Last updated by Thomas Maurer at October 17, 2017.

Oct172017October 17, 2017October 17, 20170 Commentby Thomas Maurer

My impressions from Microsoft Ignite 2017

Posted in Certification, Cloud, Containers, Hyper-V, IT, Microsoft, Microsoft Azure, Microsoft Azure Stack, Pictures, Powershell, Private Cloud, System Center, Virtualization, Web, Windows, Windows 10, Windows Server, Windows Server 2016, Work

Okay, I know, Microsoft Ignite 2017 was already a couple of weeks ago. But still, I finally had time to write about my impressions from Microsoft Ignite, after the conference plus my visit in Seattle for the Intelligent Cloud Architect Bootcamp and spending my days in meetings and back at work in Switzerland. Since there is a lot of stuff and important changes coming, I think it is still valid to write about my impressions.

First, I have to say Orlando is great, I really loved spending my time there. This was my second Microsoft Ignite after the first one in Chicago. I have to say, it was very well organized and organizing such a huge conference is definitely not easy.

The Speaking part…

I had the great opportunity to speak in several Microsoft Ignite sessions and this was huge fun. It is always fun for me to stand in front of a couple of people and show them some stuff I am working on. I not only had the chance to do my Theather session about “Lessons learned from deploying Windows Server 2016”, I also spoke in two breakout sessions about our customer cases focusing on System Center and Storage Spaces Direct.

The Networking part…

One of the most important parts of such a conference is networking with others. The point is that all the videos are going to be online available for later review, but you get time to meet with people from Microsoft, customers and partners, and talk, share and learn from them. The connections you make at such a conference will be helpful in the future, trust me…

The Learning part…

One of the main reasons for me to attend, was to learn. Not only learn about the latest and greatest technology, but also about where the industry is heading. I believe that our industry is heading to one of the biggest changes in history since the transition from Mainframes to client server topology. I think this is not new to most of us, but what is interesting and something I underestimated is, how fast that transition will be going forward. Cloud Computing, AI, Big Data, IoT and modern applications are going to be big topics in the future and technologies like containers and methods like DevOps are going to accelerate this change. My lesson learned from these events is that we all in the industry have to learn much faster and be ready to adapt to change much quicker.

With that, I hope to see you soon at other conferences and events or again at Microsoft Ignite on September 24 – 28 in Orlando, Florida.

Sep212017September 21, 2017September 21, 20170 Commentby Thomas Maurer

What is in my Bag for Microsoft Ignite 2017

What’s in my bag for Microsoft Ignite 2017

Posted in Cloud, Events, Fun, Hardware, Hardware, IT, Microsoft, Microsoft Azure, Microsoft Azure Stack, Office, Pictures, Powershell, Surface, Virtualization, Web, Windows, Windows 10, Windows Server, Work

In a couple of hours I will catch my flight to Orlando FL to the Microsoft Ignite 2017 conference. I am happy to join the itnetX team and be able to speak at the largest Microsoft Conference this year. I am really looking forward to it and meet other enthusiast around Microsoft Cloud solutions and of course meeting with members of the Microsoft Product Group.

I am already preparing and packing stuff for my two weeks trip to the United States. After Microsoft Ignite I will spend another week on the Microsoft Campus in Redmond (Okay, actually it is in Bellevue at the Azure Cloud Architect Bootcamp) so I have to pack enough stuff so I can pre productive for these two weeks and especially Microsoft Ignite.

My main devices is of course my new Microsoft Surface Pro which I use as my 3-in-1 device, replacing my notebook, tablet and desktop using the Surface Docking Station. Of course it is running the latest Microsoft Windows 10 Insider Preview. Battery life I get is around 8 hours depending on what I am doing I get even some more. I will leave my Surface Book, which I was using for over a year and was my daily driver for a long time, back home. The Surface Pro is lighter much more portable, and especially at a huge conference like Microsoft Ignite, it helps to have a light devices to carry around.
The Surface Pen, well especially for conferences, workshops and trainings, I like to take handwritten notes or draw things to discuss ideas and solutions with people. The Surface Pen and OneNote are a must have for such events! (Quick Tip: Check out my blog post about Why OneNote is Awesome to learn some new OneNote skills)
As my day to day phone I use the Microsoft Lumia 950 XL (Yes sometimes I still use a Windows Phone) and the Samsung Galaxy S8+, which are the perfect devices for me with great cameras to take picture from the place I travel to and listen to music.
Even I like the track pad of the new Surface Pro Signature Type Cover I think I am more productive using a mouse. For that I got the new Microsoft Arc Mouse, Microsoft delivered together with the new 2017 Surface Pro. It follows the same line of design as the Microsoft Arc Touch Mouse and others, which are perfect for traveling. If you don’t need them, you can just click them, to turn the off.
The Bose Quiet Comfort 35 Audio Headphones and their Noise Cancelling feature are some real life savers. I like them especially when I travel and have some long flights. But I also like that they now support bluetooth, so I can connect wirelessly. I also use them for Skype and Skype for Business calls.
To get some extra power if needed, I also carry a Microsoft DC-34 portable power charger with a 9000 mAh battery
I am also carrying the Garmin Forerunner 325 which helps me tracks the steps I walk during Microsoft Ignite and the limited sleep I get during this event. Trust me, you will definitely walk a lot during that conference.
For presentations I got a Microsoft Mini-DisplayPort to HDMI and VGA adapter as well as the Microsoft Wireless Display Adapter which acts as a Miracast Receiver and is great for presentations.
I also carry a USB 3.0 drive, since you never know when you need to share some files, which might be to larger to share over the conference WiFi.
I just use power adapter of the Microsoft Surface Pro which also has a USB port for charging the phone, speaker and other stuff.
Next to that, I will bring some cables, sunglasses and a bunch of other stuff you need during a conference.

