A synopsis of my first Microsoft (MVP) Summit

Last week I attended my first Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) Global Summit. Compared to a lot of the conferences I’ve been to over the years this was tiny with just over 2000 attendees. The difference however is that every attendee is an expert in their field (associated with at least one Microsoft technology) and they come from over 80 countries. It is the most diverse mix of attendees for the number of participants.

The event is also not the typical tech type conference that provides you details on current trends, public road maps and guidance on how to implement or migrate technology. Instead it is a look behind the development curtain and almost full transparent dialogue with the product and engineering teams determining and building the future for each technology stream. It also isn’t held at a sterile function center. It’s held on site at Microsoft’s headquarters in Redmond, Washington. Everywhere you look you can find nuggets of Microsoft’s history. Nightly activities are predominantly centered around Bellevue (a short distance from Redmond).

My MVP is associated with Identity & Access. Internally at Microsoft they refer to the small number of us in that category an Identity MVP’s. I spent the week in deep technical sessions around Identity and Access Management getting insights for the short, medium and longer term plans for all things Identity & Access Management related and conversing with my peers. I can’t say more than that, as privilege for that level of insight is only possible through a strict and enforced NDA (Non Disclosure Agreement) between each MVP and Microsoft.

I thoroughly enjoyed my first MVP Summit. I reconnected with a number of old colleagues and acquaintances and made a bunch of new connections both within Microsoft and the Identity MVP community. It has prepared me with vision of what’s coming that will be directly applicable to many of the longer term projects I’m currently designing. It definitely filled in the detail between the lines associated with recent Microsoft announcements in the Identity and Access Management space.

Want to become an MVP? Looking to know what it takes to be awarded with MVP status? Want a full rundown on the benefits? Checkout this three-part blog post starting here by Alan about the MVP program.