Things to Look for at Microsoft Ignite

Microsoft Ignite starts on November 19^th this year. While there will be a lot of product updates and status reports on Microsoft Copilot and other Microsoft AI tools, the real benefit of this show will likely have far less to do with products and services and far more to do with the vendors and peers who are at the show.

AI is moving very rapidly, and Microsoft is still out in front plowing the field, but its primary offering is based heavily on ChatGPT, which is owned by OpenAI, a company that is having management and organizational difficulties and appears to be struggling with ethical issues. This doesn’t bode well for that platform in the long term.

As a result, here are some things I think you should focus on, whether you are attending Microsoft Ignite in person or remotely.

Where Is AI Working and Where Is It Not Working

The type of AI we are currently deploying is called generative AI. It’s a capable AI platform that’s far stronger than its predecessors, but it is not Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). This means that each implementation is highly focused. Complex tasks may need multiple AIs, adding significantly to the risk of failures and problems related to assuring the resulting solution. These AIs have to work as a team to accomplish this task, so interoperability is important. Even more important are the companies, services, and consultants you use to create your unique solution.

Talking to peers, vendors, and service providers at the show will help you get under the marketing hype to find out if anyone has done anything like what you need done. Ignite is a great event at which to network, and this network can better assure a positive outcome for your project.

Be aware that the majority of AI implementations are still failures, so making sure the foundation for the solution you want to create is solid becomes a massive priority, and a great deal of that assurance is related to whether your project is even viable. The people at the show can help with that.

Which Vendors Can Be Trusted

We are early in the AI cycle. Companies like Microsoft and NVIDIA are certainly capable. Many of you will be using OEMs and service providers to help you design and deploy your solutions, but a large number of these folks are long on promising and short on AI skills and capabilities. Most of them haven’t even deployed AI in any meaningful way internally yet, so if you hire them, they’ll be learning on your job which probably won’t end well.

An event like this provides an opportunity to determine which vendors and service providers have solid skills and which are living on marketing collateral that lacks foundation. In addition, even with vendors who are performant, given how fast demand has spiked, there is a high probability that the team you get won’t yet be up to speed, so it is important you find teams that are performant. Even with companies that appear to be capable, you might still end up with a failed project.

Which Vendors/Service Providers Can Hit the Ground Running

I learned something the hard way years ago, and that is to seek support for a project like this from someone who knows your industry, knows your company, and is an expert on the solution you want deployed. Too often, I see IT shops use a vendor they trust to do a job for which the vendor is unqualified, and that typically doesn’t end well. I’m a big fan of vendor loyalty, but I’m not a fan of anyone learning on my job.

Having been through a large disaster that resulted from using a vendor I knew and trusted but who didn’t understand the tools I wanted to use, I’ve since come to the conclusion that if you want to use a trusted vendor, you should follow their advice and expertise and use the tool they recommend. If you don’t like that tool or solution, swap out the vendor for a vetted alternative that does know that tool.

Ignite is a great place to find alternative vendors who are familiar with and have successfully deployed the solution that you concluded is best for what you want done. AI is very good when done correctly, but it is incredibly expensive. It is best to pick partners who know how to deploy it over those that do not.

Wrapping Up

There is that old saying that it takes a village to raise a child. Well, it takes a competent team that knows the tools and understands your business to successfully deploy AI. Given the newness of this technology, there are only a handful of vendors and service providers that have the qualifications to deploy what you want on your site. Using Microsoft Ignite as a way to identify who those people might be and then vetting them with peers who have used them provides a potential fast track to a successful deployment and the benefits you’ve anticipated.

Use your time at Ignite to learn not just about products but about the people and services you’ll need to deploy them successfully.