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Microsoft Australia Bloghttp://blogs.msdn.com/b/ausblog/atom.aspxTelligent Evolution Platform Developer Build (Build: 5.6.50428.7875)2014-08-05T12:00:00ZTo my fellow CEOs, Managing Directors and Boards of Directorshttp://blogs.msdn.com/b/ausblog/archive/2015/03/09/to-my-fellow-ceos-managing-directors-and-boards-of-directors.aspx2015-03-08T20:50:00Z2015-03-08T20:50:00Z
It's been great to hear so many of you in recent years declare your commitment to driving gender diversity. You have all had great women in your life - mothers, daughters, and sisters - so I know you genuinely care. This year the theme of International Women's Day is "Make it Happen". I can assure you it won't without you!

In 2015, only one in four of key management personnel in Australia is female. The further up the chain you go, the worse it gets; only 10 per cent of key executives in ASX 200 companies are women. Even in the boardroom – where representation has mercifully picked up from a tragically low base – men still account for four in five directorships.

I know such a slow rate of advance wouldn't be acceptable if we were discussing profit, market share and growth. Soft targets don't cut it in those discussions and they shouldn't here. We have to make it clear gender diversity is a strategic priority where we will commit to bold goals, invest to drive growth and commit to measuring performance.

First up we need to clear away some myths that have become excuses.

Setting targets means dropping the bar.

Too often people argue that committing to hard targets on diversity would mean lowering standards. I don't accept this and you shouldn't either. Finding and promoting talent is part and parcel of embracing a diverse workforce. Believing your organisation hires and promotes on merit is not enough. Why? It turns out judging merit is not an exact science. Such decisions are frequently swayed by bias because many decision makers have set ideas of what leaders look like and, quite often, those stereotypes are male. I put my hand up here – the IT industry has long been male dominated. We need to actively fight against the stereotypes by ensuring equal representation on interview panels and challenging bias wherever we see it.

I want to hire women but I can't. There's a pipeline issue

I am not denying that this is a challenge in certain industries, but it shouldn't be a blanket excuse across business. An example would be in the legal profession, where more than 60% of law graduates in this country are women, yet the numbers decline dramatically at the top. There is an obvious disconnect here. Women outperform men in high school, in most tertiary courses and in the early years of professional life. And then … there is an exodus.

Women opt out so there's not enough to promote

The latest Workplace Gender Equality Agency data shows many women don't make the transition from a mid-level role to a key management position. Now it's a fact that the prime child rearing years coincide with what is known as the 'Golden Decade' for career development. However, plenty of women want to combine the two. We must shift the needle here. I have two children, so I know first-hand how important it is to have an employer who is willing to promote a pregnant woman, stays in touch while you're away and allows for flexible hours when you come back. We can all work on making our companies a great place to stay.
Women managers aren't great.

A fellow CEO recently told me that part of the problem in his company was some people don't want to work for a woman. For me, the really astounding thing was that the CEO wasn't shocked by that comment. For goodness sake, this is 2015, not 1815. What that CEO could have done – what we all must do – is tackle bias when and wherever we find it.

As leaders we must move past words of support and onto action. The time for talk is past. We have to set aggressive targets for gender diversity. We have to commit to bold – not just incremental – goals, invest appropriately and measure performance. Enough is enough. If we, as business leaders, don't do something to address this gender inequality, then all of those well-intentioned commitments are really just vapourware. Most importantly, we have nothing to lose and everything to gain. As Warren Buffet once said, "We've seen what can be accomplished when we use 50 per cent of our human capacity. If you visualise what 100 per cent can do, you'll join me as an unbridled optimist."

Pip Marlow, Managing Director, Microsoft Australiahttp://blogs.msdn.com/pipmarlowmd_4000_outlook.com/ProfileUrlRedirect.ashxCIO Spotlight: Mortgage Choice Builds a Pathway to the Future http://blogs.msdn.com/b/ausblog/archive/2015/02/17/cio-spotlight-mortgage-choice-builds-a-pathway-to-the-future.aspx2015-02-17T03:43:00Z2015-02-17T03:43:00Z
Posted on behalf of John Leonard, General Manager, Microsoft Dynamics Australia

Last year, we announced that our cloud footprint is expanding with Microsoft's cloud productivity suite – Office 365 – and cloud business application – Dynamics CRM Online – which will be available to customers as locally-hosted versions by the end of March 2015. This was a huge moment for Microsoft in Australia, and we're already seeing our customers taking advantage of the improved performance and data residency to transform their business for the mobile-first, cloud-first world.

I caught up with Neill Rose-Innes, GM Operations & CIO from Mortgage Choice to find out how Microsoft Dynamics CRM and Office 365 fits into the company's IT strategy and its continued transition to the cloud.

Q: What support do you give Australians in the property buying experience?

A: Mortgage Choice was established in 1992 as an alternate for consumers, instead of going directly to banks and lending institutions. Set up with a vision of building a national network of ethical and professional mortgage brokers who local communities could trust, we give customers a choice of product and a choice of lender so they can identify and secure the right solution for their circumstances, and then guide them on that journey.

Mortgage Choice isn't just about home loans these days either. Convenience for borrowers and a strong commitment to 'duty of care' is why many of our brokers also help to source personal loans, commercial loans, asset finance, deposit bonds, and risk and general insurances for their customers.

Today, over fifty per cent of flows for new home loans are originated through the broker channel, which demonstrates the significant value we bring to all parties involved in the process. For consumers, we know they place great value on our expert advice across a range of lenders, and the results speak for themselves – we write a home loan every 15 minutes via our extensive panel of 27 lenders.

Q: It's great to see your business built around delivering maximum value to the customer. As the home-buying market has changed, how has Mortgage Choice evolved?

A: Three years ago, Mortgage Choice decided to significantly transform the way it does business, by diversifying into a fully-fledged financial services provider that offers mortgages, financial planning and associated products and services. To achieve this, we decided to launch a financial planning network that leverages the strong Mortgage Choice brand. These products and services were solutions our customers were asking for from us – given the level of insight they give us into their finances, aspirations and objectives – so we were happy to deliver upon them and make the necessary changes across the business.

