MS Ignite 2021: Microsoft Touts Tools for Cognitive Search & Mixed Reality

Microsoft kicked off its 2021 Ignite Opens a new window conference by launching several AI-powered features to support its solutions stack. From empowering hybrid workplaces with powerful collaboration tools added to Microsoft Teams, merging Dynamic 365 with Teams, to debuting its mixed reality capabilities through Mesh, the Redmond giant left no stones unturned to tout its leadership in the cloud computing space.

The COVID-19 pandemic opened up new opportunities for software solution providers who beefed up their collaboration solutions stack with new features to meet customers’ remote-working needs. Microsoft jumped into the fray with Azure-powered cloud computing services, Teams, Dynamic 365, and other solutions to stay ahead of the pack. MS Ignite, the Redmond giant’s latest digital conference, has allowed it to showcase its latest wares as businesses prepare for another year of uncertainty brought about by the pandemic.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella kicked off Ignite 2021 with a renewed push towards next-gen cloud innovation, focusing on key attributes such as ubiquitous and decentralized computing,  sovereign data and ambient intelligence,  empowering creators and communities everywhere and expanding economic opportunity for every member of the global workforce. 

During the three-day virtual event, Microsoft demonstrated its renewed focus on innovation by unveiling a flurry of Azure-powered and AI-powered features for its market-leading products.

Here’s a list of the key announcements.

Learn More: Microsoft Goes Beyond Augmented Reality With Mesh, Its First Mixed Reality Platform

Mixed Reality Powered by Microsoft Mesh

At Ignite, Microsoft unveiled its newest hologram-based mixed-reality communication platform dubbed Microsoft Mesh. Several hosts and attendees were teleported to the event in their holographic avatars, allowing them to transcend the boundaries of space and time. You can read more about it here.

Hybrid Workplace with Microsoft Teams and Dynamic 365

To enable efficient team collaboration for remote workers, Microsoft Teams received a wide range of updates and additions that also support various business solutions it offers. Along with custom registrations, enhanced host control and improved presentation options, Teams webinar capabilities have now become more interactive. By the end of the year, Teams will also seamlessly scale to deliver a 20,000-person webinar experience.

The new integration between Teams and Dynamic 365 will enable users to hold meetings, continue calls, access messages and content on both platforms without switching back and forth. Taking the collaboration of these two platforms to the next and an improved level, Microsoft is enabling users to access real-time customer journey and create a customized experience through intelligent analysis of attendee and client data. This will help enterprises to convert event attendees to loyal customers.

Some of the other features added to Teams for seamless and efficient meetings are:

• • Microsoft Team Connect, with built-in privacy, to enable communication through inner and outer channels of an organization.
  •  Microsoft PowerPoint Live allows the presenter and attendees to utilize resources like notes and meeting chats in a unified view along with customized navigation of the slides.
  • Dynamic View to automatically adjust the layout of a Teams Meeting as attendees join, initiate video, or begin to speak or present.
  • Teams hardware in partnership with Yealink and EPOS that identify different voices and offer meeting transcripts.

Power Platform Updates

To support its vision of democratizing app development, the Redmond tech giant rolled out a slew of updates to its Power Platform.

• • Power Automate Desktop is now free for all Windows 10 users, bringing low-code RPA automation capabilities to on-prem and local desktop environments. Users can automate tasks in frequently-used applications such as Outlook, Excel, OneNote, SharePoint and more.
  • Microsoft Power Fx, based on Excel is an open-source language that allows expression of logic without traditional coding skills.
  • Power BI Premium now allows businesses to leverage AI to analyze and visualize data and create end-to-end data platforms through simple drag and drops.

Learn More: What’s New in Microsoft Teams: 6 Highlights From Ignite 2020

Azure Updates

Microsoft’s major services and applications are powered by its cloud computing platform Azure. At Ignite, the company announced several new features in Azure AI and Azure Data platforms for the benefit of developers, data engineers, and all other IT professionals. These were:

• •  Azure Percept – a new portfolio of hardware and services designed to enable AI-driven, real-time insights at the edge.
  • Azure Cognitive Search, an AI-powered cloud search service enabling developers to use the platform to deliver results based on user intent instead of a simple keyword-based searching approach.
  • Azure Cognitive Service Form Recognizer will now support prebuilt identification documents and invoice extraction in 64 additional languages.
  • Azure Synapse Pathway, Azure Stream Analytics, Azure Purview, and Azure Cosmos DB also received several updates. 

Aside from these, Microsoft also announced several additions to OneDrive, Azure Developer ecosystem, Azure datacenters, infrastructure, and more. At Ignite 2021, Microsoft stressed on leveraging cloud, AI on edge computing, mixed reality and better security services for post-pandemic hybrid workplaces and business needs.

Do you think Microsoft’s latest features will boost the adoption of Teams this year? Comment below or let us know on LinkedInOpens a new window , TwitterOpens a new window , or FacebookOpens a new window . We’d love to hear from you!