Microsoft bigwig to headline Durban tech conference

Sun, sea — and a hall filled with 2 500 technology geeks. That was the deal clincher for Microsoft’s chief technology officer (CTO) of Worldwide Services, Norm Judah, who has been confirmed as the keynote speaker at this year’s edition of Tech-Ed Africa 2010 in Durban.

Tech-Ed Africa 2010 is Microsoft’s premier event for IT professionals and developers, and runs from 17-20 October at Durban’s iconic International Conference Centre (ICC).

Judah is no stranger to South Africa: He earned his first degree (in electrical engineering) from Wits University before heading abroad. He has worked for Microsoft for the past 20 years, and has built an impressive reputation as a speaker and a strategic thinker around IT.

Apart from Judah, Microsoft has assembled a formidable line-up of local and international speakers for this year’s event, which will include more than 200 in-depth sessions. They include internationally recognised technology expert, bestselling author, and public speaker Michael Noel, and self-confessed geek Lynn Langit, who co-host’s the MSDN Channel 9 geekSpeak series.

One of the key discussion points at Tech-Ed this year will inevitably be around cloud computing — and Microsoft South Africa’s CTO, Fred Baumhardt, says the focus will be on companies embracing the cloud on their own terms.

“Cloud computing has been a significant part of many conversations I have had recently, and the IT Professionals I talk to are looking for more guidance, standards, support and clarity as they begin to plan for cloud. To get it right, we’ll have to collaborate with the business on the answers to these key questions and about business goals and how best to bring IT experience and innovation to the table,” said Baumhardt.

Tech-Ed will also feature the announcements of several new and upcoming technologies that Microsoft believes will help enable IT professionals and developers to help their organisations save money and improve efficiencies.

These technologies include the next version of Office Communications Server, the much-awaited Windows Phone 7 Series, as well as recent releases like SQL Server 2008 R2 and Office 2010.

“It’s all about ensuring that IT professionals and developers continue to have the platform and technologies to drive maximum value and business results. Getting the most out of IT investments is even more important in today’s economy,” said Baumhardt.