MN365 Fall Workshop Day 2025
Additional registration required - https://www.communitydays.org/event/2025-11-07/mn-m365-15th-bi-annual-fall-workshop-day#home The audience of our workshop day focuses on all the M365 stakeholders within organizations including: administrators, architects, engineers, operations, power users, citizen developers, and more. The event is scheduled for Friday, Nov 7, 2025, meeting in person at the Microsoft Innovation Hub, formerly MTC, in Edina, MN. This all-day event runs from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm central time and will feature workshops focused on Security/Compliance, Administration, Adoption, Automation, AI, and Collaboration. Each workshop will be 2 hours and 45 minutes in length, true in-depth workshop knowledge. Our Workshop Days are held bi-annually in the Spring and Fall to create a place for in-depth knowledge sharing from expert speakers around the world including Microsoft MVP's, Microsoft Regional Directors, Microsoft Product Managers and Engineers, and many subject matter experts focused on Microsoft Teams and M365.Join Us for DIB Day: Integrate Your SaaS Offering into Microsoft’s Government Cloud Ecosystem
June 3, 2025 | Microsoft Burlington, MA + Virtual | 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM ET Microsoft invites you to DIB Day, a full-day hybrid event focused on helping Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) and SaaS providers integrate into Microsoft’s Azure Government, Secret, and Top Secret clouds, as well as Office 365 Government (GCC and GCC High) environments. This event is ideal for solution providers aiming to serve the Defense Industrial Base (DIB) or broader U.S. public sector customers. Join us to gain insight into navigating compliance frameworks, scaling in secure cloud environments, and unlocking new federal market opportunities. What You’ll Learn: How to meet critical compliance requirements: CMMC, FedRAMP, DoD frameworks, and more Building inheritable control sets for your offering Updates on Microsoft Azure VMware, OpenAI, and Marketplace onboarding Real-world guidance from early adopters, federal cloud leaders, and compliance experts Speakers: Saif Rahman CEO, Quzara Saif Rahman is the CEO of Quzara, a leader in cybersecurity and compliance advisory services. With deep expertise in FedRAMP and CMMC, Saif has guided Quzara's MDR service, Cybertorch, to become a trusted solution in federal and defense sectors. He has also helped various companies navigate complex compliance processes. Saif is well-versed and respected in DIB, Defense, and Federal compliance. Keith Olinger General Manager, Azure Customer Success Microsoft Software & Digital Platforms Keith Olinger is a General Manager of Azure Customer Success for Microsoft Software & Digital Platforms, where he oversees the success of customers transitioning to the Azure Cloud. With a career at Microsoft spanning over 28 years, Keith has held various leadership roles, including Azure Solution Area Lead and Senior Director in the Public Sector Federal and State & Local Government spaces. Before joining Microsoft in 1996, Keith founded and led a technology and business consulting firm serving as its Founder, President and CEO for 10 years. He holds an MBA from DePaul University’s Kellstadt Graduate School of Business and a BS in Computer Science & Economics from Eastern Illinois University. Keith is also actively involved in charitable work, having served on the Borad of Cal’s All-star Angels. He also coached Premier level College Preparatory travel girls fast pitch softball. David Jenkins Principal Software Engineering Manager David Jenkins is a Principal Engineering Manager for AI Core products in Microsoft's airgap clouds, where he oversees AOAI, Azure ML, Azure Search, Translator, and other AI services. He focuses on integrating the latest AI technologies into the airgap space and works closely with customers to ensure their AI needs are met with Microsoft Azure. Prior to joining Microsoft, David spent 10 years as a Department of Defense civilian, leading the development of analytic hosting platforms. His experience in both the public and private sectors helps him effectively deploy advanced AI solutions to meet the demands of mission. Challen Parker Principal Technical Product Manager Challen Parker is the Principal Technical Program Manager for Azure OpenAI in the Azure Government clouds including both sovereign and airgap clouds. Challen leads product management for Azure OpenAI in these clouds including feature and model availability. With over 5 years at Microsoft, 20 years as a Systems Integrator for the US Government, and prior service as a Naval Nuclear Engineer, Challen brings a wealth of experience and expertise to delivering Microsoft's key AI services to the Azure Government clouds. Victoria Yan Pillitteri Manager, Security Engineering and Risk Management Group Ms. Victoria Yan Pillitteri is a supervisory computer scientist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), where she manages the Security Engineering and Risk Management Group and leads the Risk Management Framework team and FISMA Implementation Project. She develops federal cybersecurity risk management guidance and fosters collaboration across public and private sectors. Pillitteri also heads the Joint Task Force working group—partnering with the Department of Defense, Intelligence Community, and Civilian