Podcasts about microsoft isv

ISV Success program (public preview) is a nine-month partnership designed to help independent software vendors (ISV) build well-architected apps on Microsoft Cloud platforms and publish into our commercial marketplace. With curated content specifically for (ISV), marketplace publishing support and more, this program will ensure a successful application launch in the Microsoft Cloud and commercial marketplace. This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm

ISV Success program (public preview) is a nine-month partnership designed to help independent software vendors (ISV) build well-architected apps on Microsoft Cloud platforms and publish into our commercial marketplace. With curated content specifically for (ISV), marketplace publishing support and more, this program will ensure a successful application launch in the Microsoft Cloud and commercial marketplace.

It's about time for another news roundup from our editorial team. We look at new product launches, Microsoft Dynamics and Azure partner news, new sales figures, and some of the most popular article contributions from subject matter experts.   Show Notes: 0:45 - The launch of Microsoft Cloud for Financial Services set for Nov 1 2:00 - Report estimates Dynamics 365 Field Service closing in on $200 million in annual revenue 3:45 - Azure for healthcare: Opportunities abound in the cloud 5:00 - Microsoft to bolster Cloud for Healthcare with Truveta data platform investment & partnership 7:45 - Zuora to run subscription management services on Microsoft Azure, integrate with Dynamics 365 and Power BI 10:00 - Akerna expands ERP portfolio with $17 million acquisition of Microsoft ISV 365 Cannabis 12:15 - How Microsoft partners are building solutions with Azure Machine Learning 13:30 - Updates to Dynamics 365 media and entertainment accelerator adds Teams integration, content workflow support 14:30 - Microsoft's Power Apps Portals customers were exposing millions of private records, security firm reveals And related discussion at MSDW: Portals Community Call, September 2021: Securing Power Apps Portals Portals Community Call, August 2021: Using React with Power Apps Portals 19:15 - Features roundup How Microsoft customers should prepare for intelligent edge investment Microsoft Dynamics 365 Training Insights, Session 11: e-Commerce My favorite new features coming to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales, Marketing, and Customer Service in 2021 release wave 2 Power Platform 2021 Release Wave 2: Experts note developer improvements, simplified Dataverse access

When we covered Power Platform in the first episode of this series, you mentioned that Power Apps were a component part of the Power Platform, and that they could be used to build and deploy customized applications. CP: Indeed I did and yes, they can. I talked specifically about the iPhone and how the expression “there's an app for that” entered our everyday language when it comes to mobile devices and then, how the Power Platform or Power Apps in particular, really brings to the fore the expression “there's a business app for that” right now. UK: OK, so when it comes to these apps, or “applications,” what does Power Apps provide that means a partner should start to take notice and get to know more about what they are? CP: Yes, so Power Apps provides today what is known as a “low code” developer environment that can be used to build custom applications or “apps” for business needs. There are different types of Power Apps including Canvas Apps and Model Driven Apps as well as other things branded under the same product family. Both Model Driven and Canvas apps sit nicely on top of the Microsoft Dataverse, but there are also hundreds of pre-built connectors that can be used to consume data from, or push data to, other systems. UK: Right Chris so, when you say other things branded under the same product family, what exactly do you mean? CP: Yes, of course. So, Microsoft acquired a company called Adxstudio back in 2015 primarily to strengthen their web self-service product portfolio and there's a product now known as Power Apps Portals which is the modern-day equivalent of Adxstudio Web portals. The original product was built by the Microsoft ISV partner natively on top of what was Dynamics CRM. It became Dynamics 365 Portals and then more recently Power Apps Portals. UK: OK, so that's the history of that product, but what do these Power Apps Portals actually provide? CP: Well, although they've been rebranded and have technically evolved over time, the concept of these portals hasn't changed. In general, they provide a way to give access to data, anonymously if required or, through secure sign in to protected information stored within an organisation. So, to give you an example here, if you were a membership organisation and you wanted to provide a website for people browsing to access anonymously to encourage them to consider joining, you could use Power Apps portals to do that. And then, for any members that had already joined, you could also use it to provide secure access to additional content repositories or personalised member areas. UK: Right, that is clear. Then also Chris, what is the difference between a Canvas App and a Model Driven App? You have mentioned both, can you help me understand why they are different? CP: Yes, I can of course. So, model driven apps are designed and built on top of the Dataverse. Microsoft's own first party apps such as Dynamics 365 for Sales or Customer Service are examples of Model Driven apps in their own right. And, one of the things that Power Apps provides is the ability for anyone to create a model driven app that can leverage the same user interface as those first party applications. You can also use the same capabilities to enforce business logic and then publish apps easily for consumption in a way that is almost identical to how those first party apps are published. Usually, you would start the creation of those apps with a structured data model in mind, hence, “model driven” apps. Canvas Apps start from the opposite end of the design thinking. They provide a blank canvas, onto which you can drag and drop pre-built controls, and then use Excel like expressions known as Power Fx to define logic and work with data. You can share them natively or embed them so that they can be consumed from other places such as Teams, SharePoint or Power BI.

