Microsoft SL hosts developers to special viewing  of Microsoft Build global conference highlights

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella outlining the company vision and developer opportunity via webcast

The panel discussion (from left): Thurupathan Vijayakumar – Microsoft MVP, Co-founder and CTO at Aventude; Gogula Aryalingam – Microsoft MVP, Lead Architect BI at Fortude; Hansamali Gamage – Microsoft MVP, Senior Software Engineer, TIQRI; Fiqri Ismail – Microsoft MVP, Founder at PeachIT; Shameera Prajapriya – Microsoft MVP, Solutions Architect at WebQuarters; Sajeetharan Sinnathurai – Tech Evangelist, Microsoft

• The event featured tech demos, training resources, and brainstorming sessions with Microsoft MVPs and developers, to leverage game-changing technology 

Microsoft last week held a ‘Best of Build’ screening at its corporate office in Union Place, Colombo. Over 50 software developers and engineers from Sri Lanka’s leading ICT service providers were invited to engage with technology experts who showcased new technologies to create intelligent and productive solutions.

The event addressed a wide range of announcements, including new collaboration and productivity services across apps and the web as well as AI capabilities in Microsoft 365 to further address the changing nature of work. The innovations were first announced in May at Microsoft Build 2019, Microsoft Corp’s annual developer conference. 

In his welcome address, Microsoft Technical Evangelist Sajeetharan Sinnathurai stressed the importance of software and the role of the developer. “Software is beginning to permeate everywhere. In a technology-first world, software developers and engineers shoulder the responsibility of designing, installing, testing and maintaining highly complex software systems. With great care and thoroughness, the software they create will continue to change the course of humanity forever.”In addition, Microsoft is delivering new open source technologies and developer tools in Azure and Windows. Microsoft’s trusted, extensible cloud platforms — spanning infrastructure, data, AI and mixed reality, productivity and collaboration, business applications, and gaming — bring together a global collective of developers and technology capabilities towards creating breakthrough new experiences for organisations and individuals. In his Build 2019 keynote via webcast, Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella outlined the company vision and developer opportunity across Microsoft Azure, Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Power Platform, Microsoft 365, and Microsoft Gaming. “As computing becomes embedded in every aspect of our lives, the choices developers make will define the world we live in. Microsoft is committed to providing developers with trusted tools and platforms spanning every layer of the modern technology stack to build magical experiences that create new opportunity for everyone.”

A panel discussion, moderated by Sajeetharan, then highlighted key announcements made at Build 2019 and how developers could leverage the innovations. The event’s extensive panel line-up included recipients of the Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) award: Thurupathan Vijayakumar, Microsoft Azure MVP; Gogula Aryalingam, Data Platform MVP; Shameera Prajapriya, Microsoft Azure MVP; Fiqri Ismail, Developer Technologies MVP; and Hansamali Gamage, Developer Technologies MVP. In his presentation on ‘Microsoft Learn – Learning Resources and Certification Paths’, Microsoft Partner Development Manager Prabhath Mannapperuma pushed the notion of continuously learning from others. He also encouraged participants to visit docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn for a free module or learning path tailored to prepare developers for industry-recognised Microsoft certifications.