Horovits lives at the intersection of technology, product and innovation. With over 20 years in the hi-tech industry as a software developer, a solutions architect and a product manager, he brings a wealth of knowledge in cloud and cloud-native solutions, DevOps practices and more.
Horovits is an international speaker and thought leader, as well as an Ambassador of the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF). He runs the successful OpenObservability Talks podcast, where he evangelizes on Observability in IT systems using popular open source projects such as Prometheus, OpenSearch, Jaeger and OpenTelemetry.

Horovits lives at the intersection of technology, product and innovation. With over 20 years in the hi-tech industry as a software developer, a solutions architect and a product manager, he brings a wealth of knowledge in cloud and cloud-native solut... Show more

I have been an IT professional for the past 20 years. I began my career focusing on software packaging and have since specialized in endpoint management. Over the last 7 years, I’ve assisted customers in transitioning from traditional to modern management, leveraging Microsoft Intune as a primary tool. In the past 2 years, I’ve further specialized in Mac management with Intune, addressing the growing need for cross-platform solutions.

Security remains a cornerstone of my work. Integrating Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is a standard practice in my projects, ensuring robust protection for client environments. Embracing the Zero Trust model, I’ve incorporated its principles into various solutions, enhancing overall security postures. Additionally, I’ve developed significant expertise in building Privileged Access Workstation (PAW) setups via Microsoft Intune to minimize risk surfaces in tiered projects.

Throughout my career, I’ve been technically responsible for numerous Windows deployment projects, package development, and standardization efforts for organizations ranging from small businesses to enterprises with over 15,000 clients. My expertise extends to Mac management, where I’ve delivered comprehensive solutions addressing all facets of client administration and security.

I have been an IT professional for the past 20 years. I began my career focusing on software packaging and have since specialized in endpoint management. Over the last 7 years, I’ve assisted customers in transitioning from traditional to modern manag... Show more

Bob Ward is a Principal Architect for the Microsoft Azure Data team, which owns the development for Microsoft SQL ground to cloud to fabric. Bob has worked for Microsoft for 31+ years on every version of SQL Server shipped from OS/2 1.1 to SQL Server 2025 including Azure SQL and SQL database in Fabric. Bob is a well-known speaker on SQL Server, Azure SQL, AI, and Microsoft Fabric often presenting talks on new releases, internals, and specialized topics at events such as SQLBits, Microsoft Build, Microsoft Ignite, PASS Summit, Fabric Community Conference, and VS Live. You can also learn Azure SQL from him on the popular series https://aka.ms/azuresql4beginners. You can follow him at @bobwardms or linkedin.com/in/bobwardms. Bob is the author of the books Pro SQL Server on Linux, SQL Server 2019 Revealed, Azure SQL Revealed, SQL Server 2022 Revealed, and Azure SQL Revealed 2nd Edition available from Apress Media.

Bob Ward is a Principal Architect for the Microsoft Azure Data team, which owns the development for Microsoft SQL ground to cloud to fabric. Bob has worked for Microsoft for 31+ years on every version of SQL Server shipped from OS/2 1.1 to SQL Server... Show more

Tiffany Songvilay is a powerhouse in modern workplace transformation and AI enablement. As the Global Tech Lead for Avanade’s Copilot Adoption Program and a key player on the North America Copilot Rapid Response Team, she’s helped enterprise clients go from “just testing” to “fully thriving” with AI—boosting productivity, collaboration, and digital know-how along the way.

A Copilot MVP and go-to advisor, Tiffany leads global teams, builds enablement and security frameworks, and hosts Prompt-a-thons that make prompt engineering feel less like rocket science and more like second nature. She’s a pro at showing off Copilot in action—whether it’s in Microsoft 365, SharePoint Premium, Viva, or Power Platform—and her sessions are known for being both insightful and refreshingly real.

From breaking down metadata extraction in SharePoint to helping teams master the new collab stack (hello Loop, Teams, and Copilot!), Tiffany brings clarity, energy, and a whole lot of credibility to every stage she steps on.

Outside of work, she’s a fierce advocate for women of color in STEM and a champion for diversity and LGBTQ+ inclusion. Her LinkedIn posts are packed with practical tips on prompt engineering, and she’s a fan favorite for making even the nerdiest topics fun. Oh—and when she’s not leading AI transformations? You’ll find her on a motorcycle or cuddling her senior rescue dog.