This episode is for anyone looking to take their business to the next level by becoming a Microsoft partner, or for existing partners who want to make the most of their benefits. We’re joined by Casey McGee, Vice President for ISV Partner Strategy at Microsoft, who focuses exclusively on our thriving partner ecosystem.Casey shares ways to partner with Microsoft, the benefits this opens up, and the attributes of a great partnership. And, of course, we cover other topics along the way. Show LinksPartner with MicrosoftMicrosoft Inspire, the conference for Microsoft PartnersThe five attributes of successful Microsoft partnersHabitat for HumanityTranscriptGuestCasey McGee Vice President for ISV Partner Strategy at MicrosoftIn partnership with our Partner Ecosystem, I help Microsoft realize our Mission of Helping Every Person and Every Organization on the Planet Achieve More.Today, I lead Microsoft's Partner Development in the US focusing on driving cloud growth and company transformation with ISVs, Industry Partners, and Private Equity Firms.I was previously the Chief of Staff for the President and EVP of Microsoft's Global Sales Marketing and Operations based in Paris France. I was responsible for business planning, governance, overall business rhythm, employee and external communications and contributed to Microsoft's most strategic Business Development efforts. Follow Casey on LinkedInMicrosoft US Partners on Twitter HostsPaul Maher is General Manager of the Industry Experiences Team at Microsoft. Follow him on LinkedIn and Twitter.David Starr is a Principal Azure Solutions Architect in the Industry Experiences Team at Microsoft. Follow him on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Have you ever wanted to get started with something and not really know where to begin? Don't worry, we got you! In this episode, Dona and Sarah talks to Emma D'arcy where she shares her journey from Microsoft Dynamics through to the Power Platform. Emma D'arcy is a Pre-Sales Engineer with Microsoft ISV, Click Dimensions. Along the way, she has had a huge amount of experience working in pre-sales, presenting on impostor syndrome and getting stuck in with learning the most recent addition to the Power Platform, Power Virtual Agents. Watch the show to learn how easy it is to get started making your very own bot by choosing your own adventure! Learn more about Emma over at LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/msemmadarcy/

"Microsoft has always been a partner-led company, and we are committed to creating more opportunity for our partners across our businesses." and "This ethos of being partner-led will be there in everything we do". Satya Nadella has said these things, but I am wondering... Lip Service? One of the major factors that brought me to transition my company from a Salesforce Consultant, to a Microsoft Partner in 2011 was the "Partner Ecosystem" story. After almost 10 years with SFDC, during which their relationship with consultants was borderline antagonistic, I was fed up. Microsoft sounded like a breath of fresh air. But their "Partner Ecosystem", particularly for ISVs, has been weighed on the balance... and found wanting. No Bigger Advocate You would be hard-pressed to find a bigger advocate for Microsoft's ISV ambitions than myself over recent years. Having drank the Koolaid and creating I.P back in 2015, as we were all strongly encouraged to do, I had a vested interest in their effort. Many of my posts started out apologetic for my previous encouragement, but ended up positive and hopeful. But, I am starting to lose hope that Microsoft will get it right. Was Saleforce Better? There is no doubt that at the time I came over in 2011 Microsoft's business applications were complete shit compared to SFDC. This was clearly demonstrated by their market share. I took it on as a personal challenge to seek out anyone at Microsoft who would listen, and press annoyingly for change. Over time, my incessant ranting made its way through the grapevines of Redmond, and I was invited to participate in many things. Multiple Partner Advisory Councils, more private phone calls and in-person meetings with Product Managers and leaders than I can count, and an MVP designation. I can honestly say that today, Microsoft has an undeniably better product than Salesforce on every measure other than market share. Not Alone Before I start sounding like some kind of narcissist, claiming to have single-handedly straightened up the leaning tower of Pisa, I was far from alone in this mission. While it is satisfying to see aspect of products or programs that I know I had a direct influence on, many others had similar influence over other critical aspects. Each of us "trouble-makers" have a vested interest in our mutual success. My Biggest Disappointment? Almost every aspect of the ISV effort for Business Applications ISVs has been found "wanting". Up until last year, the various aspects of the ISV efforts have been led by lower level soldiers with little authority, no imagination and no understanding of the ISV business. "Hi, I'm Joe, I'm in charge of this important ISV facet, I just transferred from the MS Paint development team where I have been for the last 15 years. How can I help?" Sorry Joe, but you know less than my dog about this business. Not Guggs Fault After years of watching the revolving door of low-level solders step up to within two feet of their targets, raise their rifles and miss... a General showed up. Steven "Guggs" Guggenheimer, a long-time veteran of Microsoft and self-described "Fixer" was brought in. I first met Guggs at a Partner Advisory Council meeting with about 15 other ISV leaders. He struck me as a no-nonsense guy who planned to get things done. He also struck me as a guy who did not need, or want, our opinions. ISV Connect Guggs' brainchild was ISV Connect. A program developed mostly in the dark, that basically seeks to take a share of ISV's revenue, in exchange for some benefits. It is not optional, it is "Pay to Play". The program was launched in lightening speed with agreements being sent out to ISVs almost immediately who were expected to sign or leave. The minimum tier is 10% of your revenue, in exchange for some benefits from Microsoft that in my opinion are mostly worthless, at least for existing ISVs. If you opt into, and are accepted into, the 20% tier, there was an additional promise of Co-Sell business, meaning Microsoft's own sellers, would pimp your solutions. At a recent Inspire session Guggs, as well as in a few interviews I have done with him,  intimated that some ISVs are happy. I have not met any of these ISVs, and Guggs just announced his eminent retirement. Now what? Back to my post title The Microsoft ISV landscape has become a risky place to be. In order to continue participating, we now have to find another 10% or 20% of margin. For those with paid resellers in particular, this is a huge challenge. If the program was producing 10% to 20% more business for ISVs that would be one thing, but that is not what I am experiencing, nor any other of the many ISVs I have talked to. Another risk is Microsoft's continued encroachment into first-party vertical solutions. If you were not lucky enough to be acquired, like Field One, Microsoft has caused problems for several ISVs as they entered their spaces. Project Management and Marketing are a couple of areas that Microsoft has moved to displace existing ISVs. I was also very suspicious of the entire Accelerators program. Their recent announcement of an Asset Leasing Accelerator sounds pretty damn vertical to me. So what's the play? What is the message we are getting from Microsoft? "Come join our booming ISV ecosystem, where we will take a share of your revenue in exchange for basically nothing, and if you are wildly successful in spite of that, we might just knock you off!" I would like to believe that is not the intent, but as my ex-wife used to tell me, "Actions speak louder than words". Is there still reason for hope? Maybe for a lucky few, but I am not seeing any for the masses at the moment. Let's see what Guggs' successor can do. Update 08/06/2020 I received an email from Guggs after this post went out that included the following: "I’m curious about a few things, but one in particular caught my attention. I can’t remember the time I said the ISV Connect program was “widely successful”.  I’m sure I have almost always said something along the lines of …..some things have gone well and some things we need to do more work on….but can’t ever remember using those words.   I don’t mind you pushing hard on the company or the program, but I would be happier if you didn’t attribute absolute phrases to me unless I had indeed used them….which isn’t really my style." After digesting this, and thinking back, I agree with Guggs, that he did not ever proclaim that the program was wildly successful for ISVs as I wrote above. I apologize for attributing that sentiment to him. He also confirmed in the email that Toby Bowers would indeed be taking over his role as leader of the effort. I have known Toby for probably 5 years now, and hope for the best as he walks into what has been a very challenging issue for Microsoft. Toby has a completely different personality than Guggs, and time will tell if that is more effective at driving the program, and easing the discontent among ISVs. At the end of the day, the buck stops at the leader's desk. To be fair, Guggs came into a pile of shit, and I am aware that a lot of work needed to be, has been, done in the background on his watch. I would like to believe that while ISVs have still not seen the success they should have, Microsoft is closer than before at delivering on that soon. Hopefully Toby can push it over the goal line for us all.