The impact of the Global Financial Crisis also forced Mortgage Choice to enhance our customer offerings. With lender commissions being cut, we needed to find a way to create and build better businesses and ensure they are sustainable, today and into the future. We achieved this by diversifying our revenue streams across multiple products and services, such as. risk insurance, equipment finance, personal loans, asset finance, debtor finance and financial planning to name but a few.

As consumers have become more knowledgeable and educated around the benefits of technology, from the latest devices through to cloud platforms, the demands they place on providers has increased too. In this new marketplace, the swiftness and agility of consumer technology needs to be replicated in the enterprise world so that consumers can engage in the ways they want to. This means we need to find ways to communicate with our customers across devices and channels, and the IT we deploy is a critical component in achieving this.

Ultimately it's always about delivering a compelling customer experience so that we can retain and grow our customer base.

Q: How do you engage with customers across multiple channels and devices?

A: We aim to position the customer at the centre of everything we do, which is why we have what we call the enterprise view of the customer. To explain, customer details are entered once in our system and updated each time we engage with them, regardless of the channel they're engaging with, so that the business has a 360 degree view of the relationship history and various transactions. In addition, the Dynamics CRM allows us to enter our customers' details just once. As we implement these changes, the underlying technology needs to be improved to account for consumers who are much more discerning about whom and how they engage with their service providers.

Q: As you've implemented this change I know you went to market for a new CRM system. Can you talk me through how you identified the best technology for your needs?

 A: Mortgage Choice is currently transitioning from our own bespoke CRM solution to a packaged one addressing our needs. When we looked at the process of where do we need to be in three to five years we came to the decision that it wasn't in the company's best interest to build the platform ourselves – we wanted a solution that enabled us to implement change seamlessly and efficiently, and which would continue to deliver gains long after it had been implemented.

We looked at three offerings including Salesforce.com, settling on Microsoft Dynamics as the product of choice for Mortgage Choice due to its ability to meet our strategic and project objectives. A core Microsoft Dynamics' capability for Mortgage Choice is its initial starting point – it can be configured to our use with minimal customisation. This gives on-going value, as we're not spending a lot of time re-inventing what's already been done. Microsoft's investment into the product, and the regular updates it delivers, was another reason behind our decision, ensuring we can constantly deliver new features and benefits to our customers.

Another important element for us is that Microsoft Dynamics gives us a pathway to the future. Our strategy is very much focused on the cloud – a journey we have already embarked on – so being able to deploy Microsoft Dynamics on-premise initially, with a view to seamlessly moving it online, was a big positive for us. Similarly, Microsoft Dynamics has dramatically accelerated our mobile strategy as it liberates our users to provide a better experience by working from a device of their choosing.

Microsoft Dynamics' integration with our other key systems, and the control we had over this so as to limit risk to the business as we change, was another driver behind our decision to go on-premise. Cost was a further consideration, with Microsoft's offering giving Mortgage Choice confidence that we would get maximum return on our investment.

A supplementary reason behind our decision is the new solutions being introduced to the core CRM product, such as social listening, business intelligence and marketing components. We can choose to select these technologies when we best see fit, and it gives us the enterprise control we need to manage it.

Q: How else is Mortgage Choice leveraging the value of the data you have?

A: We are piloting and using Microsoft Office 365 for our Melbourne-based business, Help Me Choose. The Outlook client style combined with the seamless integration with Microsoft Dynamics suits the company's work style and practices, enabling us to maximise the customer service delivered.

The next significant step for us is to deploy the core business intelligence tools enabling increased data insight so that we can enhance services. We want to be in a position to do predictive analytics as well as reactive, which is why our view is to take the journey one step at a time: deploy the core tools; understand what data is available; and what practices are being used in the field. This approach – we feel – allows us to be more pro-active and relevant to our customer community.

Guest Authorhttp://blogs.msdn.com/msauguest_4000_outlook.com/ProfileUrlRedirect.ashxAurora College students to benefit from having their heads in the cloudhttp://blogs.msdn.com/b/ausblog/archive/2015/02/04/aurora-college-students-to-benefit-from-having-their-heads-in-the-cloud.aspx2015-02-04T02:04:00Z2015-02-04T02:04:00Z
Schoolchildren from rural and remote NSW are now on a more even footing with their city counterparts thanks to the wonders of technology and Office 365.

In an exciting day for children, parents, the State government and Microsoft, Aurora College, a virtual selective secondary school connecting students in remote parts of NSW, today announced it will create a cloud-based teaching and learning environment with Office 365. The announcement was made at Dubbo College South Campus, with Deputy Premier and Member for Dubbo Troy Grant and NSW Minister for Education Adrian Piccoli both in attendance.

Aurora is an innovative, unique secondary schooling option for students. Run by the NSW Department of Education and Communities, it connects students of existing government schools while providing the opportunity to study specialist and advanced subjects that would not be possible through normal schooling.

The school also offers students expanded career options through innovative programs and strengthened partnerships between schools, TAFE, universities, business and employers. Mentoring opportunities and master classes will be key features.

Office 365 will be delivered to students via HP devices running Windows 8 that will give them all the tools they need to collaborate with peers and teachers, as well as access to material from the syllabus anytime, anywhere through the cloud. In addition students can access Office 365 on their own computers and mobile devices. Microsoft has also provided in-depth training and support for facilitators and students to ensure they are maximising the potential benefits of the cloud that Office 365 unlocks.

The cloud is creating brand new opportunities for the State's gifted regional students to collaborate and learn - whether they are on campus, on the move or at home. Traditional learning methods have been enhanced in this e-learning environment and now more closely represent the world that students will be joining in tertiary education and the workforce.

Aurora's innovation provides students with the flexibility and mobility that they need to study on their own terms. By building an anytime, anywhere learning environment, Aurora College is helping students in regional NSW to work collaboratively, acquire knowledge and innovate. Those skills are a great springboard for future careers in a digital economy and therefore essential to Australia's future prosperity.

Mr Piccoli praised the forward-thinking innovation that led to the creation of Aurora College as a way of levelling the playing field.

