Microsoft Canada recognizes Optimus Information as winner of the 2021 Regional Cloud Solution Provider – Azure Impact Award
Vancouver, BC, Canada — July 15, 2021 – Optimus Information Inc. is proud to announce it has won the 2021 Microsoft Canada Regional Cloud Solution Provider – Azure Impact Award. These annual Canadian awards recognize Microsoft partners that have focused on bettering the lives of Canadians and demonstrated excellence in sales, marketing, skilling, innovation and implementation of customer solutions based on Microsoft technology.
Pankaj Agarwal, Managing Partner of Optimus Information said, “Optimus Information is honoured to be recognized by Microsoft. We are grateful for the opportunity to team up with Microsoft to help our clients on their cloud adoption journey.”
Microsoft Canada presented these awards in 27 categories on July 15, 2021 as part of Microsoft’s second virtual Inspire conference. Winners were selected based on the outstanding work the companies provided to their customers and community.
“We are pleased to recognize Optimus Information as this year’s recipient of the Regional Cloud Solution Provider – Azure Impact Award,” said Suzanne Gagliese, Vice President, Global Partner Solutions, Microsoft Canada. “Amid a challenging year, our partners have demonstrated dedication to innovation and customer excellence by leveraging cutting-edge solutions to solve complex business challenges and overcome disruption.”
Optimus is a leading technology consulting company providing professional and managed services in cloud migration and management, DevOps, application development and modernization, data analytics, and testing. We leverage our Microsoft gold competencies, advanced specialization for application modernization, and our global delivery model to help our customers achieve their digital transformation goals. Visit us at www.optimusinfo.com.
Optimus Information is pleased to announce that they have earned the Modernization of Web Apps to Microsoft Azure Advanced Specialization, a validation of a solution partner’s deep knowledge, extensive experience and proven expertise in migrating and modernizing production web application workloads, and managing app services in Azure.
Optimus Information is proud to be among the small group of Canadian Microsoft partners that have met the stringent criteria around customer success and staff skilling, as well as pass a third-party audit of their web workload deployment and management practices, including their ability to implement Azure App Service, are able to earn the Modernization of Web Apps in Microsoft Azure Advanced Specialization.
“We are thrilled to have earned this advanced specialization. It is reflective of the calibre of our global team, proven Azure experience, and continued partnership with Microsoft Canada.”
– Pankaj Agarwal – Managing Partner & Founder of Optimus Information
As companies look to modernize their applications and take full advantage of the benefits of the cloud, they are looking for a partner with advanced skills to assess, plan, and modernize the web app to the cloud.
To learn more about how Optimus can help you modernize your applications for the cloud, please contact us at info@optimusinfo.com
https://www.optimusinfo.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/advanced_specialization_495x400-2.jpg400495Optimus Informationhttps://www.optimusinfo.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/optimusinfologo.pngOptimus Information2021-06-11 11:11:372021-06-11 14:11:45Optimus has Earned the Modernization of Web Apps to Microsoft Azure Advanced Specialization
Microsoft Ignite hosted their second virtual conference in 2021, and had so many exciting speakers and announcements, that we thought we should dedicate an article to some Microsoft Ignite announcements. Microsoft Ignite was started in 1993 and is an annual conference of developers and IT professionals. They gather to discuss new developments in cybersecurity, AI, and Azure innovation, as well as listen to brilliant keynote speakers. Microsoft Ignite 2021 took place from March 2-4 and we want to tell you some of the most exciting projects that were shared during the event.
Microsoft Teams Update
Microsoft Teams has undergone a plethora of updates, many of which are new video call features to increase ease of meetings and functionality. “Dynamic mode” is one of those new features. It automatically adjusts to the meeting experience based on the users and content, allowing for easy transitions based on the meeting itself. “Powerpoint Live” is another one to try out! The presenter can see what the others are viewing without switching screens. This allows for virtually seamless presentations without worrying whether the right presentations are being shared or the slide is correct. Along with Powerpoint Live, Microsoft Teams now has “Presenter Mode”, which has created more options for presenters to have polished and interactive presentations. Finally, Microsoft Teams addressed a cybersecurity concern by creating “invite only meeting controls”, making sure that only the relevant people are allowed into a call.
