Wednesday, October 28, 2020

A digital workspace that transforms ideas into revenue. Subscribe now to learn more about Microsoft Teams.

Innovative ideas are an organization's greatest asset. Yet these assets need the appropriate space to grow, evolve, and transform into revenue-generating initiatives. Whether digital or physical, today's workplaces need to harness the synergy of everybody involved and empower them to share and collaborate in an environment that fosters productivity. These workplaces also need to adapt to everybody's needs and remain intuitive for the entire team, regardless of age, background, or gender. Subscribe now to stay current on the latest digital workplace trends, and discover how you can foster inclusion and innovation across your business with the help of Microsoft.

View: A digital workspace that transforms ideas into revenue. Subscribe now to learn more about Microsoft Teams.

Enable machine learning, video analytics, and the cloud to create alluring in-store experiences. Learn more about Microsoft Retail Solutions.

Insights are digital transformation's best friend. With accurate insights, you obtain a deep understanding of your environment as well as what your customers want and expect from your business. In other words, they're a key enabler for all your digital initiatives and are crucial in the development of new business opportunities. Subscribe now to stay updated on how you can leverage data-rich sources, advanced analytics, and Microsoft to improve your retail environment and enhance your customers' experiences.

View: Enable machine learning, video analytics, and the cloud to create alluring in-store experiences. Learn more about Microsoft Retail Solutions.

Enable machine learning, video analytics, and the cloud to create alluring in-store experiences. Learn more about Microsoft Retail Solutions.

Insights are digital transformation's best friend. With accurate insights, you obtain a deep understanding of your environment as well as what your customers want and expect from your business. In other words, they're a key enabler for all your digital initiatives and are crucial in the development of new business opportunities. Subscribe now to stay updated on how you can leverage data-rich sources, advanced analytics, and Microsoft to improve your retail environment and enhance your customers' experiences.

View: Enable machine learning, video analytics, and the cloud to create alluring in-store experiences. Learn more about Microsoft Retail Solutions.

The value of moving to Azure

Considering modernizing and moving your business to the cloud? You're not alone. You're also not the one thinking about security and compliance. Microsoft Azure has advanced security features and more compliance certifications than any other public cloud provider. Full back up and recovery to the cloud and built-in security features across on-premises and cloud deployments. Single sign on (SSO) for each employee, extending local user identities and permissions to the cloud. For the best in security and compliance, Microsoft Azure sits alone.

View: The value of moving to Azure

Why Microsoft Services for Modernization

Ready to move your applications to a modern cloud? The Modernization Solution from Microsoft Services provides a thorough approach to move applications, data and infrastructure to an enterprise-ready cloud. While migration requires commitment, Microsoft Services provides unparalleled guidance and support during the entire process.

View: Why Microsoft Services for Modernization

Tuesday, October 27, 2020

Ste. Michelle Wine Estates ensure business continuity with Dynamics 365

In this video, see how Ste. Michelle Wine Estates continues to prioritize the safety and well-being of its employees and customers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The company has taken numerous precautions to minimize risk and has transformed business processes to serve its customers during these difficult times. Microsoft Dynamics 365 solutions help this company stay in touch with employees, maintain facilities, meet new business requirements, and more.

Schneider Electric | How Microsoft Teams helped create a successful HR marketing campaign

Diversity is a defining characteristic of today's global workforce. With teams working on projects around the world, it's critical to have different perspectives on the work being done to ensure an inclusive final product or service that all users can relate to. To that end, Schneider Electric wanted to create a Human Resources campaign that would bolster its reputation as a company that prides itself on being diverse and recruiting the best talent from around the world. It was only appropriate, then, that during the creation of such an important campaign, the company would include as many voices as possible to ensure an adequate representation of its multi-ethnic workforce. In this video, you'll learn how Schneider Electric used Microsoft Teams to ensure constant collaboration and provide a digital workspace where ideas could be polished into final concepts. You'll also discover how even complex projects that span multiple teams across various regions can thrive when empowered with the right focus and digital tools.

Schneider Electric | How Microsoft Teams helped create a successful HR marketing campaign

Diversity is a defining characteristic of today's global workforce. With teams working on projects around the world, it's critical to have different perspectives on the work being done to ensure an inclusive final product or service that all users can relate to. To that end, Schneider Electric wanted to create a Human Resources campaign that would bolster its reputation as a company that prides itself on being diverse and recruiting the best talent from around the world. It was only appropriate, then, that during the creation of such an important campaign, the company would include as many voices as possible to ensure an adequate representation of its multi-ethnic workforce. In this video, you'll learn how Schneider Electric used Microsoft Teams to ensure constant collaboration and provide a digital workspace where ideas could be polished into final concepts. You'll also discover how even complex projects that span multiple teams across various regions can thrive when empowered with the right focus and digital tools.

Expand your service portfolio by leveraging real-time customer data. Learn more about Azure IoT.

How do you create brand loyalty? In other words, how do you make customers trust your business based on objective reasons that go beyond just brand recognition? To be fair, there is no single answer to this question, but if we've learned anything from the digital age, it's that giving your customers unwavering support and optimizing your products based on their feedback can go a long way to ensuring a business' survival. So how are today's leading enterprises gathering data to obtain accurate insights into their customers to create new products and services? And, more importantly, how can your organization learn from their success to disrupt the market and become a top player in the industry? Subscribe now to stay updated on the latest digital trends and how you can create a more connected business with Microsoft Azure IoT.