Tiffany Songvilay is a powerhouse in modern workplace transformation and AI enablement. As the Global Tech Lead for Avanade’s Copilot Adoption Program and a key player on the North America Copilot Rapid Response Team, she’s helped enterprise clients ... Show more

Rachel is a 2x Microsoft MVP for .NET and Web Development; she is also a 6x Umbraco MVP. Rachel has been a developer for over 25 years, working in the Microsoft .Net stack. She is passionate about accessibility, supporting and encouraging future developers, and in her spare time, she enjoys scuba diving. She also drinks copious amounts of tea.

Rachel is a 2x Microsoft MVP for .NET and Web Development; she is also a 6x Umbraco MVP. Rachel has been a developer for over 25 years, working in the Microsoft .Net stack. She is passionate about accessibility, supporting and encouraging future dev... Show more

Poornima is a .Net developer with over 10 years of experience in .Net. She is passionate about learning new technologies and keeping herself up-to-date with the latest developments in technology. Outside her work, Poornima enjoys music and is undergoing training in Indian Classical music. Based in Langley, UK she mothers a little girl and spends her spare time reading, cooking and watching movies.

Poornima is a .Net developer with over 10 years of experience in .Net. She is passionate about learning new technologies and keeping herself up-to-date with the latest developments in technology. Outside her work, Poornima enjoys music and is undergo... Show more

Sean is a solution architect and consultant in the Microsoft cloud ecosystem. As a certified MCP, MCTS, and MCPD, Sean has 25+ years of experience developing software, building infrastructures, and solving technical problems. Unable to take anything except the deep dive into any role, Sean has acquired a diverse and expansive skill set as consultant, product manager, solution architect, team lead, administrator, technical delivery manager, and platform evangelist through the years. Some might label his passion for all things tech related as borderline 'obsession', but it is equal only to his desire to share those discoveries and experiences with others as author, blogger, and frequent speaker/instructor at technical conferences, user groups, and similar events all over North America. Sean is also a Microsoft MVP. He can be reached through his blog (https://SharePointInterface.com) and various social channels.

Sean is a solution architect and consultant in the Microsoft cloud ecosystem. As a certified MCP, MCTS, and MCPD, Sean has 25+ years of experience developing software, building infrastructures, and solving technical problems. Unable to take anything ... Show more

Matteo is a Cloud Solution Architect in the ABS Tech Strategy - AI Stack team in Microsoft. In his role, he works with global companies to build innovative projects for the Microsoft 365 ecosystem, based on the latest innovations in the AI & applications development space. He has a strong passion for knowledge sharing and he supports the developer community by writing articles, blog posts and books and by speaking at conferences all around the world. Before joining Microsoft, he was a Microsoft MVP in the Windows Development category and a Nokia Developer Champion for almost 5 years.

Matteo is a Cloud Solution Architect in the ABS Tech Strategy - AI Stack team in Microsoft. In his role, he works with global companies to build innovative projects for the Microsoft 365 ecosystem, based on the latest innovations in the AI & applicat... Show more

Stefano Demiliani is a Microsoft MVP for Business Applications and for Azure, MCT Regional Lead for Italy, Azure Certified Solution Architect and DevOps Engineer, Microsoft Certified Solution Developer (MCSD) and a long-time expert on different Microsoft technologies. He has a master's degree in computer engineering from Politecnico of Turin. He works as a CTO for EID - Part of Lodestar spa (Microsoft Partner in Italy) and he's frequently involved on helping customers on moving their business to the Azure cloud.

He has worked with Packt Publishing for many successful IT books related to Dynamics NAV, Dynamics 365 Business Central, Azure DevOps, Azure solution development and Power Platform. He's the author of the first Dynamics 365 Business Central Development guide. He's an administrators of the official Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central support forum and one of the main contributors (awarded as MS Dynamics Community Star from Microsoft). He’s a Microsoft Community Champion for Azure.
He's the winner of the global "Tech Start of the Year" Digital Revolution Award 2023 (the "Tech Star of the Year" award recognizes outstanding contributions to the cloud industry by individuals working at any level within an organization).

