Microsoft Build 2023 Roundup Banner

We recently sent a cohort of Quorum’s development team – David Kerr, Martin Nisbet, Alan Donaldson, and Michal Kulawik  – to Seattle to attend Microsoft Build 2023, Microsoft’s first in-person conference since the global pandemic ended.

Microsoft Build was an incredible opportunity for developers to explore the latest trends, technologies, and insights from industry experts. By attending this conference, our team had the opportunity to expand their expertise and bring back invaluable knowledge that will benefit our entire team.

Martin-Nisbet Microsoft Build
Martin Nisbet, Alan Donaldson and Michal Kulawik

“Having experienced Build 2018, I had high expectations, and this year’s conference was very similar – but also quite different.

Held in the Seattle Conference Centre’s new “Summit” building, the conference was the usual mix of keynotes, presentations, labs – and snacks!

As a group, we also chose to attend one of the additional pre-day labs ahead of the conference proper to learn about “Containers in Cloud – Azure Container Apps and Azure Kubernetes Service”, which was a gentle introduction to containers generally and Microsoft’s Azure offerings.

Once Build began with Satya’s keynote, it was evident that Microsoft’s future is very much going to be influenced by AI, with OpenAI and ChatGPT being utilised in most (if not every) Microsoft product.

Excitingly – from a developer’s perspective – the rollout of GitHub Copilot and Copilot X, and the possibilities it brings to tools such as VS Code, Visual Studio, and Azure, was interesting to see. This culminated in a live coding demo at the closing keynote where Mark Russinovich and Scott Hanselman, created from scratch, a video game showing the potential of Copilot (and its limitations!).

Finally, Microsoft was keen to pitch this as a much more sustainable event – offering digital attendance alongside in-person. That saw a noticeably reduced amount of swag, and instead, they encouraged much more vendor engagement to qualify for a haul – still plenty of stickers though! ?”

Martin Nisbet

Developer

“My overall take away from the conference – “do legendary sh*t”….. or get a Copilot /AI to do most of it for you.

The prevailing theme of the conference was the immense benefits Copilots could bring to developers, addressing isolation and lack of trust. Copilots were set to be integrated into Windows, GitHub Actions, and even ChatGPT, simplifying our lives and allowing us to focus on exciting development tasks. However, the prospect of fewer billable hours raised some concerns.

The conference itself was well-organised, with a strong emphasis on AI-driven Copilots and the dynamic world of Containers and Kubernetes. Witnessing the real-time creation of an entire application through Copilots left me awestruck, as it has the potential to accomplish complex tasks in significantly less time.

Being a developer in this era is truly fascinating, and Microsoft Build 2023 provided invaluable insights into our profession’s future. I gained new tricks that will make my job easier and I’m eager to explore the potential of these groundbreaking technologies for transformative solutions.

In summary, this conference was a pivotal moment for developers, offering a glimpse into an exciting future where Copilots and AI-powered tools revolutionise our work.

It’s an extraordinary time to be a developer, and I’m grateful for the unique perspective gained through this remarkable event.”

Alan Donaldson

Senior Developer

Alan Donaldson and Martin Nisbet - Microsoft Build
David Kerr - Microsoft Build

During the event, Satya Nadella, the CEO of Microsoft, gave a keynote presentation where he introduced an array of AI capabilities integrated across Microsoft’s stack. As I listened to his speech, it was obvious that this will be a tremendous opportunity to offer more advanced AI-driven solutions in cloud services and business intelligence. It’s exciting to think about the possibilities that lie ahead.

One of the exciting announcements was the inclusion of Windows Copilot in Windows 11. This feature will provide centralised AI assistance to users, allowing them to experience improved efficiency and productivity. There is a possible future where we don’t open apps to perform tasks but just ask the AI in windows to perform the task.

Another significant revelation was the introduction of Microsoft Fabric, a revolutionary product that brings together various data analytics tools. This presents a significant opportunity for us to enhance our data analytics solutions using AI. Microsoft Fabric will provide access to areas of data that have previously been trapped in specific applications and services.

Microsoft also revealed plans for the “Copilot stack” and partnership with OpenAI, expanding the AI plugins ecosystem. This enables broad software and service interaction, unlocking new possibilities on how we can bring much more targeted skills to AI.

Microsoft Entra looks very promising, bringing Microsoft’s Enterprise level authentication power into the individual authentication arena.

The event also delved into the customisation of GPT models using Azure OpenAI service, which particularly caught my attention. The ability to tailor language models to our specific needs is incredibly powerful. It’s a game-changer that will allow us to provide effective customer-specific solutions.

Lastly, the event showcased Co-Pilot X, an AI-powered coding assistant. The demonstration of AI pair programming was impressive, highlighting the potential for a seamless collaboration between humans and AI. It was inspiring to see how this technology could be our coding companion, supporting us in real-time.

David Kerr

Senior Software Developer

“As a consultant, it is crucial to remain up-to-date with the latest technologies. I believe that participating in tech sessions greatly encourages using new solutions in production deployments. Regularly participating in the local tech Meetups in Edinburgh, I was filled with excitement when I found out that I would have the chance to attend the Microsoft Build conference in person this year.

After attending the 2018 Microsoft Build conference, I can confidently say that this year’s event has lived up to my expectations as well. Not only was the venue even larger than before, but the event organisation was also exceptional. From seamless registration to custom printed t-shirts, along with provisions of food, drinks, and snacks, every aspect of the conference, including the workshops, left me with absolutely no room for complaints.

Given the multitude of concurrent sessions taking place in various rooms, it is virtually impossible to familiarise oneself with all the content presented at the event. While my colleagues kindly shared the key takeaways, I would like to highlight the talks that also inspired me, but which may have received less prominent attention. These include:

– Using AI for Content Generation on MS Learn,
– Summarising and searching videos by using Computer Vision,
– Azure Deployment Environments,
– Dev Tunnel,
– Azure SQL enhancements (JSON data type!)
– Data API builder
– and Dev Home indeed

I’m eagerly awaiting some free time to conduct testing and begin utilising these technologies in real-world solutions.”

Michal Kulawik

Developer

Michal Kulawik - Microsoft Build
Michal Kulawik - Microsoft Build 2023

Thank you, Quorum, for your continuous investment in people, which enables us to stay abreast of the latest advancements! These developments offer transformative potential for Quorum and exciting opportunities to deliver innovative solutions. The future holds great promise, and we can’t wait to explore these possibilities further.

Martin Nisbet

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© 2024 Quorum All Rights Reserved. | Environmental Policy | Sitemap | Privacy Policy

CONTACT INFO

Quorum
18 Greenside Lane Edinburgh
UK EH1 3AH
Phone: +44 131 652 3954
Email: marketing@quorum.co.uk

FOLLOW US

AWARDS & RECOGNITION

© 2024 Quorum All Rights Reserved. | Environmental Policy | Sitemap | Privacy Policy