View: Expand your service portfolio by leveraging real-time customer data. Learn more about Azure IoT.

Kroger: Video analytics for action

Customizability in the retail industry can prove quite challenging. It requires tons of data, the capacity to accurately analyze said data, and the creativity to innovate based upon the results obtained. All of this must be executed while ensuring an intuitive shopping experience that maximizes available space and avoids over-saturation, both visually and physically. If this sounds complex, that's because it is—but when done properly, it can unlock a myriad of opportunities to provide your shoppers with tailor-made experiences. In this video, you'll watch how Kroger, the largest supermarket chain in the U.S., is utilizing video analytics to improve operations and create revenue-generating customer experiences.

Transform your organization with the power of Business Intelligence. Get started with Microsoft Dynamics 365.

The business landscape has changed. Thanks to integrated data platforms and IoT devices, companies are successfully extracting every byte of information from business processes and using it to empower decision makers with accurate information they can use to make strategic decisions. This is how modern enterprises are capable of predicting market trends with pinpoint accuracy or quickly adapt to those they cannot foresee, and how small and medium-sized businesses are innovating at breakneck speed to rise above the competition to claim their piece of the global market. Regardless of their size, the common takeaway is that transforming data into actionable intelligence has become the top priority of modern organizations. Subscribe now to stay updated with the latest digital transformation trends and how you can tap into your organization to unlock the power of actionable insights and business intelligence with Microsoft.

View: Transform your organization with the power of Business Intelligence. Get started with Microsoft Dynamics 365.

Customer Story: SitePro Part 2

SitePro is a software company with a mission to enable the digital oil field. In this video, discover how Microsoft Azure helps SitePro harness the power of data to drive transformation for its oil and gas company customers.

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Rolls-Royce and Microsoft collaborate to create new digital capabilities

If you've ever experienced a flight delay, you know how frustrating it can be to sit in an airplane for what seems like an eternity, especially if you have other flights to catch or someone is waiting for you at your destination. But you're not the only one negatively affected by these extended pit stops. Like any other transportation business, airlines make a profit the more their planes are in transit, and they lose millions of dollars per year to unexpected maintenance delays. Within this context, Rolls-Royce—one of the leading suppliers of aircraft engines across the world—saw an opportunity to disrupt the traditional sales model and leverage digital transformation to make flights safer while decreasing delays. Watch this video to learn how Rolls-Royce is using Microsoft Azure and IoT to obtain, analyze, and filter critical component data to ensure their engines always fly in the best condition possible and that thousands of passengers reach their destinations safe and sound every day.

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Rolls-Royce and Microsoft collaborate to create new digital capabilities

If you've ever experienced a flight delay, you know how frustrating it can be to sit in an airplane for what seems like an eternity, especially if you have other flights to catch or someone is waiting for you at your destination. But you're not the only one negatively affected by these extended pit stops. Like any other transportation business, airlines make a profit the more their planes are in transit, and they lose millions of dollars per year to unexpected maintenance delays. Within this context, Rolls-Royce—one of the leading suppliers of aircraft engines across the world—saw an opportunity to disrupt the traditional sales model and leverage digital transformation to make flights safer while decreasing delays. Watch this video to learn how Rolls-Royce is using Microsoft Azure and IoT to obtain, analyze, and filter critical component data to ensure their engines always fly in the best condition possible and that thousands of passengers reach their destinations safe and sound every day.

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Australian National University (ANU) addresses the computing demands of genome research

As scientific research becomes more and more complex, scientists need new, scalable ways to store and analyze ever-larger troves of data. They also need unprecedented amounts of raw computing power to process the data they obtain and deliver timely results that enable projects to stay on track and within budget. To ensure that their research adheres to these restraints, modern-day scientists need to increase efficiency via automation and other approaches whenever they can, wherever they can. Artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud technology give scientists the tools they need to advance research faster than ever before, get results quicker, and achieve scientific breakthroughs like never before. In this video, you'll learn how researchers at Australian National University (ANU) are using Microsoft Azure to dramatically shorten the amount of time they spend on data analysis, enabling faster publication of their cutting-edge genome research.

Seattle Seahawks play to win with smart data and intelligent insights

Every professional athlete's worst fear is a career-ending injury. And each match and training session becomes a gamble in which they risk everything to leave their name in the pages of history. Thing is, having an injury-free career is almost impossible, and as the years pass, the question becomes when they'll happen instead of if they'll happen. Such was the case of Seattle Seahawks cornerback Deshawn Shead, who in the Divisional Round of the 2016 playoffs suffered a torn ACL while playing against the Atlanta Falcons. In this video, you'll learn the compelling story of how he managed to overcome his injury thanks to the help of incredibly talented medical professionals aided by real-time data collected during his therapy sessions. After watching it, you'll gain insights into how modern sports teams are using digital tools like Microsoft Azure to complement their medical teams and ensure their athletes enjoy long, successful careers.

Monday, October 26, 2020

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Discover how you can build agile business processes and transform your organization.

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IKEA empowers and engages its Firstline Coworkers with Microsoft Teams to support more great days of serving customers

IKEA, the Swedish company reinvented the furniture business with its famous low-priced furniture that customers assemble themselves. Looking to improve retail coworkers' engagement and incorporate more environmentally conscious business practices, the company deployed Microsoft 365 to all 166,000 coworkers. Watch this video to find out how using Microsoft Teams enabled IKEA to support its sustainability efforts.