Agencies—and co-chairs the Federal Cybersecurity and Privacy Professionals Forum. Her past work includes contributions to smart grid cybersecurity, the NIST Cybersecurity and Privacy Frameworks, and service as a program analyst. She holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Maryland, an M.S. in Computer Science from The George Washington University, and has completed executive leadership programs at American University and OPM. She is also a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP). AJ Malik Director of Compliance Advisory AJ Malik is the Director of Security & Compliance Advisory at Quzara, with extensive expertise in regulatory compliance and cybersecurity. He has guided numerous organizations through compliance journeys and security enhancements. Matt Nevans Senior Cloud Strategist Matt Nevans is a transformative technology enthusiast with over 20 years of experience in cloud and infrastructure design, specializing in enterprise and government sectors. Currently serving as a Senior Cloud Strategist at Planet Technologies, Matt leverages his extensive knowledge to deliver innovative solutions for complex architecture and cybersecurity challenges. He is dedicated to empowering organizations within the Defense Industrial Base (DIB) and the Department of Defense (DoD) by utilizing the Microsoft security stack. Matt's career is marked by his ability to translate technical jargon into understandable concepts, making him a valuable asset in driving digital transformation and secure cloud adoption. Melbourne Morgan DIR SPECIALIST GBB Americas Azure Infra Sales – US Melbourne Morgan is a seasoned expert in program management, cloud enablement, and enterprise transformation, boasting over 27 years of experience. As the Director of Advance Migrations for Azure VMware Solutions at Microsoft, he leads high-impact cloud adoption initiatives, driving innovation and business value. Melbourne's career includes leadership roles at Google Cloud, Amazon Web Services (AWS), and IBM, where he managed multi-million-dollar cloud transformation programs and led teams across multiple regions. His commitment to scalable architectures, operational excellence, and a customer-first mindset has helped numerous organizations unlock the full potential of the cloud. Jim Ford Director of Federal Partner Solutions at Microsoft Federal Jim Ford is the Director of Federal Partner Solutions at Microsoft Federal. With a distinguished 20-year military career as a Navy Intelligence Officer, including time with the Special Operations Command, Jim has a deep understanding of national security and defense intelligence. Prior to his current role, he served as the President and Chief Strategy Officer at Semantic AI, where he drove significant revenue growth and integrated advanced AI technologies into the company's flagship platform. Jim's extensive experience at Microsoft includes roles as an Industry Solution Executive and Azure Specialist, where he led digital transformation initiatives and developed strategic partnerships. In addition to his professional achievements, Jim is passionate about personal AI coding projects, continually exploring innovative solutions to enhance his daily life with advanced technology. Troy Arwine Sr. Architect - Aerospace & Commercial Defense team Troy Arwine is a visionary IT leader and Sr. Architect for Microsoft’s Aerospace & Commercial Defense team out of Pensacola, FL. Troy has more than 28 years of experience engineering secure IT systems in complex hybrid environments with experience ensuring compliance with NIST and other government regulations, leading cybersecurity and incident response for commercial and government agencies, and developing advanced solutions to support government missions for U.S. defense and national security. Troy has also contributed to numerous Microsoft security whitepapers and supported responses to government leaders on how industry can help address complex strategic national security issues including the GAO Weapons System Cyberecurity report and SECNAV’s Cybersecurity Readiness Review. Troy is a member of the National Defense Information Sharing and Analysis Center (ND-ISAC) for the Defense Industrial Base (DIB) and is a regular public speaker at industry conferences, and a recognized expert on cloud security architecture. Troy has a passion for technology that enhance cyber and physical security and inventor of a patent at Microsoft that could be leveraged in the future to secure unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) authorization with multifactor authentication using cloud services to enforce non-repudiation. Chris Keating Microsoft Alliance Manager Chris Keating is a Microsoft Alliance Manager at Commvault with over 5 years of experience dedicated to Public Sector. Commvault is a top tier Microsoft partner that focuses on Cyber Resiliency that enables true data security and recovery in the cloud, allowing customers to back up monitor, report, manage, and recover their data from a central cloud-based platform. Prior to Commvault, Mr. Keating spent 10 years at Microsoft and Accenture helping customers and partners with their digital transform and improve their cyber resiliency posture. Richard Breakiron Senior Director for Strategic Initiatives and Executive Programs Richard Breakiron is Commvault’s Senior Director for Strategic Initiatives and Executive programs, Americas Federal Sector. He