Andrew Welch
CTO + Founder @ Cloud Lighthouse | Microsoft MVP
London, United Kingdom
Cloud technology leader, founder and CTO of Cloud Lighthouse, Microsoft MVP (Most Valuable Professional), speaker, published author, and regular writer of essays and white papers on cloud technology including Strategic Thinking for the Microsoft Cloud, Crafting your Future-Ready Enterprise AI Strategy, and the multi-edition Power Platform Adoption Framework. Andrew works directly with CXOs, Microsoft partners, Microsoft product engineering groups, technologists, and investors to guide cloud strategy and ecosystem architecture. His previous service includes that as CTO, global Vice President, Practice Director, and VP of Operations, and other tech and business focused roles at various Microsoft partners. He’s led some of the world’s largest Microsoft adoptions on all seven continents (yes, including Antarctica), serving startup to Fortune 100 organizations, public sector agencies, and global NGOs. Based in London and Boston, Andrew makes frequent visits throughout the United States and Europe.
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Five Patterns for Integration Power Platform with your Organization’s Data
The most innovative organizations are increasingly using their own enterprise data with Power Platform, integrating Power Platform solutions to their data estate vs. operating Power Platform in isolation. This session will cover five key patterns for connecting Power Platform to services across the cloud:
* Point-to-Point: Direct connections between services;
* Data Consolidation: Bringing data together in one place;
* Master Data Node: Using a central source for all data;
* Data Landing Zone: A staging area for data before use;
* Data Distribution: Spreading data out to where it’s needed.
We’ll discuss each method’s advantages, disadvantages, and typical technologies used, focusing on Dataverse and Microsoft’s data integration and storage tools.
This session is designed for CIOs and other IT decision makers, enterprise architects, and engineers seeking to (a) understand how to scale Power Platform across their data estate, and (b) choose, combine, and architect with best patterns of integration to meet their needs. It is presented by the authors of the Microsoft white paper, “Power Platform in a Modern Data Platform Architecture”, which covers these patterns in depth.
Join us to learn how to scale Power Platform and leverage its data in AI, analytical, search, and other data distribution or collection scenarios.
This session is based on the Microsoft white paper "Power Platform in a Modern Data Platform Architecture", and will use the latest research and best practices on this topic.
How Power Platform scales AI across your Organization
Power Platform is an essential ingredient to scaling generative AI across an organization’s Microsoft cloud ecosystem because (a) application data stored in Dataverse is directly accessible by AI via OneLake in Microsoft Fabric, (b) data buried in productivity solutions such as spreadsheets or Access databases can be quickly moved to the cloud via Power Platform, (c) Copilot Studio—part of Power Platform—is where we build custom Copilots, and (d) Power Platform helps engineers and business users together chew through the backlog of technical debt that many organizations have to overcome if they are to make the most of their AI investments.
This session is designed for CIOs and other IT decision makers, enterprise architects, and engineers seeking to (a) build, architect, and execute their AI strategy, (b) learn how to use Power Platform to scale AI and the data platform upon which AI depends, (c) build a future-ready cloud ecosystem--with Power Platform as a core component--capable of absorbing rapid technological innovation and business unknowns. It is presented by the authors of the Microsoft white paper, “Crafting your Future-Ready Enterprise AI Strategy”, which covers these topics in depth.
Join us to learn how organizations are going big and scaling AI with Power Platform and related Microsoft technologies.
Principles of Cloud Ecosystem Architecture: Real-World Examples and Best Practices from Industry
Wave periods between major innovation in the cloud are growing shorter. We no longer have the luxury of waiting it out, of adopting later. Cloud ecosystems built on strategic foundations create the conditions to absorb successive waves of change. This session introduces the emerging concept of ecosystem-oriented architecture across Power Platform + Azure + Fabric + Microsoft 365 + Dynamics 365 + AI, share core principles of this architectural approach, apply these principles in real-world scenarios, and navigate the latest "reference ecosystem" and other tools available to ecosystem architects and strategic cloud decision makers. These are essential concepts as solutions are increasingly tied together in the cloud ecosystem rather than architected in isolation, generating vast datasets built as "single sources of truth". This session will get you thinking like the world's boldest enterprise architects as we explore real-world examples of how organizations have knitted their workloads together into an ecosystem, best practices for doing so, and lessons learned along the way.
This session is geared to solution and enterprise architects really pushing the bounds with real examples of how organizations are building ecosystems of tier-1 solutions, and also for business users trying to "go big" using the Microsoft Cloud to modernize their organizations.