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Wednesday, October 21, 2020

Create a more-productive, self-sustaining farm. Get started with Microsoft Azure AI.

As the world's population increases, farmers need to keep up with rising demand for their crops and livestock. But with climate conditions changing and resources becoming more precious, it's critical for modern farms to seek innovative solutions that allow them to upscale their production without increasing their impact on the environment. Subscribe now to learn how digital solutions powered by Microsoft Azure can be leveraged across both large-scale and small independent farming operations to increase yields and create a more-sustainable industry.

View: Create a more-productive, self-sustaining farm. Get started with Microsoft Azure AI.

Create a more-productive, self-sustaining farm. Get started with Microsoft Azure AI.

As the world's population increases, farmers need to keep up with rising demand for their crops and livestock. But with climate conditions changing and resources becoming more precious, it's critical for modern farms to seek innovative solutions that allow them to upscale their production without increasing their impact on the environment. Subscribe now to learn how digital solutions powered by Microsoft Azure can be leveraged across both large-scale and small independent farming operations to increase yields and create a more-sustainable industry.

View: Create a more-productive, self-sustaining farm. Get started with Microsoft Azure AI.

Create a more-productive, self-sustaining farm. Get started with Microsoft Azure AI.

As the world's population increases, farmers need to keep up with rising demand for their crops and livestock. But with climate conditions changing and resources becoming more precious, it's critical for modern farms to seek innovative solutions that allow them to upscale their production without increasing their impact on the environment. Subscribe now to learn how digital solutions powered by Microsoft Azure can be leveraged across both large-scale and small independent farming operations to increase yields and create a more-sustainable industry.

View: Create a more-productive, self-sustaining farm. Get started with Microsoft Azure AI.

Microsoft pivots to digital selling to reach more customers

This blog post details how Microsoft uses Dynamics 365 to keep up with digital sales. As more customers move to digital buying, the volume of leads generated has grown exponentially. To keep up, Microsoft Digital Sales turned to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales and Sales Insights to scale for increased demand, engage customers remotely, and increase seller productivity.

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Microsoft's Teams Is Its Slack Competitor for Office 365

It's no secret that Slack has taken the corporate world by storm. This successful collaboration app has managed to find a home in the offices and laptops of startups and multinational companies thanks to its intuitive, chat-based functionality. However, today's highly fluid, complex, and remote workforce requires more than just chat-based collaboration—it needs native integration with crucial productivity apps, as well as a secure, flexible document repository that enables multi-team and project cooperation. This is where Microsoft Teams excels. In this article, you'll learn the competitive advantages of Teams over competing tools, and how Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Office 365 corporate vice president Kirk Koenigsbauer have learned from industry pain points to create a fully integrated, holistic collaboration software solution that is empowering companies to scale and expand across the world.

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Kroger's smart shelves ditch the paper, drop the lights, and delight the shoppers

Successful digital transformation initiatives are all about efficiency, customization, and complementing human ingenuity. They also strive to create more sustainable businesses, and their impact usually has disruptive, long-lasting effects that cascade across multiple industries, especially those in which processes were hard to update because of technological limitations. In the supermarket industry, for example, paper price tags, coupons, and pamphlets with weekly offers were the norm for decades. Because of this, the shopping experience was pretty much the same—until now. In this article, you'll gain insights into Kroger's Enhanced Display for Grocery Environment (EDGE) and how it leverages Microsoft Azure and IoT sensors to create a unique, personalized shopping experience for consumers—all while saving more than 1.7 billion kilowatt hours since its implementation.

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What's The Future Of Your Technology Capabilities?

Though the coronavirus situation forced a remote work model for many businesses, some have realized that it might be more ideal than returning to the traditional go-to-work model. Why? Cloud technology. In his article, "What's the Future of Your Technology Capabilities?" Gilles Muys writes that the cloud has proven it's here to stay, due to withstanding various vulnerabilities. He adds that another reason the cloud is long-term is "its ability to stand alone from being infrastructure-dependent makes it cost-effective." He points out that now is the time to transition to cost-saving technology because all signs point to increase cloud use and associated benefits. Have questions about Azure cloud migration? Contact us—we'd like to help.

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What's The Future Of Your Technology Capabilities?

Though the coronavirus situation forced a remote work model for many businesses, some have realized that it might be more ideal than returning to the traditional go-to-work model. Why? Cloud technology. In his article, "What's the Future of Your Technology Capabilities?" Gilles Muys writes that the cloud has proven it's here to stay, due to withstanding various vulnerabilities. He adds that another reason the cloud is long-term is "its ability to stand alone from being infrastructure-dependent makes it cost-effective." He points out that now is the time to transition to cost-saving technology because all signs point to increase cloud use and associated benefits. Have questions about Azure cloud migration? Contact us—we'd like to help.

Read More...

What's The Future Of Your Technology Capabilities?

Though the coronavirus situation forced a remote work model for many businesses, some have realized that it might be more ideal than returning to the traditional go-to-work model. Why? Cloud technology. In his article, "What's the Future of Your Technology Capabilities?" Gilles Muys writes that the cloud has proven it's here to stay, due to withstanding various vulnerabilities. He adds that another reason the cloud is long-term is "its ability to stand alone from being infrastructure-dependent makes it cost-effective." He points out that now is the time to transition to cost-saving technology because all signs point to increase cloud use and associated benefits. Have questions about Azure cloud migration? Contact us—we'd like to help.

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Enhance and automate the way you communicate with your customers. Learn more about bot integration for Microsoft Teams.

