resisting it are typically concerned about costs or lack of in-house knowledge. However, those who explore digital transformation quickly discover that these fears are unfounded.
To achieve the benefits of digital transformation, you need to set goals and think of costs as investments.
Don't miss another post! Subscribe now!
Stay up to date and leverage the latest in open source. From DevOps transformation to product innovation—subscribe now!
Thursday, December 9, 2021
Turn prospects into engaged customers
Today's B2B buyers have high expectations, and those expectations will not be met if B2B buyers are accustomed to sophisticated consumer interactions in their personal lives. Executive B2B buyers are not impressed by marketing driven by large, relatively impersonal data analysis that leads to inconsistent and conflicting interactions or sales outreach that doesn't cater specifically to their needs at the right time. This blog recommends taking a new approach that unifies relationship data across the full customer lifecycle.
Wednesday, December 8, 2021
Fluid, Dynamic, and Cloud-Powered Solutions
Microsoft is uniquely positioned for partnership with any organization's modern digital transition journey. Solutions like Microsoft 365 and Dynamics 365 provide an end-to-end, integrated portfolio of cloud solutions. Built on a foundation of security and privacy, the Azure platform helps businesses in every industry build resilience and improve the bottom line. Communication is seamless, dynamic, and collaborative.
Sign up to say connected—we'll help you learn more about making the transition to the cloud.
Effective DevOps—Building a DevOps Culture at Scale
Read and share this e-Book to learn about building a strong and sustainable DevOps culture to get the most out of the platform.
6 ways digitalization Is empowering women around the world
Digitalization is breaking the barriers for women across the globe. From rural education to entrepreneurship, digitalization is giving a voice to those who previously didn't have one—reducing the gap between men and women and empowering them to build communities, develop ideas, and strive for excellence in all areas.
Perform better—continuous optimization and visibility drive performance
The world is moving faster than ever, and your organization cannot be left behind. Learn how you can adapt to these changes with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, which delivers new insights across your company and facilitates process optimization-all of which help your business grow .
Sign up to stay connected. We can help you get the most from your ERP.
View: Perform better—continuous optimization and visibility drive performance
How To Get Your Cloud Migration Strategy Right
Industry leaders are working hard to compete with digital upstarts that develop their business exclusively in the cloud. Business infrastructure has become more complex, and to keep up to date, companies are digitizing their operations—looking for agility and insights from data and analytics.
IT business partners must demonstrate the ROI of switching from ""owning"" to "renting" infrastructure. It's now critical to monitor performance across different cloud frameworks with tools that collect and correlate data from every location. Leaders understand there is a before, during, and after migration strategy for making the switch successful.
Tuesday, December 7, 2021
Connecting with 500 million passionate fans worldwide
Since 2014, Real Madrid has been revolutionizing the world of sports with Microsoft as their Official Technology Partner. Their revolution puts the fan at the center of their strategy and seeks to know everything about them to be able to satisfy their needs in the best possible way. They involve great challenges and great benefits for all areas of the Club.
Collaborate with Microsoft Teams
This infographic lists the many ways you can use Microsoft Teams to drive workplace collaboration. It also provides statistics on the success and popularity of Microsoft Teams.
Engaging at scale
This infographic represents successful companies' consensus about which sales tools are most effective in enabling their sales teams to engage at scale with target accounts.
Host your .NET application and data on the most cost-effective cloud
Optimize costs so your resources are better spent on increasing operational efficiencies, supporting new business priorities, and improving customer experiences.
Sign up to stay informed on the latest cloud computing trends and learn more about migrating your apps and data to Microsoft Azure— the most cost-effective cloud.
View: Host your .NET application and data on the most cost-effective cloud
Don't miss another post! Subscribe now!
Security is vital to DevOps. Microsoft DevOps with GitHub features a best-in-class Security Lab. The lab's mission to inspire and enable the community to secure the open-source software we all depend on. The lab finds vulnerabilities, empowers others, and fosters collaboration. Subscribe for more.
Monday, December 6, 2021
Microsoft Threat Protection stops attack sprawl and auto-heals enterprise assets with built-in intelligence and automation
Attackers will cross multiple domains like email, identity, endpoints, and applications to find the point of least resistance. Today's defense solutions have been designed to protect, detect, and block threats for each domain separately, allowing attackers to exploit the seams and threshold differences between solutions—leaving the business vulnerable to attack. Microsoft Threat Protection stops attack sprawl and auto-heals enterprise assets with built in intelligence and automation. Read on to learn more.
A new way to get things done
Since the beginning, Surface has been known for versatile designs that enable people to work and create in new ways, with devices that fit seamlessly into the flow of your day.
Surface Duo is a dual screen device that transforms the productivity we get from working across two screens - creating a new way to get things done. Its design allows for multiple app experiences at once, providing a flexibility that allows your team to better serve your customers. Now, your team can work however, whenever and wherever they want.
With Surface Duo:
-Multitask between a video conference call on one screen while using a different app on the other.
-Enjoy the best of the Microsoft 365* mobile experiences, every Android app in the Google Play Store**, and a built-in compatibility with your Windows 10 PC.
-Surface Duo's biometric locking system combined with the Microsoft ecosystem ensures security for the entire team.
If Surface Duo sounds like a good fit for you and your team, let's connect and talk more.
Generation-e
info@generation-e.com,.au
+611300553088
*Subscription required.
**Additional fees and/or subscriptions required for some apps and features. Available apps may vary by carrier and over time. Calling requires data plan; see carrier for pricing and coverage details.
Your business survived the pandemic—now what?
Businesses are learning lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic. Operations have changed and things aren't going to go back to the way they were pre-pandemic anytime soon. However, opportunities exist for businesses to flourish—if they take certain steps.
Resizing operations, refocusing products, reducing risks, and reanalyzing capital are key moves to consider as the pandemic loses strength. Companies that best prepare themselves to adapt to changing scenarios should come out stronger in the end.
Managing Remote Employees? Spot This Problem and Improve Productivity
While this article focuses on creating successful business relationships among teams that work remotely, at its core it's about how to drive meaningful communication among team members. Building and maintaining good relationships is the backbone of any successful company. When employees feel comfortable while engaging in constructive discourse and have personal rapport conducive to exchanging ideas and working toward a common goal, workplace productivity and profit feel the impact. Want to encourage your teams to do their best work? Check out this article for more on how you can help your customers foster better communication in their teams.
Wednesday, December 1, 2021
3 Smart Ways to Exceed Your Customers' Digital Expectations
Customer experience (CX) is taking the forefront as businesses discover its strong correlation to revenue growth. The drive to become an experience-focused business doesn't just come from the C-suite. Anyone with a deep understanding of today's digital mandate and a strong vision for what digital experiences can do for customers and the business can lead the charge. Sign up now to stay connected to show you the three smart ways to exceed your customers' digital expectations, along with real-world success stories, to help unlock your organization's potential.
View: 3 Smart Ways to Exceed Your Customers' Digital Expectations
Empowering the assembly line
Toyota was already planning to deploy Microsoft Teams to connect its diverse lines of business and improve productivity, when the pandemic hit. A six-month launch plan was reduced to three weeks, connecting 40,000 people across the company and enabling a more efficient method for virtual troubleshooting of processes. Learn how Teams supports the company's culture and ideals.
