Top Takeaways from Microsoft Build 2020
Normally hosted in Seattle, the conference for developers and independent software vendors (ISVs) took place online this year. Bringing together about 5,000 participants, the 48-hour event resulted in some incredible content and innovations.
Here are our top picks coming out of Microsoft Build 2020:
1. Developer Velocity (Azure)
Earlier this year, McKinsey & Company released a report stating that “Developer Velocity”, which refers to the speed of delivery and ability to unleash developer ingenuity, is the key to excelling at software development and becoming a true “technology” company.
Developer Velocity was a big focus of Microsoft Build 2020, where developers were invited to try out a wide range of innovative tools designed to build, collaborate and scale productively and securely. That included tools like GitHub Actions for Azure, Windows Server containers for Azure Kubernetes Service, Azure Cosmos DB, Azure Cognitive Services and more. There was also a keynote on the topic called Azure: Invent with Purpose. Read more from Microsoft.
2. Azure Synapse Link (Azure)
In November 2019, Microsoft debuted Azure Synapse Analytics, which enabled data professionals to collaborate, build and manage analytics solutions by removing barriers between enterprise data warehousing and big data analytics.
Building on this, at Microsoft Build 2020, Microsoft announced a preview of Azure Synapse Link. This tool is a cloud-native implementation of HTAP that removes barriers between Azure operational database services and Azure Synapse Analytics. That means users will be able to gain insights from their real-time transactional data with a single click. Currently available for Azure Cosmos DB, the tool will soon be available across other operational database services such as Azure SQL, Azure Database for MySQL, Azure Database for PostgreSQL and more. Read more from Microsoft.
3. Teams (M365)
At Microsoft Build 2020, there were many exciting releases of new features and capabilities that have been added to Microsoft Teams. These announcements included:
- Providing the ability to start from a customizable template when creating a new team, saving time and effort.
- Adding enhancements to the Power Platform that make it easier to integrate and scale with Teams, including adding chatbots, automating workflows, sharing Power BI report, scheduling virtual meetings through Bookings, broadcasting events from a virtual stage, remote scheduling and more.
4. Fluid Framework (M365)
Last year at Ignite 2019, Microsoft announced a preview of the Microsoft Fluid Framework, a new technology designed to make collaboration seamless by removing barrier between apps. At Microsoft Build 2020, further features were revealed, including making the Fluid Framework open source for developers and previewing the first Fluid Framework integrations for Office.com and Outlook for the Web.
These integrations will enable end users to collaborate on dynamic content and share connected components across apps. For instance, tables, charts and task lists can now be inserted into Outlook for Web, ensuring numbers, tasks and reports are always the most recent. Similarly, in Office.com, Fluid workspaces can now be created and managed. Read more from Microsoft.
5. Virtual Windows Desktop (Windows)
Remote work is on everyone’s mind right now. Windows Virtual Desktop, built on Azure, provides the capability for organizations to provision and scale virtual desktops and apps faster than ever before and across a growing set of devices for Windows, MacOS/iOS and Android.
At Microsoft Build 2020, a preview of a new feature called MSIX App Attach was announced. This preview means that once organizations adopt MSIX for Windows desktop, the same investment will translate to Windows Virtual Desktop on Azure. Read more from Microsoft.
6. Project Reunion (Windows)
To help unify and evolve the Windows developer platform, Microsoft unveiled Project Reunion and Build 2020, stating:
“For the past couple of years, we have been breaking down the barrier between Win32 (also called the Windows API) and Universal Windows Platform (UWP) APIs. Project Reunion expands this effort to make it easier to build a great Windows app. It will unify access to existing Win32 and UWP APIs and make them available decoupled from the OS, via tools like NuGet. This will provide a common platform for new apps. Plus, it will help you update and modernize your existing apps with the latest functionality, whether they’re C++, .NET (including WPF, Windows Forms, and UWP) or React Native.”
This is exciting news for developers who want to build apps that operate across all Windows 10 versions and devices. Read more from Microsoft.
In Summary
Microsoft Build 2020 was one of the largest Build events ever. Although it was held remotely, it resulted in impressive announcements and content that will continue to spur innovation across the developer community. And right now, the world needs game-changing innovation to solve local and global challenges.
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