Your customer service teams have a lot on their plate. Not only do they have to troubleshoot problems efficiently, they must also deal with upset or worried clients while they do so. And to add another challenge, they have the added pressure of knowing that a single misstep can potentially have devastating consequences for their business' finances and reputation. Thankfully, digital transformation has equipped today's customer service teams with the technology they need to be better prepared for their next customer encounter. Now, artificial intelligence has enabled client-facing teams to come prepared with accurate data to better understand a customer's issue and solve it effectively. Subscribe now to learn how you can utilize the advanced bot integration capabilities of Microsoft Teams to enable effective communication with your clients and create outstanding customer experiences.

View: Enhance and automate the way you communicate with your customers. Learn more about bot integration for Microsoft Teams.

Tuesday, October 20, 2020

3 characteristics that define the modern workplace

Today's diverse and intergenerational workforce is most productive when it has adequate channels to collaborate in a seamless and effective way. There's a catch, however: teams are far more diverse and remote than ever before, and each organization requires its own distinct approach to digital collaboration. In other words, your workplace tools and applications must be customized based on your teams' diversity, location, and work methods. With this infographic, you'll learn about the three main characteristics that define our modern workplace and gain insight into what drives productivity and efficiency in today's organizations. After reading it, you'll have a better understanding of current trends and can keep these in mind when creating or modifying your organization's work environment.

View: 3 characteristics that define the modern workplace

3 characteristics that define the modern workplace

Today's diverse and intergenerational workforce is most productive when it has adequate channels to collaborate in a seamless and effective way. There's a catch, however: teams are far more diverse and remote than ever before, and each organization requires its own distinct approach to digital collaboration. In other words, your workplace tools and applications must be customized based on your teams' diversity, location, and work methods. With this infographic, you'll learn about the three main characteristics that define our modern workplace and gain insight into what drives productivity and efficiency in today's organizations. After reading it, you'll have a better understanding of current trends and can keep these in mind when creating or modifying your organization's work environment.

View: 3 characteristics that define the modern workplace

3 characteristics that define the modern workplace

Today's diverse and intergenerational workforce is most productive when it has adequate channels to collaborate in a seamless and effective way. There's a catch, however: teams are far more diverse and remote than ever before, and each organization requires its own distinct approach to digital collaboration. In other words, your workplace tools and applications must be customized based on your teams' diversity, location, and work methods. With this infographic, you'll learn about the three main characteristics that define our modern workplace and gain insight into what drives productivity and efficiency in today's organizations. After reading it, you'll have a better understanding of current trends and can keep these in mind when creating or modifying your organization's work environment.

View: 3 characteristics that define the modern workplace

The 'Internet of Things' Is Changing the Way We Look at the Global Product Value Chain

IoT is no longer a novelty, and still it surprises us each day with new, innovative solutions to everyday tasks. When was the last time you checked the TV for the weather, or had to download your photos to a computer so you could share them with friends or relatives? Unless you're a meteorologist or professional photographer, chances are it's been a long time since you did either of those things. Today, our devices do almost everything for us. From scheduling our appointments to letting us know when our heart rate is above or below safe levels, to everything in between. Our IoT devices truly get to know us better than we thought we knew ourselves. So why not utilize this data to create amazing experiences with the products and services we use every day? In this article, you'll learn how the IoT is helping businesses reevaluate the way they interact with their customers to create new, non-intrusive, and relevant business opportunities that are changing the way we look at the Global Product Supply Chain.

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Take advantage of three emerging technologies driving change in retail

Now, more than ever, consumers expect convenience when it comes to buying products and obtaining services. For retail businesses, this means accurately predicting what customers want before they even set foot in the store, and delivering it in a way that requires the least amount of effort on their part. Thankfully, digital has empowered retail stores with innovative tools that can deliver relevant offers while creating memorable experiences that generate great customer reviews. In this infographic, you'll learn about three emerging technologies available within Microsoft Dynamics 365 that are driving the evolution of retail experiences.

View: Take advantage of three emerging technologies driving change in retail

Tips to avoid drowning in data

With the coming of digital transformation and IoT, businesses have begun a race to obtain more data from their customers and business processes. This may seem like amazing news until you realize that out of the 7.5 septillion bytes of data produced each day, most of it provides little or no value to generate actionable intelligence that can influence or alter a company's bottom line. This means that carefully selecting and curating data is just as important as building the infrastructure needed to obtain it. Read this article to learn how collecting unnecessary data can negatively impact your business and to gain insights into how you can better filter data to enable the creation of revenue-generating opportunities.

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Cultivating successful farming for future generations

In many regions of Africa, climate change has had a profound impact on independent farmers, especially those in isolated areas who lack proper access to running water. Dry seasons are increasingly longer and rains scarcer, making maintaining crops a bigger and bigger challenge with each passing year. For these farmers, traditional methods that were handed down for generations no longer yield the results they need to feed their families, leaving them in a desperate situation. Fortunately, modern technology and digital transformation are now able to provide these farmers with the tools they need to sustain their way of life during these challenging times. In this video, you'll learn how Monica, an independent farmer in Kenya, managed to overcome hardships brought on by climate change by using sustainable energy, accurate weather data, and Microsoft Azure.