Tyranny of the Deliverable: Short stories on why many orgs struggle going big with Power Platform
Forrester research released in August 2022 confirmed the huge economic value that organizations receive "going big" with premium Power Platform. But many IT departments are still struggling to achieve that value. This session draws on our experience working with organizations worldwide sharing stories of three major challenges we see almost everyone encounter: Use Case Death Spiral, IT Tower of Babel, and the Tyranny of the Deliverable. We'll then finish with tried-and-true approaches to overcoming these barriers. This is an essential session for those working in Microsoft customer organizations, as well as consultants who guide those customers.
I co-created this concept and content with Microsoft's Global Blackbelt (GBB) team, and it draws on their experience as well as mine working with organizations in the United Kingdom, United States, Netherlands, Denmark, Switzerland, France, Romania, and more worldwide. I've written the following deep dive on this topic, so many themes here will be carried through the session (though session will have the most up to date content): https://www.andrewdwelch.com/blog/tyranny-of-the-deliverable.
Strategic Thinking for the Microsoft Cloud
I have come to understand strategic thinking as more art than science. Strategy is surely informed in part by data, but I find that our society in general and the technology industry specifically too often confuse data and wisdom, that we foolishly (though understandably) seek heuristics or processes so that we can turn the art of strategic thinking into a game of color by numbers so simple that anyone can do it. When it comes to strategic thinking, better that we seek methods of framing our thoughts rather than shortcuts to the answers themselves. This session offers practical approaches to injecting strategy into your organization’s Microsoft Cloud journey, indeed, a selection of the same approaches I take with my clients. We explore a wide range of topics, including the impact of AI on the strategic landscape, how organizations have ever-decreasing time to absorb waves of innovation into their operating models, the transition from activity-based to system-based value, and how governance fits. We’ll then investigate a model for weaving strategic intent into the ongoing cloud journey, and explore industry-specific ecosystem maps that illustrate how other organizations have found success doing this.
I co-created this concept and content with Microsoft's Global Blackbelt (GBB) team, and it draws on their experience as well as mine working with organizations in the United Kingdom, United States, Netherlands, Denmark, Switzerland, France, Romania, and more worldwide. I've written the following deep dive on this topic, so many themes here will be carried through the session (though session will have the most up to date content): https://www.andrewdwelch.com/blog/strategic-thinking-for-microsoft-cloud.
Crafting your future-ready enterprise AI strategy
It is as yet unknown if artificial intelligence is more akin to a “great invention” of the 19th and 20th centuries, or if it will ultimately represent another more incremental evolution of existing capabilities. The former—as seems more likely given the immense investments being made today—will present significant challenges to nearly every organization that, having become accustomed to incremental change, is suddenly faced with a “great inventions” caliber paradigm shift that AI seems to portend. Or, as I continue to remind the CIOs with whom I work closely, the grace period for organizations to get their act together and position themselves for the next wave is growing much shorter, the margin for error much more narrow. In this session we will explore AI strategies that are flexible, able to absorb tomorrow what we don’t fully grasp today, strategies that offer value to the organization beyond specific AI-driven workloads because the nature and value of these workloads will remain unclear for some time. We will understand core concepts behind AI acting on enterprise data, present a framework of five pillars upon which future-ready AI strategies are built, and discuss concepts and approaches to mitigate risk in your organization’s AI strategy.
This session is based on a piece I published at https://cloudlight.house/blog/intro-ai-strategy, and reflects my latest work on the topic. It will be the subject of a white paper upcoming later in 2023.
ColorCloud Hamburg 2024 Sessionize Event
Nordic Summit 2023 Sessionize Event
Iberian Technology Summit Sessionize Event
South Coast Summit 2022 Sessionize Event
Dynamics 365 & Power Platform User Group - London User group Sessionize Event
Scottish Summit
Presented "An App or an Ecosystem? Scaling Microsoft’s “Cloud Application Platform"
Power Platform User Group - Ireland
Presented "An App or an Ecosystem? How to scale Microsoft's 'Cloud Application Platform'" with Lee Baker.
Power Platform Virtual Happy Hour
Led a "Power Platform Adoption, Enterprise Management, and Governance ROUND TABLE" with Keith Whatling.
Virtual Scottish Summit 2021 Sessionize Event
Microsoft Cloud (South Coast) User Group
Presented "An App or an Ecosystem? How to scale Microsoft's 'Cloud Application Platform'" with Lee Baker.
