We are still in the midsts of technology conference season, and we are a little over one month away from Microsoft Ignite 2019.  If you haven’t yet made your travel arrangements, it is crunch time!  The good news is that Microsoft Ignite will once again be held in Orlando, Florida.  This means you have many options for flights and hotels, as Orlando is a very popular tourist destination.  Let’s take a closer look at what the Microsoft conference has for us in store this year.

What is there to learn at Microsoft Ignite?

Like most tech conference, the Microsoft Ignite conference is divided into a number of different learning paths.  These paths are divided into the following topics:

  • Productivity
  • Developer
  • Security & Compliance
  • IT Management
  • Fundamentals
  • Infrastructure

Within these learning paths, sessions get more granular.

For example, within the IT Management track is a great list of sessions with the common topic of improving reliability through modern operations practices.

By breaking things down further than just the learning path, Microsoft makes it easy for each attended to find the sessions most interesting and pertinent to them.  With over 1000 sessions to choose from, this is no easy fast.

Hot topics for Microsoft Ignite 2019

One thing that struck me when I looked at the learning paths for Microsoft Ignite is that there was not a dedicated cloud track.  I thought about it for a minute, and it started to make sense.  After all, with the rise of Microsoft Azure and Office 365, Microsoft has seamlessly been integrating their products into the cloud for some time.

While it is not specifically called out, the cloud is one of the hottest Microsoft conference topics.

If you want to load up your agenda with cloud topics, a good place to start is at the Ignite conference session catalog.  If you follow that link, I have already selected both the Azure and Office 365 topics to get you started.

The Security Learning Path at Microsoft Ignite 2019

While cloud may not be listed since it has become so integrated in the Microsoft eco system, Security, more specifically Security & Compliance have their own learning path.  As we all know, Security is one of the hottest topics in the IT industry right now.

Every attendee will find something relevant on the Security & Compliance learning path, since it encompasses almost every Microsoft technology, with a total of 124 sessions, which you can browse here.

Sessions cover topics such as threat and vulnerability management, Azure security, Microsoft Defender ATP, Azure AD, and more.  Be sure to catch a security based session at the Microsoft conference if you are attending – you won’t regret it!

The Microsoft Ignite 2019 Schedule

The Microsoft Ignite Conference is taking place from November 3 through 8 in 2019.  It will once again be held in Orlando, Florida in the USA at the Orange County Convention Center.  You can find the detailed agenda here, which lists the events and activities held daily.

Microsoft Ignite is also sold out for 2019, but Microsoft has always been fantastic about providing an online experience for those who cannot attend in person, and the keynotes are always live streamed.  If you are attending in person, be sure to make time on Thursday for the Microsoft Ignite Celebration, which is being held at Universal Studios!

Be sure to stay tuned to Twitter and other social media channels, as there will undoubtably be many annoucements from Microsoft during that week.