The 4 main types of secure hardware

IoT is everywhere: industries, smart cities, homes, and wearables are just a few examples. It's an everyday reality and the number of connected devices is rising rapidly. But with connectivity comes vulnerability. IoT devices present always-on targets for hackers looking to access your business' network and device cloud, gain malicious control of the device, or steal critical data. Since there are so many potential ways in which cybercriminals can hack into online devices, it's no secret that their connections to each other and the cloud need scalable and easily deployable security solutions. Read this infographic to learn about the 4 most commonly used standards for secure hardware used to protect today's devices.

View: The 4 main types of secure hardware

Azure Migration Program Customer

The buzz is constant: What are the pros and cons of migrating my business to the cloud? What will it cost? How do I join the Azure Migration Program (AMP)? It's a big jump to get to the cloud, but once you take it we are confident you will not regret it. We offer step-by-step guidance, including foundational and role-specific courses to help ensure your migration readiness. Have a look at this informational one-pager that shows how you will benefit from the AMP and answers many of your questions. There's even a "Next steps" link when you're ready for it.

View: Azure Migration Program Customer

Move to the connected AI business cloud

Not so long ago, siloed client data was the norm. Client relationship management (CRM) software was usually used by sales teams to track their meeting data, but it was often only installed in onsite computers and keeping it updated was often a multi-task endeavor. Sales and customer services teams in the field had to keep their notes in separate documents until they were able to upload them into the database. This meant that businesses were regularly using incomplete client information to make decisions and had no way of knowing if the available data truly showed the latest interactions. Thankfully, that all changed with the advent of cloud technology. In this decade, businesses empower their customer service teams with devices they can use to update their databases in real time and applications that integrate information directly into their client's profile. And in this regard, Microsoft Dynamics 365 is leading the industry with a connected AI business cloud that fosters innovation and efficiency. Read this infographic to learn about the unique aspects that make Dynamics 365 the hero brand of cloud-based business applications.

View: Move to the connected AI business cloud

ComAp: Digital Transformation of Sales

The Czech company ComAp makes control units for diesel, gas, dual fuel, and other kinds of power generators for clients all over the world. Its devices can be found in hospitals, banks, and data centers. Since its foundation in 1991, ComAp has put emphasis on readiness in providing services to its customers. The effort to be always there for its customers has become one of the company's essential values. For ComAp, digitalization of sales with Microsoft has enabled global consolidation and consistency throughout their offices.

Combi Terminal Twente accelerates shipping operations AI-trained AtBot in Teams

Customers are unforgiving, especially when their products and services are on the line. For businesses in the transportation industry, taking the time to carefully review every little detail is crucial to ensuring their customers get their goods when they need them, where they need them.Problem is, time is also money, and finding the sweet spot between efficient and quality customer service is an everyday challenge for global transport companies like Combi Terminal Twente (CTT). In this video, you'll learn how CTT is leveraging the integration capabilities of Microsoft Teams to provide global customer support powered by AtBot and give clients the ability to track their goods anytime, anywhere.

Wednesday, October 14, 2020

Don't miss another post! Subscribe now.

Businesses are amassing enormous amounts of data, more than they know what to do with. Most are just using it to put together dense periodic reports explaining "what" happened too long after the fact to be of much use. Modernizing your digital workplace by moving to Azure and utilizing its AI technology can help you get a handle on your data and graduate from "what" happened to "how" it happened and, finally, to what "will" happen to inform what you should do all within a relevant period of time.

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Microsoft Transforms its Sales Practices

As software customers become better informed through their own online research, sellers must adapt their sales practices to engage with them at the right time and with the right insights to deliver value. By adopting a relationship sales approach that encompasses social listening, customer research, and innovative technology, the Inside Sales team at Microsoft has undergone a digital transformation that drives better interactions and establishes a model from which both partners and customers benefit.

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Collaborate better with Microsoft Teams. Subscribe to learn more.

Today's global workforce relies on technology to push forward revenue-generating projects. Now more than ever, finding the correct workplace tools is becoming a crucial part of every organization's digital transformation strategy. Subscribe now to discover how Microsoft Teams is delivering tangible, scalable benefits to companies worldwide. Additionally, learn how Microsoft technologies can empower your business to become a local, regional, or global leader by driving increased efficiency and superior collaboration.

View: Collaborate better with Microsoft Teams. Subscribe to learn more.

Use digital transformation to deliver outstanding retail experiences. Learn more about Microsoft Strategic Retail Solutions.

It's no secret that modern consumers are unforgiving. But then again, never before have businesses been armed with so many options for creating exceptional experiences, and becoming more efficient organizations. Digital transformation has become the great equalizer between large and small to medium-sized retailers, and thanks to tools like Microsoft Dynamics 365, turning revenue-increasing initiatives into reality is easier than ever. Subscribe now to learn more about the digitalization of retail and how you can get started re-envisioning your business with Microsoft.

View: Use digital transformation to deliver outstanding retail experiences. Learn more about Microsoft Strategic Retail Solutions.

Use digital transformation to deliver outstanding retail experiences. Learn more about Microsoft Strategic Retail Solutions.

It's no secret that modern consumers are unforgiving. But then again, never before have businesses been armed with so many options for creating exceptional experiences, and becoming more efficient organizations. Digital transformation has become the great equalizer between large and small to medium-sized retailers, and thanks to tools like Microsoft Dynamics 365, turning revenue-increasing initiatives into reality is easier than ever. Subscribe now to learn more about the digitalization of retail and how you can get started re-envisioning your business with Microsoft.

View: Use digital transformation to deliver outstanding retail experiences. Learn more about Microsoft Strategic Retail Solutions.