Protect the privacy of your Microsoft Teams meetings
With the increased usage of Microsoft Teams to conduct virtual meetings, the need for tactical best practices to protect your privacy from intruders is also on the rise. This thought leadership article explores how to protect the privacy of your Microsoft Teams Meetings with easy ways to mitigate the risk of such problems by updating your settings.
Tuesday, November 30, 2021
Digital selling insights
Orchestrating data from multiple sources is important when compiling an accurate "big picture" to inform strategic action. This infographic offers 5 keys to provide insights and recommendations to your team.
Eight Finance Trends Every CFO Should Know
The CFO's role can be summarized with these two truths: 1) If something impacts the bottom line, it's the CFO's responsibility, and 2) Everything impacts the bottom line.
From unified data to intelligent technology powering finance operations, discover the eight key trends that are affecting the CFO's role.
Sign up to stay connected and access the "Eight trends" infographic. Review the highlights and then, if you like, access the full report.
Toyota Motor North America Migrates 40,000 to Microsoft Teams in Three Weeks
How does a company respond to the challenge of remote work when they are already managing a major digital transition? Toyota Motor North America (TMNA) made the decision to move their original Teams deployment schedule four months ahead, and as a result, thousands of TMNA employees migrated from Skype for Business to Teams over three weekends. Teams Only mode included a superior audio conferencing and calling experience, including Teams Phone for external calls. Employees appreciate the dynamic emergency calling feature. All meeting rooms are now Teams-ready.
Don't miss another post! Subscribe now!
Security is vital to DevOps. Microsoft DevOps with GitHub features a best-in-class Security Lab. The lab's mission to inspire and enable the community to secure the open-source software we all depend on. The lab finds vulnerabilities, empowers others, and fosters collaboration. Subscribe for more.
How to create and use private channels in Microsoft Teams
With Microsoft Teams private channels, you can have focused, private conversations with specific people on your team. This Microsoft Teams tutorial video will show you how to create private channels as you're working remotely.
Monday, November 29, 2021
GitHub seeks security
Microsoft GitHub has created an innovative workflow for people involved in security to work together to write and maintain secure code. Security Lab is GitHub's meeting ground for security researchers and developers. The lab has a focus on open-source software and is raising the bar for competitors. Read more about GitHub's moves to fix system security through collaboration in this article from Forbes, then contact us to learn more.
Sell smarter with Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Office 365
In this video, you'll see how Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Sales and Office 365 go beyond sales force automation to leverage CRM, engagement data, and insights to help your enterprise break down silos, drive more efficient sales, and win more revenue.
Three ways to take cloud-based ERP to the next level
In today's business environment, enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems are crucial—especially in a post-COVID world, where meetings are more often streamed, and work is conducted from home. By bringing together functions such as financial management, operations, manufacturing, reporting and analytics, and human resources, ERPs enable companies to be run remotely while maintaining security and driving cost efficiency.
Learn how to take your cloud-based ERP to the next level while expanding the flexibility and adaptability of your business.
Wednesday, November 24, 2021
The power of relationship selling
In this report—a collaboration between Microsoft and Heinz Marketing—you'll find insights gleaned from over 200 in-depth surveys with top sales leaders. Learn how to achieve desired sales goals, maximize the effectiveness of customer data, and take more strategic steps toward building personal relationships using data-driven engagement tactics.
Work smarter—unlock productivity and business insights
By connecting Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central with Microsoft 365, you can work from almost anywhere using nearly any device. You can videoconference, chat, call, collaborate, and seamlessly share Dynamics 365 Business Central data directly within Microsoft Teams.
Collaborate and take care of multiple business processes in one place. For example, you can check your email and create a quote by surfacing contextual customer relationship information, sales records, and inventory data within Microsoft Outlook. Then, schedule and start a Teams meeting with your customer in a few clicks.
Sign up to stay connected. We can help you unlock new methods for productivity and fresh insights for your business.
View: Work smarter—unlock productivity and business insights
RACQ transforms customer experience with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
The Royal Automobile Club of Queensland (RACQ) in Australia replaced a 22-year-old legacy platform with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, Microsoft Azure, and Microsoft 365. This new pipeline delivers streamlined processes and a digital feedback loop with a single source of insights for staff responding to member inquiries.
The result? More engaged workers and better service for its 1.7 million members, leading to improved satisfaction.
Tuesday, November 23, 2021
Engage employees, improve productivity, and build team cohesion
After so much turmoil and change, employees all want different things. Companies need to support a successful back-to-hybrid-office life—a situation that is here to stay. The capabilities for positive hybrid meetings is possible with modern Microsoft tooling like Teams, Endpoint Manager, and devices like Surface Hub. Immersive and custom engagements that highlight leading guidance and innovation help remote and on-site deployment assistance prepare teams for hybrid work—meeting the needs of employees and increasing productivity and satisfaction no matter where they work.
Sign up to stay connected—we'll help you better connect and create new experiences throughout your organization with Hybrid Meetings.
View: Engage employees, improve productivity, and build team cohesion
Azure App Service
Microsoft Azure App Service is a fully managed platform for building, deploying, and scaling your web apps. Work with .NET, .NET Core, Node.js, Java, Python, and PHP—in containers or running on Windows or Linux. Subscribe to stay connected so we can help you build your app services on Azure—all while meeting rigorous, enterprise-grade performance, security, and compliance requirements.
Expand Collaboration
Customize and expand your remote collaboration with @Microsoft Teams, keeping your team engaged, connected, and secure. Subscribe now!
Digital transformation and the customer experience
Seamless communication, creativity, and immediacy are key factors in the digital transformation of the customer experience. As customers face pandemic-induced circumstances driving accelerated digital adoption, companies are finding they must develop a strategy for digital transformation catering to the needs of the modern-day user. That user demands authenticity, personalization, and empathy.
Modd.io brings open source game development to everyone
Modd.io is a Canadian startup that has created an innovative open source gaming platform written entirely in Node.js on the Azure platform. Using a proprietary visual scripting language, Modd.io allows individuals without an extensive background in coding to create and publish HTML5 multiplayer games. Its community of gamers can play user-generated games, even viewing and using shared source code in their own creations. Read on:
Monday, November 22, 2021
Microsoft Teams at 3: Everything you need to connect with your teammates and be more productive
Microsoft Teams continues to invest in experiences that will make it easier for teams to communicate and collaborate. This article by Jared Spataro, Corporate Vice President for Microsoft 365, informs how new capabilities reflect commitment to two things: building the very best online meeting experience for customers and bringing technological solutions to traditionally underserved professionals, including Firstline and healthcare workers.
The latest features include new integration between Teams and RealWear head-mounted devices, real-time noise suppression during meetings, booking apps, pop out chats, the raise hand feature, and more.
Solution overview video
This video highlights the benefits of using Activate Digital Selling solutions from Microsoft. Make the digital buying experience rich, personal, and efficient with predictive AI and unified customer data.
Transformation by the numbers
DevOps is just the start. Top organizations know that transformation also depends on technology, talent, culture, and process. GitHub helps enterprises put them all to work—in one place. Check out these impact results by the numbers and see why GitHub is the best in open source.
Nebraska Furniture Mart embraces Microsoft 365 to work smarter
The ability to work securely from anywhere already played a role in Nebraska Furniture Mart's (NFM) digital transformation vision, but COVID-19 pushed that goal to the forefront. Decision makers at NFM chose Microsoft 365 to advance a cloud-first strategy and standardize on a single solution. Consolidating communication on a single solution like Microsoft Teams helped drive efficiency and collaboration—all while saving costs. NFM implemented Teams Rooms systems at its Omaha headquarters, and the company will soon roll out the solution across all its stores, as well as integrate Teams Phone capabilities in the future.