Microsoft BizApps @ Speed
Presented "An App or an Ecosystem? How to scale Microsoft's 'Cloud Application Platform'" with Lee Baker.
Healthcare 365 Summit 2020
Presented closing session "Pandemic Lessons for Rapid + Scaled App Development on Power Platform" with Keith Whatling and Emily Cartner.
Power Platform User Group London
CDS Saturday
Your Guide to Making the Business Case for Power Platform in your Organisation
Power Platform Summit North America
Power Platform Adoption, Enterprise Management, and Governance
European SharePoint Community
Power Platform as a First Class Citizen in the Cloud Transformation + App Modernization Journey
Power Platform Summit Europe
Power Platform Adoption, Enterprise Management, and Governance
Power Platform Virtual World Tour
Power Platform Adoption, Enterprise Management, and Governance
Ten Best Practices for No-Code / Low-Code Development on Power Apps
Microsoft Business Applications Summit (MBAS)
Power Platform Adoption, Enterprise Management, and Governance (co-presenting with Manuela Pichler)
Power Platform World Tour DC
Power Platform Adoption, Enterprise Management, and Governance
Ten Best Practices for No-Code / Low-Code Development on Power Apps
Scottish Summit Sessionize Event
Scottish Summit 🏴
Ten Best Practices for No-Code / Low-Code Development on Power Apps
United Nations Tech Innovation Day
Power Platform as a First Class Citizen in the Cloud Transformation + App Modernization Journey
Super Power Saturday London
Presented the morning keynote alongside Manuela Pichler, topic was "Power Platform as a First Class Citizen in the Cloud Transformation + App Modernization Journey"
Microsoft Technology Expo Sessionize Event
Power User Days Belgium 🇧🇪
Power Platform Adoption, Enterprise Management, and Governance (co-presenting with Lee Baker)
Microsoft Ignite 🇺🇸
Power Platform Adoption, Enterprise Management, and Governance
Migrating Legacy InfoPath to Power Apps
Power Platform Management and Governance Round Table
Power Platform World Tour Dublin 🇮🇪
Power Platform Adoption, Enterprise Management, and Governance
Ten Best Practices for No-Code / Low-Code Development on Power Apps
Power Platform World Tour Vienna 🇦🇹
Power Platform Adoption, Enterprise Management, and Governance
Ten Best Practices for No-Code / Low-Code Development on Power Apps
Power Platform Summit North America 🇺🇸
Power Platform Adoption, Enterprise Management, and Governance
Design best practices when getting started with a new Power App
PowerPlatform Saturday Sweden 2019 Sessionize Event
Power Platform Saturday Sweden 🇸🇪
Ten Best Practices for No-Code / Low-Code Development on Power Apps
Power Platform User Group London 🇬🇧
Power Platform Adoption, Enterprise Management, and Governance
Dynamics 365 Saturday D.C. 2019 Sessionize Event
Power Platform World Tour Toronto 🇨🇦
Power Platform Adoption, Enterprise Management, and Governance
Ten Best Practices for No-Code / Low-Code Development on Power Apps
365 Saturday Washington DC 🇺🇸
Power Platform Adoption, Enterprise Management, and Governance
Power Platform World Tour - London 🇬🇧
Power Platform Adoption, Enterprise Management, and Governance
Ten Best Practices for No-Code / Low-Code Development on Power Apps
Microsoft Inspire 🇺🇸
Presented the Power Platform Adoption Framework
Microsoft Business Applications Summit 🇺🇸
Hack4Good Charity Hackathon (Team Lead)
Migrating your legacy InfoPath and Access to PowerApps (Co-Presenter)
365 Saturday Kyiv 🇺🇦
Presented "Ten Best Practices for No-Code / Low-Code Development on Power Platform".
D365 Saturday Dubai 🇦🇪
Presented "Ten Best Practices for No-Code / Low-Code Development on Power Platform", and assisted facilitating "App in a Day" (AIAD).
Power Platform World Tour - Chicago 🇺🇸
Presented "Ten Best Practices for No-Code / Low-Code Development on Power Platform" and represented PowerApps as part of the expert panel to close the conference.
Power Platform World Tour - Washington DC 🇺🇸
Presented "Enterprise Management of Power Platform" and "Introducing the Power Platform Adoption Framework".
Microsoft Cloud Symposium 🇺🇸
Presented "Microsoft’s Power Platform and the Future of Business Application Software".
Andrew Welch
CTO + Founder @ Cloud Lighthouse | Microsoft MVP
London, United Kingdom
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