Ralph Rivas
MS MVP Biz Apps, Collaboration Evangelist, Director and National Solutions Architect at SOGETI USA and Sogeti Labs Fellow focused on all things Cloud as well as Microsoft 365
Chicago, Illinois, United States
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Ralph is a seasoned professional with experience delivering quality software and solutions going back to the 90s. Currently, co-hosts the online (light) blue collar video blog/podcast http://www.cloudtalkshow.com, co-leads the Chicago Microsoft Power Platform User Group and is one of the main event organizers for https://m365chicago.com in addition to being a speaker in other virtual conferences and user groups. He has been an aficionado of Microsoft products going back to the first versions of Windows and Excel the original Low Code Platform which complements his MS MVP status for Business Applications and the Power Platform in particular.
Ralph has held many varied roles on project teams from programmer to support to mentor and trainer as well as a key resource for SharePoint/Office 365-related architecture, development, deployment, operations, governance and on-going support efforts while also able to deliver .NET based solutions on all other Microsoft supported platforms in as well as aspects related to the Portal and Collaboration workspace. More currently, he holds the role as National Solutions Architect at SOGETI USA in the Cloud Technologies group with a particular focus on supporting and implementing solutions around M365 and the Power Platform at all levels and recently invited to be a Sogeti Labs Fellow where he collaborates with innovation focused top technologists from all over the world.
Working with a major partner and with the community, he has been focused most lately on Power Platform governance and adoption at the enterprise level through direct participation with the Power CAT team and Power Platform Product team at Microsoft including deliveries of "in-a-day" events, hackathons, workshops as well as implementation and guidance around the Center of Excellence tool set as well as Adoption Maturity Assessments for baseline KPI's and measures.
Born in the Chicago area, his father's assignment with Abbott Labs had him growing up in the Philippines through the end of High School, the experience of which also included world travel that he continues to this day for business and leisure.
With a third grader at home and an older one out of college and into the workforce, he still is a family guy but still keeps in touch with his other interests in entertainment (music, improv comedy, etc.), history, travel, 70's era board games, the cinema and cultural experiences.
Expect to find Ralph in the various PnP SIG meetings in most of the topic areas such as M365 Maturity, SPFx Development and the very crucial Sharing is Caring Initiatives of the community.
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Area of Expertise
Understanding Power Platform licensing
Get under the covers and find out what all this great functionality may cost by diving into the latest Microsoft information on licensing when using the the Power Platform. This session is updated monthly with each publication of the latest Power Platform licensing guidance and also includes Roadmap changes that are publicly declared.
Although old recordings and slides of the presentation are available. there have been significant changes since the initial session back in early 2020. There are enough concepts to fill out a full hour but an abbreviated version of the session is possible (20-30 minutes). Changes such as cross over into Azure (Pay as you go, Self service logs, etc.) are also covered albeit Power BI is only covered where it overlaps as Power BI is literally a session to itself.
Admin inside an hour - An Espresso Shot of being a Power Platform admin and the tools
Power Platform Administrative guidance started with how best to manage with the interface and in just a few months has evolved to where tools such as the Center of Excellence Starter kit are now table stakes or required for any serious organization. Get a quick dose of how to be the Admin with a look what you need to be successful or at least have time to have a proper vacation once in a while.
This session is updated practically on a monthly basis to coincide with the CoE releases as well as the regular churn of changes and updates to the Platform itself from licensing to features to changed practices triggered by any significant updates. This is available virtually or can be done in person. It is built and customized to fit within an hour period allowing for some Q & A. Minimum time from experience is about 40 minutes. The session has since been included with some Microsoft Partner related deliveries where those customizations that are not subject to NDA may be included to fit the presentation audience.
Power Platform Environment Experiences - Tips for Makers
This topic covers the various environments available to developers in the Power Platform space (the "Makers") such as the Dev Plan, Production, Sandboxes, Trials and Teams and how Developer operations or activities differ in them as well as a slew of guidance for appropriate use, design decision levels and a pinch of licensing as well.
This session can be squeezed into 30 minutes but is best at an hour or more as it works well with as much time to handle Q & A and AMA issues especially around licensing and Design Guidance.