Wednesday, November 17, 2021
Don't miss another post! Subscribe now!
Deliver fast, efficient product innovation on any platform using DevOps with GitHub. Support your developers by helping them build the right teams, with the right tools, for the right projects—a
Gartner Peer Insights 'Voice of the Customer': CRM Lead Management
Gartner Peer Insights compares vendors' customer relationship management (CRM) systems, which can then be used to determine best practices for your own business. This study in statistics provides insight on the best ways to capture and manage leads.
Saving time with Microsoft Teams
This infographic displays stats on how Microsoft Teams reduces the total number of meetings as well as their duration from improved collaboration and information sharing.
Lightning-fast innovation, elastic scalability, cost savings, and better performance
What is digital transformation? A necessary disruption
Digital transformation, accelerated during the pandemic, is redefining the way companies use technology, people, and processes to apply new business models and discover new revenue streams—while striving to meet constant changes in customer expectations surrounding products and services.
The digital transformation consists of five basic steps, starting with the alignment of objectives with business goals.
Emerging technology and revamped processes are important for digital transformation—but nothing is more important than having staff with the right sets of skills. From software engineers to data scientists and UX designers, each plays a key role in the success of digital transformation within a company.
Review the five steps for digital transformation, find real-world examples, and see which pitfalls you'll need to avoid.
Tuesday, November 16, 2021
Top seven tips for faster application development with DevOps
DevOps can help teams of any size develop, fix, and deploy software faster. By having faster application development, faster updates, and faster shipments, development lifecycles are shortened. It's no wonder organizations across all vertical markets and global geographies have embraced DevOps. Along with collaboration, the ability to integrate DevOps efforts with the widest array of tools possible is a cornerstone to success. Read these 7 in-depth insights on faster application development with DevOps, then contact us to learn more about the flexibility of Microsoft DevOps with GitHub and Azure.
Mercy Housing keeps residents safe at home using Microsoft Teams
When the pandemic ushered in a new reality of social distancing, Mercy Housing was able to continue supporting the residents and communities it serves while keeping everyone safe using Microsoft Teams. This customer story video outlines when COVID-19 created a tremendous need for a tool that can maintain personal connection, Teams has allowed the company to maintain reaching residents and serving its communities, growing the business while working remotely, all while supporting highly secure environments for remote work.
Risk management best practices
Part of the natural landscape of every business is risk—some level of uncertainty that comes from not knowing how events will unfold as you and your team innovate. However, understanding risk management best practices can help anticipate potential issues and develop a plan.
From securing cloud-based options to identifying cyber threats and other financial crimes, risk management is crucial in building business agility.
Review our latest infographic to learn what you can do to minimize risks and reduce your exposure across key aspects of your business.
To Make Hybrid Work, Solicit Employees' Input
Driven by the state of the world today, more companies are committing to hybrid work. But how do you build out the model in a way that's right for your business and those who are conducting it?
Simple: Talk to employees to tailor the program to their specific needs. Easier said than done? Learn what questions to ask and scenarios to consider, and then maintain flexibility so you can quickly pivot if necessary.
Monday, November 15, 2021
Get started with GitHub and Azure DevOps
Adopting the tools and mindset of DevOps in the right manner will facilitate development efficiency, boost productivity, and increase the rate at which products can be brought to market. These helpful tips will get you on your way to gaining powerful design capabilities, innovation, acceleration, and more with GitHub and Azure.
Buying is a journey
Go beyond transactions and interactions to give your buyers unique experiences that build trust. Transform the sales experience with Dynamics 365 Sales. Features include enabling smarter selling with contextual AI, increasing sales profitably with advanced insights, and improving coaching and sales performance.
The future of frontline work and devices
Yesterday's tools are not enough to get today's job done. Microsoft Teams brings all the tools you and your workforce need into one app. Discover how to integrate the latest tools designed for today's frontline work and devices, tailored to your specific needs.
Hybrid Work: A Guide for Business Leaders
The pandemic has fundamentally transformed the way we work, do business, and meet customer (and employee) needs. With data showing that all parties want flexibility, the shift to hybrid work is a strategic business opportunity for every organization—one that requires a new operating model.
The customers' objective is to lead this change within their business and embrace innovation and the hybrid work opportunity—the inevitable way of the future. Fortunately, Microsoft has been a trailblazer in this transition, and has a guide to share what they've learned at scale about people, places, and processes.
Subscribe to stay connected. We'll help you take an active role in shaping your organization's future.
Wednesday, November 10, 2021
Reimagine the Flow of Work in the New Hybrid Work Reality
Flexibility is a must in the new post-pandemic work world. Hybrid work continues to evolve, and business leaders are looking for a new operating model. Technology is the binding factor to create inclusive meetings that keep employees engaged and inspired. Updates to Teams like PowerPoint Live, the Teams camera feed, Microsoft Whiteboard—and devices like Surface Hub—encourage digital collaboration.
Endpoint Manager combines services like Microsoft Intune, Configuration Manager, Desktop Analytics, co-management, and Windows Autopilot to help secure access, protect data, and respond and manage risk.
Sign up to say connected—we'll help you better connect and create new experiences throughout your organization with Hybrid Meetings.
View: Reimagine the Flow of Work in the New Hybrid Work Reality
Empower security teams to coordinate
Stay connected to empower your team. Learn more about unifying your workplace collaboration with Microsoft Teams! Subscribe now!
DevOps with GitHub Solution Overview Video
Developers are at the core of innovation. Stand out in a competitive market by leveraging open-source software and delivering fast, efficient product innovation. Learn how Microsoft can help.
Now is the time for Microsoft Teams
This infographic outlines how you can stay in touch with the hub for teamwork in Office 365. With Microsoft Teams you can connect, collaborate, and come together securely by meeting with your peers and getting work done anywhere - even remotely.
Tuesday, November 9, 2021
Safer workplaces for frontline workers
The Pandemic has taken a toll on business but it's pushed us to find solutions to overcome obstacles. Learn how the Microsoft Power Platform Return-to-the-Workplace solution is helping customers safely prepare for the return to physical facilities.
Essential Key Performance Indicators for Small and Mid-Size Business
Industries, customers, and markets change. Even where and how we work is changing rapidly. As are, no doubt, your business strategies, goals, objectives, services, and products. The ability to quickly diversify, scale, and change your business models is a competitive advantage in any market.
Understanding your customers' opinions, attitudes, and emotional connections to your brand is called brand sentiment. This leading indicator can help inform how you're doing in terms of your customer experience, product quality, price competitiveness, and loyalty.
Sign up to stay in touch and download the e-book "Essential Key Performance Indicators for Small and Mid-Size Business." See how easily and accurately you can measure business outcomes from brand sentiment, and let us know when you're ready to make a change.
View: Essential Key Performance Indicators for Small and Mid-Size Business
Setting The Stage For Collaborative Hybrid Teams
Remote work is starting to feel mainstream, but many companies are still struggling to normalize their own personalized hybrid work models. Explore four things you should avoid in order to balance the needs of a diverse and divided workforce—from investing in the right tools and overcoming meeting fatigue to finding new ways for personal connections.
What is DevOps?