Microsoft Power Platforms Update
Some of the other exciting Microsoft Ignite announcements have to do with Microsoft Power Platforms. The popular low-code, development platform for experienced coders and business users alike has taken companies by storm. Some of the features that experienced upgrades in 2021 are Power Apps, Power Automate, and Power Virtual Agent. Power Apps, Microsoft’s low-code program that allows everyone to build and share apps, now has offline mobile capabilities, geospatial capabilities like maps, and more. Power Automate, Microsoft’s automation platform that allows for greater productivity and secure automation, has made shared desktop flows available across organizations. And finally, Power Virtual Agent, that allows users to create their own chatbots with ease, now includes data loss prevention options as well as new topic trigger management for the chatbots. For more information on Power Platforms Updates, click here.
Azure Arc Updates
For those who haven’t heard of Azure Arc, it’s a set of technologies that innovates Azure management and services to any platform. They have also undergone extensive updates this year. Firstly, they have made it possible to run machine learning everywhere. Microsoft shares, “By using Azure Arc to extend machine learning (ML) capabilities to hybrid and multicloud environments, customers can train ML models directly where the data lives using their existing infrastructure investments. This reduces data movement while meeting security and compliance requirements.” Next, they expanded on their program by allowing users to build cloud native applications at scale, anywhere. Azure Arc enabled Kubernetes is now generally available. To learn more, read the full article from Microsoft. And finally, in collaboration with Azure Stack HCI and Azure Arc, users are able to modernize their data centres with ease. It’s a cost-efficient hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) solution, all managed through Azure. To learn more about Azure Stack HCI, click here.
Data and AI Announcements
Another exciting Microsoft Ignite announcement has to do with Azure Percept, Microsoft’s platform that simplifies the usage of Azure AI technologies on the edge. This includes Azure Cloud offerings such as AI model development, analytics, and more. The platform even includes a development kit, which comes with an intelligent camera: Azure Percept Vision. Want to learn more about this exciting product and how Microsoft is increasing accessibility? Read the full article from them here.
Additional Resources
We’ve touched on some of the updates and announcements that happened at the Microsoft Ignite Conference 2021, but we’ll share just a few more highlights in case you would like to check out additional resources.
Microsoft Virtual Training Days
If you’re interested in gaining more hard skills, taught by an experienced instructor in your language, check out Microsoft Virtual Training Days here.
Keynote Presentation by Satya Nadella
At the conference this year, Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, gave a keynote speech on Microsoft’s vision for the future of Mixed Reality. You can watch the full presentation here to learn more.
Learn about Cybersecurity
And finally, learn more about cybersecurity, compliance, identity and management in this video from the conference.
We hope that you learned something from these Microsoft Ignite announcements, and feel free to reach out to us at info@optimusifo.com with any further questions.
Microsoft provides specific tools and programs that help SaaS businesses elevate their products, reach their customers, and develop their solutions into a profitable business. Below are the top 5 Microsoft tools to grow your SaaS business.
Azure Cloud
Adopting the cloud comes with incredible advantages. SaaS businesses, in particular, can use the cloud to scale quickly and increase availability without investing in expensive hardware. In addition, since Azure cloud’s security is pre-baked, you have even less overhead to worry about. And, finally, if you have an existing Windows Server and SQL Server license with Software Assurance, then you can pay a reduced rate when you move to Azure.
If you are building a new solution, it’s tough to know what your precise needs will be. Yet,Microsoft’s Solution Workplace will guide you through this new territory and help you build your solution, take it to market, and grow your sales. After answering a few questions about your needs, the Solution Workplace provides personalized checklists and resources. Now, you have step-by-step guidance through the tasks you need to complete along the lifecycle of your new solution.
You can even collaborate in the Solution Workplace with your entire team. For example, members of your marketing or engineering team can work simultaneously on separate steps but still have visibility about the whole project as you check off completed steps.
View thistutorialfor a step-by-step guide on how to use Solution Workspace.