The Power Platform Maturity Model - an open discussion with the Parents
The Power Platform POWER CAT team has come up with a variation of the Maturity model used by M365 and it has nuances to say if "we are grown up" yet. Learn through discussion how the model is implemented in the real world and how it provides the means to establish a big picture roadmap for an organization making the most of low code/no code tools and capabilities
Although there are a few slides to discuss the model in its latest incarnation, the key to this session is the discussion and is best with a smaller group. This session is a discussion that goes from 30 minutes or longer and is tailored to the venue or meeting. It can be in person or virtual.
Measuring Success in Power Platform with Power Platform Tools
Taking advantage of the tools such as the CoE Starter Kit's Innovation Backlog application to create practical and useful measures along with some design thinking techniques for creating that master innovation list of solutions that are candidates for Low Code Development in the Power Platform.
This is a "public" version of the Innovation Backlog and Catalyst workshops that can be as small as a 20 minute session up to a whole day workshop with whiteboards and other grand tools. An Advanced version of the session leverages the Process advisor tool (licenses required!) The audience recommended are developers, architects and stakeholders/product owners and may include technical aspects when presented in developer focused events.
Leveraging the Community to build and grow your Power Platform Career Path
Crowd source your education in the most prolific and ubiquitous Low Code\No Code (LCNC) system out there: Microsoft's Power Platform. No matter where in the world you are, resources are near parity to build up your skills and your connection to the very vibrant community supporting and cheering on tools such as Power apps, Automate, Virtual Agents, Pages and Power BI from user groups to conferences, organizations and community groups that are waiting to connect with you! Get the perspective drawn from active community participants and perhaps an MVP or two.
The Discussion covers experiences and deep looks at:
• Blogs
• Microsoft hosted and other community Forums
• Social Media (Twitter, Facebook, etc.)
• YouTube (and the other streaming communities)
• User Groups (Local and Virtual)
• Community Driven Conferences
• Paid Conferences
• Community Mentoring Opportunities
• Technology focused Charitable Events
• Local Community Events and Initiatives
• Contributions to the PnP/Sharing-is-caring Initiatives and Github
• The official bi-weekly SIG Meetings
At the end, attendees will learn that when one gives, one gets more back and which is the great reward when working with the community!
This is a one + presentation/discussion/forum style topic that covers the resources in the community through the cloud and in person where available. This session has a set agenda when given by a single individual (e.g. myself) or customized to include additional perspectives originally starting with my user group co-leader, Craig Jahnke, as well as potentially other MVP's or community leaders as befits the targeted conference this would be delivered with.
Demystifying the Microsoft Copilots
So Many copilots ... Or perhaps not enough? Ralph Rivas, Biz Apps MVP with Apps and Copilot Studio reviews the major Copilot Offerings from Microsoft to see how they tick and how they work in a one hour or workshop format that includes M365 copilot itself and even GitHub Copilot as well as the "helpers" spread out through the ecosystem.
This presentation has been tested in its various forms with actual clients and is the public version available to conferences and user groups. It is updated as often as Microsoft updates their material and may be customized further depending on the user group, conference or community need.
Orlando FL - Global Power Platform Bootcamp 2024 Sessionize Event
Microsoft Community Days Mexico City 2023 Sessionize Event
Microsoft 365 EduCon Chicago 2023 Sessionize Event
2023 Microsoft Power Platform Conference & Dynamics 365 CE Sessionize Event
M365 Chicago - A Salute to Services! Sessionize Event
CollabCon 2022 Sessionize Event
Microsoft 365 EduCon Chicago 2022 Sessionize Event
Microsoft Cloud Events Monterrey 2022 Sessionize Event
Scottish Summit 2022 Sessionize Event
Microsoft 365 Virtual Marathon 2022 Sessionize Event
Global Power Platform Bootcamp 2022 - TriState Sessionize Event
M365 Below in Chicago! Sessionize Event
Microsoft 365 Virtual Marathon Sessionize Event
Seattle - Global Power Platform Bootcamp 2021 Sessionize Event
M365 Chicago - Virtual Event Sessionize Event
Microsoft 365 Virtual Marathon Sessionize Event
Our 8th M365\Power Platform Chicago Suburbs Sessionize Event
Ralph Rivas
MS MVP Biz Apps, Collaboration Evangelist, Director and National Solutions Architect at SOGETI USA and Sogeti Labs Fellow focused on all things Cloud as well as Microsoft 365
Chicago, Illinois, United States
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