12 things pop culture gets wrong about artificial intelligence

As societies and workplaces become more digitized, our culture does, too. This daily interaction with technology engenders fascination and speculation about the role devices and technological advancements will play in our societies' future. Some—if not most— of these assumptions are based on artistic portrayals of the future of technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), and they are often far from providing an accurate representation of what actually awaits us in the realm of AI and machine learning. Read this article to uncover the truth behind 12 misconceptions about AI and get a more accurate view of the present and future capabilities of this technology.

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Tuesday, October 13, 2020

Increase sales with AI-prioritized activities and cadences

Increase sales and adjust to fluctuations in demand by scaling sales resources and arming digital sellers with training/skilling and next best action enablement tools. Learn how Microsoft makes it possible. Subscribe now.

View: Increase sales with AI-prioritized activities and cadences

Start your IoT journey with industry-leading SaaS and PaaS offerings. Learn more about Microsoft Azure IoT.

Regardless of your business or industry, it's most likely that your digital transformation initiatives require a stable, secure, and flexible platform that can scale and adapt to your projected growth. You also want a flexible business partner, one that can adapt to your established methodologies and effectively complement your teams' unique strengths. Subscribe now to learn how you can leverage Microsoft Azure IoT and the Microsoft Partner Program to create growth-enabling digital transformation and long-term partnerships that drive success for your business.

View: Start your IoT journey with industry-leading SaaS and PaaS offerings. Learn more about Microsoft Azure IoT.

J. Walter Thompson creates a global collaboration hub with Microsoft technologies

J. Walter Thompson, one of the world's largest advertising and marketing firms, needed a way for its geographically dispersed teams to effortlessly collaborate, produce great work, and increase efficiency. The agency also needed its workforce to have access to the newest digital workplace technology while enabling integration with existing Microsoft Office 365 tools and applications. Watch this video to learn how Microsoft Teams empowered J. Walter Thompson to drive projects across locations by allowing it to seamlessly add members, create and share content, and deliver on the unique value proposition that the agency has been known for since 1896.

Keep your citizen and patient information secure with the power of the cloud. Learn more about Microsoft for Government.

Accurate client information is the holy grail of customer service. And it's no secret that keeping your customer service teams' data constantly updated is key to securing happier customers and brand loyalty. Less talked about, however, is the fact that people feel comfortable sharing their most intimate problems because they trust that their data is being kept safe and far away from prying eyes or cybercriminals. Subscribe now to stay updated on how the Microsoft cloud is empowering governments and health providers to keep their citizen and patient data secure while enabling their growth, trust, and digital transformation.

View: Keep your citizen and patient information secure with the power of the cloud. Learn more about Microsoft for Government.

Kroger​: Digital shelves entice customers

Some would argue that grocery shopping, price tags, and offers go hand in hand. However, traditional paper coupons and price tags are extremely inefficient. First and foremost, they're the opposite of environmentally friendly and most of them end up as unrecycled waste. Then there's the issue of production costs, which not only include the production of thousands of assets, but also the logistics of their storage and distribution. Lastly, there's the manual effort involved in changing, including, or updating hundreds of price tags across retail stores. Thankfully, digital transformation has allowed for creative and effective ways for grocery stores to leave paper behind forever. In this video, you'll learn how retail industry giant Kroger is leading the way to more efficient, impactful, and eco-friendly supermarket experiences.

How We Saved Our Culture of Collaboration: Tech Was the Means for Easing the Pain of Rapid Growth

What qualifies as a successful collaboration tool? The short (and kind of obvious) answer is: one that gets people to use it. In other words, your large investment in a new platform may have proven useless unless that platform resonates with your workforce. This is why today's leading platforms like Microsoft Teams, Slack, and Workplace by Facebook have put customization and convenience at the top of their to-do list. And it's paying off immensely, with the industry expected to reach a value of $60 billion by 2023. So what's the secret sauce behind the success and massive adoption of these platforms? Read this article to gain spot-on insights into how modern collaboration software has evolved to earn its place in the hearts—and devices—of today's millennial workforce.

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The main challenges of advanced analytics

Digital transformation has enabled businesses to reduce costs, streamline operations, embrace entirely new business models, and discover untapped revenue channels. Many of these benefits come from implementing data-driven technologies, including machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI), that transform the increasing amounts of data produced by today's organizations into useful insights that can foster new strategies. Despite the massive potential of these technologies, only 37 percent of businesses that adopt them report successful initiatives. In this infographic, you'll learn about the main challenges that modern organizations face in implementing AI and ML, and how you can overcome them by using Microsoft Azure AI.

View: The main challenges of advanced analytics

FINNING | Value of Partners in Azure Cloud Application Building

Team synergy is critical to ensuring the success of a project. But this isn't just a matter of putting people together in a project and expecting results. An active effort must be made to ensure everybody is well aware of their role, scope, and how to collaborate so that all teams can create a methodology that pushes the project forward on time and within budget. In this video, you'll learn how Finning, the world's largest Caterpillar dealer, has created a culture of collaboration with their digital transformation partner to drive successful IoT initiatives, and how they made it all possible by using Azure IoT.

SitePro Part 1

SitePro gained a competitive advantage by combining onsite sensors and data collection with online data processing and management using Microsoft Azure. As a result, they were able to provide faster and more effective service to their customers, which in turn strengthened the offerings of their customers. It's a win for everyone.

