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Three key takeaways from Microsoft Ignite 2024

In late November, Microsoft Ignite 2024 lit up Chicago, Illinois, for five days. Amidst snowy weather and a packed agenda, thousands gathered to explore the future of technology, including groundbreaking developments in AI, multi-cloud, and security.

Luke Matthews, Brennan’s Head of Cloud and attending on behalf of Team Brennan, managed to pack a staggering 23 sessions into just four days, furiously burning through notepads along the way.

Here are his three key takeaways, as viewed through the lens of customers, partners, and technologists.

1. AI & Copilot: From Assistants to Autonomous Agents

The buzzword of the conference? Copilot. Microsoft’s vision for Copilot extends far beyond task automation, presenting three levels of AI engagement:

1. Request/Retrieve
Think of this as a smarter search, gathering information for specific tasks.

2. Task On-Demand
AI handles specific tasks, such as drafting reports or scheduling follow-ups.

3. Autonomous Agents
These AI tools can plan, learn, and escalate tasks as needed, mimicking an executive assistant or even a full team driving a business process.

A standout feature was Copilot Actions, which combines the intelligence of Outlook rules with Power Platform functionality. This tool can proactively gather information, schedule tasks, and summarise results—perfect for report generation or streamlining executive workflows.

For businesses, the key to unlocking AI’s potential lies in mapping these roles to tangible benefits. For instance, Microsoft shared that a Copilot agent was able to do the work of 13 full-time employees handling internal information requests for their own People & Culture department.

For technologists, the potential runs even deeper. A Copilot lab session demonstrated how mid-level developers could use Copilot in GitHub to modernise apps, including adding observability features. Autonomous agents may soon augment or replace certain Power Platform workflows, making solutions more efficient and scalable.

2. Multi-Cloud Management: Simplifying the Complex

With businesses navigating multi-cloud environments, Microsoft is positioning Azure as the ultimate solution for simplifying cloud complexity. Azure Arc stood out as a pivotal tool, offering streamlined inventory management, automated Server OS patching, and governance across hybrid and multi-cloud environments—all accessible through a single Azure portal.

Azure Arc enables OS patching with just one reboot per quarter, lifesaver for IT teams managing enterprise environments. It also helps reduce “cloud sprawl,” addressing the challenge of tracking workloads and assets across platforms.

For partners, Azure Migrate adds another layer of value by creating business cases for cloud migrations and executing them. This now includes re-platforming workloads to Azure PaaS and/or a hybrid solution, remaining on premises with Azure Local.

Despite these advancements, resiliency remains a pressing issue. Where only 13% of businesses currently consider their cloud implementations resilient, Microsoft claim that 74% of outages could be prevented with proper resilient deployment practices—a figure that underscores the importance of building with tolerable downtime in mind.

FinOps driving Cloud Maturity. From a partner perspective, multi-cloud management opens massive opportunities. Microsoft is encouraging partners to think bigger, leveraging tools like Azure Arc and Azure Migrate to not just manage infrastructure but to re-architect solutions that deliver long-term ROI.