Access to Training
Microsoft understands how important it is to build your team’s skills on Microsoft products and to stay up-to-date on the latest tools and technology. That’s why they provide several resources that can help you access training for your team.
Training Center provides role-specific learning paths that help develop your team’s talent and skill on Microsoft products and solutions. There are a variety of learning paths provided, everything from marketer to Architect.
Microsoft Virtual Training Days also provides accelerated remote training, covering a range of technical topics for Microsoft Azure, Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Dynamics 365.
Microsoft Docs has quick starts, tutorials, API reference, and code examples for end users, developers and IT professionals.
Commercial Marketplace
One of the major benefits of working with Microsoft is being able to extend your reach to potential customers. When you are a part of the Microsoft Partner Network, you can list your solutions on Microsoft’s Commercial Marketplace, which consists of two online stores: Azure Marketplace and Microsoft AppSource. By publishing your offer on the commercial marketplace, you are able to showcase your product to4 million active users across 140+ geographies and tap into new audiences and unlock scale.
Here’s an example of an offer listing page in Azure Marketplace:
Source: Microsoft
Access to Marketing Resources
Leverage effective marketing tactics no matter the size or experience of your team.Smart Partner Marketingprovides various resources to help you differentiate your solution, provide customizable assets, and access to theirdigital marketing content on demand platform.
As a partner, you also have access toMicrosoft’s Go-to-Market services to reach more customers. Resources and tools — such as personalized consultation to guidance for marketing assets — are provided as you prepare to introduce your solutions to the right customers.
Growing your SaaS business can be challenging but leveraging these Microsoft tools can help elevate your product, skill up your team, and extend your reach to potential customers. If you need additional support, Optimus can provide support for cloud migration, cloud management, DevOps, and QA and Testing. Contact us at: info@optimusinfo.com
Just getting started? Download Microsoft’s SaaS Playbook that provides strategies for building your SaaS business, technical details about deploying your solutions, and best practices. They also include a calculator that helps discover your app’s financial potential.
https://www.optimusinfo.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/tools.png500500Jessalynn Tranhttps://www.optimusinfo.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/optimusinfologo.pngJessalynn Tran2021-01-27 12:34:532023-01-11 14:44:30Microsoft Tools to Grow Your SaaS Business
It’s strange to think that at the beginning of 2020, we had no idea of the turn the world was about to take. At the beginning, even the idea of quarantining and social distancing was confusing. Now, although it still isn’t ideal, most people have found innovative ways to connect. It’s incredible to see how many more online platforms have changed and adapted their gameplan to fit this unexpected event, but there’s one that we would especially like to spotlight: Microsoft Teams.
New Updates for Microsoft Teams:
Microsoft Teams is a collaboration platform that combines video calling, chat messages, as well as file storage. It’s been around since 2017; however, since that initial release it has evolved into a leading communication service. For more information on Microsoft Teams, click here.
In the past couple of months, the need for excellent virtual collaboration platforms has surged, and with that comes a whole host of new updates. Microsoft has addressed 3 main issues that are the most relevant right now: connection/meeting fatigue, inclusivity, and efficiency.
Connection/Meeting Fatigue:
This first point contains two subsections, the first of which is making people feel connected. While apart and lacking the traditional office environment, it’s easy to feel lonely. For those not used to working from home, there can be a sense of anxiety derived from the lack of a bustling workspace. Microsoft Teams has created Together Mode to tackle this issue. It allows AI to place occupants on the same background, therefore making it feel as if you are sitting in the same room as your colleagues. When faced with the challenges of quarantine, some may forget how important non-verbal communication and cues are. Together Mode allows people to feel united as well as brings back some of the “normal” office environment and will be coming out in August.
The second subsection is about meeting fatigue. It’s easy to get overtired and quite frankly bored during long meetings, especially if you can’t see who’s talking. Gallery Mode, another new update also being released in the next few months, optimizes shared content and allows for personalization of what is being seen. For example, it can have up to 49 people shown on a screen and then break into smaller meeting rooms. Or you can program it to switch not only to specific speakers but also shared content.