"Using the latest collaboration technology, we are addressing a major equity issue affecting talented students in regional areas — students who have previously been unable to access the subjects and resources they need," Mr Piccoli said.

"Students in rural and remote NSW will have access to our most experienced teachers, even if those teachers are based in the city."

Education has never been a more critical building block to fostering innovation in today's digital economy. Aurora College are pioneers for virtual secondary schools in regional Australia and Microsoft is looking forward to talking with other institutions on how to continue to inspire our students to innovate and learn.

Fiona Sims Office 365 Education Marketing Managerhttp://blogs.msdn.com/msauedu_4000_outlook.com/ProfileUrlRedirect.ashxEagle Boys Soars with Microsoft Azurehttp://blogs.msdn.com/b/ausblog/archive/2015/02/02/eagle-boys-soars-with-microsoft-azure.aspx2015-02-02T04:58:00Z2015-02-02T04:58:00Z
Last year, we announced the launch of our Microsoft Azure Geo in Australia. This was a huge moment for Microsoft in Australia, and we're already seeing our customers using the platform to transform their business for the mobile-first, cloud-first world.

We caught up with Darryn Parker, IT Manager & Digital Enabler, Eagle Boys to discuss how the company is changing its business with Microsoft Azure, and why it's doing away with the Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) model in favour of Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) to increase the bottom line.

Q: Aside from your pizzas, what sets Eagle Boys apart from other players in the market?

A: At Eagle Boys, we're very proud to be an Australian brand and we think this is a key differentiator for us. We aim to be very community orientated, speaking more to the local market than we do nationally. At any stage, we have up to 3,500 employees working for the Eagle Boys' and by engaging with communities on a personal level we're able to provide franchisees with the support they need to be a success in their market.

Essentially, our goal is to be Australia's preferred choice in food franchising. The way we want to achieve that is by giving the best quality, delicious food, by delivering the best customer service, and engaging locally.

Q: When people think pizza, they don't think technology – or more specifically cloud. What impact does it have on your business?

A: Without technology we'd have no business. Without an active cloud-hosted e-commerce platform we'd have no business. Without a dedicated digital team pushing online sales we'd have no business. Technology is absolutely critical to what we do, and it's enabling us to interact with customers in new ways to drive brand loyalty, identify upsell opportunities, and reduce our operational costs.

No food retail sector has embraced online ordering quite like the pizza industry. To Eagle Boys, one online order is worth 1.5 offline orders due to the fact we're able to better control the customer experience – from tailoring the service based on our previous interactions with that customer to drive loyalty, through to controlling the paths of purchase, such as delivery methods and extras.

Furthermore, online ordering frees up staff time to focus on making pizzas rather than answering the phone, while every 10 per cent increase of online orders require one to two less telephones being paid for by the store.

Being able to run this experience through a reliable and scalable cloud platform is beyond essential for our business. To underline its importance, a 30 minute outage during peak trading could result in a loss of tens of thousands of dollars for the business.

Q: What role does Microsoft Azure play in managing your network of franchisees?

A: First and foremost, it allows us to manage our franchisees' IT environment from one central location, which delivers huge advantages. It means we can ensure the IT stack inside the store conforms with the standard operating environment, and it means new staff and stores can easily be on-boarded to the network. The great advantage of using Microsoft Azure at Eagle Boys is that you don't have to build a whole new business from scratch. You simply need to plug into the platform and your business is off and running.

Working from a central network also empowers us to stay engaged with our franchisees and source continual feedback on what they're seeing in their market and how we can support them. Similarly, our partners Microsoft and Data #3 do a great job managing our IT environment, allowing us to spend time concentrating on our customer experience.

Q: Eagle Boys have been a long-standing Microsoft cloud customer. How else is it being used within your business?

A: Eagle Boys is the perfect candidate for cloud computing. We'll do the vast majority of our transactions within a 10 hour block during the week, and we have busiest periods on Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday nights. Therefore, the ability to scale up and down our cloud services and pay accordingly is a huge advantage for our business, fiscally and operationally. We're essentially reducing the risk profile of our infrastructure by not having it available when it's not needed.

Now that we have migrated to Microsoft's Australian Geo, we are on track to achieve the savings that we had originally planned. These savings come from enhanced production and hosting capabilities. This also gives us the ability to engage with and lean on service providers who are specialists in their respective sectors - such as Office 365, network and application monitoring, and log-in. This approach, which we've never done before, allows us to outsource the support and runtime and the production support of the environment to other vendors, and the Australian Geo will give us more flexibility on who our partners can be.

Q: How was the transition Australian Azure Geos?

A: We partnered with Readify to perform a 'lift and shift' migration from our existing host provider, which was around 20-odd virtual machines, which have been redeployed on the Azure environment. We are now in the process of consuming the PaaS offerings from Microsoft Azure

We also moved our SQL databases. Eagle Boys will be unequivocally PaaS, and it will be embedded into our code base. Using Microsoft Azure means we will not need to worry about operating systems or how much space we're consuming. Our IT systems will just work, and we can focus on making and delivering great pizza via a superior user experience.

The December migration was completely seamless. There was zero downtime and zero lost orders for the business. We have already seen an increase in response times at the end-user side and an overall smoother user experience.

A proof of concept with for our e-commerce platform was also recently undertaken in Microsoft's Azure region in Singapore, where we were particularly impressed with the ease at which the deployment took place. Therefore, this is another area we may look to use Microsoft's cloud services locally.

Q: Eagle Boys is doing some great stuff with cloud. Why did you choose Microsoft Azure?

A: The main reason why we moved to Microsoft Azure was its PaaS capabilities.

I get a great sense of achievement about building something and releasing it for public consumption, and I enjoy seeing others do it too. With the cloud, this approach to business becomes part of business as usual. Yet its work is of the highest quality, and the speed of market and the capabilities we're going to be able to take advantage of is huge for us. Microsoft Azure empowers us to continually add features and capability to our websites, which has a direct impact on bottom line and adds value to our franchisees and customers. It's a place I love to be and it's great to see the software development team now at the forefront of businesses driving change.

Ultimately, Microsoft Azure removes the noise around hosting, around disaster recovery, around uptime, so that we can focus on what matters most to our business: delivering a great customer experience and selling pizzas.