Learn how DevOps unifies people, process, and technology to bring better products to customers faster. Then imagine how the power of GitHub and Azure can benefit your DevOps team.
Develop your own path on Microsoft Azure
Whether you're developing your apps on .NET or Java, Microsoft Azure offers great benefits for both. From Visual Studio tools, global compliance, and multiple hosting options, Azure is the go-to cloud service for faster, simpler development.
Sign up to stay connected so we can help you develop your own path on Azure and keep you up to date on the latest cloud computing advances.
Monday, November 8, 2021
The NFL Huddles with Microsoft Teams to Digitize Collaboration for Game Day
Everyone knows that teamwork is vital in the National Football League (NFL)—on the field and off. The arrival of COVID-19, however, pushed the league to reimagine how to collaborate behind the scenes. Executing hundreds of live events while preserving the gameday experience for online fans and business partners was a new challenge.
In exchange for the traditional high-touch, in-person communication culture at league offices, the organization adopted a virtual home field. Microsoft Teams helped the NFL stay connected and safely execute all 270 combined regular season and playoff games and Super Bowl LV—despite the collaboration challenges brought on by the pandemic.
Create instant remote work meetings with Microsoft Teams
Stay connected with Microsoft Teams while working from home with the help of the "Meet now" feature. In this video, you'll learn how to use "Meet now," which gives you the ability to turn a team chat conversation into an instant remote meeting.
How to accelerate digital selling with Dynamics 365
This video provides an overview of the sales accelerator in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales Insights. You will learn how to maintain business continuity with the sales accelerator, a digital-first experience that enables salespeople to work remotely.
Kenyan company improves food quality from farm to fork with Microsoft cloud solutions
Farmer's Choice has been delivering quality meat products to Kenyan tables for the last 40 years. The customer-oriented company uses advanced technologies with the existing agriculture ecosystem to enhance productivity, ensure food safety and quality, and reduce waste. Its commitment to sustainable farming practices began with the adoption of collaborative Microsoft 365 solutions. Next, the organization extended its cloud portfolio to include Microsoft Azure and Microsoft Dynamics 365 and is now stepping up its services with Microsoft Power Apps.
Wednesday, November 3, 2021
Identify and fix more errors with faster build times and quicker feedback for developers
Identify and fix more errors with faster build times and quicker feedback for developers
View: Identify and fix more errors with faster build times and quicker feedback for developers
Tuesday, November 2, 2021
Subscribe now
Drive smarter selling and optimize engagement. Microsoft has the tools to make it happen. Subscribe now!
Connect your business to drive productivity and profits
Many businesses fall into common traps:
• siloed data
• poor pricing decisions
• unsecured data
• inability to pivot or keep up with faster-moving competitors
With Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, you can connect operations across your business and supercharge your growth.
Legacy systems can't always manage the complexity of a growing business. Incomplete data and tedious reporting can create blind spots that lead to faulty decision-making. With Dynamics 365, you can create a single source of truth by seamlessly sharing data across every line of business, helping your employees work faster and smarter.
See some of the reasons 92% of ERP adopters report success, and some of the risks for lagging behind, in this detailed infographic.
View: Connect your business to drive productivity and profits
Why your business should be based on the recurring revenue model
It's possible to build a successful business on one-off sales, but it's difficult and not always sustainable. If you're thinking about starting your own business or taking the one you currently have to a new level, then you really need to consider the recurring revenue model.
Whether you're in the business of software, content creation, physical products, or productized services, the recurring revenue model is based on predictable revenues occurring at regular intervals—and that might just be the secret to success.
.NET Core invests in consistency to accelerate open-source innovation
Microsoft partnering with the open-source community to collaborate on .NET Core proved a valuable learning opportunity for large-scale retooling of its development processes. Consolidating 80 different repositories with more than 800 contributors from inconsistent implementations to a shared toolset required a fresh DevOps approach and the flexibility of Azure Pipelines and its support for GitHub.
The result: Developers can now move between repos without the need to learn a new CI system each time, and tests are more efficiently run which means iterations—and by extension, innovation—is quicker.
Subscribe to stay connected and download the full white paper detailing how the .NET Engineering Services team helped improve developer productivity at scale.
View: .NET Core invests in consistency to accelerate open-source innovation
Microsoft Teams Innovations Designed for Hybrid Work
Microsoft Teams empowers employees to interact on the spot with people all over the world. New features like chat, live reactions, and Whiteboard make the Teams meetings experience uniquely modern. Intelligent in-office cameras designed to enhance the presence of people can produce multiple video streams and create unique experiences for both presenters and attendees.
The culture of hybrid work is here to stay, and the innovations Microsoft Teams is making offers employees choice and flexibility—including a new way in Outlook to organize and display your hybrid office hours or join a meeting using companion mode on your mobile device.
Monday, November 1, 2021
What is Teams?
This video shows how you can pull together a team with Microsoft Teams on your PC, Mac, or mobile device. Use chat instead of email, securely edit files at the same time, see your likes, mentions, and replies with just a single tap, and have the freedom to customize it all by adding notes, websites, and apps.
DevOps at Microsoft: Driving engineering excellence
This video illustrates the ways the Microsoft One Engineering System (1ES) used Azure DevOps to pursue its mandate to empower every engineer in the company - from Azure Boards for work item tracking to Azure Pipelines for orchestrating builds and deployment, as well as other modern tooling adoption.
Rapidly-growing UK restaurant chain migrates key business processes to Microsoft Dynamics 365
TGI Friday's popular and rapidly-growing restaurant franchise in the UK wanted a more scalable, flexible platform for core business processes. To support its ambitious growth, the franchise is consolidating business operations starting with financial management on Microsoft Dynamics 365. Built-in functionality and ease-of-use mean that TGI Friday's can continue to onboard more business processes while expanding its franchise. Benefits include lower costs, easier access to data, and better insight.
Digitalization future-proofs business thanks to connectivity and the cloud
Schmitz Cargobull AG is Europe's market leader in manufacturing refrigerated vehicles. Management knew that to fulfill their customers' need to track vehicles and loads at all times required scaling up access to data from multiple databases to one location in the cloud—creating a "data lake."
With Microsoft Azure supported by Azure DevOps, these customers now have access to a portal where they can check the location and condition of each vehicle, regardless of where the underlying data lives. Such a solution would have been costly on-premises, but using Azure turnkey modules reduced time to market and the need for in-house tools
Wednesday, October 27, 2021
Don't miss another post! Subscribe now.
Digital transformation in healthcare is revolutionizing how we perceive our interactions with technology. Telemedicine, medical devices enabled by artificial intelligence (AI), and blockchain electronic health records (EHRs) are just some of the technologies that are helping improve patient-provider interactions. With the overall goal of enhancing patient care, the modern healthcare industry is seeking to streamline physicians' work, optimize systems, improve patient outcomes, reduce human error, and lower costs via amazing web and mobile experiences.
Subscribe now for the latest insights into how Microsoft for Healthcare is empowering providers via better tools and more efficient solutions to increase patient satisfaction.
Tuesday, October 26, 2021
Common myths (and facts) about open source
For some companies, the idea of adopting open-source software doesn't seem viable. There are many myths about open source, but the truth is that it can facilitate security, be easy to maintain and integrate, and scale to whatever heights you require.
Sign up to stay connected on using Microsoft Azure DevOps with GitHub and Visual Studio, and we can help you unravel the myths and facts about open source.