Stefano Demiliani is a Microsoft MVP for Business Applications and for Azure, MCT Regional Lead for Italy, Azure Certified Solution Architect and DevOps Engineer, Microsoft Certified Solution Developer (MCSD) and a long-time expert on different Micro... Show more

Ixchel Ruiz has been developing software applications and tools since 2000. Her research interests include Java, dynamic languages, client-side technologies, and testing. As a Java Champion, Oracle ACE Pro, Testcontainers Community Champion, CDF Ambassador, Hackergarten enthusiast, Open Source advocate, public speaker, and mentor, Ixchel is deeply committed to fostering inclusive and collaborative tech communities. She actively mentors aspiring developers and champions initiatives aimed at increasing diversity and accessibility in the technology sector.

Ixchel’s work is characterised by a relentless pursuit of innovation, a deep understanding of user needs, and an unwavering commitment to ethical technology development.

Ixchel Ruiz has been developing software applications and tools since 2000. Her research interests include Java, dynamic languages, client-side technologies, and testing. As a Java Champion, Oracle ACE Pro, Testcontainers Community Champion, CDF Amba... Show more

With a strong background in Power Platform adoption, governance, and enablement, I help organizations bridge the gap between technology and business needs. As a Power Platform advisor and team lead, I mentor software developers, drive best practices, and ensure scalable, well-architected solutions. My expertise covers automation, low-code development, and AI integration, always with a focus on user-centric design and business value. I have a hands-on approach, supporting teams through training, and strategic consulting to encourage a healthy working culture and internal capability building. At conferences and community events, I share insights through talks, panels, and workshops, always aiming to inspire, connect and enable. I thrive in fast-paced, complex projects, balancing pragmatism with a strong drive for quality and innovation. Ultimately, my goal is to make technology accessible, impactful, and future-proof for customers and their people.

I've been in the Microsoft ecosystem since 2017, starting as a Dynamics 365 CE developer before evolving into a Power Platform Advisor. Today, I lead a team of Power Platform experts, driving adoption, governance, and innovation.

Academical Background:
• M.Sc. in Computer Science | Saarland University
• M.Sc. in Computer Engineering | Polytechnic University of Tirana

With a strong background in Power Platform adoption, governance, and enablement, I help organizations bridge the gap between technology and business needs. As a Power Platform advisor and team lead, I mentor software developers, drive best practices,... Show more

Norm Young is a Power Platform Solution Architect at AvePoint. He is a 6-time Microsoft MVP with a focus on building collaborative solutions using SharePoint, Microsoft Teams and the Power Platform.

Norm blogs and speaks about Microsoft 365, the Power Platform and how they are better together and with a little bit of help from the community we can all do awesome things with technology.

Norm Young is a Power Platform Solution Architect at AvePoint. He is a 6-time Microsoft MVP with a focus on building collaborative solutions using SharePoint, Microsoft Teams and the Power Platform. Norm blogs and speaks about Microsoft 365, the P... Show more

One of Austria’s first five Kubestronauts. Enthusiastically immersed in the ever-evolving world of technology, he finds joy in pushing boundaries and continually venturing into uncharted territories. His current focus centers around Kubernetes, platform engineering, and the realm of automation, with a particular penchant for Kubernetes and ArgoCD to streamline and optimize processes. In the fascinating journey of technology exploration, his homelab has flourished, expanding to a scale that rivals the capabilities of some enterprise-level cloud infrastructures.

One of Austria’s first five Kubestronauts. Enthusiastically immersed in the ever-evolving world of technology, he finds joy in pushing boundaries and continually venturing into uncharted territories. His current focus centers around Kubernetes, platf... Show more

Nate is a Microsoft Security MVP and Solutions Architect with over a decade of experience helping organisations strengthen their security posture through Microsoft 365. He specialises in delivering secure, scalable solutions built on Microsoft Entra ID, Microsoft Defender, Microsoft Intune, and Microsoft Purview — with a strong focus on practical implementation and long-term operational success.

His passion lies in modern workplace security, using the Microsoft cloud security stack to improve efficiency and reduce risk without adding unnecessary complexity. Nate has worked with clients of all sizes to establish strong identity, device, and data protection strategies — setting clear standards and building reliable, repeatable processes that support secure growth.

