The Magic at Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference 2015

[Shannon Graham (Shannon_Graham)]

As the sun set on Microsoft's Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC) last Wednesday, it was only fitting that event organizers selected Disney as the partner celebration  location to continue the magic from the previous three days.

Outside of the end of show celebration, the event captured the “art of the possible” when it comes to technology. If you haven't seen the technology demonstrations from the WPC keynote, watch them now. The power of the technology was purely magical, from HoloLens, a Windows 10-based holographic computing device, to Project GigJam, a technology that creates a new platform for business users to collaborate even when using various applications and data sources to a compelling user experience to summon data from the cloud with Cortana Analytics.

Three powerful take-aways:

Together, Polycom and Microsoft have a rich history of innovation and delivering new business functionality. Here are three things from WPC I found quite powerful and exciting as I think about the future of what's to come:

1. Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella laid out Microsoft's ambition to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. Wow! Think about that impact of that for a moment. It’s ambition that may seem lofty on the surface but not after you  see their plan in action.
2. "Microsoft Office 365 remains the fastest growing commercial product in Microsoft's history." Office 365 is the rocket ship taking everyone to the cloud.
3. Microsoft is delivering significant new value in Office 365 with Cloud PBX and PSTN Conferencing coming later this year. Polycom's VVX Business Media Phone series is ready to make that first cloud call.

Productivity and user experience were reoccurring themes throughout the conference and the conversation at the Polycom demonstrations was no different. Microsoft showcased Polycom's Skype Room System and the soon-to-be-available RoundTable 100 in the Office 365 area. The Polycom booth highlighted new voice capabilities of the VVX Business Media Phone series and Polycom RealConnect for Skype for Business which brings together Skype for Business with existing video environments.

With Microsoft as a key partner, Polycom will work with them stride-for-stride continuing to deliver new innovations that enable people to achieve more at work. I’m certainly looking forward to the magic that is come in the year ahead!