Why You Need an Open Source Software Strategy
Collaboration helps drive innovation, which is why open-source software is the future of digital technology. In 2020, there were more than 1.9 billion global open-source contributions. When facing a new technological challenge, open source can be the key to unlocking new opportunities—but it's critical to have a
GE Aviation's Digital Group makes the skies safer with Microsoft
As an industry leader in airline systems, GE Aviation's Digital Group knows that safety and efficiency are paramount to its airline partners. That's why GE developed FlightPulse, an app that puts data and analytics in the hands of more than 3,000 Qantas pilots to help them improve safety and efficiency on every flight. A solution this complex would typically take years to develop, but using Microsoft developer tools, GitHub, and Microsoft Azure, GE was able to build and deploy FlightPulse in a matter of months.
Unify workplace collaboration
Subscribe now and unify your workplace collaboration with @Microsoft Teams.
Adapt faster—gain flexibility to create adjustable financial and operating models
The world today moves fast, and you need the flexibility to adapt quickly to disruption, the competition, and daily challenges. Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central connects teams across finance, sales, service, and operations so you can monitor insights and pivot when needed.
Sign up to stay connected. We can help you get the most from your ERP.
View: Adapt faster—gain flexibility to create adjustable financial and operating models
Monday, October 25, 2021
5 reasons happy developers build in better security
Good news for companies revamping DevOps: according to Forbes, "Happier developers work harder, collaborate more, and are better for business." Citing an Oxford study, Forbes said that survey respondents revealed strong ties between job satisfaction and well-established, cohesive DevOps practices. Microsoft DevOps with GitHub is built for greater collaboration, control, flexibility, and security—a recipe for happiness. Read the article here and learn how investing in DevOps is investing in your organization's future.
Imperial College London uses Teams to teach and connect in a time of COVID
A world top ten university, with an international reputation for excellence in teaching and research, Imperial College London now uses Microsoft Teams to teach and connect in a time of COVID-19. In this video, see how the college is now relying on Teams for the delivery of its lectures and its remote labs, as well as a "virtual common room" where students and faculty can interact. Staff now have the fluid integration of shared files, scheduled events, and the students' use of the virtual learning environment, providing opportunities to respond to students in a way never done before.
How Microsoft helped HB Concepts automate and streamline its operations
HB Concepts is a female-led distribution company based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) that has sole distribution rights of LPG endermologie, the global brand fighting for natural beauty. The company supplies more than 200 clients with a full range of equipment, offering popular European treatments and cosmetics for spas, hospitals, hotels, and wellness centers. To manage inventory and deliver quality customer service, the company implemented an ERP solution using Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central.
DHHS: Platform plus agile development
Digitally transforming public services to make them accessible to everyone who needs them as quickly as possible is key to building trust in public agencies. But to do so effectively, governments need to ensure that their applications and websites remain as accessible and user-friendly as possible, which requires that they streamline processes, choose stable platforms, and follow the best development methodologies. If these new apps are adopted correctly, they can provide governments with universally accessible two-way channels for interacting with citizens that lessen reliance on physical interaction, while providing government employees more and better information about their cases.
Watch this video to learn how an agile approach to app development combined with Microsoft Azure is changing the way the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) in Victoria, Australia, is delivering IT to its department and the entire state.
Wednesday, October 20, 2021
Deliver fast, efficient product innovation with a best-in-class build for open source.
Tuesday, October 19, 2021
Modern meetings need modern tools
Have you attended a meeting lately? How was it? In a commissioned report, Microsoft learned about employee challenges with meetings. The findings? Meeting stressors: longer than planned; attendees multi-tasking, late or unprepared; difficult to schedule everyone; and too many meetings. Additionally, 50% of meetings are status or collaborative, and participants need multiple tools. The bottom line is that meeting attendees need better tools that satisfy the needs and address the challenges of today's modern meetings. Microsoft Teams fits the bill.
The Empower Process
Modern ERP systems offer built-in intelligence to help guide users to optimal outcomes. However, selecting the best business management solution isn't always a straightforward task—factors like digital transformation, partners, and mapping should be considered.
Learn the 7 steps to help select the right business management solution.
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central overview
The business landscape is changing, and you need a system that allows for change. To stay on top in your industry, it's essential to be prepared to take on anything that comes your way, including meeting customers' needs.
Successful SMBs are embracing digitalization with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. Powered by the cloud, data, and business intelligence, it lets you unify assets in a single location to help you adapt faster, work smarter, and perform better. Business Central gives you flexible deployment options and innovative solutions that grow with your business for limitless possibilities and potential.
GEICO turbocharges insurance innovation in the cloud
By adopting a DevOps development strategy and transitioning development to Microsoft Azure, GEICO is working to engage customers more personally and dynamically. With the help of partner Applied Information Sciences, GEICO is moving to the cloud with a focus on increased efficiency, greater application availability, and lower costs.
5 Technological Innovations Changing Medical Practice
Game-changing technological innovations are having profound repercussions in almost every industry across the world. The health sector in particular is embracing innovations that offer significant business opportunities for entrepreneurs and investors. And with tech developers, engineers, and researchers regularly breaking new ground and achieving what was once thought impossible, it seems that the question to ask now is not if a given breakthrough can be achieved, but when.
Read this article to learn about the five key areas in which digital transformation is enabling providers to drive breakthroughs in healthcare and deliver improved patient experiences.
Monday, October 18, 2021
Bertrandt's HARRI is a self-driving success, thanks to Microsoft Azure
What drives a self-driving car? A tremendous flood of data. To make Bertrandt's Level 4 self-driving car project HARRI a reality, far too much data was needed than could be stored onboard the vehicle itself. It required Microsoft Azure Services to provide access to volumes of mapping data for an autonomous vehicle. Azure DevOps facilitated the efficient coordination of work between developers and ops —and the QA needed to develop such exacting software.
Microsoft Dynamics 365: Rapid healthcare transformation demands a holistic approach
As the healthcare industry continues its rapid shift toward value-based care, providers are facing a stark challenge: evolve quickly or risk losing patients. To remain competitive, modern healthcare leaders must find ways of unifying healthcare data to unlock connectivity and interoperability that can improve the value of care. Effective strategies must address healthcare's core challenges comprehensively through modern technologies that support multifaceted goals to achieve exponential improvements, instead of one-off solutions that address single challenges.
Read this eBook to learn how unlocking interoperability via Microsoft Dynamics 365 can help your organization enable personalized care, reimagine healthcare, improve operational outcomes, and empower care teams. You'll also discover how achieving these four objectives will allow your organization to reduce costs, increase revenue, and better manage risk, leading to dramatically improved patient outcomes.
View: Microsoft Dynamics 365: Rapid healthcare transformation demands a holistic approach
NSW: Empowering through ease of use
For the New South Wales Department of Education, getting students excited about technology started with ease of use. Students were empowered through using technology they were originally unfamiliar with and over time creating professional quality work. Teachers saw increased confidence levels as well as authentic interest from students wanting to learn more.
We want devices and technology that are easy to use, whether it be students in an educational environment or employees in the modern workplace. Ease of use must be a priority, and Microsoft Teams was built for this. View this video for a quick glimpse of this.
Automate code-to-cloud workflows with a seamlessly integrated DevOps platform
With the ability to commit changes and quickly deploy them to the cloud using tools such as GitHub Actions and Microsoft Azure Pipelines for CI/CD, developer teams gain agility in deploying and maintaining their apps.