As an ISV I want to be able to take full advantage of everything that Microsoft's Power Platform can offer. Like SI's and customers, I get excited when I see the roadmap of features that are coming... it is mind-boggling. Unfortunately, just because something goes GA, does not mean it is "ISV Ready". ISV Connect Technical Summit I recently attended the least "technical", technical event I have ever been to. As part of Microsoft's larger "ISV Connect" effort to create excitement for ISVs, they had extended what had previously been a smaller F&O ISV focused event to encompass all of Dynamics 365 and the Power Platform. I missed the follow-up email suggesting that I send my technical people, and instead went myself. Cave Dwellers It seems that this majority F&O crowd, did send their technical people, who apparently all live under rocks. Many of the sessions were about things like "What is CDS?" Content I had already seen 100 times. What I found interesting, was that this far into the game, so many people still did not understand what we have all been talking about for the last two+ years. Twists and Turns I have seen the Power Platform slides many times, but these had been updated to include "Power Virtual Agents" in the mix. To be honest, I don't think Power Virtual Agents should sit at the same level as Power Apps, Power Automate and Power BI. It feels like the dwarf on the basketball team. If I were in charge, I would probably have renamed "Dynamics 365 Customer Insights" to "Power Insights" and given it the upper level. As a standalone product, similar to Power Apps, Power Automate and Power BI, Dynamics 365 Customer Insights does not even require Dynamics 365. Ironically, I had predicted a while back that "Dynamics 365" would eventually become the brand name for Microsoft's "finished" apps that run on the Power Platform, which is the reason I was given for this naming. But it is not that dissimilar a level of "finished" than Power BI, and we don't call that Dynamics 365 BI. Burned by GA With my ISV hat on, I have become suspicious of the GA tag. Microsoft should really clarify that a feature or product is "GA for SIs and Customers", but not ready yet for ISVs. What's the difference? Well, as an ISV, who is drinking the AppSource Koolaid, I have to look at it differently. In an ideal world, my customer can go to AppSource, click a button to install my solution, and just use it. For the most part, this turnkey dream only works for Model-Driven apps today. ISV Ready Tag In one of the session Q&As, I asked one of the Microsoft ISV leaders about the possibility of an "ISV Ready" tag. He said "Good Idea!", which I have heard many times with no subsequent action. But he was actually all over the idea, including creating a slide for his closing session about the "ISV Ready" tag, I had previously caught him in the hallway and suggested the ISV Ready tag should not be applied by the product teams, but rather by a volunteer committee of actual ISVs.... because we actually know when something is "Ready" for us. What is ISV Ready? Well, since Microsoft seems to be running with the idea, I guess we will eventually find out what they think it means. I also think it will vary from ISV to ISV. Many ISVs have an intentional services component that comes behind their IP, to perform various tasks and configurations. For me, I want turnkey. I don't want to have to get on the phone with every customer, or create some complicated instructions, for them to be able to use my solutions. It's more than just being "Solution Aware", although that is obviously part of it. I mean Power Automate is now "Solution Aware", but is not "ISV Ready" in my opinion. I recently installed Microsoft's own Center of Excellence Starter Kit solution on an instance, and then spent half a day manually connecting all of the included Flows to make it light up. I can't expect a customer to do that, as soon as it does not work as advertised, they'll just delete my solution. Customers First I get that Microsoft is going to build things that solve issues for customers first, and I am not suggesting that they hold off on GAing things until they are ISV Ready. But don't think that feature is truly done, and move on the next shiny object, until it is ISV Ready. This assumes of course that Microsoft is sincere in their desire to grown a thriving ISV ecosystem like SFDC. At the moment, I believe they are sincere, but as my ex wife used to say to me, "Actions speak louder than words".  