Inclusivity:
In order to keep meetings not only inclusive to larger numbers, making the tool engaging and interactive is also key. Microsoft Teams will be releasing a plethora of updates in the upcoming months, but we will highlight a few of our favourites. Live Reactions is a new feature that mimics the important role that non-verbal cues give. During a presentation or meeting, members will be able to react through emojis that update to give feedback to the speaker, and bolster support. Another exciting feature coming out later this year is live captions and speaker attribution. This will allow for ease while following along in a meeting as well as recognizing who is speaking.
Saving Time:
And thirdly, saving time and increasing efficacy of Microsoft Teams has become an increased priority. Because of the lack of a traditional workspace, it’s hard to keep track of how you spend your time during the day. To combat this, Microsoft Teams has come up with the Tasks App, in conjunction with Teams. It will allow for tasks to be added on a rolling basis, viewed on a platform, and notify other team members about what has been done. Cortana will also be added to Teams. Using AI and the Microsoft Graph, Cortana can listen to directives, dictate, and handle tasks, all through voice assistance.
Problems that the World is Facing and How Teams Can Solve Them:
Amid all this chaos, it’s important to look at what good can come out of this situation. This time has forced us to really re-assess the future of “work” and “workspaces” in their traditional sense. Why are we so confined to our office spaces? And will 9-5 hours become more flexible? Working from home and taking advantage of virtual collaboration may actually be the future. Innovative communication tools such as Microsoft Teams will not only help us connect with each other from a distance, but also build a future that may be more creative and effective than the status quo.
https://www.optimusinfo.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/microsoft-teams-compliance.compressed.jpg10801920Malika Agarwalhttps://www.optimusinfo.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/optimusinfologo.pngMalika Agarwal2020-08-10 15:58:032020-08-24 20:38:23Reimagining Virtual Collaboration: Exciting Updates to Microsoft Teams
Microsoft’s Project Natick at the launch site in the city of Stromness. (Photography by Scott Eklund/Red Box Pictures)
With the material world being geared increasingly towards understanding climate change and carbon footprints, we often forget that the digital world contributes to fossil fuel emissions as well. Looking at the trends of today, we can predict that digital consumption will only increase over time, therefore adding to the carbon footprint of these companies. How are different cloud providers dealing with this issue? Let’s look at Microsoft.
Microsoft, one of the Big Three cloud providers, has brought 2 plans to the climate change table: one to reduce the company’s carbon footprint to allow for a “greener” cloud, and the other to implement underwater data centers powered by renewable energy. Seems like a lot to process? Let’s break it down.
Microsoft’s new “Green Plan” outlines how their data centres will run on 60% renewable energy by 2020. At the end of 2018, 50% of the company’s energy was renewable and carbon neutral. Wanting to cut their carbon emissions by 75% by the end of 2030, the company has implemented an internal “carbon tax” for business divisions. Taking tangible steps to reduce the effect of the buildings and resources used in the past, they are also redesigning their campuses into carbon neutral havens. Although Apple, Google, Amazon and the likes are all rapidly moving in the same direction, a great victory for companies of such large proportions, Microsoft will be the first company to reach a campus of zero-carbon and zero-waste goals.
What Does This Mean for the Future?
It doesn’t mean being satisfied with what they have done so far. Being at the forefront of technological innovation, one of the most remarkable stories of the digital age proves to be Microsoft’s “underwater data centers”.
Image by Frank Betermin/Naval Group
In the testing stages now, these centers are quick to deploy, and could provide internet connectivity for many years to come. Imagine a 40 foot long data pod, sleekly dropped into the depths of the ocean off the Coast of Scotland. Seems like something out of your sci-fi novel dreams? We agree. Not only is the concept of this data center a force to be reckoned with, but the implementation of this idea could also allow for ways of delivering AI applications and gaming content to end users. Operating without maintenance for 5 years, the pod’s cooling system uses ocean water, sustainably managing itself.
Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella, says “Since 50 percent of the world’s population lives close to water bodies, we think this is the way we want to think about future data center regions and expansion”. Data centers are now the backbone of the world. Rather than keeping them in tightly stored boxes lining facilities, Microsoft wants to integrate them into the natural world, and use this sustainable energy to help them get there. Using submarine technology and applying this research, Microsoft is tangibly changing the way that we look at storing data. The whole process of creating one of these underwater data centers took a total of 90 days as compared to the usual 2 years of production time. This would allow the company to react to demand without facing shortages. The Azure Cloud platform is becoming the computer of the world, and the world is Microsoft’s literal oyster.
https://www.optimusinfo.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Microsoft-Green-Plan.jpg10801920Malika Agarwalhttps://www.optimusinfo.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/optimusinfologo.pngMalika Agarwal2020-03-19 13:19:322020-08-24 20:40:04The Greenest Cloud: Looking at Microsoft’s New Green Plan
Microsoft Cloud Services has been a core contributor to the growth and development of numerous Canadian organizations and is steadily making more investments in Canadian Cloud. Recently announcing their first Canadian Azure Availability Zone in the Azure Canada Central region and an Azure ExpressRoute in Vancouver, this expansion will provide Canadian businesses greater access to new innovations to accelerate their development.
An Availability Zone consists of one or more data centres equipped with independent power, cooling, and networking. Microsoft says it’s the only cloud provider in Canada to offer Availability Zones and disaster recovery with in-country data residency. In addition, this will be the largest expansion of its Canadian-based cloud computing infrastructure since the launch of the first data centre in Canada in 2016. According to Microsoft, this expansion will increase computing capacity by an incredible 1300%.
While Azure ExpressRoutes already exists in Toronto, Montreal, and Quebec City, this is an important investment for the West Coast. A service that primarily provides a private connection between an organization’s on-premises infrastructure and Microsoft Azure data centre, Azure ExpressRoutes provides more reliability, speed, and lower latency for users. Organizations in Vancouver will now have a secure network connection into Azure without having to cross the country.
The new Azure Availability Zones and ExpressRoute services are set to go live by the end of March.
https://www.optimusinfo.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/CanadianCloud-copy.png5851000Optimus Informationhttps://www.optimusinfo.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/optimusinfologo.pngOptimus Information2020-01-24 10:37:432020-07-07 11:15:06Microsoft Makes a Significant Investment in Canadian Cloud
If you are looking for automated testing for any of your applications and would like to integrate it with your Azure DevOps infrastructure, Optimus Information has a “ready to deploy” Test Automation solution for you.
Our Azure DevOps based test automation solution uses the latest Azure CI/CD features and offers the following functionalities:
1. Configure automated test cycles using Azure DevOps
2. Schedule and execute Web UI and REST API test scripts on cloud using Azure VMs
Self-serviced virtual machines and PaaS resources for testing using Azure DevTest labs
Supports automated test scripts developed in Java or C# using Selenium WebDriver, REST Assured and RestSharp
3. Distribution of apps to beta testers and your collaborators with Azure App Center
Selection from a large variety of test devices using the App Center Test Cloud
Supports popular frameworks like Xamarin.UITest, Appium, XCUI Test etc.
4. Test result reporting and logging with screen shots and 6 month data retention with App Center
Support for notification over mail or other communication tools like Slack
5. Data persistence support using AzureSQL service
6. Integration with PowerBI Embedded for reporting and analytics
7. Built in test script source code management using Azure DevOps
Supports integration with third party Git providers like Github if required
8. Built in test case management for test plans using Azure Test Plans
Custom integration possible with other tools like TestLink where supported
9. Concurrent execution
10. Ability to start automated testing in short time frame with expense control
Cloud is important to our customers. The Optimus test automation framework on Azure makes it possible for our customers to seamlessly integrate test automation into their cloud-based development as well as their test and production environments. Contact us to get a more in-depth look to to get a demonstration.
All product and company names are trademarks™ or registered® trademarks of their respective holders. Use of them does not imply any affiliation with or endorsement by them.
https://www.optimusinfo.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Automated-Testing-Solution-on-Azure-2-e1554082144564.png513892Optimus Informationhttps://www.optimusinfo.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/optimusinfologo.pngOptimus Information2019-03-31 19:03:392019-03-31 19:03:41Automated Testing on Azure DevOps
