A keynote address by Microsoft President Brad Smith on November 24 was the start of the main part of the NT Remote conference, the largest virtual business technology event in Slovenia. In two conference days, 950 IT professionals, developers, users, representatives of Microsoft partners, and business and public sector leaders learned about the most important business and technological trends, marked by accelerating digital transformations and laying the foundations for a rapid economic recovery and effective dealing with environmental challenges. NT Remote was a virtual implementation of the NT Conference, which this year celebrates its 25th anniversary.
Microsoft’s vision of sustainable development
In his opening address, Microsoft President Brad Smith outlined Microsoft’s vision of sustainable development. The company undertook to become carbon negative by 2030 and remove all carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by 2050, which it has released directly or indirectly since its inception in 1975. Microsoft further strengthened its sustainability targets this September by pledging to become a company that will restore more water than it will consume by 2030. “We tackle water consumption in two ways: by lowering the intensity of water use – that is, how much water we use per megawatt of energy we need for our business — and by restoring water to the water-deprived areas in which we are present,” Smith said.
In his address, Smith also outlined how modern digital technologies can support economic recovery, create new business opportunities and jobs, and accelerate Europe’s green transformation.
Modern technologies as a cornerstone of organization resilience
The indispensable role of digital technologies in a successful response to the current situation was the theme of Anke den Ouden, Microsoft regional general manager for 24 countries in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE Multi-Country).
“Digital technologies played a key role in companies’ functioning during the pandemic, whether it was remote work, process automation, or the promotion of contactless transactions. The increased use of digital technologies has also brought us closer to the development of a smart economy that brings new ways for companies to grow faster and deliver more productivity,” said Anke den Ouden, thanking system administrators, data analysts, security professionals, software developers and other professionals who have helped their colleagues, organizations, and clients in recent months to adapt quickly to new situations.
“The companies have accelerated the digitization of all parts of their business, including manufacturing, sales, and customer support, in order to transform their response to customer needs – from curbside pick-up and contactless shopping in retail to telemedicine in healthcare. Every aspect of the business is becoming more resilient and transforming with the power of digital technologies,” said Anke den Ouden.
Business and technology content
Within two days, NT Remote offered a wide range of current technology and business content. Thirty lecturers presented technology content in five content sets and interactive workshops covering servers, information security, development, databases, and cloud computing.
For decision-makers in business and public sectors, the event offered content dedicated to challenges such as distance management, remote work, new business models, productivity-raising solutions, new ways of managing the public sector, the cost-effectiveness of cloud computing, the management of changes in human resource management and innovations in manufacturing companies.
