IT professional's guide to Azure Infrastructure at Microsoft Ignite 2023

Keynotes

Microsoft Ignite opening
Wed, November 15 | 9:00 AM - 9:45 AM PST
Satya Nadella will share how Microsoft is creating new opportunity across our platforms in this new era of AI.

AI transformation for your organization with the Microsoft Cloud
Thu, November 16 | 9:00 AM - 10:15 AM PST
Scott Guthrie and other leaders will share how the Microsoft Cloud is uniquely positioned to help our customers transform by building AI solutions and unlocking data insights using the same platform and services that power all of Microsoft’s comprehensive solutions.

Azure Infrastructure Breakout Sessions

BRK245H: What's new and what's next with Azure IaaS
Speakers: Aaron Blasius, Aung Oo, Fulvio Marsigila, Ashish Agrawal, Alessia Dadone
Wednesday, November 15 | 11:45 AM-12:30 PM PST
Join the conversation as we present the latest Azure IaaS innovations across compute, storage, and networking. Learn how you can increase workload scalability and performance while reducing costs with the latest additions to the Azure portfolio. Gain insights into risk mitigation through confidential computing. See how you can increase the security and resiliency of your Linux applications and drive innovation with Azure. Experience the latest capabilities in action.

BRK243HG: Do More with Windows Server and SQL Server on Azure
Speakers: Bob Ward, Jeff Woolsey, Janine Patrick
Wednesday, November 15 | 2:45 PM-3:30 PM PST
Join us to learn how you can reap more technical and business benefits by running Windows Server and SQL Server on Azure. You’ll hear how Azure provides optimal cost benefits, performance, and security for these workloads. Get tips and demos, and explore how you can extend Azure innovations to your hybrid and multicloud environments with Azure Arc.

BRK242H: Migrate to Innovate: Be AI-ready, secure, and optimize operations
Speakers: Kiran Madnani, Ravi Sudhakar Kambhampati, Safeena Begum
Wednesday, November 15 | 4:00 PM-4:45 PM PST
An immersive session for IT practitioners on how to migrate to Azure! Join us for practical steps, demos, and guidance on how migrating to Azure can accelerate the impact of AI in your organization. Learn how you can enhance security and optimize operations in the cloud, and take the first step into Azure with Azure Migrate.

BRK244HG: Simplifying cloud operations with the Azure Portal
Speakers: Matt Winkler, Cameron King
Thursday, November 16 | 1:30 PM - 2:15 PM PST
The demands to design, operate, optimize and troubleshoot cloud infrastructure and applications are growing rapidly in scale, capability, and complexity.  In this session, learn about the next generation of capabilities in the Azure Portal to generate new insights, discover new functionality, and simplify operations across your entire Azure portfolio.

BRK247H: Design cloud to edge architecture patterns with Azure Arc
Speakers: Dominic Clements, Jonathan Hathaway, Lior Kamrat, Megha Tiwari
Thursday, November 16 | 2:45 PM - 3:30 PM PST
Join us in a demo heavy session to learn how to architect, deploy and operate applications and infrastructure across cloud and edge. See how to use Azure operations and management tools to improve your Windows and Linux workloads wherever they are. We'll demo how to create deployment and data pipelines for Kubernetes anywhere - transforming physical operations of critical infrastructure. You’ll also get an early look at how we’re shaping AI in Azure as we enter a world of AI-enhanced ops.

BRK246H: Unlock AI innovation with Azure AI Infrastructure​
Speakers: Nidhi Chappell, Patrick Gates, Ian Buck, David Luan
Thursday, November 16 | 5:15 PM - 6:00 PM PST
Advancements in AI infrastructure is at the heart of the generative AI revolution. In this session, learn how to build and orchestrate Azure clusters based on GPU accelerated VMs, giving you the performance needed for AI model training and inference. We will demonstrate integration with Azure’s AI portfolio including Azure Machine Learning and 3rd party ML solutions and showcase where Microsoft and our customers have unlocked new AI innovation based on Azure’s leading AI infrastructure. 

BRK241: Migrate Oracle workloads to Azure
Speakers: Brett Tanzer, Ravi Turlapati, Kalyan Kaki
Friday, November 17 | 10:15 AM-11:00 AM PST
Gain a practical, technical overview of best practices for migrating and operating your Oracle databases and related applications in Azure.

We will present solution architectures, deployment methodologies, BC/DR strategies and TCO optimization. We will also share some exciting product developments including the new Oracle Database@Azure and demos.

