Microsoft announces the availability of Office 365 on its datacenters located in South Africa. Customers in the region can now migrate their accounts starting today according to the announcement.
“We are proud to announce that Office 365 is now available on the local datacenters! Migrate your current Office 365 account today!“
In March this year Microsoft announced its cloud datacenters in Africa. To be located in Cape Town and Johannesburg, South Africa. With Azure being the first of Microsoft’s intelligent cloud services to be delivered from the new datacenters.
At the launch event Microsoft said its cloud based productivity solutions; Office 365 and Dynamics 365 intelligent business application services were expected to launch by quater three this year. However Microsoft now says customers should expect Dynamics 365 and Power Platform to be available in the fourth quarter, 2019.
What this means is that African customers can now have their data stored on datacenters in Africa. They can also expect better services with regards to latency, data residency and regulations.
Exchange Online, SharePoint Online and OneDrive for business are services Microsoft shares will be made available. As well as “many of the Microsoft Services that work in conjunction with this data, for example, but not limited to, Exchange Online Protection, Delve, Office Online, and Office 365 Advanced Threat Protection.”
With the availability of Microsoft’s cloud services delivered from Africa, it will mean local companies can securely move their business to the cloud.
Yousef Khalidi Corporate Vice President of Azure Networking
We are listing Microsoft Interns4Afrika initiative open positions in Mozambique.
Microsoft 4Afrika‘s internship initiative provides real employment opportunities to talented young professionals in Sales, Marketing and IT Technical Support tracks. A response to demand from its software distribution and development partners across Africa and the Middle East.
Do you live in Maputo, Mozambique? Get to be a Technical Support, Sales or Marketing intern. Microsoft’s Interns4Afrika initiative is offering a unique experience with a dynamic and agile technology organization.
All the best to you as you apply. If you do get in, come back and share the experience with us? Also kindly report any broken links so we can fix them. We will be updating this list when new positions are available. So bookmark it and check back. Subscribe to recieve latest opportunities as well. Thank you.
Firstly are you a team player? Do you have a growth mindset? Are you resourceful and customer focused? Have a demonstrated desire and ability to readily take on complex challenges and work towards solutions to seemingly unsolvable problems? Do you have passion for technology and how technology can inspire and ignite change and renewal? Finally are you Within 12 months of graduation or graduated within the last 12 months?
If you tick yes in all the categories above then Microsoft invites you to apply for a full-time opportunity. Microsoft believes “when smart people with a passion for technology get together they create things that change the world.”
Here are details on qualifications and responsibilities on Full-time Opportunity
Qualifications Applications to this opportunity are considered depending on education level and/or location. To be considered as student/recent graduate, you should be:
Within 12 months of graduation or graduated within the last 12 months.
Up to 2 years of accumulated full-time professional experience.
Passion for the technology and innovation.
Excellent verbal and written communication, analytical and presentation skills.
English language fluency.
Responsibilities We are looking for candidates that have the following qualities:
Team Player: driving digital transformation with our customers is a team sport. We need teammates who can stay maniacally focused on our customers’ satisfaction while operating in a highly-collaborative, matrixed global organization.
Growth Mindset: your life is truly about learning-it-all. You approach every new piece of information, knowledge, and competency with insatiable curiosity. Ultimately, you’re open to the ideas of others, where the success of others does not diminish your own.
Resourceful: you have the drive to overcome any obstacle in your work.
Customer Focused: you learn about your customers and their businesses with a beginner’s mind and then bring solutions that meet their needs.
Pure Challenge: demonstrated desire and ability to readily take on complex challenges and work towards solutions to seemingly unsolvable problems.
Passion for Technology: you’re deeply motivated by the incredible opportunity of how technology can inspire and ignite change and renewal.
Microsoft Full-time Opportunity, click to apply below
Are you a Tech Startup in South Africa and looking for help to grow? Do you need the right doors opened throughout your journey? Then this is your opportunity to take the first step. Introducing Head Start a Microsoft initiative to provide support for startups in South Africa announced last year.