Microsoft ISVs that have invested in upgrading  their solutions from Dynamics AX to Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations (D365FO) are working with a mix of cloud customers today – some that have upgraded (or re-implemented) and others that are new to the product. On this episode of our AX to D365FO Upgrade Journeys series, To-Increase CEO Luciano Cunha discusses how his company, a longtime Microsoft ISV, has made investments over several years and across different departments and business practice areas to meet the needs of the D365FO market. While D365FO seems to be hitting its stride in terms of stability and maturity, ERP competition remains fierce, and buyers are still stuck with consequential decisions throughout the purchase, implementation, and post-deployment phases of D365FO solution ownership. Show Notes 1:30 - Luciano's history at To-Increase and rising to his latest role as CEO 4:45 – The impact on an AX or D365FO customer of working with multiple ISVs 6:00 – Upgrading an AX ISV solution to D365FO vs re-implementing it 9:15 – How many of an ISV's AX customers have moved to D365FO so far? 10:45 – Should SMB customers consider moving to AX 2012 before D365FO? 14:00 – The enterprise AX customer's perspective on waiting at AX 2012 R3 or not 17:15 – Is the D365FO platform stabilizing for customers? 21:30 – Why some organizations are back to an approach that brings in line of business applications rather than a monolithic system 26:00 – Adapting to the OneVersion release approach and how it has stabilized 33:00 – How ISVs can be proactive on customer service and product management on D365FO 39:00 – How to make ERP interfaces more enjoyable to use. 41:00 – The challenges to partners related to D365FO's growth 48:00 – The outlook on Microsoft's ISV Connect program since its launch, and what the ideal outcome will look like 52:30 – How should customers evaluate ISVs?

Some of you may know, that one of several things I am involved with, is an ISV Consulting Collaborative called Power ISV. Together with four other ISV-focused Business Applications MVPs, we are helping existing ISVs to modernize, new ISVs get started, and guiding ISVs on other platforms over to the Microsoft Cloud. We also want to reverse the adage, "Those that can't do, Teach", into "Those that are doing it, Teach". Imagine, if you will Looking around the Microsoft ISV space today, and specifically looking at AppSource, there seems to be a lack of imagination. It feels like the "inspiration" for many ISV solutions, is seeing existing ISV solutions, leading to either very similar ISV solutions being built, or ones with minimal advancement of an existing idea. Looking around AppSource you will see a lot of "copies" of similar things, and frankly most of those "things" are for solving simple problems. Don't get me wrong, we all appreciate a nicely built widget. But are those really going to get us to "empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more"? Achieving More How does one actually "achieve more" with technology? It is not simply being able to respond to emails twice as fast... a typing class solves that. Replacing paper processes with digital ones? Yeah, that would put you in position to achieve more. Being able to collaborate with my team or customers better? Sure, but are we not already burnt out on the whole collaboration "Kumbaya" theme. I think "Achieving More" was a great goal at the time it was stated, and probably tied nicely into the Office 365 push at the time, but now what? Building a Toolbox As I look at what Microsoft has been doing in recent years, particularly around the Azure and Business Applications space, they seem to have spent a great deal of effort creating new technologies. Like IoT, AI, ML, [Insert Acronym Here], etc. The palette of capabilities has grown fast. Some ISVs have embraced parts of this new palette, but many are either oblivious, or just... uninspired. I understand, that if you have your own technology, your focus is going to be on plugging that into the Microsoft machine. But where is the disruption? What is Disruption? Maybe you have built a disruptive technology externally, and your goal is simply to bring your disruptive force to a broader base by moving it to the Microsoft engine. I am waiting to see the disruption being borne out