Cloud adoption has transformed the way teams are building, deploying, and operating applications. Together with the use of DevOps ideals and tools, they now have a greater opportunity to improve their practices and better serve their customers.
Sign up to say connected—we can help you learn more about how to use Azure DevOps with GitHub and Visual Studio to build your next great solution
View: Automate code-to-cloud workflows with a seamlessly integrated DevOps platform
Wednesday, October 13, 2021
Don't miss another post! Subscribe now.
Not long ago, the main way that major research institutes obtained the computing power they needed for new or ongoing projects was to invest in computing infrastructure, which required significant upfront investments and led to ongoing IT costs to keep the research going.
By switching to cloud computing, research organizations have discovered that they can increase their computing performance without investing in new physical servers or on-site infrastructure. The benefits of the transition are obvious: faster publication times, substantially faster data analysis, significantly lower IT spending, and increased collaboration among researchers, all thanks to improved data sharing and security.
Subscribe now to learn more about how the cloud, artificial intelligence (AI), and the off-premises data management capabilities of Microsoft Azure are empowering organizations—research and otherwise—across the world.
Don't miss another post! Subscribe now.
Digitizing behind-the-scenes processes potentially offers one of the most important productivity gains the public sector has seen in decades. It's also one of the most challenging undertakings an organization can pull off. Many well-intentioned digital efforts have been plagued by unfortunate side effects, including high costs, burdensome efforts, and lack of positive results. To prevent these scenarios, governments must concentrate their digital efforts on improving the experiences of users, rather than upgrading technologies for their own sake.
Subscribe now to learn how Microsoft for Healthcare enables providers to deliver patient-centric experiences that fuel growth and increase the productivity of care teams.
50 Percent of Emails and Texts are Misunderstood, But There's an Easy Way to Change That
Digital communication permeates every aspect of the modern workplace, from emails to texting to messaging to the chat feature in Microsoft Teams. Unfortunately, "people think others understand their messages 90 percent of the time, but the actual statistic is only 50 percent," according to Nick Morgan, author of "Can You Hear Me? How to Connect with People in a Virtual World."
How do we make sure our messages aren't misunderstood half the time? In his article, "50 Percent of Emails and Texts are Misunderstood, But There's an Easy Way to Change That," Ryan Jenkins states there's a simple solution: use emojis.
Not only is emoji acceptance in the workplace growing (61% of emoji users use them at work), but research demonstrates that the same part of the brain that processes human faces also processes emojis. "When an emoji conveys a human emotion, it can be transferred in a text. Therefore, emojis help communicators manage the emotional tone of digital messages. And emojis help recipients interpret the tone of digital message," writes Jenkins.
The modern workplace includes increased digital communication as well as increased emoji use—read this article in its entirety to understand the benefits of using emojis at work 😊
Tuesday, October 12, 2021
Microsoft Aims To Simplify Cloud Native Development With The Dapr Project
Distributed Application Runtime (Dapr) enables developers to build portable microservices applications, whether writing new code or migrating existing code. It's an open-source project that simplifies building cloud-native applications using all programming languages and developer frameworks. Dapr is based on containers, integrates well with Kubernetes, and does the plumbing and heavy lifting involved in developing a modern, highly distributed-application— so developers can focus on what they really want to: business logic and migrating legacy code. They can lean on Dapr to provide their applications with the required scale, resiliency, and elasticity of cloud-native architectures.
Custom Air Products & Services manage HVAC manufacturing process using the Power Platform
Custom Air Products and Services is an HVAC company that needed a customized solution to track the entire lifecycle of units from "cradle-to-crate." Microsoft Power Platform had the tools they needed to fully digitize without expensive custom software. Read here to learn how the Power Platform transformed their business across 30+ usage needs.
How Microsoft and American Express help merchants battle fraud
This article chronicles how Microsoft partnered with American Express to improve the accuracy of fraud protection for online retailers. American Express joined forces with Microsoft to enable merchants and card issuers to share information about risk exposure while incorporating information in detailed evaluations.
NSW: Assisting assistive technologies
According to the World Health Organization, more than one billion people globally are living with a disability, yet only one in ten has access to assistive technology.
Inclusion is an important topic for Microsoft; to help everyone get the most from accessibility resources, the company has created the Disability Answer Desk (DAD). It's free, 24/7 technical support from Microsoft experts trained in assistive technologies. All organizations have assistive technology needs, and for some its absolutely crucial.
View this video to learn how the New South Wales education department utilizes Microsoft Teams to address assistive technology needs for its students and staff.
GitHub Actions for Azure
With GitHub you can deliver software faster and more securely by combining the practices and tools that support the largest developer community in the world with seamlessly integrated Microsoft Azure products and services.
From automating code-to-cloud workflows to accelerating developer velocity, GitHub and Azure combine the best tools to create your next great solution.
Sign up to stay connected—we'll help you learn more about using Azure DevOps with GitHub and Visual Studio from Microsoft.
Monday, October 11, 2021
Powerful alone, better together
Together the Microsoft Power Platform empowers you to create solutions that accelerate business. The platform connects powerful tools to analyze data, automate processes, create virtual agents, and more. Find out here how your team can benefit from this powerful platform and build end-to-end business solutions.
DHHS: Growing community services with apps
Organizations in almost every industry have transformed themselves via digital technologies, and the public healthcare sector is no exception. By digitizing, providers can deliver services that meet the evolving expectations of citizens and businesses, even in a period of tight budgets and complex challenges. Citizens prefer digital services and immensely value the increased convenience they provide. Digital services can also empower citizens and broaden their engagement with government agencies, leading to increased trust and improved patient experiences.
Watch this video to learn how the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) in Victoria, Australia, is using Microsoft Azure to amplify its portfolio of citizen-facing applications, deliver online housing register, and improve its client incident management system.
Building a Microsoft Teams Custom Solutions practice
Every team has unique needs. Microsoft Teams is the teamwork hub and solution-tool to address those needs and help your customers reach maximum business outcomes.
Help your customers realize the value of Microsoft Teams with a custom solution that integrates workflows and business processes in a single hub for teamwork, increasing productivity across the organization.
Follow the recommended steps in this practice-building infographic—download it now!
ANU Large data sets and small budgets
Large upfront costs can severely limit the scope and scalability of important projects. With major research institutes that work on projects where substantial volumes of data need to be analyzed, the investment in computing infrastructure for data processing can be a major concern. They need a solution that can ensure the proper scalability of research projects and eliminate the inefficiencies of having to constantly update, upgrade, or downscale on-site servers to address the data needs of specific projects. Fortunately, cloud computing is having an enormous impact on how research is done across the globe.
Watch this video to learn how the elasticity and scalability of Microsoft Azure has allowed genome researchers at Australian National University to access only the computational resources they need while delivering results faster than ever before.
Wednesday, October 6, 2021
Deliver software faster and more securely with the world's leading developer platform
Airlines, among other major industries, confident with Teams as its hub
Microsoft has identified the airlines as one of the most successful industries when it comes to utilizing the widespread value of Microsoft Teams. At the Operations level alone, Teams plays a crucial role with maintenance and repair, fleet management, overbooked flights, incident prevention, and communication with cabin crew as well as flight status.
App integrations such as Notification Bot and Flight Team Creation support Teams as a communication hub for emergencies or quick, path-altering activity. Established flight team rosters, @mentions in chats and channels for instant attention, and quick access to information helps stakeholders with decision making and context. Quick decision-making and informing employees of changes—Microsoft Teams is set up for this, and more.
