Microsoft Ignite 2017 | Who to see and follow

Fall is here and with it some exciting events. Both Microsoft Ignite and Zoomtopia happen this month and we couldn’t be more excited! We want to cover the where, what, and why of each event so you know what you need to see!

In this post, we’ll cover Microsoft Ignite but be on the lookout for our Zoomtopia post coming soon.

 Microsoft Ignite | September 25-29 | Orlando, Florida

Are you ready to ignite your passion for Microsoft (sorry but not sorry for that pun)? Microsoft Ignite is the place for in-depth technical news, ideas, and product announcements and it’s right around the corner. Whether you’re going to Orlando or watching from your Twitter feed, here are some people to see and hear.

Speakers

While we can’t list ALL of the Ignite speakers (we’d love to highlight them all), we did want to include the 3 we’re most excited about hearing.

Psst…Want to learn more? See a full list of speakers here.

Paula Januszkiewicz | CEO, Security Expert, CQURE Inc.

In a world where cyber security is under more threats and on more people’s minds, Paula brings her expertise and excellent public speaking skills to Ignite. As Enterprise Security MVP, CEO and Founder of CQURE, Paula has years of speaking, testing, and professional experience that she brings to the speaker podium. Not only is she a wonderful source for cyber security knowledge but she is also an outstanding advocate for women in tech.

Be sure to check her out on Twitter.

Satya Nadella | CEO, Microsoft

If you’re going to attend Ignite, you may already have a passion for what Microsoft is doing. There is no better representative of the present and future of MS than its CEO, Satya Nadella. With experience in cloud and mobile dev, and IoT, he’s sure to have some pretty interesting things to say about Microsoft and the industry as a whole.

Follow him on Twitter.

Jeremy Chapman | Director, IT Pro Community & Events, Microsoft

At heart, we’re all a bunch of software and IT nerds (and proud of it) so we would be remiss if Jeremy didn’t appear on our list. As a system admin and deployment expert, Jeremy has worked with Systems Center, Windows Server, Windows clients, Microsoft Mechanics, Office 365, Azure, EMS, and devices. So, strap in and get ready to hear a pro speak your IT love language.

You can find him on Twitter, too.

Twitter Accounts

For those of us who can’t travel to the land of Mickey Mouse, there are some Twitter accounts that will help you defeat FOMO and stay in the loop:

Microsoft Ignite: Obviously, the event’s official Twitter will help you navigate the event with last minute updates, announcements, and more!

SharePoint Monkey: Yes, yes, it’s the account of a fictional monkey but the information is very real! A tongue and cheek account by the folks at Microsoft’s SharePoint has promised to provide details of the event so you can go bananas (we can’t help ourselves)!

Julia White: Microsoft’s Corporate VP has 14,000 followers and is always ready to spread the good word about the company. Be sure to follow her for some inside info about the event.

Vyopta: If you don’t already follow us, now is a good time to do it! We try our best to provide comprehensive event coverage, UC&C news, and product updates.

What we’re excited about:

Skype for Business! There have been rumors abound that a big Skype for Business announcement will be happening at this year’s event. Speculations are abound but what will it be? We can’t wait to hear, either.

Did someone say parties? We didn’t but we think we heard SOMEONE say something about parties…a little birdy told us that there’s a Twitter account JUST for info on events and parties for Ignite. Check it out here at SPC Party Patrol.

Do you have speakers and Twitter accounts that you want to share? Be sure to let us know on social or in the comments!