At the start of this month was Microsoft’s premier event for all things productivity, Future Decoded. Hosted at the ExCel centre in London each year, it’s an excellent source of Dynamics-related news, and this year there were in-depth labs on PowerApps, Flow and Dynamics 365. Here are five things we learnt from the event that will shape the future for all Microsoft Dynamics professionals.

Staya Nadella, Microsoft’s enigmatic leader has not historically been afraid to coin a new phrase (“anytime, anywhere” for example), and at this year’s Future Decoded we heard him talk about “tech intensity” throughout his keynote speech.

This means, in his own words, that “The ability to take AI whenever you need it because you have this rich infrastructure is what this game is all about.” A good example of this is the fact that Microsoft has, earlier this year, launched a new datacenter off the coast of Orkney, Scotland. It will sit on the sea bed for five years, linked to the shore and the wider internet via undersea cabling, and is being used as a pilot ahead of a potential roll-out.

2. Ubiquity in digital transformation

Nadella continued his theme of the essentialness of technology in everyday life by explaining that business is reaching a state of ubiquity when it comes to digital transformation.

He pointed to a number of examples of organisations embracing digital transformation, including South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust working with Microsoft to create an online health record for mental health patients using its new HealthVault platform.

3. Ethical AI

Following a mantra that has been widely spoken about with regards to artificial intelligence, Nadella stated that AI must not become about what CAN be done, but what SHOULD be done. In other words, that a particular set ff ethics should underpin AI.

Nadella even went as far as to suggest that practitioners should have to comply to some sort of oath to do good, similar to the Hippocratic oath taken by medical professionals. 

4. Honouring government data localisation requests

Further to the above, Microsoft also stated that they “will have to comply with data laws of various countries. That is mandatory for us. We are already fully compliant with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and will do the same with other countries’ data protection laws”, Ann Johnson, Corporate Vice President, Cybersecurity Solutions Group at Microsoft.

That said, with 1.2bn people using Microsoft Office in 140 countries, and in 107 languages around the world, the task to safeguard people’s data is not trivial.

5. Opportunity for everyone

With the rate of digital transformation only set to increase, we think now is a great time to be a Microsoft Dynamics specialist working in London or the United States. If you’re looking for your next challenge, speak with a member of our specialist Dynamics team today and we’re confident we will be able to help you find your next project. Call us on 01483 233000 for our UK team, or +16462021761 for our team in New York.