Konstantinos Boutsioulis, an M365 MVP in Greece has been actively engaging with community members to share his ideas and ideal practices of how to leverage AI and Cloud technology in the modern workplace. In terms of how we work with AI and Cloud solutions for the future, he states, "From the perspective of the modern workplace, it is certain that all companies will eventually utilize cloud and AI technologies, and I am positive that people will evolve their ways of working further using Microsoft technologies." He continues, "The digital transition of companies is something that will concern all of us in the coming years, and it is clear that it will be implemented with cloud technologies and mainly with AI. The use of AI is capital in itself and will concern all of us in the coming years. It is very important to use it for the good of all of us not only for the automation and evolution of our work but mainly for the good of humanity."
Embracing that very sentiment as the theme ‘AI and Cloud Solutions for the Future’ and ‘How AI and Cloud Can Shape the Future of Work’, Konstantinos collaborated with Microsoft Azure MVP George Grammatikos and held a three-day virtual conference AI Cloud and Modern Workplace Conference. More than 1,000 participants from different countries joined this conference to explore how cloud technology and AI can enhance productivity in the modern workplace. They learned about various technologies, such as Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365, Microsoft Fabric, and Microsoft Security Copilot, from 25 diverse expert speakers including Microsoft MVPs and Microsoft members.
Konstantinos put a lot of work into preparing the agenda and also gave a talk to share his own learning as a speaker. He has a firm belief in hosting such conferences (this year marking the third consecutive year) and making them “a free event” to provide a wide range of participants with the opportunity to acquire new technology information+ to offer speakers from various backgrounds, including young speakers the ability to deliver a talk. All these passions led to the great success of this conference.
According to Konstantinos, the community is interested in cloud technology, and AI is a field that attracts many of them. This conference, targeted at such an audience, received a lot of praise from participants. “We received many Kudos from the participants mainly because we had an abundance of speakers, and we covered all the technologies related to AI, cloud, and the modern workplace. Our audience often mentions that they want deep technical presentations,” he says.
Konstantinos reflects on his takeaways from this conference, “as the way we work changes, it is important for all employees and organizations to adopt new technologies to improve productivity and the workplace environment.” He also mentions organizational commitment and taught us essential points for the future of work, "Organizations must enable employees to work effectively by providing them with all the tools to help and encourage them to achieve better results in their productivity. Generative AI technology and collaboration tools are shaping the future of work. Organizations also need to develop strategies for the evolution of their working environment. The development and evolution of their employees require the existence of skills, training, and encouragement from the organizations. Digital collaboration is the first priority. Developing a culture of collaboration in every organization is essential."
After the conference, Konstantinos and co-organizer George launched a new community, Digital Innovative Minds. They have posted some of the conference sessions on their YouTube channel Digital Innovative Minds and plan to stream online presentations with MVPs, Microsoft employees, and experts from the IT industry in the future to strengthen the community and provide opportunities to various people.
Konstantinos is also enthusiastic about expanding his engagement and shares his plans for the future. ”We also want to include a number of efforts to encourage new speakers to participate in our events, as well as mentoring young people to become MVPs. Anyone who wishes to join our efforts is welcome and we also intend to encourage all participants to be active members and advocates in our community actions.”