If you have been planning to skill up on Microsoft’s cloud technology, Azure, here is an opportunity. No matter your level, GreyCampus is offering you their Azure courseware for free during this time of Covid-19.
The courses span; Azure Fundamentals, Microsoft 365 Fundamentals, Azure Administrator, Azure, Architect and Azure Developer.
While social distancing becomes the need of the hour, it calls for self-care, overall well-being and above all staying positive. During these times, we, at GreyCampus, believe learning is the gateway to growth, engagement and success. We have taken an initiative to serve our patrons and community through a wide array of Microsoft official courseware being offered free of charge for a limited period.
The Azure courseware valued at between $800 to $2500 are free till August 2020. To access the courses, visit GreyCampus via this link and register. After registration you will recieve a license code to the registered email address with 24 hours. With the code, you can now start learning.
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LinkedIn announces new feature that gives users an easy way to create and join professional events that interest them. Users can use the LinkedIn Events feature to host online workshops, seminars, sales, marketing and networking events.
The company says, “members and pages can use the feature to find and build communities. As well as “grow their business, network and learn new skills”.
LinkedIn launched events along with LinkedIn Live to provide a total virtual event solution to its users.
“We are excited to announce … features designed to help you connect with your community through virtual events … all for free. We have two virtual event solutions to bring your professional community together. … solutions that enables you to stay connected to your communities and meet your customers wherever they are.”
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Ronnie Toerien, Oracle Human Capital Management (HCM) Sales Development & Strategy Leader Africa, shares how cloud-based HCM plays a critical role today.
The world of work has been changing for some time. Particularly over the last decade as emerging technologies equipped enterprises with the tools to operate with greater efficiency, innovate and explore a new potential. However, unprecedented events in 2020, have accelerated this transformation at an unimaginable pace.
With mandates to work from home if possible, the disruption of traditional business models is being driven by pure necessity. Like other contemporary, cloud-based business systems, Human Capital Management (HCM) has a vital role to play in ensuring business continuity, and resilience, as we march into the new world of work.
Cloud-based Human Capital Management
First and foremost, cloud-based HCM is essential to provide continued access to and support for remote workers. And at the same time safeguard the safety and health of employees. In the case of the latter, one product example is Oracle’s Workforce Health and Safety solution. Currently free to all Oracle HCM Cloud customers. A business’s workforce is its greatest asset and should remain its greatest concern. Especially now. With employees scattered, the data collected and analytics generated, by next-generation HCM solutions become crucial to combat absenteeism, identify at-risk individual employees and formulate a succession planning strategy across an entire organization.
Crises, and the manner in which they are handled internally, can have a major impact on talent retention and acquisition. Which will have a knock-on effect for business delivery. Reassurance through empathetic communication is essential. Empowering employees with information about the company’s strategy during such periods, as well as providing open channels for two-way conversation, gives people a sense of belonging to an organization that is looking after and listening to them.
Going hand in hand is the need to help grow employees. Learning and development are often affected when enterprises embark on crisis cost-cutting. But the current climate is the perfect opportunity for HR to equip staff for new roles. Or take advantage of employee skills and use them in new ways. (Possibly gig economy opportunities) that support the organization and the individual’s own professional growth.
New world of work
It is important to note that the new world of work is under a microscope. Business success is no longer solely reflected in revenue. Public perception can have a powerful impact on customer behaviour, as it spotlights caring organisations and their opposite: those enterprises taking advantage of a situation and their staff. Cloud-based HCM applications help make work inherently more human-focused.
The new world of work is also notable for its drastically altered business processes. Older ways of working are often proving too inflexible to overcome current challenges. Cloud HCM plays its part in breaking down rigid division, not only between departments but data sets as well. As a powerful integration tool, it can bring together information and related components that do not naturally connect. For example, analytical tools can be combined with a combination of absentee data and workforce plans to model scenarios and combat skill gaps in reality. Such is the case with newly available Oracle Analytics for Fusion HCM, which seamlessly draws together and uses cross-functional data.
Cloud HCM’s’ removal of barriers applies to people too. The future of work is about connection, and contemporary applications equip employees to work more diversely within an organization, collaborating with colleagues across the whole company ecosystem. Hierarchies and silos have given way to a flattened organizational structure of diverse networks working towards a single goal, opening the door to innovation and greater operational agility.
Culture shift
The foundation of a lasting, successful business process change is a culture shift. The latest HCM tools break down resistance to new systems, especially now as workers engage with the modules regularly from their remote work location. HCM is ushering in acceptance of a whole new way of working, with the likes of voice-commanded digital assistants proving their time-saving value, and other benefits, to users.
