These are amazing and important times for organizations with the vision and need to use their data to its fullest potential. We see fantastic opportunities for the technical and business experts who can propel their companies and clients forward.
As many of you know, I've helped lead the Microsoft Data and Analytics communities in San Francisco and Silicon Valley. Thousands of data and analytics professionals have participated in our meetings, gaining valuable technical knowledge and career opportunities.
Our groups have evolved, supporting SQL Server Database and Business Intelligence tools, Microsoft Power BI, Power Platform, and Azure Data and AI. We've opened up our meetings to allow both remote and hybrid (in-person + remote) meeting formats, allowing the global Data and AI community to participate, as speakers and attendees.
As we enter 2024, and with the recent release of Microsoft Fabric, Microsoft's Intelligent Data Platform, this is the perfect time for us to update our mission, and our topics. We've spent time with Microsoft's Product Teams, and many other leading technical experts to create an amazing lineup of speakers and topics for the new year.
We hope you'll take the opportunity to pass along our information to your colleagues. There will be a lot to share, and many exciting meetings to attend - all free to our community.
Microsoft Fabric Meetups In San Francisco And Silicon Valley
San Francisco Microsoft Fabric Meetup (formerly the Bay Area Power Platform Meetup)
Meets 2nd Wednesday of each month, 7:00 pm Pacific
Silicon Valley Microsoft Fabric Meetup (formerly the Bay Area Azure and AI Meetup)
Meets 3rd Tuesday of each month, 7:00 pm Pacific
Here's a high-level diagram of Microsoft Fabric's architecture and components:
Our topics will include Microsoft Fabric architectures, best practices, case studies, and technologies. We'll also cover Fabric's open architecture, and integration with multiple clouds and data sources. We'll also talk about Fabric adoption, licensing and pricing, technical certifications and exam preparation, upcoming conferences, and announcements about who is seeking work and who is looking for talent.
As we've all read, and many of us have experienced first-hand, Microsoft has moved into a leadership position regarding Data, Analytics, and AI. Last year, Gartner ranked Microsoft a clear leader. This is the perfect time to refresh your technical skills, and learn the latest Microsoft capabilities from the experts!
Gartner's 2023 Magic Quadrant came out before the release of Microsoft Fabric. We can hardly wait to see how Fabric stacks up against the competition in 2024! Fabric includes the latest advancements across Microsoft's entire cloud data offerings, with improvements in:
- Capabilities - including AI, Data Science, and Machine Learning
- Integration
- Performance
- Security & Governance
- Cost
Ready To Jump On The Microsoft Fabric Bandwagon?
- Join each group on Meetup, in order to receive announcements about exciting new topics and speakers
- Pass this information along to those who can benefit
- Contact me about topics of interest to you, and speakers you'd like to hear
- For those of you who are reconnecting, and have been working with other technologies, or if you are in a new role or companies, let me know. It's always a pleasure to learn more about your successes, along with your challenges!
Mark Ginnebaugh is CEO of DesignMind and a Microsoft Regional Director.