There are many other industries experiencing success with Teams! Subscribe now to learn how Microsoft Teams can help your business manage people, updates, and information in a quickly changing workplace and world.
View: Airlines, among other major industries, confident with Teams as its hub
Disruption Defined: Maersk navigates data to move goods globally
Welcome to the fourth industrial revolution where we're now experiencing the digital age. This revolution is transforming all industries, including shipping and logistics. Maersk, the integrated transport and logistics giant, has transformed their business using digital strategies. In the past, shipment delays were caused by hiccups in a supply chain, since those chains must move large amounts of data. Since Maersk's switch to harnessing data digitally, they've reinvented how global supply chain management is done.
How AI is transforming healthcare
Artificial intelligence (AI) is driving massive innovation in the healthcare and life sciences industries. It's expediting advances in drug research and discovery, allowing for better and faster diagnoses, and enabling far greater efficiency in business processes. Considering how many can benefit from AI advancements in the healthcare industry, it's a sector where technology stands to have the one of the biggest impacts on society.
Read this article to learn how #AI, machine learning, and robots will continue to shape the future of the healthcare industry and enhance patient experiences in the upcoming decades.
Tuesday, October 5, 2021
Manage apps in Power Apps
Make the most of your Microsoft Power Apps and learn how to manage and share your apps easily. Looking to view or restore an old version? Need to update permissions? This learning module will show you how. Check it out and learn how to manage your customer applications and create environments in Power Apps.
Managing cybersecurity like a business risk
This powerful thought leadership article highlights the threat of data breaches and cyberattacks, while advocating for organizations to rethink their approach to cybersecurity. Microsoft urges businesses to view data transformation and threat analytics/modeling as growth opportunities while approaching security as a core philosophy.
The AI Revolution Is Here - A Podcast And Interview With Nate Yohannes
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the catalyst for the fourth industrial revolution, the most significant technological advancement thus far. AI has the potential to solve incredible challenges for all of humanity, including climate change, education, design, customer experiences, governance, and food. That said, among the biggest concerns regarding AI is the potential for unexpected and unintended consequences in building and deploying AI products.
According to Nate Yohannes, Principal Program Manager for Mixed Reality and AI Engineering at Microsoft, having appropriate representation at decision-making tables when building AI products is critical to help prevent these unfortunate scenarios. From his perspective, representation will go a long way toward preventing the unexpected consequences of AI products, and it will also guarantee that the products that are created will have the widest consumer base possible: everyone.
Listen to this podcast for an inspiring conversation about how to make the possible a reality by approaching AI with a new mindset that takes into consideration its full potential for improving the lives of everyone.
Microsoft Dynamics CRM: Demonstrating Improvements in quality and efficiency of patient care
Healthcare organizations face extreme business, clinical, and technical pressures as they make the shift from fee-for-service to value-based care delivery and reimbursement models. Legacy Electronic Health Records (EHRs), as they are architected today, lack true collaboration capabilities, resulting in clinician inefficiencies and patient dissatisfaction. To make matters worse, with the shift from volume- to value-based payments, patients are now discharged "quicker and sicker" into a delivery ecosystem that was never designed to manage and coordinate care beyond any single facility. To succeed in this new paradigm, providers must become increasingly more agile and collaborative; they must also recognize the importance of CRM as a component of their patient engagement strategy.
Read this whitepaper to learn how Microsoft Dynamics CRM provides healthcare organizations with the salesforce automation, marketing planning, social listening and engagement, customer service, and analytics capabilities that are crucial for improving patient care and enhancing collaboration within and among care teams.
View: Microsoft Dynamics CRM: Demonstrating Improvements in quality and efficiency of patient care
Join the community
Microsoft Power Apps is more than an award-winning platform—it is a powerful community filled with rich resources. Connect with peers, share creativity, and learn from professionals. Meet like-minded business leaders to discover valuable insights, plus access hundreds of videos and blogs. Join the discussion today!
Monday, October 4, 2021
Why Microsoft?
When it comes to risk analytics workloads, Microsoft has you covered. This infographic highlights five benefits in an easy to comprehend visual. Microsoft delivers the ability to meet enterprise requirements, expertise on the latest Azure features, and a network of highly experienced data scientists to address financial service challenges. Additionally, Microsoft Premier Support ensures full adaptability and accommodates hybrid configurations.
NSW: Preparing students for the future
Globally, education looks different in various regions. But one common commonality is for student exposure to technology so they can develop skills that will be useful in their future.
In New South Wales, Australia, one of the goals of incorporating Microsoft Teams into the education department is to provide and prepare students for whatever the future might deliver. As one educator stated, "Being digitally resilient and actually understanding how to use technology the right way...I think that really is the key."
View this video to learn how a large organization utilizes Microsoft Teams to prepare students for the future.
3 reasons to modernize your data estate
Organizations that modernize their data estate can reap major benefits, including enhanced security and compliance, significant cost savings, and the ability to empower employees via business insights and advanced analytics capabilities. Organizations that don't, on the other hand, risk putting themselves behind the curve by missing out on game-changing cost benefits, leaving their businesses open to potential vulnerabilities, and by not taking advantage of modern analytics capabilities.
Read this infographic to learn how businesses are taking advantage of the latest technologies by modernizing their datasets to create transformational benefits throughout their organizations, and discover how they're doing so by leveraging Microsoft Azure.
thyssenkrupp Steel Europe forges a modern way of working with Microsoft 365
GitHub can be a great resource for quickly building a templated solution. Case in point: thyssenkrupp Steel Europe developed their Company Communicator app for Microsoft Teams using an open-source Teams app template from GitHub.
Now executives can share company information and other news with employees and even host virtual town hall events—which proved invaluable in keeping hundreds of workers connected during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Wednesday, September 29, 2021
Don't miss another post! Subscribe now.
Digital collaboration increases transparency among employees; it also empowers organizations to develop better interdepartmental relationships, improve workflow, and reduce lead times. In addition, collaboration solutions can provide co-workers with a single place to brainstorm ideas, communicate, collaborate, store files, share knowledge, and get work done without any lags or setbacks.
Subscribe now to get the latest insights into how digital collaboration powered by Microsoft 365 is creating more efficient, faster-growing businesses worldwide.
Subscribe Now!
Innovating with Microsoft not only secures your revenue with reliable predictions but also keeps your business safe from fraud. Don't miss another post and subscribe now!
Don't miss another post! Subscribe now.
Not so long ago, the drawbacks of storing databases in the cloud were so great that most businesses gave it little thought. Today, the benefits far outweigh the shortcomings, with an incredible array of additional services and solutions now available that provide organizations with unparalleled efficiency and growth potential. Not only is the price-to-performance ratio of cloud software much better than that of on-site servers, but an array of additional services and solutions can also now be integrated in cloud applications.
Subscribe now to learn more about how cloud migration can provide you organization with the scalability and flexibility it needs to support its digital transformation roadmap, as well as how you can reap the benefits of industry-leading capabilities by using Microsoft Azure.
Tuesday, September 28, 2021
Why Promoting Healthier Workplace Habits Will Boost Your Business
Too many existing workplace environments lack adequate value when it comes to mental health and physical fitness, according to Sam Corcos in his Entrepreneur article, "Why Promoting Healthier Workplace Habits Will Boost Your Business." Corcos acknowledges, "we're living in a fast-paced era with higher stress levels than ever," so it's crucial you show your employees you care about their health and well-being.
