Ghana based Software Engineer Edem Kumodzi joins Microsoft

Ghana based Software Engineer Edem Kumodzi joins Microsoft

Edem kumodzi Microsoft Ghana software engineer Africa

Renowned senior software engineer, Edem Kumodzi, announces a new job move in a tweet. Sharing “Next Chapter: ??? #MicrosoftLife“. Edem will start a new role as Program Manager at global tech giant Microsoft in Redmond, Washington. Working with Microsoft’s Experiences and Devices engineering group, led by Executive Vice President Rajesh Jha.

Microsoft’s Experiences and Devices division was announced by CEO Satya Nadella in a restructure. To “instil a unifying product ethos across our[Microsoft] end-user experiences and devices“. This team comprises of Microsoft hardware[Surface, Xbox, HoloLens, etc.], Windows client, New Experiences and Technology, Enterprise Mobility and Management, and Office Product Group.

Edem kumodzi Microsoft Ghana

News of Edem’s new role comes with a great cheer from people in the technology ecosystem not only in Ghana but across Africa. He is passionate about encouraging and helping young software engineers grow and build amazing products. Supporting various developer communities across Africa. He also is a Google Developers Launchpad mentor.

Prior to his new role at Microsoft, Edem Kumodzi has served in various roles in the past. These include Director of Technology at Africa Foresight, Senior Consultant at Andela, Consultant at Thought Works and Senior Software Engineer at Ringier AG.

Featured images ?: DevCongress & Expresspay

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COVID-19: Imagine Cup EMEA regional finalists to virtually pitch ideas

COVID-19: Imagine Cup EMEA regional finalists to virtually pitch ideas

Microsoft Imagine Cup Europe Middle East and Africa (EMEA) regional finalist will now virtually pitch their ideas to judges. This is as concerns of COVID-19 (corona virus) increase worldwide. The in-person regional cup competition finals was scheduled to take place March 10 to 12 in Amsterdam.

COVID-19 2020 Imagine Cup EMEA

The spread of COVID-19, corona virus in new countries and regions is seeing conferences cancelled worldwide. Many organizations are resorting to hosting only virtual events. Microsoft announced the cancellation of its Ignite the Tour in Amsterdam and pointed interested attendees to watching the on demand sessions online. Stating “the health and safety of our customers, partners, suppliers and employees is a top priority“.

The cancellation of the tour means cancellation of co-located events; Imagine Cup EMEA regional finals and Microsoft Student Partner (MSP) Summit. The cup competition will still take place, however virtually on March 10.

Microsoft shares an update on the competition;

“The ten student teams from across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa will virtually pitch their purpose-driven applications at the Imagine Cup EMEA Regional Final“.

Each of the ten student teams will pitch their solution, answer questions, and showcase their technology to judges. Two teams will be selected to represent the EMEA regional region at the 2020 World Championship finals in Seattle. For a chance to compete for the grand prize of USD100,000 cash, USD50,000 Azure credits and mentoring session with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. The winning teams from the regional finals will take home USD8,000. Whereas three runner-up teams will each take home USD2,500.

We will look to bring you coverage of the regional finals.

Check out details of the EMEA regional finals imagine student cup competition from last year.

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What happened to Microsoft Virtual Academy (MVA)?

What happened to Microsoft Virtual Academy (MVA)?

microsoft virtual academy MVA

What happened to Microsoft Virtual Academy(MVA)? Where is Microsoft Virtual Academy? I’ve seen a lot of search questions related to these and want to talk about it in this post. For starters the Microsoft Virtual Academy resources or content are no more. However it still exists but in a new improved and modern home; Microsoft Learn. The MVA page doesn’t exist and will redirect you to the new Microsoft learning page.

Microsoft announced in January 2019 it was retiring the MVA page. Stating three reason for this. One bring all its learning platforms into one hub. Two revising outdated knowledge and introducing modern and relevant skills for the next generation of creators. Three structuring the modules to be task-based achievements. Which the company believes can help you advance your technical skills in modern roles. Microsoft Learn is also free just like Microsoft MVA.

The new learning platform has an interactive learning environment. That combines short step by step tutorials with interactive coding and scripting environments in a sandbox.

Microsoft was also allowing anyone who was on a course to complete it and retain transcripts and certificates. I’m not sure how anyone can access the old certificates now. If you have been able to do this, kindly share this with us in the comments.

Got any other question about Microsoft Virtual Academy (MVA) i didn’t talk about? Ask in the comments and i’ll get you answers.

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Join the 2020 Power Platform online conference

Join the 2020 Power Platform online conference

power platform online conference 2020

UPDATE: Watch the Microsoft Power Platform Online Conference 2020

Microsoft will be hosting an online conference for its power platform on March 20th. The event will feature nine hours of live training and tutorial sessions. Led by Power Platform Senior Platform Evangelist Jon Levesque, Microsoft MVP’s and other trainers.

Formerly known as the Flow Conference, the event will bring you insights into Microsoft’s power automation tools. That’s power BI, Power apps, power automate and Power Virtual Agents. The sessions will cover subjects from beginner to advance levels.

The day will consist of 18, 30 minute sessions covering every tool in the platform. From beginner all the way to advanced content. No matter what your skill set is, you will be able to get valuable insights and new skills to help take your Flow game to the next level.

The invitation reads, “join us for a fun day of laughs and learning, right from the comfort of your own living room or office!”

Click to register and plan to participate in the 2020 Power Platform online conference.

Check out last years Microsoft Flow Online Conference below on what to expect.

Microsoft is planning a Power Platform Tour in Ghana, Kenya, etc. sometime in April this year. We will bring you updates on this. Don’t forget to subscribe to get the details when they are released.

Follow the event conversation online using the hashtag #LessCodeMorePower or #PPOC2020.

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MultiChoice to leverage AI, Mixed Reality, other technologies in changing audience experiences

MultiChoice to leverage AI, Mixed Reality, other technologies in changing audience experiences

multichoice

MultiChoice Group is rethinking its business strategies in a rapidly changing industry. The company is using Microsoft technologies in its digital transformation journey to adapt and deliver content. Using technologies such as artificial intelligence(AI), mixed reality(MR), big data analytics and cognitive services to become agile and innovative.

In partnership with Microsoft South Africa, the company has been streamlining its business to change audience experiences. From migrating tape libraries to the Azure cloud to optimizing operations. One such instance is streaming the 2018 FIFA world cup in 4K to its subscribers using the Azure platform. Another is, being able to dub and subtitle content for different markets. Something that Brad Eliot, Group Chief Information Officer at MultiChoice says will be impossible and inefficient.

Multichoice will launch automated highlights packages for its sports channels using Microsoft Azure. Producing near real-time highlights for in live broadcast and social media.

We produce a lot of our own local content and there’s a drive to see if we can use speech recognition to dub and subtitle that content. With the volume of media assets, we have literally thousands and thousands of hours of content. So doing this in a non-automated fashion would just be impossible and inefficient.”

Multichoice is currently using Microsoft solutions like Azure, Office 365, Dynamics 365 and security services. With Microsoft Azure acting as a test and production platform for the company. Alkis Flemetakis, Account Director – Enterprise Commercial at Microsoft Corporation shares Azure is a key platform on their journey to the cloud.

“They are continuously assessing the environment and over the last four years, have created prototypes and MVPs (Minimum Viable Products) on the Microsoft cloud platform. Currently, MultiChoice are looking at migrating significant IT workloads to Azure, and using AI and machine learning to develop innovative solutions for their customers.”

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