Read more about Microsoft's Australian Azure Geo here.

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Toby Bowers (Australia)http://blogs.msdn.com/tobybowersmsft_4000_hotmail.com/ProfileUrlRedirect.ashxHear, Hear! Queensland Health deploys Microsoft Dynamics CRM to expand its Healthy Hearing programhttp://blogs.msdn.com/b/ausblog/archive/2015/01/21/hear-hear-queensland-health-deploys-microsoft-dynamics-crm-to-expand-its-healthy-hearing-program.aspx2015-01-20T23:15:00Z2015-01-20T23:15:00Z
Posted on behalf of John Leonard, General Manager, Microsoft Dynamics Australia

One of the most rewarding aspects of my job is seeing the impact of technology on the end-user – and when the benefactor is a healthcare department, that sense of achievement is always more special.

Recently, we've been working with Queensland Health on its 'Healthy Hearing' program, which aims to provide free hearing screening to all infants born in Queensland and track children with hearing difficulties throughout childhood.

To effectively deliver this program, Queensland Health needed a system capable of collecting all hearing screening data from newborns, which could centralise all collected data, eliminate record duplication, identify and quarantine possible data errors, provide analysis, and automatically direct children needing treatment to the appropriate medical resource and track their progress. Additionally, the program needed the capacity to report data on indicators identified in the National Performance Indicators to Support Neonatal Hearing Screening in Australia.

As I'm sure you can appreciate, this was no simple task, and more than a match for the system's existing platforms, draining important staff resources.

A Tailored Solution

In 2012, the Healthy Hearing program received funding for the development of the "QChild" system, which aimed to cover management of child birth data, hearing screen results, audiology consultations and extended care pathways data.

Since Queensland Health already used Microsoft Dynamics CRM and other related Microsoft technologies, the organisation decided to expand on its deployment of Microsoft Dynamics CRM to meet its requirements.

Working with Microsoft Consulting Services, which established the baseline requirements, and Microsoft Silver CRM Partner Simient, Queensland Health was able to rapidly deploy a highly-tailored XRM solution. So named in that it can manage relationships with anything, not just customers, through configuration instead of costly custom code changes, allowing Queensland Health's solution to meet their complex requirements.

Speaking about the deployment, Gavin Bott, Queensland Health Senior Project Officer said: "Our new relationship management system, QChild, provides us with secure access to data for all users in every hospital that births babies in the Queensland Health system. There is also integration with organisations that see children along the Healthy Hearing continuum, such as Audiology and Family Support Services, the multidisciplinary Childhood Hearing Clinics and Early Intervention."

"A secondary web-based system, The QChild Portal, enables data from all birthing hospitals across Queensland to be processed and imported into QChild, triggering automated workflows based on the screening results."

Unprecedented Insight

The program has been a massive success at Queensland Health, with it now able to attain unprecedented levels of business intelligence.

"We are seeing things that we could never have seen before, and we're looking at quality in an entirely new way, because there simply was no possibility of us knowing the things we know now," Gavin told me.

For instance, QChild enables the Healthy Hearing program to facilitate institutional knowledge across the organisation to better understand why and how certain actions were taken. Similarly, staff can better review patient timelines, such as time from birth to referral to appointment, and can set up dashboards alerting them to whenever someone slips outside of benchmarks.

Queensland Health's new Microsoft Dynamics CRM platform empowers it to better review internal performance to ensure a consistently high quality of work. Additionally, the system is capable of reporting hearing screening data at a national level, while ensuring each infant receives the care they need at a local level.

"The system facilitates institutional knowledge across the organisation: The full record of audit where every action is recorded allows us to understand not only what's been done, but very often you can see why things have been done. You can almost trace a train of thought when somebody has made an error by looking through the audit actions and time stamps," Gavin added.

Following the success of the project's first phase, it was great to recently hear Queensland Health has extended its use of Microsoft Dynamics CRM to its Deadly Ears program - a state-wide ear health program specifically for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, which aims to create long term changes across the education, health and early years' services sectors.

The results Queensland Health have achieved with our technology have been incredibly rewarding, and I'm looking forward to seeing the department's continued success in the future.

Guest Authorhttp://blogs.msdn.com/msauguest_4000_outlook.com/ProfileUrlRedirect.ashxSafeguarding student privacyhttp://blogs.msdn.com/b/ausblog/archive/2015/01/19/safeguarding-student-privacy.aspx2015-01-19T09:19:55Z2015-01-19T09:19:55Z
Technology has the unique power to influence and transform how we teach and learn.

While the use of cloud services opens up countless opportunities for students, it also opens up a range of potential issues, from government access to data, to vendor access and use of data.

In everything we do in the education sector, we are guided by the principle that student safety and privacy rights must come first. It is for this reason that Microsoft was one of the first companies to commit to the Student Privacy Pledge in the United States.

This commitment serves to ensure that providers of education services or content do not collect or use student data for targeted advertising or the development of marketing profiles of students. Office 365 was the first major cloud productivity service that made commitments not to use student data for advertising purposes or for any purpose other than providing educational services.

We have long believed that students, parents, educators and school leaders should have confidence in knowing that companies will use school children's data exclusively for appropriate learning purposes. This is fundamental to every engagement that Microsoft has with students in Australia and around the world. Every student deserves a quality education and should have access to all the tools necessary to be prepared for the future.

Pip Marlow, Managing Director, Microsoft Australiahttp://blogs.msdn.com/pipmarlowmd_4000_outlook.com/ProfileUrlRedirect.ashxGuiding parents through a technology mazehttp://blogs.msdn.com/b/ausblog/archive/2015/01/14/guiding-parents-through-a-technology-maze.aspx2015-01-13T22:00:00Z2015-01-13T22:00:00Z
As a parent of two technology savvy daughters (aged 12 and 10), I know that once the craziness of the festive season has calmed down, another extremely important yet equally busy spell commences: the time to start planning for yet another school year! Technology is now firmly integrated within Australian classrooms, and as we kick off 2015, it's now more important than ever to ensure our children are equipped with the right devices to maximize their potential to learn.