The Microsoft event for startups is themed “Opening tomorrow’s door for today’s startups“. Microsoft’s Head Start programme will help tech startups by giving them access to a variety of skills development resources, coaches and mentors, Microsoft’s customer network and the platform on which to build their products and services.
Registerand begin the journey to get ahead of the pack and stay there.
Venue : The River Club, Liesbeek Avenue, Observatory, Cape Town
According to Microsoft, the event will see startups exposed to it’s: Technology, Business development and Compliance, regulation and legal doors.
Technology: Microsoft’s experts and architects will help tech startups to build the right solutions. Business development: experts will help the startups grow their customer base by introducing them to Microsoft’s extensive worldwide network of enterprises, governments, and startups from around the world. Compliance, regulation and legal: will see Microsoft’s legal and corporate affairs team on standby to assist startups where needed.
Selected startups will learn topics such as Taking your business to the clouds. Building low cost, scalable applications on Azure, Doing ethical business, Market Acquisition for Startups and more.
If this is the opportunity you’ve been looking for, register to participate.
Microsoft is calling for proposal submissions to its AI Hack for FSI hackathon. The aim of the Hack is to showcase how Azure AI services can improve our lives and experiences through AI in the FSI industry (Financial Services Industry). It is also to facilitate the creation of innovative prototypes that leverage AI and Machine Learning Services in the Azure Cloud. If you are a newcomer or veteran to Azure Cloud services then this is the right opportunity for you to showcase your talent and build something innovative to improve the world.
Facts to Note
Microsoft is a leader in AI and Machine Learning and have the tools and platforms to help empower every person and every organisation to achieve more.
– Deadline for submission of proposal is 11 April 2019. – Successful proposals will be notified by email by end of day 15 April 2019.
– Hackathon wrap-up event will take place on the 15 and 16 May 2019. – Awards will be provided to the top 2 teams.
Microsoft AI Hackathon
What is a Hackathon?
A Hackathon is an intensive competition of brainstorming, computer programming, engineering and innovative thinking that draws together the talent and creativity of people from different disciplines. It can be described as an event where a group of developers, designers, programmers, students and so forth come together at a specified venue and work together in teams to collaborate on projects. It also provides a unique environment for learning and experimentation.
Why is Microsoft hosting this hackathon?
Microsoft is hosting this hackathon to facilitate the creation of innovative prototypes that leverage AI and Machine Learning Services in the Azure Cloud. It is a great opportunity for veterans and newcomers to the Azure Cloud to showcase their talents and build something innovative. Note: All prototypes and ideas generated at the Hack remain the property of the participating teams. Microsoft is only interested in the usage for their AI platforms, not your intellectual property
Click on the link below to submit your proposal to participate in the hackathon.
Microsoft says the PIC will be at the forefront of dialogue around how to embrace Digital Transformation. Also the role Artificial Intelligence can play to help the region thrive within the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The center will bring together stakeholders to develop innovative policy dialogue across various industries.
Lillian Barnard, General Manager Microsoft South Africa gave the welcome address at Future Africa Campus event. She said; “We are proud to partner with the University of Pretoria and the Department of Science and Technology to drive conversation around the different policies to help protect all users“.
Dr. Phil Mjwara, South Africa’s Director-General of Science and Technology gave the keynote address during the launch event. He said “One of the key roles of government is to create a climate in which individuals, businesses and other social institutions could thrive. This includes creating an enabling legislative, policy or regulatory framework for the development of new innovative technologies and services“.
Mike Yeh General Counsel, Microsoft, during the opening ceremony of the Policy Innovation Center said Microsoft always approached technology holistically.
He said “At Microsoft we have been talking for some years about the democratization of technology. How do we ensure that as the world advances and advanced technology becomes incorporated in everyday lives, that everyone is able to benefit? There is clearly a need and opportunity to figure out how to modernise those regulations in a way that is responsible. Bouncing out the potential benefits of technology, ensuring that the data remains private and that customers can control that data
We see many opportunities and challenges on how to get the regulatory environment correct. We look forward to working with the University of Pretoria and government to really bring people together. To drive the conversation and ultimately find the solutions to ensure that technology is used fairly and for good”.