of the Microsoft platform. Microsoft has been disruptive in the way they are providing, and growing the tools, but I am looking for the Uber, and so is Microsoft. Microsoft won't build the next Uber, but they have built all of the tools necessary for an ISV to build it. Disruption is all around us. Home Depot disrupted the hardware industry, but that was not so much a technological disruption, as it was a scale and distribution disruption. Uber is probably one of the best known "Technology-driven" disruptions. An industry, that was over 100 years old, was turned upside-down... by an app. Can you make a Unicorn? From a pure technology only standpoint, it is hard to top Uber. Uber was not built on Microsoft technologies, but today, it could have been, and probably at a fraction of the time and cost that Uber has invested. When you break it down into its parts... it's a freaking mobile App! It incorporates a bunch of things we already know, GPS, Ratings, Matching, eCommerce, etc. All parts, and many more, that are available to any of us in Microsoft's Cloud portfolio. But it is not about the parts. It was about that day in the cab, when some guy thought: "This sucks ass". Inception to Disruption For any of us, several times a week, we engage with something that Sucks. Sure, maybe it is the way that Dynamics 365 deals with some thing, that inspires you to create a widget. That is not disruptive, that is convenience. Clearly, most of us will aspire to the convenience, and there is nothing wrong with that, you might even make a few bucks. But a few of you, have it within you to not only recognize an opportunity to truly disrupt, but see the actual path through the vast Microsoft toolbox "illuminated". Walk the Talk So the team at Power ISV, is going to attempt to "Practice what we Preach", and journey down the "Inception to Disruption" path, utilizing nothing but the Microsoft Cloud toolbox. I can't share the "idea" just yet as we are still wrapping our heads around it, but I can tell you the current experience Sucks. We will be chronicling every step of our journey, as we seek to create an "Inception to Disruption" roadmap. "What's Next" indeed! Shining the Spotlight You can learn more about Power ISV here, but in case you don't get to it, I wanted to highlight the MVPs who are part of the team. Myself of course, as well as Mark Smith, David Yack, Scott Durow and George Doubinski. Another thing we will be thoroughly testing, is the ability of a bunch of "know-it-alls" to work together as a team. That may prove the biggest hurdle.  

Todd is a Microsoft Technology Center Architect based out of Minneapolis, Minnesota and is primary focused on data, analytics, and IoT scenarios. Todd’s background ranges from application development and architecture to implementation of data and analytics solutions in the field for many years as well as work at a Microsoft ISV prior to joining Microsoft. In addition, Todd has authored several books on Microsoft technologies such as .NET and SharePoint. Interviewer: Rajib Bahar - Bill Gates said, if he was a fresh college graduate, Artificial Intelligence would have been is top choice for career. I am really interested in learning about what Microsoft is doing in the Artificial Intelligence World! Please give us the big picture of how Cortana Intelligence Suite, Azure ML Studio, and Cognitive Toolkit tie in. - How does Microsoft Bot Framework work? What kind of task can it automate? Any limitations or risks? Can it take my conversation and execute commands on a remote server? - Crowdsourcing is the practice of obtaining information or input into a task or project by enlisting the services of a large number of people, either paid or unpaid, typically via the Internet.We have seen it's application in social media for fundraising, team collaboration, organizing events. With that said, how does data catalog in Cortana utilize that concept? - Customer Churning is a common scenario in any organization either profit or non-profit. Is it easy to implement a solution in Cortana to discover the root cause? How does that approach differ from building charts in Excel or visualizations in PowerBI? I'm curious to learn how would you balance when you need Cortana or some other traditional tool that already exist? - Tell us about the books you have written and your Cortana Intelligence suite course in MS Virtual Academy. - How can we connect with you in Twitter or other professional network? Music: www.freesfx.co.uk