works with key industry associations and Federal government leaders focusing on strategic solutions for delivering actionable insight within a globally integrated data management capability. His deep experience in senior Cybersecurity positions in the DoD allow him to holistically present Commvault’s Cyber Readiness strategy incorporating AI and machine learning. Richard strong speaking skills allows him to weave in firsthand use cases of government security compliance and personnel challenges and their continual struggle to modernize their legacy technology. Richard’s significant accomplishments within the DoD result from his lifetime mentor’s description of having a catalytic effect in leading change. His portfolio of career IT and Leadership experience includes the developing, deploying, and operating significant network and IT program efforts across the Army and the DoD ranging from the Alternate National Military Command Center, Associate Professor at the USMA, to the Pentagon, where he managed the IT synchronization of the largest BRAC in US history over $3 billion IT spend of the total $15 billion program; building the partnership with Army, AF, DoD CIO, and DISA that led to the Joint Regional Security Stack (JRSS) and Multi-Protocol Label Switch (MPLS). This last program totally set the stage for modernizing the DoD’s approach to an Enterprise approach to network security and putting in the foundation for Software Defined Networks and Zero Trust architecture. Mr. Breakiron is known for his charismatic approach to forging strong partnerships, coalitions and building trust across the DoD and Federal and State government and maintains that characteristic now with industry. Mr. Breakiron’s broad experience positioned him spearhead the successful attainment of FedRAMP High Authorized for Commvault Cloud for Government SaaS solution. Before assuming his senior executive position at Commvault, Mr. Breakiron was VP, Public Sector, root9B, an advanced Cyber security company delivering unique and focused Cyber solutions to the DoD, US Cyber Command and the intelligence agencies. Prior to that Richard served as the Senior Director, Cyber Solutions for ViON Corporation, prior to being promoted to General Manager and board member during the standup of Ascolta, LLC, a data analytics subsidiary of ViON. While in federal government he served as the JRSS Program Manager at DISA, the Chief Integration Officer and Director Strategic Initiatives Group, managing the integration of Army-wide IT strategy and network modernization efforts, to include strategic messaging to the Army and Congress on IT reform and modernization on behalf of the CIO/G6 in the Pentagon. Event Details: Date: Tuesday, June 3, 2025 Time: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM ET Location: Microsoft, 5 Wayside Rd, Burlington, MA 01803 (Virtual attendance available) Additional Details: Lunch provided for in-person attendees. Happy hour from 5:00 – 7:00 PM ET Cost: Free with advance registration Register now to reserve your spot This is your opportunity to connect directly with Microsoft experts, hear from leaders in federal cloud transformation, and prepare your organization to thrive in the government space.
Using Bookings to register people for scheduled events?
Hi: I want to test if Bookings could be a good solution for this activity - or if there's a better way within 365. I will run six workshops in Zoom (scheduled via Outlook) next year. I want to send a communication to about 300 people from a range of organisations inviting them to sign up for any or all of these sessions. Probably be able to accommodate up to 200 people per session. Is it possible to use Bookings to have them sign up for the workshops, and get an invitation sent to them, AND have them added to our Outlook appointment attendees (so we know who they are)? If so... how?! If not, is there another MS365 product or feature that would enable this?
Azure optimisation workshop
Is your Azure spending skyrocketing? Struggling to keep up with best practices, security, and technical performance? We've got the solution! Our https://www.linkedin.com/feed/hashtag/?keywords=cloud&highlightedUpdateUrns=urn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A7107392189743161344 Optimisation Workshop is designed to measure and discover what you have, create a plan to optimise and then implement a cost reduction plan. Benefits at a glance: -Cost Optimisation -Best Practice Framework -Enhanced Security -Improved Technical Performance Here's how it works: Discovery Phase: We kick-start your journey with a pro-bono half-day on-site discovery workshop led by a Cloud Expert from our team, including our Chief Technology Officer or Azure Practice Lead. Assessment & Plan: We measure and discover what you have in your Azure environment. Then, we craft a personalised optimisation plan tailored just for you. Cost Reduction Implementation: We help you implement the plan, ensuring you're on the path to reduced costs and optimised performance. For organisations with hybrid infrastructures, our Azure Optimisation Workshop can seamlessly align with our Azure Migration Discovery Workshops. Visithttps://coreazureforcloud.com/workshop?utm_source=social&utm_medium=Microsoft&utm_campaign=CEW2023_workshop&utm_id=CEW2023&utm_term=Cloud+is+expensive+&utm_content=Azure+Optimisation+Workshop+ to register your interest. or Visit https://coreazure.com/contact
