#MSIgnite: 6 Expert Microsoft Ignite 2018 Predictions
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Microsoft Ignite is a week-long conference that brings together technology leaders and practitioners who are shaping the future of cloud, data, business intelligence, teamwork, and productivity. And Microsoft Ignite 2018 is right around the corner!
There were some amazing announcements last year like Microsoft 365, Bing for Business, focus on Artificial Intelligence, quantum computing, and more! We are looking forward to even more exciting news this year, so we had some of our experts predict what might be announced!
Matt Wade, Microsoft MVP
“The Teams product team has been quiet lately when it comes to feature upgrades. I’m expecting a major dump of welcome improvements that will make the Teams experience even more awesome for everyday users and administrators alike.”
Check out these 6 interesting #MSIgnite predictions compiled by AvePoint Click To TweetHunter Willis, Solutions Engineer
“Sadly, I’m not going to be able to attend this year, but I say that very happily because my wife and I are expecting! I’m looking forward to streaming the sessions though. I’ve also got a few guesses as to the kind of things we may be able to expect at ignite this year:
“SP 2019 and new features that will further enable Hybrid connectivity will be a major focus, as Microsoft has been receiving attention for being one of the only SaaS providers that has built with Hybrid architecture in mind. I also expect to hear a lot of information and presentations revolving around new features and capabilities with Teams and additional strategy and advice for the Skype Transition.
“I’d be willing to bet that we’ll also hear a lot about GitHub, what Microsoft’s acquisition of that platform means for their SaaS platforms and how businesses are benefiting from this relationship or how they will be able to in the near future.
“Lastly, I’m absolutely certain that we will see AR, VR, AI and 3D collaboration capabilities being developed from Microsoft, and hopefully learn more about more practical business applications for these tools as they currently exist. ”
Loryan Strant, Office 365 MVP
“My predictions for Ignite 2018 are around Microsoft Teams continuing to be a key investment area within Office 365.
I also think we’ll start to see the “Office 365” branding start to disappear and just turn into “Office” as it takes a back-seat to the Microsoft 365 branding, which is already happening, and was something I had previously predicted.”
Yatindra Ranpura, Technical Solutions Professional
“I believe that there will be deeper insights into applications with Office365 and Microsoft Azure, this will allow developers to leverage more intelligent applications built around your organizations Microsoft 365 data.
“Hub Sites are getting more capabilities which will mean you can add 100 sites into a hub. This was always going to be increased and I think this will be announced in line with expectations. This will make hub sites the building blocks for connecting sites based on metadata such as region or department and make it easier for users to find relevant content that has consistent site design and site themes applied. Check it out.
“I would expect something around the SharePoint Spaces and SharePoint 2019 both of which were announced in the Build Conference earlier this year.
“One of the best updates I have heard about recently is that the Office 365 roadmap is planned to be combined with Microsoft 365 roadmap. This will mean a better overview of what features will be released in a joined up way. According to the company’s Office 365 Roadmap product page:
‘The Office 365 Roadmap will become the Microsoft 365 Roadmap. In addition to retaining all the current information and functionality of the existing Office 365 Roadmap, the new site will include Microsoft 365 product features from Windows 10, Enterprise Mobility suite, and Azure. The new roadmap will include updated filters, a downloadable spreadsheet and an RSS feed.’”
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Funtrol Ready, Senior Solutions Engineer
“I believe Ignite will continue to focus on Windows 10, Office365, Azure, Security, including:
- More info on the Modern Workplace: Productivity, Security and Analytics
- How Windows and Office seamlessly come together to give users the most productive experience in the workplace.
- How integrated security capabilities, analytics and tools enable you to secure the inbox, secure the browser and web experience and protect your users against ransomware.
- How Windows Analytics enables organizations to gain the tools and insights to simplify deployments and updates.
- Updates for Teams, SharePoint
“More info on Security and Governance and specifically around:
- Advanced Data Governance
- Identity and Access Protection
- Updates to how Microsoft addresses GDPR
“Digital Transformation within business verticals: Healthcare, Manufacturing, FinServ. Real world examples and cases studies of how customers transformed their business using M365.”
Simon Denton, Microsoft MVP
“I think we will hear a lot about Microsoft Teams and how it is now sufficiently mature to replace Skype for Business. We will also hear more about the convergence of the Office 365 ecosystem as lines continue to blur between Yammer, Microsoft Teams and SharePoint. We will hear that Yammer has a key part to play in connecting an organisation and that it is far from dead!”
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Spenser Bullock is a former AvePoint Channel Solutions Engineer, focused on enabling partners and their customers to utilize and maximize their Microsoft 365 technology adoption and usage.