The new world of work is unquestionably one of co-existence between humans and autonomous systems, underpinned by the likes of machine learning and robotics. Just as traditional HR helped to streamline an employee’s entrance into an organization, maximize their contribution and bolster their employability, cloud Human Capital Management is fulfilling the same function. This, while bringing together man and machine, which is key to business success in the future of work.
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Two students, Michael Mwaisakenyi and Kenneth Gichira, from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) are the regional winners of the 18th annual Microsoft Imagine Cup Competition.
The annual competition saw thousands of students across the world submitting innovations to impact their communities, both locally and globally. The competition advanced through hackathons, online semi-finals, and virtual regional final events, bringing together finalists via Microsoft Teams. Six teams, including a team of bright young minds from Kenya, were selected to move forward to the World Championship and present their projects to compete for the 2020 trophy on the biggest stage yet—the Microsoft Build 2020 digital event.
EMEA champions
The winning team, The Knights from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology in Kenya, created an automated robot using artificial intelligence to identify and remove weeds from rows of crops. Their solution uses cameras as sensors to gather input from the environment and eliminate farmers’ need to use environmentally harmful pesticides in their weeding. As part of winning the regional finals, the team won 8000 USD each. Prizes also included Azure credits and a spot in the Imagine Cup World Championship event.
“Microsoft Imagine Cup has always aimed to empower students to use their imagination and passion for technology. To develop innovative and inclusive solutions that tackle key societal issues. This aligns directly with Microsoft’s ongoing commitment to providing students with the necessary resources and platforms to hone in on and grow their skillset. With an increasing focus on bringing the world together digitally, we’re continually encouraged by the projects young developers create to make a difference. We are also extremely proud of The Knights.Who by making it to the championship event, have reaffirmed Kenya and Africa’s immense potential to create solutions that directly address socio-economic needs within industries such as the agricultural sector,” says Kendi Nderitu, Country Manager for Microsoft in Kenya.
Microsoft Imagine Cup World Championship Competition
Held in virtual format this year in light of the health safety recommendations, World Finalists pitched their projects during Microsoft Build’s inaugural digital event.
This year’s event saw innovation experts spanning a variety of technology, diversity, and social change-centred experiences that align to the core of Imagine Cup’s mission as judges. These are; tech innovator and leader Dwana Franklin-Davis, CEO of Reboot Representation. She has worked to empower underrepresented groups in technology. Young innovators and CyberCode Twins, America and Penelope Lopez. Who have participated in tech competitions across the world and hope to introduce other students to opportunities in the field. Finally, Microsoft president Brad Smith. He leads work on a wide range of issues involving the intersection of technology and society. Including ethics and AI, human rights, and environmental sustainability.
Kicking off the event with a short pitch of their projects in the lightning round, the judges selected Team Hollo from Hong Kong along with Team Syrinx from Japan and Team Tremor Vision from the United States to advance to the second and final round of the competition. Each of the top three teams then gave an in-depth presentation of their solutions. Assessed for their diversity, originality and innovative design.
Winners
Judges selected Team Hollo as the 2020 Microsoft Imagine Cup championship winners. The team, from the University of Hong Kong, won the grand prize. With a mental health companion web app leveraging Azure analytics and AI services to advance youth therapy practices. The grand prize included 100,000 USD, a mentoring session with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and 50,000 USD in Azure grants.
Also making it to the top-six position was Team RedWalls from Tunisia National Institute of Applied Science and Technology. With their I-Remember mobile application designed for the well-being of both the Alzheimer’s patients and their caregivers.
Innovations from bright minds in Africa
“We are thrilled for Team Hollo and look forward to future updates surrounding their winning solution. At the same time, we are also encouraged by the sheer talent of all this year’s finalists. Who clearly put a lot of thought behind their unique tech innovations. As we continue to navigate through the Fourth Industrial Revolution, particularly in such uncertain times, I am confident we will continue to see innovations from young bright minds not only in Africa but the world over,” concludes Nderitu.
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Microsoft is looking to bring back the concept of NexTech Africa but in an ongoing way. The company is introducing the Power Africa Community for African developers. Dona Sakar, Microsoft Principal Advocate, shared this during the welcome to Microsoft Build 2020 session.
We will like to bring back the concept of NexTech but ongoing. This year we want to engage with you (African developers) so much better through a series of virtual events. Events focused on Power platform, Azure, M365, etc..
Dona Sarkar
Power Africa tech community will be a closed group on the Microsoft Tech Community. Where African developers will be able to learn, share, connect and grow with events and opportunities from Power Platform, M365 and Azure.
Virtual events designed specifically for the continent will take place this summer and fall, Dona notes. The company also hopes it can host an in-person Dev Tour this winter as part of the initiative.
To join the community and stay up-to-date kindly signup.
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