In addition to his consulting work, Nate is an active content creator and community advocate. He shares insights and technical guidance on his blog at natehutchinson.co.uk, and on his YouTube channel youtube.com/@NateHutch with practical videos covering Microsoft 365 security topics. He also plays a key role in the Microsoft community through his involvement with Experts Live UK, helping to organise events and foster knowledge-sharing across the industry.

Nate is a Microsoft Security MVP and Solutions Architect with over a decade of experience helping organisations strengthen their security posture through Microsoft 365. He specialises in delivering secure, scalable solutions built on Microsoft Entra ... Show more

Gabriel is an engineering executive with extensive experience in security and developer platforms. Over the years, I have worked as a technical leader and principal engineer at large corporations such as Cisco and Palo Alto Networks and a few startups.
For the last couple of years, Gabriel has mainly focused on fine-grained authorization. As the VP of developer relations at Permit.io, he advocates for and creates content around security and permissions, guiding engineers in this journey.
In my spare time, I'm an avid writer, kitchen enthusiast, and adventurous traveler.

Gabriel is an engineering executive with extensive experience in security and developer platforms. Over the years, I have worked as a technical leader and principal engineer at large corporations such as Cisco and Palo Alto Networks and a few startup... Show more

Mohamed El-Qassas is a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (Business Application MVP & M365 MVP), Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT), SharePoint Stack Exchange (StackOverflow) Moderator, Microsoft QnA Moderator, C# Corner MVP, Microsoft TechNet Wiki Judge, Blogger, Speaker, and Solutions Architect with +14 years of experience in SharePoint, Project Server, Microsoft Teams, Microsoft 365, and Power Platform.

Mohamed El-Qassas is a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (Business Application MVP & M365 MVP), Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT), SharePoint Stack Exchange (StackOverflow) Moderator, Microsoft QnA Moderator, C# Corner MVP, Microsoft TechNet Wiki ... Show more

Scott is the Director of Engineering at Lean TECHniques Inc. Besides advising clients and delivering solutions for them, he enjoys helping teams realize their potential through technical practices (such as CI/CD, TDD, IAC, etc.) and working more effectively (such as limiting WIP, visualizing work, etc).

He’s a Microsoft MVP, Redgate Community Ambassador, international speaker, Dometrain author, and co-organizes the Iowa .NET User Group. You can find Scott on Twitter @scottsauber, on Bluesky @scottsauber.com, or on his blog at scottsauber.com.

Scott is the Director of Engineering at Lean TECHniques Inc. Besides advising clients and delivering solutions for them, he enjoys helping teams realize their potential through technical practices (such as CI/CD, TDD, IAC, etc.) and working more effe... Show more

Samir Makwana empowers enterprises and government agencies to harness the full power of Microsoft Cloud—and especially its cutting-edge AI stack—to build secure, value-driven businesses. With 17 years as a software developer, pre-sales engineer, and solution architect, he’s architected end-to-end IT transformations that blend security, automation, and collaboration.

A true AI evangelist, Samir designs PoCs and production systems leveraging Azure AI services (Cognitive Services, Azure OpenAI, Semantic Kernel), Copilot Studio, and Power Platform AI—applying deep prompt engineering, vector search/RAG patterns, and grounding techniques to deliver next-gen user experiences. He’s integrated generative AI agents into Office 365 and custom apps, automated workflows with Power Automate and Logic Apps, and secured data with Zero Trust and Microsoft Purview.

As Founder & Principal Architect of Cloudtrify Inc., Samir crafts both short- and long-term cloud-native and AI solutions that drive ROI, user adoption, and maintainability—always with responsible AI and compliance top-of-mind.

Samir Makwana empowers enterprises and government agencies to harness the full power of Microsoft Cloud—and especially its cutting-edge AI stack—to build secure, value-driven businesses. With 17 years as a software developer, pre-sales engineer, and ... Show more

Rafael works as a software consultant in Oslo, Norway. He is a proponent of static typing and a JVM enthusiast with particular interest in code instrumentation, concurrency and functional programming. Rafael blogs about software development, regularly presents at conferences and was pronounced a JavaOne Rock Star. When coding outside of his work place, he contributes to a wide range of open source projects and often works on Byte Buddy, a library for simple runtime code generation for the Java virtual machine. For his work, Rafael received a Duke's Choice award and was elected a Java Champion.