CHFT expands patient choice and care with virtual visits using Microsoft Teams

Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust in the United Kingdom has made it easier for patients to see consultants and for consultants to provide timely and personalized services in patients' homes. Using Microsoft Teams and Microsoft Bookings, clinicians at the trust can book virtual visits and consultations quickly, move them flexibly, and host them online so patients don't have to travel long distances. The trust has seen fewer missed appointments, more timely care, greater choice for patients, and lower costs. Watch this video to learn how Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust has solved all of these challenges by employing Microsoft Dynamics 365.

Monday, October 12, 2020

Ste. Michelle Wine Estates crafts luxury customer experiences with Dynamics 365 Commerce

Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, one of the largest premium wine companies in the United States, prides itself on superior consumer experiences. To unify its consumer data and provide opportunities for innovation, Ste. Michelle is deploying Microsoft Dynamics 365 Commerce across all its wine brands. The company is already seeing better mobile experiences, and it expects that by enhancing its omnichannel commerce platform, Ste. Michelle will increase sales and conversion rates, attract new business, and boost loyalty among existing consumers.

Amplify your apps with Microsoft Teams Developer Platform

Collaboration software is evolving. These days, just having chat-based capabilities is simply not enough, as anyone who's ever received nefarious "check your email" messages can relate. That's why leading enterprises are constantly striving for integration and convenience. After all, using multiple logins, juggling a dozen passwords, and getting bombarded with useless DMs is no one's idea of an efficient workspace. Today, our collaboration tools have become increasingly integrated with each other. Chat-based applications can now send files, serve as online storage for critical project management, and function as digital meeting rooms. This not only saves time, but also enables valuable reporting and management capabilities that are crucial for today's global businesses. In this infographic, you'll get familiarized with the Microsoft Teams Developer Platform and how it can be leveraged to extend the effectiveness of your existing apps as well as create new ones that maximize your teams' efforts.

View: Amplify your apps with Microsoft Teams Developer Platform

Wednesday, October 7, 2020

Themes for sales success

This infographic provides 4 key themes for sales success, including building and strengthening relationships with key prospects and engaging with the whole buying committee. It also notes that success is all about scale and cross-platform is key.

View: Themes for sales success

Save energy and resources with smart farming operations. Learn more about Microsoft Azure AI.

Growing populations require increasing amounts of food, so farmers must become as efficient as possible with the resources they have. This means leveraging every tool available to avoid fluctuations in yield output by powering farms with smart technologies that give farmers instant access to accurate data about their operations. From soil-measuring IoT devices to solar-powered irrigation, digital transformation technologies provide the modern farming industry with tools to power growth and increase sustainability worldwide. Subscribe now to learn how smart farming can lead to higher-yield, environmentally friendly operations and how you can get started with Microsoft Azure AI.

View: Save energy and resources with smart farming operations. Learn more about Microsoft Azure AI.

Gartner Forecasts Worldwide Public Cloud Revenue to Grow 17% in 2020

According to Gartner, Inc., the world's leading research and advisory company, the worldwide public cloud services is forecast to grow 17% in 2020. This is significant projected growth and a good indicator that the cloud is reliable, trustworthy—and necessary. Have a look at this report, which also forecasts infrastructure as a service (IaaS) to grow 24%--the highest growth rate across all market segments. The report attributes the growth to "the demands of modern applications and workloads, which require infrastructure that traditional data centers cannot meet." Read the press release and summarized findings here.

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The Importance of Marrying IoT to Consumer Products for Ease of Life

The number of connected IoT devices in 2017 was 27 billion, and by 2030 it's expected to grow to 125 billion. This means that the functionality and use scenarios for the IoT will continuously expand and permeate across all areas of consumer products, therefore improving the lifestyles and health of users worldwide. But exactly how are IoT devices being used in the consumer product space to increase customer satisfaction and make businesses more efficient? Read this article to gain an accurate perspective into the reach that the IoT will have in the consumer product space and how businesses will leverage IoT devices to drive innovation across the industry.

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Tuesday, October 6, 2020

Customer centricity: A key priority across all lines of business

Customer experience is expected to overtake price and product as the key brand differentiator by 2020. Get ahead of the competition now by personalizing your organization's customer experience strategy. Read the Customer Centricity e-book to learn how to unify your siloed marketing, sales, and service data into a single, intelligent 360-degree customer view by adopting a customer data platform.

View: Customer centricity: A key priority across all lines of business

Use machine learning to analyze candidate information and recruit the best talent. Learn more about Microsoft Teams.

Recruiting has evolved. Fueled by machine learning and AI, today's top recruiters are implementing a host of digital tools to not only help them locate the best talent, but also statistically identify which candidate is the best for each role. And with the expanding reach and integration available within digital collaboration software like Microsoft Teams, the odds of choosing the wrong person for an important role are fading into obscurity. Stay subscribed to learn more about Modern Workplace trends and how you can empower your recruiting teams with Microsoft.

View: Use machine learning to analyze candidate information and recruit the best talent. Learn more about Microsoft Teams.

Introducing Microsoft Teams

How do you empower great ideas across a digital workspace so that they evolve in a fluid and organic matter? This is a critical question to answer for any company with a remote workforce—and with teams growing more diverse and intergenerational every year, it's becoming increasingly complex. In this video, you'll learn how Microsoft Teams complements the already-robust applications found in Office 365. You'll also discover how both solutions together are enabling some of the world's leading companies to create frictionless digital workplace experiences for their employees.

