Modern security and citadels in the cloud
SA tech professionals took a deep dive into Microsoft’s products and services during Microsoft Ignite | The Tour at the Sandton Convention Centre.
Microsoft Ignite, the technology titan’s premier event for IT pros and developers, was held in Orlando, Florida, in September 2018. The audience’s appetite for hands-on training from the company’s experts was clear, and shortly afterwards, Microsoft announced plans to take the show on the road. Microsoft Ignite | The Tour began in Berlin in December 2018, and will end in Mumbai later this year.
South Africans recently had their chance to learn from Satya Nadella’s team of specialists. Microsoft Ignite | The Tour Johannesburg was held on January 28 and 29 at the Sandton Convention Centre. As Gold Sponsors of the event, we were thrilled to see the level of enthusiasm! So many delegates stopped by the BUI booth to ask us about cloud migration, digital transformation, and cybersecurity. And we, in turn, took every opportunity to hear from Microsoft’s top tier. Here are our four key takeaways…
#1 | Cyberspace is the modern battlefield
Mina Nagy (Microsoft’s senior product marketing manager for the Middle East and Africa) said this often-stated figure of speech is worth repeating – because it’s as true as ever. And because we sometimes forget how digitally connected we are. The Internet of Things spans equipment, vehicles, energy systems, smart cities, sensors, marketplaces, business machines, personal devices, and so much more.
“Virtually anything can be attacked,” warned Nagy. Cybersecurity solutions need to be all-encompassing, with visibility across assets, comprehensive control, and in-depth guidance to allow real-time responses.
#2 | Azure Front Door Service will simplify connectivity
Senior Cloud Developer Advocate Ruth Yakubu gave attendees a brief overview of Azure Front Door Service, the newest addition to Azure’s application delivery suite of products. Currently in public preview, Azure Front Door Service is designed to provide web and mobile apps, APIs, and cloud services with always-on reliability, high performance, easy scalability and simplified connectivity. View additional information from Ruth, here:
#3 | Security is still everybody’s job
Senior Cloud Security Advocate Tanya Janca stressed the importance of making security a company-wide priority for technical and non-technical staff alike – especially in SMMEs. “When smaller companies suffer a big cyberattack, they often just don’t survive,” said Janca, highlighting the prevalence of data breaches, privacy breaches, insider threats, corporate espionage, and denial of service attacks, as well as the growing problem of ransomware.
Cloud-based security offers organisations the complete infrastructure visibility and threat-monitoring they need to remain agile and responsive in an evolving digital world. Check out Tanya’s cloud security resources here:
- Introduction to security in Azure
- Top five security items to consider
- Design for security in Azure
- Secure Azure resources with conditional access
- Manage secrets with Azure Key Vault
#4 | Continuous learning is imperative – even for Power Users
Alastair Pugin (Microsoft Office Apps & Services MVP), Stephen Thair (co-founder of DevOpsGroup), Tracy van der Schyff (Microsoft Office Apps & Services MVP), and Marissa Salazar (Product Marketing Manager at Microsoft Corporation) weighed the impact of cloud on traditional IT. One trend was clear: technology professionals have to keep learning if they want to keep up. Three-year release cycles are a thing of the past: three-week rollouts are the norm in some areas.
New tools require new skills, but there isn’t always time for formal training. Computer users (and even recognised Power Users) need to become their own teachers. Microsoft has created free resources to encourage self-guided learning. Explore the tutorials available via Microsoft Cloud Society and Microsoft Learn, and check out these articles from Tracy:
- Digital literacy and the impact on user adoption
- Want Office 365 consumption? Do these five things
- Fast track your Office 365 rollout
On-demand content, including downloadable slide decks and videos, are available to all Microsoft Ignite | The Tour Johannesburg delegates. Visit the online portal and login with the same credentials you used to register for the event, and then explore the curated digital assets.
If you missed the Johannesburg event, Microsoft Ignite | The Tour continues in other parts of the world until May 2019. Upcoming tour cities include Amsterdam, Dubai, Mumbai, Seoul, and Stockholm. Register your interest on the official event website if you’re able to attend those sessions.
And don’t forget to browse through the 700+ videos on the Microsoft Ignite YouTube channel, where experts address everything from Azure infrastructure and applications to the future of artificial intelligence.
Microsoft Ignite | The Tour Johannesburg was held at the Sandton Convention Centre on 28 and 29 January 2019.BUI was proud to be a Gold Sponsor at the event.Hundreds of South African technology professionals attended the two-day conference.Conference delegates attended workshops and presentations at the Sandton Convention Centre.