Rafael works as a software consultant in Oslo, Norway. He is a proponent of static typing and a JVM enthusiast with particular interest in code instrumentation, concurrency and functional programming. Rafael blogs about software development, regularl... Show more

James McGillivray, Data Management and Analytics MCSE, has been working in Business Intelligence for over a decade. He spends his working hours building solutions that allow people to make informed decisions. quickly and accurately. He is a Director at South African Data Consultancy, Cobalt Analytics.

Before his career in data, James was an avid musical theatre student and musician. This love for performance has developed into a passion for developing and delivering presentations that are informative and enjoyable. James speaks frequently at Data Community Events, and has presented at some of the most well-known Data Events around the globe, including PASS Summit, SQL Bits and the Power BI World Tour.

James McGillivray, Data Management and Analytics MCSE, has been working in Business Intelligence for over a decade. He spends his working hours building solutions that allow people to make informed decisions. quickly and accurately. He is a Director ... Show more

Clarissa Rodrigues is graduated by University of Vale dos Sinos (UNISINOS), specialist in Software Engineering by Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS) and master student in Applied Computing by UNISINOS. With more than 10 years of IT experience, she has been working in different roles and companies, such as a Business Analyst at SISPRO, ADP, SAP and most current Technical Quality & Program Manager at Uber. On her journey, she has been advocated for quality inside QAs work to make sure goods and services are designed, developed, and made to meet or exceed customers’ expectations and requirements.

Clarissa Rodrigues is graduated by University of Vale dos Sinos (UNISINOS), specialist in Software Engineering by Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS) and master student in Applied Computing by UNISINOS. With more than 10 years of IT exper... Show more

Ben Ferry is a Senior Analytics Consultant at Solita Germany with over seven years of experience delivering Power BI solutions across a range of industries. His work spans end-to-end report development, enterprise rollouts, training programs, and the implementation of data governance frameworks.

Ben is particularly known for his expertise in Power BI’s semantic model, data visualization, DAX, and advanced custom visuals using Deneb and Vega-Lite. He regularly speaks at conferences and facilitates workshops, where he focuses on helping others build more transparent, effective, and user-friendly reporting solutions.

Ben Ferry is a Senior Analytics Consultant at Solita Germany with over seven years of experience delivering Power BI solutions across a range of industries. His work spans end-to-end report development, enterprise rollouts, training programs, and the... Show more

Richard Martens has been involved in information technology for more than 20 years. He started as a web developer using the Oracle database as no more than data storage. Richard has been responsible for major European multilingual websites and has been working with the Oracle database since 2000. During those years, he developed himself using a multitude of technologies and specialised in PL/SQL and Oracle APEX. Richard has been working primarily with PLSQL and APEX since 2005. With APEX, he combines the things he loves most: the Oracle database and web technologies.

Richard Martens has been involved in information technology for more than 20 years. He started as a web developer using the Oracle database as no more than data storage. Richard has been responsible for major European multilingual websites and has be... Show more

Hi! I'm Aldan, and I'm passionate about technology and research. I studied Computer Science in Spain, France and Switzerland, founded a few associations and contributed to open source projects. I've also been lucky enough to get some recognition for leadership and academic achievements, and I love learning from the community and participating in events. Currently, I'm working on research that combines Natural Language Processing and Knowledge Graphs, two topics I'm always happy to talk about!

Hi! I'm Aldan, and I'm passionate about technology and research. I studied Computer Science in Spain, France and Switzerland, founded a few associations and contributed to open source projects. I've also been lucky enough to get some recognition for ... Show more

Justin is a Principal Cloud Advocate at Microsoft and was double-awarded Microsoft MVP in both Azure and Developer Technologies since 2015. He is passionate at serverless technologies, enterprise integration, AI and SRE/DevOps, and tries to find a better way of doing things right and getting things done.

Justin is a Principal Cloud Advocate at Microsoft and was double-awarded Microsoft MVP in both Azure and Developer Technologies since 2015. He is passionate at serverless technologies, enterprise integration, AI and SRE/DevOps, and tries to find a be... Show more

Vaibhav is a cloud architect with two decades of IT experience, focusing on Cloud, DevOps, and AI technologies. He is a 6-time Microsoft MVP in Azure and AI Platform and a member of the Forbes Technology Council and IEEE Senior Member.