Some other tips for the conference:

You are going to talk a lot, and the days will be back with a lot of information and discussions, so make sure you pack something light to carry your devices around or a comfortable backpack. Also make sure you stay hydrated during the day, not just during the evening events 😉

By the way, check out my video interview with Marcel Zehner about my sessions at Microsoft Ignite during one of the itnetX X-Talk videos:

With that, hopefully see you at Microsoft Ignite 2017 in Orlando, and if you are there, contact me if you want to grab a coke, coffee or beer.

Sep112017September 11, 2017September 11, 20170 Commentby Thomas Maurer

Speaking at Microsoft Ignite 2017

Posted in Cloud, Containers, Events, Fun, Hyper-V, IT, Microsoft, Microsoft Azure, Nano Server, Powershell, Server Core, System Center, Virtualization, Windows Server, Windows Server 2016

I just came back from Experts Live Europe 2017 in Berlin where I was speaking about Container, Azure Stack and Windows Server. Now I already started preparing for the largest Microsoft Conference in September. I am happy to announce that I will be speaking at the Microsoft Ignite 2017 Conference in Orlando Florida.

This is a huge honor and I am happy to speak in several sessions. The first one I want to announce is my Theater Session about Windows Server 2016:

Ignite Session

Lessons learned from deploying Windows Server 2016

Join this session to learn about how to deploy Windows Server 2016 in your datacenter. Learn about real-world experience for Storage Spaces Direct, Nano Server, Hyper-V, and a lot more.

I will announce other sessions soon as they are public available. I hope you join Microsoft Ignite and see you in my sessions.

May012015May 1, 2015May 1, 20151 Commentby Thomas Maurer

What’s in my bag for Microsoft Ignite 2015

Posted in Cloud, Fun, Hardware, Hardware, IT, Microsoft, Microsoft Band, Nokia, Office, Pictures, Surface, Web, Windows, Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows Phone, Work

In a couple of hours I will catch my flight to Chicago with the rest of the itnetx team to join Microsoft Ignite 2015. I am really looking forward to it and meet other enthusiast around Microsoft Cloud solutions and of course meeting with members of the Microsoft Product Group.

My main devices is of course the Microsoft Surface Pro 3 which I use as my 3-in-1 device, replacing my notebook, tablet and desktop using the Surface Pro 3 Docking Station. Of course it is running the latest Microsoft Windows 10 Insider Preview. Battery life I get is around 8 hours depending on what I am doing I get even some more.
As my day to day phone I use the Nokia Lumia 930, which is just a perfect device with a great camera to take picture from the place I travel to and listen to music.
Even I like the track pad of the new Surface Pro 3 Type Cover I think I am more productive using a mouse. For that I got the Microsoft Arc Touch Mouse Surface Edition.
I also got some Bose Quiet Comfort 25 Audio Headphones to listen to music. I really like them because the audio is great and they are really light and comfortable to wear and the active noise canceling works just great, especially on long flights. The integrated microphone is also pretty important to to Lync or Skype for Business calls.
When I am at a hotel and I am working or writing some blog post I love to listen to music. For that I use the Nokia MD-12 wireless Bluetooth speaker.
To get some extra power if I need it I use the Nokia DC-18 portable Micro USB Charger and a Microsoft Portable Power DC-21.
Of course I am also carrying the Microsoft Band which helps me tracks the steps I walk during Microsoft Ignite and the limited sleep I get during this event.
For presentations I got a Microsoft Mini-DisplayPort to HDMI and VGA adapter as well as the Microsoft Wireless Display Adapter which acts as a Miracast Receiver and is great for presentations.
I also carry a USB 3.0, but I don’t use a portable hard drive anymore, since I got unlimited storage space on my OneDrive using Office 365.
You might think to charge all these devices I need a lot of different power adapters, well that’s not really true. I just use power adapter of the Microsoft Surface Pro 3 which also has a USB port for charging the phone, speaker and other stuff.

I am really looking forward to Ignite and meet some of you in Chicago.

Tag: Ignite

What’s in my bag for Microsoft Ignite 2017

Speaking at Microsoft Ignite 2017

Lessons learned from deploying Windows Server 2016

What’s in my bag for Microsoft Ignite 2015

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