It's an exciting time for students and teachers alike with technology innovation becoming increasingly integrated within the Australian curriculum. But what about the parents? At a time when the purchase of new uniforms, school shoes, books and stationery is at its peak, with plenty of prescriptive guidance provided by schools, Microsoft Australia has today revealed new research which shows parents are feeling confused about the best technology to purchase for their school-aged children – with half of parents stating that schools provide very little information on what device to buy.

Microsoft Australia's new "Bring Your Own Device" (BYOD) research, conducted by Student Edge surveyed 1,000 parents with school-aged children, along with 1000 school-aged students. The findings show that 70 per cent of parents want to relinquish their decision making power to the experts, with one in four admitting to buying the wrong technology device for their child at some point.

Whether it's the sheer abundance of technology options available or the confusion as to the capability required of the device, parents are feeling overwhelmed about the decision at hand. An alarming number of parents are making the wrong choices due to varying and inconsistent levels of information about the right device for school.

The study also reveals that 75 per cent of parents are spending up to $1000 on devices, and more than half are willing to replace these devices every three years, which means that Aussie families are potentially pouring billions of dollars down the drain.

At Microsoft we believe that technology is purely a tool to help maximize the learning opportunities of every student regardless of their learning style; and choosing a device doesn't need to be a stressful and costly affair. To make sure your children reach their learning potential, take a look at the Microsoft & Intel Parent Guide to Student Devices http://www.devicesforschool.com.au/ and make the best choice for your child.

Jane Mackerall, Windows Product Marketing Manager,http://blogs.msdn.com/educate_5F00_msau_4000_outlook.com/ProfileUrlRedirect.ashxMicrosoft to deliver Office 365 and Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online from Australian datacentreshttp://blogs.msdn.com/b/ausblog/archive/2014/12/09/microsoft-to-deliver-office-365-and-microsoft-dynamics-crm-online-from-australian-datacenters.aspx2014-12-08T13:01:00Z2014-12-08T13:01:00Z

It's exciting to see organisations around the world harness the power of the cloud to transform their business and increase their productivity so they can do more and achieve more. To help make this possible Microsoft is committed to delivering the cloud services our customer's need – wherever they need them.

Recently we've made significant progress against this commitment. In October, we announced the expansion of Microsoft Azure in Australia. Last month, I announced that we will be providing Office 365 and Dynamics CRM services in Japan from local datacentres. And this month we take another important step by announcing that we will offer our cloud productivity suite - Office 365 - and our cloud business application – Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online – from datacentres in Australia by the end of March 2015.

Soon customers in Australia will be able to get the productivity of Office, the business know how of Dynamics CRM Online and the platform for innovation they both provide with the benefits of locally hosted services, including: reduced latency, data residency and the ability to better comply with local regulations.

As we grow, we continue to engage deeply with our global partner network to help businesses of all sizes reap the benefits of cloud computing. Today, we are also announcing the expansion of our Cloud Solution Provider program to Australia to give local partners complete ownership of the customer lifecycle, including; billing, provisioning, management and support. Our partners benefit from this program and our customers benefit from our partners' experience, expertise and knowledge as they embark on their cloud journey.

With over 30 years' experience in the Australian market we're committed to helping every customer make the most of any moment, anywhere, anytime on any device with innovative and efficient cloud services you can trust. Today's announcements are the next step in that commitment– to learn more, please check out today's press release.

John Case, Corporate Vice President, Microsofthttp://blogs.msdn.com/productivityservices_4000_outlook.com/ProfileUrlRedirect.ashxMicrosoft joins-up with UTS and NSW Government to hatch Sydney talenthttp://blogs.msdn.com/b/ausblog/archive/2014/11/18/microsoft-joins-up-with-uts-and-nsw-government-to-hatch-sydney-talent.aspx2014-11-17T22:55:00Z2014-11-17T22:55:00Z
I've had some pretty exciting times during my 12 years with Microsoft and this week rates as one of the best, with the announcement of our partnership with the University of Technology, Sydney's (UTS) and its newly launched precinct, Intersection: Sydney's Digital Creative Hub.

UTS has been one of the most active academic institutions in 'joining-up' the innovation ecosystem, with Sydney's Digital Creative Hub set to bring together creative and digital start-ups, cultural, media, SMEs, commercial, government and educational organisations.

I'm excited to work for a company that is a partner in connecting our best minds and talent, so they can work together, spark ideas off each other, ask for help . . . do all thing things that help take the seed of an idea and make it into something special.

Our partnership is not just about today, it's also about uncovering and nurturing tomorrow's innovators – something that's always been important to Microsoft. Bookending the precinct, 'The Hatchery' is a pre-incubator to educate and launch tomorrow's entrepreneurs – something that's essential if we are going to thrive as a nation.

There are a number of reasons why this will increasingly be the way of the future:

• It works – people working together are more creative and innovative
• Today's technology enables connection and collaboration at a level unimaginable just a few short years ago
• By nurturing talent it helps ensure great ideas become reality
• Through the introduction of the concepts of entrepreneurialism into education we will inspire innovation

As part of our backing of the Digital Creative Hub we're providing mentors and a full time employee to curate activity, as well as making available a 12 month Azure for BizSpark grant for qualifying start-ups. We will also be using the space – which is in the basement level of 'U@622' on Harris St, Ultimo – to hold events such as Hackathons.

With Intersection and The Hatchery – it's a clear sign that change is coming, that disparate groups and individuals are recognising that the way ahead – the way to innovation - is by working together.

You might have read the story in the Sydney Morning Herald but the reason for my excitement is that it's the next part of our commitment to Joined-Up Innovation, Microsoft's vision to drive greater innovation outcomes for Australia.

Sarah Vaughanhttp://blogs.msdn.com/msaucitizenship1_4000_outlook.com/ProfileUrlRedirect.ashxEducational innovation through technology: the new Microsoft Australia and New Zealand Expert Educator Programhttp://blogs.msdn.com/b/ausblog/archive/2014/11/04/educational-innovation-through-technology-the-new-microsoft-australia-and-new-zealand-expert-educator-program.aspx2014-11-03T21:49:00Z2014-11-03T21:49:00Z
At Microsoft, we believe that when people collaborate, amazing things can be achieved. And nowhere is this more evident than in the classroom.