BRK248: How Microsoft IT uses Azure to run a modern SAP environment
Speakers: Fred Huet, Ramakrishna Ramadurgam
Friday, November 17 | 09:00 AM - 09:45 AM PST
Microsoft relies heavily on its internal SAP systems to manage critical business processes. Join top experts from within Microsoft's IT organization to learn how to optimize your SAP implementation on Azure. Discover how Microsoft implements, uses, and manages integrated SAP and Microsoft technology on Azure, their experience with running RISE, and their plans for future innovation.

Azure Infrastructure Discussion Sessions

DIS641H: AI Workloads Unleashed: Boost Efficiency with CPU-Based Infrastructure
Speakers: Andy Chan, Manash Goswami, Bruce Moxon, Jesse Lopez
Wed, November 15  | 11:45 AM - 12:30 PM PST
Discover a game-changing perspective in AI infrastructure with AI Workloads Unleashed. In this session, learn how harnessing CPU-centric approaches can revolutionize your AI workload spending. Explore cost-effective strategies that maximize efficiency without compromising performance, and gain insights into leveraging modern CPU technologies for unprecedented returns on your AI investment.

DIS642H: Ask our migration experts about migrating data to Azure Storage
Speakers: Fabian Uhse, Kiran Cherukuwada, Karl Rautenstrauch, Akshay Agrawal
Wed, November 15  | 1:30 PM - 2:15 PM PST
Discover how to seamlessly migrate from on-premises to Azure Storage. Join us to learn how to take advantage of the Storage Migration program and choose the best migration tooling for your needs. We will discuss best practices and demonstrate tools to help you assess your on-premises storage environment, automate the migration to one or more Azure Storage services, and enable policy-based tiering to manage the cost of your data over its lifecycle.

DIS643H: Exploring Azure VMware Solution: Insights and Strategies for Success
Speakers: Amy Colyer, Markus Hain, Liam Sosinsky
Wed, November 15 | 2:45 PM - 3:30 PM PST
Join us for an engaging conversation where we’ll delve into the crucial aspects of deploying, securing, and operating Azure VMware Solution (AVS). We’ll share best practices on planning your migration and what common mistakes to avoid in order to ensure a smooth transition. We invite you to share your thoughts and experiences on maintaining operational consistency, such as utilizing familiar VMware tools and interfaces, and leveraging Azure management services for monitoring and automation.

DIS644H: Getting the most out of Red Hat workloads on Azure
Speakers: Aaron Isom, Campbell Vertesi, Jim Zimmerman, Ron Abellera, Garima Singh
Wed, November 15  | 4:00 PM - 4:45 PM PST
Join this interactive session with Microsoft and Red Hat experts to get your questions answered on anything related to Red Hat on Azure. Discuss topics like CentOS Linux migration, running cloud workloads and applications on Red Hat Enterprise Linux, confidential VMs, managing hybrid cloud with Azure Arc, and more!

DIS645H: Leveraging AI to manage your workloads with new Azure management tools
Speakers: Joe Hallock, Matt Winkler, Ruhiyyih Mahalati, Bharadwaj Radhakrishna
Thu, November 16  | 2:45 PM - 3:30 PM PST [In Person Only]
Join this interactive session to learn how you can infuse the power of AI to manage your infrastructure with new Azure management tools. Discuss topics that are critical to your IT management needs and explore how new Azure management tools can generate specific answers and suggestions for users of any technical level.

DIS646H: Powering Up with PowerShell 7: Open-Source Community and Enhancements
Speakers: Michael Greene, Steve Lee, Steven Bucher, Jason Helmick
Thu, November 16  | 5:15 PM - 6:00 PM PST
Join us for an engaging session that dives into everything PowerShell! In this discussion, we will explore the exciting advancements with PowerShell and cover what makes a great open-source community.

DIS647H: Securely operate and manage your estate with Azure Policy and more
Speakers: Kemley Nieva, Neha Kulkarni, Ryan Willis, Jodi Boone
Thu, November 16 |  4:00 PM - 4:45 PM PST
Join us in reimagining your at-scale cloud management and governance process. Our discussion will feature Azure Policy platform enhancements, a deep dive into gradual deployment best practices, and declarative configuration management. Come learn and review how to securely govern your Azure, hybrid, and multi-cloud resources through interactive conversations and practical demonstrations.

DIS648H: Optimize your Azure investment through FinOps
Speakers: JR Storment, Michael Flanakin, Tanuja Shah, Evelyn Padrino Espiga
Thu, November 16  | 1:30 PM - 2:15 PM PST
Join us for an engaging discussion about how FinOps best practices not only help you manage your cloud spend, but ultimately enable modernization and innovation in the cloud. Find out how Microsoft FinOps solutions can help you manage cloud costs and optimize Azure resources so you can facilitate a culture of continuous improvement in your organization. Bring your questions and together we’ll discuss strategies for running secure, reliable and sustainable workloads in a cost-efficient manner.