Mteto Nyati

More than 4 000 IT Professionals, developers, partners and technology enthusiasts are set to descend on Durban next month for Microsoft’s iconic Tech-Ed Africa and Partner Summit events, which will be staged concurrently for the first time.

Tech-Ed runs from 17-20 October at the International Conference Centre (ICC), with Partner Summit ending one day earlier on 19 October. Another smaller event, Microsoft’s CIO Summit, will be hosted at the Oyster Box Hotel at the same time, and is expected to draw 100 of the country’s top chief information officers.

Tech-Ed’s keynote speaker has been confirmed as Microsoft Corporate Vice President Jason Zander, and he will be complemented by a formidable line-up of local and international speakers, which include internationally recognised technology expert, author, and public speaker Michael Noel, and self-confessed geek Lynn Langit, who co-host’s the MSDN Channel 9 geekSpeak series at http://channel9.msdn.com/shows/geekSpeak/

Microsoft South Africa MD Mteto Nyati" rel=tag>Mteto Nyati says the event will focus strongly on the two broad trends that are shaping the industry and are shaping Microsoft’s strategy: the cloud, both public and private cloud computing, as well as devices.

“There’s a lot going on in the Microsoft world right now; Tech-Ed and Partner Summit are critical platforms for us to share our plans, give some previews of what’s coming down the line, make a couple of major announcements, and discuss ways for our partners and customers to make the most of their opportunities,” said Nyati.

On the cloud front, Microsoft is bringing an increasingly compelling set of products and services to the table, with a powerful offering across infrastructure, software and services, and platform.
For devices, says Nyati, there is a proliferation of devices and of form factors. People are now carrying multiple devices, and they expect the applications and the data for their business is available on the device they want and optimised for that device.

“This, generally, creates a dual challenge for IT providers in that they need to be able to deliver an experience to that device while maintaining the security and the control and the visibility that is needed for compliance and for security. At Tech-Ed and Partner Summit, Microsoft will be talking a lot to the ways we have managed to overcome these challenges,” he said.

Partner Summit, which brings together Microsoft’s leading resellers, service providers and technology partners - and culminates in the legendary Partner Awards gala dinner – will see a strong focus on ways that partners can unlock opportunities within the cloud and beyond.

“Cloud computing is as big a transformation as we have ever seen and, together with our partners, Microsoft will help customers through the shift,” said Nyati. “By being part of Microsoft’s comprehensive approach to cloud computing, partners can embrace this transformation and build strong and vibrant practices that will advance how business gets done.”

More details on how to attend the events, as well as links to videos, blogs, product downloads, and other information about this year’s event, can be found at www.teched.co.za and www.partnersummit.co.za