Working in the education sector, I am regularly exposed to all kinds of inspiring examples of schools in Australia and New Zealand working together. As technology is now firmly integrated in the classroom, it never ceases to amaze me how it enables teachers to collaborate and utilize their collective experience for the benefit of their students and each other.

Recently, 50 teachers from all corners of Australia and New Zealand came together for the launch of the Microsoft Australia and New Zealand Expert Educator Program, a new Microsoft initiative which recognises and supports the work of innovative educators. The program creates a community for these teachers to collaborate, learn from each other, and share their insights with peers and colleagues.

Building on the basis of the global Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert program, the 38 teachers from government and non-government schools across Australia joined 12 educators from New Zealand to discuss how best to use technology to enhance student and teacher learning.

As part of the launch, the group was challenged to work on a transformation project - working collaboratively to design learning experiences that connect their students to real-world problems and issues. The goal was to identify how our community of educators can do something vastly different and innovative to engage and challenge their students, and themselves, in new ways.

The quality of the ideas were as high as they were diverse, from using technology to raise awareness of different global public health issues, to developing communities of students in Minecraft, and supporting communities after bushfires. While the group had identified brilliant ideas, they also worked to ensure their innovative learning design was both sustainable and scalable.

By considering the needs and motivations of different stakeholders, they examined barriers to innovation in the same ways as entrepreneurs and other innovators would. It will be this leadership that will allow these amazing practitioners to move beyond their own classrooms and lead the future leaders of education. A future of education where learners are empowered and provided with exciting experiences. A future where teachers focus on supporting the development of the skills and attitudes that will ensure the future success of their students.

With the program now underway I am looking forward to see how this new community of educators will work together to ultimately build a better future for Australian school students, and how they share their experiences with other educators.

To read stories from the Expert Educators, follow the Australian Teachers blog where they will be sharing their experiences in the coming weeks and months.

George Stavrakakis Education Leadhttp://blogs.msdn.com/msaueducation_4000_outlook.com/ProfileUrlRedirect.ashxMicrosoft Azure Australia Geo generally availablehttp://blogs.msdn.com/b/ausblog/archive/2014/10/27/microsoft-azure-australia-geo-generally-available.aspx2014-10-26T22:30:00Z2014-10-26T22:30:00Z
By Scott Guthrie, Executive Vice President, Cloud + Enterprise

Last week in San Francisco, I announced that Microsoft Azure would soon be available in 19 regions around the globe, offering customers the most local regions of any public cloud provider. Today at TechEd Sydney, we opened our 18th and 19th regions for business, in New South Wales and Victoria.

Since we announced the Australia Azure Geo we've had incredible interest from customers and several Australian companies have been working with us through a private preview to experience benefits of Azure. Customers like Centium, rights management company TalentPay, audit, tax, and advisory experts BDO, and healthcare software provider iCareHeath are accelerating their growth, transforming their business models and reducing costs. They are all excited about the benefits they receive from local Azure availability – including improved performance, lower latency to keep their data backed up and in-country through geo redundant storage.

With the general availability of our Australia region even more customers can take advantage of the power of Azure, starting today.

To get started and to learn more about the general availability of the Australian Geo and our ExpressRoute offerings with Equinix and Telstra, please read the official press release.

Cloud and Enterprise AUhttp://blogs.msdn.com/cloudandenterpriseau_4000_outlook.com/ProfileUrlRedirect.ashxMicrosoft welcomes Government's Innovation Agenda and Small Business supporthttp://blogs.msdn.com/b/ausblog/archive/2014/10/17/microsoft-welcomes-government-s-innovation-agenda-and-small-business-support.aspx2014-10-17T00:00:00Z2014-10-17T00:00:00Z
This week Prime Minister Tony Abbott launched the Australian Government's Industry Innovation and Competitiveness Strategy designed to drive economic diversity, encourage entrepreneurship and develop and support new enterprises.

This policy, that shapes existing innovation programs and new plans into a cohesive strategy with clear objectives, is music to my ears. The acknowledgement of the important role graduates in STEM fields will play in enabling Australia's future prosperity alongside the commitment to focus on STEM skills in school education and to introduce computer coding across the curriculum were standout elements.

I have always believed that, even if students don't go on to pursue careers in information technology and related fields, a core understanding of coding and how technology works would be hugely beneficial to every working life.

The proposed trial of a P-TECH style education facility is another exciting part of this announcement. This sort of model sees industry leaders and school teachers working together to ensure strong leadership, collaboration, curriculum design and mentoring which ultimately should lead to better employment opportunities for young Australians.

I'm very keen to see my two young girls benefit from this sort of environment when they begin to consider their first steps into the Australian workforce.

Implicit in this announcement is a recognition of the interdependence of innovation, entrepreneurship and productivity that was the focus of Microsoft's Joined Up Innovation paper released earlier in the year. Recognising and cultivating the right skills was one of seven recommendations made in that paper.

As a player in the innovation ecosystem, we applaud policies such as this that advance the national interest. We believe that Australia can improve its ability to create innovative, high-value producing businesses by ensuring all elements of its innovation ecosystem are better informed and better connected, locally and globally. This is one reason why we support the announcement of the Industry Growth Centres that will better connect researchers and industry.

I also welcome the announcement of the commitment to reform the taxation treatment of Employee Share Schemes to encourage start-ups to attract and retain employees, as well as the $18million Australian Small Business Advisory Services program.

I look forward to seeing how this announcement encourages innovation among the small and medium sized enterprises that drive the Australian economy.

Pip Marlow, Managing Directorhttp://blogs.msdn.com/msaumd_4000_outlook.com/ProfileUrlRedirect.ashxSoftware donation program expands to include Office 365http://blogs.msdn.com/b/ausblog/archive/2014/10/09/software-donation-program-expands-to-include-office-365.aspx2014-10-08T21:30:00Z2014-10-08T21:30:00Z
Bill Gates once said, "It takes more than great products to make a great company". At Microsoft we have a deep passion for innovation and technology, but they're not the sole reasons we get out of bed each morning. For the majority of Microsoft employees, it's about the positive impact and opportunities that technology can contribute to helping people do more and be more.

