Azure FinOps: What is in for me?

Azure FinOps is a cloud financial management discipline and cultural practice that helps organizations optimize their cloud spend and align it with business objectives. So, what does it mean in "plain English"? In this session we will talk about the discipline itself (high level), but also share some insight on options for operational model in the organization, and match it to specific activities, capabilities and tools in real scenarios.

Better together: User & Admin Guide for optimizing your Microsoft 365 environment

In this session, we'll explore how to optimize hybrid working models in Microsoft 365 from both the end user and admin perspectives. We'll start by discussing the key factors that organizations should consider when designing and planning their Microsoft 365 tenant. This will help inform critical decisions related to configuring, managing, and utilizing the services. While every environment is unique, there are always opportunities to improve and optimize. Drawing on practical experience and recent projects, we'll share our "lessons learned" from the user and administrator perspectives. By the end of this session, attendees will gain practical insights into how to enhance their hybrid working model and get the most out of Microsoft 365.

This presentation promises to be an essential session for organizations seeking to optimize their hybrid working models in Microsoft 365. The speakers will provide attendees with valuable insights into the key design considerations for their Microsoft 365 tenant and offer tips on how to configure and manage the services for maximum impact. Drawing on their practical experience and recent projects, they will share lessons learned from both the user and administrator perspectives. Attendees will leave this session with a clear understanding of how to improve their hybrid working model in Microsoft 365 and make the most of this powerful platform. Overall, we believe this presentation will be an informative and engaging addition to the conference program.

Navigating the Sensitivity Label Maze: Avoiding Common Pitfalls

Working with sensitivity labels is like traversing a puzzling maze within the Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Entra ecosystem. This topic unravels the common mistakes that administrators and users often encounter while dealing with sensitivity labels. From accidental data leaks to mislabeled documents, we delve into valuable lessons learned, expert tips, and best practices from both the administrator and user perspectives.

Embark on a journey of discovery as we unveil the challenges faced by administrators in configuring the right sensitivity label settings, while users struggle with understanding and applying labels correctly. Through shared experiences, we identify key strategies to circumvent these hurdles and create a smoother path for safeguarding sensitive data.

Join us as we unlock the secrets to effectively educate users about sensitivity labels, streamline label creation and management, and enhance the overall security posture of your organization.

Work smart with Data Loss Prevention: Admin vs. Users (never ending story)

Do you know what's worse than losing your data? Losing your data and not knowing who did it, how they did it, or why they did it. That's why you need data loss prevention. Data loss prevention is like a security guard for your information. It keeps an eye on who accesses your data, what they do with it, and where they send it. It also stops them from doing anything naughty, like deleting, modifying, or leaking your data. Sounds great, right?

But wait, there's more! Data loss prevention is not just for admins who want to keep their users in line. It's also for users who want to keep their admins off their backs. With data loss prevention, you can access and use data without worrying about breaking any rules or policies. You can also avoid annoying pop-ups, warnings, or blocks that interrupt your workflow. How cool is that?

In this talk, you will hear from both sides of the data loss prevention story. You will learn from admins and users who have been through the highs and lows of data protection. You will get tips and tricks on how to set up and use data loss prevention policies in Microsoft 365, Microsoft Purview, and other tools. You will also find out how to avoid common mistakes and misunderstandings that can lead to data disasters or conflicts.

Navigating Imposter Seas: A Personal Odyssey in Tech

Shift your focus from AI, Copilot, Cloud, and Digital Transformation. Tailored for IT professionals at all career stages, this session delves into personal narratives, for IT professionals at every career juncture, unveils personal narratives as a lens to dissect the problem's intricacies. From exposing the nuanced methodology employed in overcoming self-doubt to drawing resounding conclusions, discover practical implications that resonate deeply with the practitioner's journey. This is my story, shared to inspire and guide you through overcoming similar experiences.

Breaking Through the Noise: Navigating the Realities of AI

Tired of the AI hype? Bored of AI acting like it's the next sliced bread? Is AI's ego writing checks its code can't cash? From understanding its capabilities to addressing ethical dilemmas, this session offers a candid exploration of AI's impact and potential. Join me for an engaging discussion that goes beyond the hype. Let's move beyond the buzzwords and uncover the truth about AI's role in shaping our future.

The session is focusing on where we are, and where we are going in the field of AI based capabilities and services. I want to foster discussion with the attendees, get some other people perspective on how they see the future in regard to AI.

Journey to the center of the Azure Monitor and Log Analytics

You have various workloads running on Azure, not to forget the ones running on-premises. You need to aggregate data from various sources, correlate the data, and be able analyze it. Where it is? What it is? How do I “see” it? How do I respond to the events? The session will cover the concepts of Azure Monitor and Log analytics, and the power of Kusto query language. We will see what various workloads in the Azure (VMs, Network, Services, Storage etc.), can tell us, and what we can do with that data, by Means of Azure Monitor workbooks, and show how it connects to tools like Microsoft Defender for Cloud or Microsoft Sentinel, and Logic Apps. All aimed to support our ITOps and SecOp in the cloud and on-premises.

Three areas of focus to achieve Azure operational efficiency

Let’s see what awaits us in the realms of maintaining visibility and control in Your Azure environment. The session will be focusing on three areas: Sandboxing, Governance and Resource optimization of Your Azure Environment. Simple, yet effective scenarios and tips, to maintain your operational efficiency, while maintaining proper cost control. It’s not just the tools, the Advisory services, it also boils down to Your governance and compliance posture, needs, resource optimization, the design and architecture of Your solution.
The session is practical walk-through on how to work with Resource Providers, defining and creating operational baseline for the Subscription and the tenant environment (policy, security, blueprints, templates), Monitoring, as well as what tools we can use for monitoring operations and optimize resources utilization, and tips on choosing proper services for customer scenarios.

A customer journey to the cloud starts ... Here!

We'll discuss the actual journey that customers take to migrate to the cloud using the Cloud Adoption Framework. Our focus will be on the insights gained from their experience in adopting Azure. We'll cover topics such as the starting point and approach taken, the choices made during planning and design, and the actions taken upon reaching the destination. Ultimately, it's the journey, not just the end result, that matters. Would you be interested in learning more?

This presentation will provide valuable insights for organizations considering a move to the cloud, as well as those currently in the process. By sharing real-world examples and lessons learned, attendees will gain a better understanding of the challenges and opportunities involved in adopting Azure using the Cloud Adoption Framework. They'll also learn best practices and tips that can help them successfully navigate their own cloud migration journey. Overall, this presentation promises to be informative and engaging, and we believe it will be a valuable addition to the conference program.