Half of millennials and 75% of Gen Zers have left a job for mental health reasons, according to a recent study by Mind Share Partners, Qualtrics and SAP. Combine this high exit rate with the fact that according to the Centers for Disease Control, depression reduces cognitive performance one-third of the time—and you have a petri dish of too many unnecessarily-high unhealthy work environments.
"To help your employees mitigate these health risks and improve mental clarity and motivation, become part of the solution," writes Corcos. An example of what you can do? Improve the nutritional quality of the food and drink offered in the building. Vending machines and office parties with snacks and drinks high in sugar not only provide an eventual crash in energy levels and mental clarity after consumption, but they also contribute to long term health problems.
Instead, Dr. Casey Means suggests offering glucose-stabilizing snacks such as nuts, seeds, berries, sliced veggies, hummus, olive tapenade, bean dips, nut butters, grain-free nut-based crackers, roasted seaweed and roasted chickpeas. She says that, "these types of snacks tend to generate less of a glucose spike, thereby helping employees maintain energy levels and mental clarity while also providing their brains and bodies with health-promoting nutrients."
At the same time, encourage employees to monitor their glucose levels and corresponding daily energy and mental sharpness, as well as overall physical and mental health.
Corcos includes other solutions to a healthier workplace, so be sure to read the entire article. Ultimately, the modern workplace needs to value the physical and mental health of its employees.
6 ways to kickstart DevSecOps
DevOps methodologies provide businesses with a faster and more efficient way to create and deliver code—and organizations are turning to DevSecOps as the solution to harden security and address compliance at the same time.
Sign up to stay connected. We'll show you 6 ways to kickstart DevSecOps and integrate security into your practices.
10 innovation areas that are reshaping app development
Thousands of organizations around the globe are using Microsoft Power Apps to solve challenges and boost their businesses. As these numbers grow, Microsoft has identified 10 new areas that a shaping app development. From #LessCodeMorePower to thousand app scale, see why Power Apps is changing the app world.
View: 10 innovation areas that are reshaping app development
Improve efficiency and quality with AI-infused finance processes
Many businesses still implement legacy technology and traditional processes, but AI is transforming the playing field. In this blog post, a Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance Manager writes about how Finance Insights works to reliably predict customer payments, adapts quickly with intelligent budget proposals, and increases projected cash flow.
Teams quick start guide
Whether you are new to Teams and need to learn the basics or you are using Teams and want a handy reference, this Quick Start Guide for Teams is a must-have-close-by-tool.
It includes start up necessities, such as buttons, tabs and channels, but also includes the how-to tasks you need to know only when you're ready to do them: start an impromptu meeting, make video and audio calls, share a file, add apps, and search for stuff, for example.
Keep this guide handy and share it with other users!
Monday, September 27, 2021
DHHS: Collaborating and caring
Choosing the right tools for productivity and collaboration is critical for any organization to achieve its digital transformation goals. For employees to effectively share information across multiple departments and projects, businesses must empower their workers and clients via access to the very best digital technology available. By making the productivity of their employees a main focus of their digital initiatives, organizations can enjoy the growth that comes from increased collaboration and more-efficient internal processes.
Watch this video to learn how the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) of Victoria, Australia, is using Microsoft 365, Azure, and Dynamics 365 to boost employee productivity through more-effective collaboration and more-efficient internal processes.
Scale as you grow with Power Apps
This brief video shows you how Microsoft Power Apps helps your business, developing at scale with quality and security. Whether your business needs a thousand apps or just a few, Power Apps capabilities enable you with agility and speed. Learn more here:
ANU: Collaborative research and data sharing
Data-sharing is an immense enabler of scientific advancements. When researchers choose to make their data publicly available, they are allowing their work to contribute far beyond the original findings. Making research data more accessible also fosters transparency and trust in their work, enables other researchers to reproduce and validate their findings, and ultimately, contributes to the pace of scientific discovery by allowing others to reuse and build on top of the data. Fortunately, cloud technology has made it easier than ever to share data across major research institutions. Empowered by tools that include Microsoft Azure, researchers are relying more and more on digital collaboration and open source software to drive scientific breakthroughs.
Watch this video to learn how researchers at Australian National University (ANU) are using Azure to build on each other's findings and avoid a siloed approach to data that leads to slower research pipelines.
Low code vs. no code and the future of application development
Low code and no code platforms make app and software development accessible to non-developers. With pre-built templates and boilerplate code, businesses save time and money. Low code or no code platforms can help organizations build and deploy apps without always relying on an engineering team.
Wednesday, September 22, 2021
Privacy, security, and compliance are prioritized in Microsoft Teams
Now more than ever, people need to know their virtual conversations are private and secure. Microsoft is committed to giving users transparency over the collection, use, and distribution of their data. No tracking for participant attention or multitasking during Teams meetings. No unfettered government access to data, and no ads linked to data. Microsoft even offers transparency reports on the Transparency Hub, detailing how it responded to third-party requests for data.
"We are committed to providing products, information, and controls that you let choose how your data is collected and used," stated President and Chief Legal Officer Brad Smith. Knowing that your organization can experience enterprise-grade communication and collaboration while at the same time be protected, secure, and compliant—that allows you do your work with confidence.
View: Privacy, security, and compliance are prioritized in Microsoft Teams
Improve observability, strengthen security, and proactively remediate vulnerabilities
There are DevOps tools for every phase of the app lifecycle. Use Azure to implement DevOps practices throughout application planning, development, delivery, and operations. By applying the right combination of DevOps technologies, culture, and processes, you can achieve continual software delivery and offer better value for your customers.
Sign up to stay connected. We'll help you learn more about using Azure DevOps with GitHub and Visual Studio from Microsoft.
View: Improve observability, strengthen security, and proactively remediate vulnerabilities
Wild & Wolf replaces legacy systems with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
Find out how one global company removed outdated, legacy systems and truly transformed the way they ran their business with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. Quickly outgrowing their disjointed systems, Wild & Wolf desperately needed a single platform to use across all their businesses.
Tuesday, September 21, 2021
Dow uses vision AI at the edge to boost employee safety and security with Azure
Dow is a leader in materials science, focused on delivering innovative and sustainable customer-centric solutions. An important priority for the chemical company is safety, and Microsoft Azure played a crucial role in enabling preventative leak detection with the goal of zero safety-related events at its facilities. The initial solution leverages Azure AI to analyze live video and uses an app to trigger notifications to the operator if it detects a possible leak. Azure Video Analyzer, coupled with Azure DevOps, provided a quick, low-latency, low-resource, and easily scalable solution. Machine learning ensures the model is continually refined, so it gets better with each interaction. Best of all, this model can be leveraged for other applications, such as detecting when employees aren't wearing proper PPE in industrial locations, and security monitoring.
Digital therapeutics trends and considerations in times of crisis
Digital Therapeutics (DTx) mobile software solutions that digitally deliver clinically proven medical interventions have been crucial in helping countless people to receive effective healthcare from the comfort of their own homes. Thanks to these solutions, healthcare providers and organizations have managed to successfully connect with patients around the world to monitor and address their mental health, cognition, obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and overall wellbeing.
Read this article to learn about the main trends that have emerged in how companies are leveraging DTx to help people with chronic conditions live healthier, more fulfilling lives, even during the current pandemic.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)