Vaibhav is a cloud architect with two decades of IT experience, focusing on Cloud, DevOps, and AI technologies. He is a 6-time Microsoft MVP in Azure and AI Platform and a member of the Forbes Technology Council and IEEE Senior Member. Show more

My name is Sergio Albea and I'm originally from a tiny town called Valls, Spain, known for building the best human castles (called castells). About 15 years ago, I moved to Barcelona, where I had an amazing time both personally and professionally. Five years ago, I landed in beautiful Switzerland, where I am currently working as CSOC Security Expert, focus on threat analysis and response on SWITCH (Swiss National Research and Education Network).

With over 15 years of experience, I have immersed myself in the dynamic field of security, focusing on diverse IT landscapes and ensuring robust protection against threats and vulnerabilities. My approach is divided in proactivity, leveraging advanced analytics and architectural design to preemptively mitigate risks and fortify defenses against potential breaches.

Throughout my career, I have had to secure and manage a myriad of IT environments such as messaging platforms, Identity and Access Management systems, Information Protection mechanisms, DevOps, Azure Resources such as Databases, Networking, Storage, Scripting, and others.

I have been fortunate to work alongside professionals and amazing coworkers who have generously shared their knowledge and insights, enabling me to refine my skills and deepen my understanding of multiple best-practices, forever grateful to all of you, as you well know.

Whether through my daily work or via my YouTube channel, I take great pride in sharing my knowledge and expertise with colleagues and at the same time, continue to learn from all of them.

My name is Sergio Albea and I'm originally from a tiny town called Valls, Spain, known for building the best human castles (called castells). About 15 years ago, I moved to Barcelona, where I had an amazing time both personally and professionally. Fi... Show more

Monica Morehouse (Rathbun), a Microsoft MVP for Data Platform, resides in Virginia and brings two decades of experience across various database platforms, with a particular focus on SQL Server and the Microsoft Data Platform. She is a frequent speaker at IT industry conferences, where she shares her expertise on performance tuning and configuration management for both on-premises and cloud environments. Monica leads the Hampton Roads SQL Server User Group and is passionate about SQL Server and its community, she is dedicated to giving back in any way she can. You can often find her online (@sqlespresso) offering helpful tips or blogging at sqlespresso.com.

Monica Morehouse (Rathbun), a Microsoft MVP for Data Platform, resides in Virginia and brings two decades of experience across various database platforms, with a particular focus on SQL Server and the Microsoft Data Platform. She is a frequent speake... Show more

Anouck is specializing in Microsoft 365 and the Power Platform. She has more than 12 years of experience working with Microsoft technology, starting as a SharePoint developer and evolving to a modern workplace engineer. She is skilled in designing and implementing solutions for SharePoint and Teams, as well as leveraging the low/no code capabilities of the Power Platform to create apps, flows, and chatbots.

As a Microsoft Certified Trainer, Anouck is highly qualified to provide all your training needs, whether you want to take an official Microsoft course or a custom-made one tailored to your organization. She is also a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) in M365 and Business Applications.

Anouck is passionate about empowering people to work smarter and faster with Microsoft 365. She loves to share her knowledge and best practices through blogs, webinars, and events. She is always eager to learn new things and explore new possibilities with Microsoft technology.

Anouck is specializing in Microsoft 365 and the Power Platform. She has more than 12 years of experience working with Microsoft technology, starting as a SharePoint developer and evolving to a modern workplace engineer. She is skilled in designing an... Show more

PJ Hagerty is a well-known figure in the tech industry, particularly within the developer relations and DevOps communities. He is recognized for his work as a developer advocate, community builder, writer, and speaker. PJ founded DevRelate.io, a company focused on helping tech organizations build communities and enhance developer relations. He has a strong presence in the open-source and tech communities, often speaking at conferences and producing content on topics such as software development, DevOps, and community engagement.

PJ Hagerty is a well-known figure in the tech industry, particularly within the developer relations and DevOps communities. He is recognized for his work as a developer advocate, community builder, writer, and speaker. PJ founded DevRelate.io, a comp... Show more