It's therefore with great delight that I can announce eligible Australian non-profit organisations and charities can now access Office 365, Microsoft's best-in-class cloud based productivity and collaboration tools, free of charge or at highly discounted prices.

At Microsoft we see technology as a key enabler in helping non-profit organisations reduce administration and focus their resources on the delivery of frontline services, but it doesn't stop there.

When viewed in the context of the broader software donation program, our goal is to enable non-profit and community organisations to modernise their IT infrastructures, infuse innovation and start on the journey of transforming their business models around the cloud. In the process, many are becoming more efficient by empowering their workforces to collaborate and get the job done more quickly and effectively regardless of their location.

Today there is a new world of work emerging around changing social, demographic, economic and technology trends and our aim is to help community organisations be part of it. Imagine what could happen if we empowered Australia's entire community sector with the latest technology – the gains, I believe, would be stunning.

In FY14, Microsoft Australia donated more than $50 million of software to nearly 4,000 non-profit organisations, and we've kick-started FY15 with a $4m software grant to World Vision. The majority of these donations were delivered to smaller non-profit organisations through our community partner, Connecting Up.

With Office 365 for Nonprofits now part of the program, I look forward to more Australian community services and non-profit organisations experiencing the benefits of moving to the cloud, including anywhere access to Microsoft Office applications and web conferencing tools.

To find out more, check eligibility, and apply for a donation go to the Office 365 for Nonprofits page.

Anna Howarth, Citizenship Managerhttp://blogs.msdn.com/msaucitizenship2_4000_outlook.com/ProfileUrlRedirect.ashxIndustry-leading security milestone for Microsoft Azure in Australiahttp://blogs.msdn.com/b/ausblog/archive/2014/10/07/industry-leading-security-milestone-for-microsoft-azure-in-australia.aspx2014-10-06T21:30:00Z2014-10-06T21:30:00Z
To fully realise the benefits of cloud computing, Microsoft recognises that we must do everything possible to provide our customers with the confidence that their data is secure, protected and handled with the utmost care. At Microsoft, we base our approach on decades of experience, a strong commitment to security, privacy, and transparency, and adherence to leading industry practices.

As we head towards general availability of the Microsoft Azure Australia Geo, I'm pleased to announce that Microsoft Azure has achieved a key milestone in the form of a successful Industry Security Registered Assessors Program (IRAP) compliance assessment of Australian Government security requirements*.

Microsoft Azure is the first and only public cloud service to provide this level of security assurance in Australia.

The IRAP assessment provides assurance for public sector customers (and the partners that serve them) that Microsoft has appropriate and effective security controls in place for the processing, storage and transmission of Unclassified Sensitive data within Microsoft Azure. Unclassified Sensitive data represents the majority of federal government, healthcare, education and state government data.

Today we're publishing the formal Letter of Compliance from Foresight Consulting* - which can be downloaded from the foot of this post - an independent government accredited assessor, that explains the extensive scope of this assurance work, including:

Core services within Microsoft Azure, including Virtual Machines, Cloud Services, Storage Services, Virtual Network, Azure SQL DB and Azure Active Directory;

Microsoft Global Foundation Services; and

Australian based datacentres

All Australian federal, state and local government agencies can benefit from this assessment.

In addition to the IRAP assessment, Microsoft products and services hold key global certifications, including ISO 27001 and SOC2. Earlier this year, European Union data protection authorities also found that Microsoft's enterprise cloud contracts meet the high standards of EU privacy law – the toughest in the world.

The more trust that we can build in the cloud, the more our customers and partners can draw on its benefits to transform business models, deliver amazing digital experiences and services and ultimately put innovation at the very centre of everything they do.

* The Information Security Registered Assessors Program (IRAP) is an Australian Signals Directorate (ASD, formerly DSD) initiative to provide high quality information and communications technology (ICT) services to government in support of Australia's security.

The assessment was undertaken as prescribed in the Australian Government Information Security Manual and Protective Security Policy Framework.

James Kavanagh Microsoft Australiahttp://blogs.msdn.com/msausecurity_4000_outlook.com/ProfileUrlRedirect.ashxCustomer Spotlight: Putting patients front and centre at WA Mental Health Commissionhttp://blogs.msdn.com/b/ausblog/archive/2014/09/24/customer-spotlight-putting-patients-front-and-centre-at-wa-mental-health-commission.aspx2014-09-23T22:30:00Z2014-09-23T22:30:00Z
There's major change underway in the mental health system in Western Australia and a case management system now being rolled out is helping to make that change possible.

Shortly after the WA Mental Health Commission was formed in 2010, it took on responsibility for the back-office functions of the Mental Health Review Board and the Council of Official Visitors. These two statutorily independent entities have important functions in monitoring and protecting patients receiving involuntary treatment. What they didn't have were effective and efficient modern information systems.

The applications they relied upon were at least a decade old, contained duplicated records, did not have the benefit of ongoing regular maintenance and were awkward if not impossible to alter. The applications were frustrating for staff and getting in the way of achieving best practice. They were also obstacles to the process overhaul needed to meet the brief for effective patient-focused reform.

"The Commission is committed to mental health reform based around three pillars, person centred supports and services, better connections, and balanced investment , " explains Patrick Langford, the Commission's manager of information services."

These principals drove the Commission's thinking, planning, tendering and ultimately selection and customisation of its new case management solution, delivered using Microsoft's Dynamics CRM 2013.

"The goal of this project is to use the new technology to deliver better outcomes from case management," Mr Langford said.

"For consumers a major benefit is that it allows progress toward an authoritative patient record. As a person travels through the continuum of care and support, from diagnosis to leading a full and contributing life, the full picture can be seen."

The first workload in the new solution, which was implemented with the support of management services company SMS Management & Technology, assists consumer advocates, and their management of incoming requests around issues raised by involuntary patients. It also allows the advocates, as case workers, to track, engage and resolve the issues as needed.