In this episode, Jeremy Thake speaks to Juan Balmori Labra about Word add-in extensibility and Martin Seifert from OfficeAtWork Word add-in in the Office Store. Weekly updates Admins—get ready for Office 365 Planner preview! New SharePoint CSOM version released for SharePoint OnlineOffice Dev PnP web cast—provisioning engine and reference solution with AngularJS SPTechCon Austin Hackathon The help desk demo Nik’s SharePoint Fest 2015 Chicago session deck on High Trust Provider Hosted add-in is available Easily publishing release versions of web applications to Azure Web Apps with Git, Gulp and Kudu Microsoft Graph / OneDrive —the resource could not be found How to make the new SharePoint Hosted Add-In deploy in SharePoint 2016 Beta 2 Yet another fix for “App with the same version and product ID” on-premises How and why is the community customizing SharePoint? Show notes Document assembly Word add-in sample GitHub Office JS Docs UserVoice www.officeatwork365.com Got questions or comments about the show? Join the O365 Dev Podcast on the Office 365 Technical Network. The podcast RSS is available iTunes or search for it on “Office 365 Developer Podcast” or add directly with the RSS http://feeds.feedburner.com/Office365DeveloperPodcast. About Juan Balmori Labra Juan Balmori is a senior program manager working in the Microsoft Office Extensibility team for the last 10 years. Juan’s team is currently working on the new developer platform for Office 365 Add-ins, specifically the Office JavaScript APIs for Word as well as other basic infrastructure features. During the 2013 release he was part of the team founding the new cloud based extensibility model for Office, shipping Office Add-ins (formerly apps for Office) as owner of Office.js. Previously he worked on the Office 2010 release, shipping Business Connectivity Services and Duet. Before pursuing his dream to move to Redmond, Juan worked at Microsoft Mexico as the principal architect for the Public Sector Consulting Practice. About Martin Seifert Martin is the founder and CEO of officeatwork AG, an award winning Microsoft ISV in Switzerland. officeatwork is specialized in Office Add-in development for enterprises providing templates and content solutions for Office. officeatwork solutions are installed on millions of PC’s around the globe. Martin has been working with Microsoft technologies for over 30 years and is helping in shaping the Office Web API’s together with various Microsoft product teams around the globe. officeatwork was one of the first to provide an O365 SaaS app in the Office Store, the officeatwork 365 Mail Responder as well as add-ins using the new Word API’s called Document Designer and Document Wizard, also available in the Office Store. In private he likes to be off the beaten track and explore remote parts of the planet together with his family (preferably in Australia). You can follow him on @MartinSSeifert. About the hosts Jeremy is a technical product manager at Microsoft responsible for the Visual Studio Developer story for Office 365 development. Previously he worked at AvePoint Inc., a large ISV, as the chief architect shipping two apps to the Office Store. He has been heavily involved in the SharePoint community since 2006 and was awarded the SharePoint MVP award four years in a row before retiring the title to move to Microsoft. You can find Jeremy blogging at www.jeremythake.com and tweeting at @jthake.   Richard is a software engineer in Microsoft’s Developer Experience (DX) group, where he helps developers and software vendors maximize their use of Microsoft cloud services in Office 365 and Azure. Richard has spent a good portion of the last decade architecting Office-centric solutions, many that span Microsoft’s diverse technology portfolio. He is a passionate technology evangelist and frequent speaker are worldwide conferences, trainings and events. Richard is highly active in the Office 365 community, popular blogger at www.richdizz.com and can be found on Twitter at @richdizz. Richard is born, raised and based in Dallas, TX, but works on a worldwide team based in Redmond. Richard is an avid builder of things (BoT), musician and lightning-fast runner.