Customer Data Platforms: Striving for a Single View of the Customer

The ability to collect, store and normalize large volumes of data while creating a way to persistently identify profiles across digital touchpoints has been the holy grail for many marketers. Traditionally, Data Management Platforms (DMPs) have been used to fulfill this role, but their reliance on anonymous IDs, the lack of personally identifiable information (PII), and their focus on paid channel optimization has led marketers to look for other alternatives. This is where Customer Data Platforms (CDPs) come into play. Thanks to their usage of known IDs, PII, and their focus on owned channel personalization, they might just provide the coordinated action across all touchpoints and channels that marketers have been seeking all along. But as more and more companies look to brand themselves as CDPs, a little research can go a long way to avoiding potential frustration and going with the wrong option. In this article, you'll learn about the CDP field as it stands today, and how to differentiate CDPs that started on the digital AdTech side from those that started on the PII MarTech side, as well as the differences in both their strengths and weaknesses.

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Kroger success story: teaser video

It's time to go grocery shopping: you've built your list—a critical requirement and pro move—and written down everything you need. Before digital transformation, you simply got into your car and drove to the supermarket of choice. But what was that choice based upon? Distance, price, product selection? Most likely it was a combination of the three, but rarely was it the uniqueness of your experience with the store's brand. In other words, if two supermarkets offered the same price ranges, product selections, and were right next to each other, most people wouldn't mind shopping at one or the other. This was an obvious problem for grocery stores. But without digital, the dynamics of grocery shopping were pretty much set in stone. In this video, you'll see how Kroger—the United States' largest supermarket by revenue and the second-largest general retailer—embraced digital transformation, and learn about their vision for using the tools available to offer new services and experiences to their customers.

The 7 properties of highly secure devices

Every day, new IoT devices are powering up around the world. Each one represents a source of insights into customer behavior and provides the data required to create and monitor impactful strategies. On the flip side, all of them also represent a possible entry point for malicious software and cybercriminals to steal sensitive business information and permanently damage an organization's reputation. To counter this threat, enterprise security has gotten increasingly elaborate and effective at creating multiple security systems depending on the property of each device and its relationship with the customer. In this infographic, you'll learn about the 7 properties that help modern IoT devices stay safe from cyber attacks and keep hackers at bay.

View: The 7 properties of highly secure devices

Keeping the Farmer and Farm Working

Without proper access to running water, farming can be a daunting task. Yet this is the reality that farmers must confront in some parts of Kenya. Such conditions severely limit their ability to increase their yields and secure a stable income for themselves and their family. To make matters more difficult, they also face the problem of a very short rainy season. This alone makes sustaining adequate water levels challenging, but it's compounded by reliance on wells for irrigation. In this video, you'll see how Monica, an independent farmer in East Africa, has leveraged digital transformation to overcome these challenges. You'll learn how IoT devices, solar energy, and Microsoft Azure can combine to sustain profitable farming operations, even in some of the harshest conditions on the planet.

Microsoft for Government: narrative, scenarios, and solutions

Public institutions provide hundreds of services, and each of them represents an opportunity to use digital to increase their efficiency and reach. But so many options can seem overwhelming, and crafting a compelling, insight-filled narrative can go a long way to effectively transmitting the real benefits that governments can experience with digital transformation. In this infographic, we'll provide you with the most common scenarios that provide opportunities for governments to go digital with Microsoft for Government. We've also included examples of impactful solutions for each scenario that have allowed public institutions to obtain outstanding results with digital. After reading it, you'll be better equipped to craft attention-grabbing pitches for all branches of government institutions including Civilian Government & Public Safety, and Defense & Intelligence.

View: Microsoft for Government: narrative, scenarios, and solutions

Learn how to modernize your apps and data on Azure

Break down the cloud journey with four stages of the process—starting with a pre-migration assessment and then looking at migration, post-migration, and optimization. Microsoft Azure has you covered with tools created specifically for you.

View: Learn how to modernize your apps and data on Azure

Microsoft Talentsoft Dior Partner Story

Few things are more challenging than having a co-worker or boss who isn't prepared for their current position. To be fair, though, recruiters have a lot resting on their shoulders and they're well aware of the importance of their role. Placing the wrong resource within a critical project can have long-lasting implications for the entire business, not to mention the investment that must be made in finding and training that person's replacement. Today, modern recruiting techniques and methods provide multiple filters to ensure a person's the right fit for a role, but they aren't always failproof. This is why leading recruiters such as Talentsoft have decided to go one step ahead and leverage digital transformation, machine learning, and cloud technology to help their clients always obtain the profile they're looking for. In this video, you'll learn how Talentsoft uses all of these technologies integrated into Microsoft Teams to help fashion industry giant Dior reach and employ the best creative talent in the world.

Microsoft Talentsoft Dior Partner Story

Few things are more challenging than having a co-worker or boss who isn't prepared for their current position. To be fair, though, recruiters have a lot resting on their shoulders and they're well aware of the importance of their role. Placing the wrong resource within a critical project can have long-lasting implications for the entire business, not to mention the investment that must be made in finding and training that person's replacement. Today, modern recruiting techniques and methods provide multiple filters to ensure a person's the right fit for a role, but they aren't always failproof. This is why leading recruiters such as Talentsoft have decided to go one step ahead and leverage digital transformation, machine learning, and cloud technology to help their clients always obtain the profile they're looking for. In this video, you'll learn how Talentsoft uses all of these technologies integrated into Microsoft Teams to help fashion industry giant Dior reach and employ the best creative talent in the world.