 The second workload manages their scheduled 'sitting days' when a predefined group (a 'review board' including legal and community members and psychiatrists) has to be grouped, and sit for allocated case reviews. Leveraging the service calendar functionality, individual review boards can be automatically generated and allocated cases for patients, and is entirely configurable by business rules to manage the changing legislative requirements in this space.

 Both of these workloads then automatically create all timesheets for the advocates and review board members with direct import into the payroll system and manage all expenses incurred. Efficiency is obtained with full approval workflows and automation to simplify all aspects of their service delivery processes.

The core solution is delivered from the Dynamics CRM 2013 platform, deployed on Windows Server 2012 and SQL 2012 in partnership with WA based Microsoft Gold partner, Zettaserve. It is deployed via private cloud across the State to the Commission's various sites and field workers. Once the rollout is complete, it will be used by case workers, management and administration staff, with about 80 users in the first phase.

"We were open to off the shelf solutions. If someone had invented the wheel we weren't going to do it again. But no-one had done it," Paul Millwood, Project Lead and Business Analyst for the Mental Health Commission said.

The beauty of the CRM platform is it leaves plenty of scope for future development and will keep pace as the mental health reform engine rolls on.

Legislation before Parliament will replace the Mental Health Review Board with a Mental Health Tribunal and the Mental Health Advocacy Service will replace the Council of Official Visitors. These changes and others ushered in by the new law are focused on delivering greater protection and certainty for consumers. An integrated case management system can assist in achieving that goal.

"Already we are beginning to talk about what additional releases we could do in the next 12 months," Mr Langford added.

"We have a good idea now of the character of the Dynamic CRM platform. We know what runs well out of the box and what we can change. We've been impressed by how quickly it can be customized and how code can be customized to run on top."

"One direction I am very keen to explore is around mobilising the workforce. I am very keen that people can engage with this system when they are with patients," Mr Langford said.

Guest Authorhttp://blogs.msdn.com/msauguest_4000_outlook.com/ProfileUrlRedirect.ashx$4m grant boosts World Vision's poverty fighthttp://blogs.msdn.com/b/ausblog/archive/2014/09/23/4m-grant-boosts-world-vision-s-poverty-fight.aspx2014-09-23T02:00:00Z2014-09-23T02:00:00Z
Today marks an important milestone as Microsoft Australia and World Vision join forces in the fight against global poverty.

A $4million software donation, delivered under Microsoft Australia's Tech4Good Program, will strengthen World Vision's technology capability, transform the way staff work and collaborate, and enhance their supporters' experience.

The donation includes the provision of a range of tools to enhance productivity including Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2013, SharePoint, Lync and Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online. It will also result in significant savings for World Vision, allowing more funds to be directed to the communities they work with.

Our partnership goes deeper than the technology – it is also about shared values and the sharing of knowledge to encourage innovation and improve productivity.

As part of the World Vision partnership, Microsoft staff will, for example, have the opportunity to participate in World Vision's Young Mob Leadership Program, which enables young indigenous Australians to develop their life skills and cultural knowledge.

Microsoft employees are also facilitating innovation workshops to provide technology skills training to World Vision employees that will focus on helping them make the most of the software and innovate the delivery of their services. There are many other opportunities that we're exploring, in our long-term plan for this partnership.

Microsoft's Tech4Good program has been running for many years, providing not for profit organisations with the technology and tools they need to focus on making a positive impact in society. In FY14, Microsoft Australia donated more than $50 million of software to nearly 4,000 not-for-profit organisations. The majority of these donations were given to smaller organisations with the support of our community partner, Connecting Up.

Tech4Good focuses on enabling the Australian not-for-profit sector to achieve more day-to-day. Whether that is providing communities with the skills needed to work their way out of poverty in the case of World Vision, or equipping young people with the technological know-how required to succeed in the 21st century workplace, donated software can help not-for-profit organisations work more productively and find innovative ways to deliver services.

To find out more about the work of World Vision visit www.worldvision.com.au

Microsoft Managing Director Pip Marlow – who is also a child sponsor – with World Vision Chief Executive Tim Costello. Photo: Lucy Aulich/World Vision

Anna Howarth, Citizenship Managerhttp://blogs.msdn.com/msaucitizenship2_4000_outlook.com/ProfileUrlRedirect.ashxCustomer Spotlight: Keeping councils in the loop: how a new solution will help LGAQ keep its members happyhttp://blogs.msdn.com/b/ausblog/archive/2014/09/19/customer-spotlight-keeping-councils-in-the-loop-how-a-new-solution-will-help-lgaq-keep-its-members-happy.aspx2014-09-18T22:00:00Z2014-09-18T22:00:00Z
All 77 local governments in Queensland are currently members of the Local Government Association of Queensland. Given membership is voluntary, LGAQ is proud of its coverage and determined to preserve it. New information technology, including CRM technology and a comprehensive document management, are part of the value proposition.

"Maintaining that 100 per cent membership is critical for us," says Jake Boyle, LGAQ's manager of internal business development.

"When we go to consult with the State government, if we have 77 members behind us, well that is a lot more powerful than if we had, say, 60. As the old saying has is, you are better off coming to the party with a choir than a soloist."

When it comes to proving its value to its local government members, LGAQ's long corporate memory is key. The organisation has subject matter experts with an extraordinary recall of the twists and turns in various policy debates through the years but when it came time for a technology refresh, LGAQ wanted to make it easier for all to tap into the organisation's vast quantity of documents. Another goal was to co-ordinate its dealings with members so everyone at LGAQ knows who their colleagues are in contact with and why.

The new solution using Microsoft SharePoint 2013, CRM Online and Microsoft Azure will be rolled out in the next few months. LGAQ's implementation partner, OBS recommended LGAQ use SharePoint 2013 on its existing Telstra Private Cloud for document management and integrate this with CRMOL 2013, using Microsoft Azure for authentication, identity and integration.

Native SharePoint functionality gave LGAQ the records management capability it needed without having to deploy additional software, while CRM Online captures details about organisations that LGAQ works with including suppliers, members, vendors, other government organisations, service

providers, subject matter experts and more. It includes information about each contact's role and previous interactions.

"Our day to day business is providing advice and information to our members," Mr Boyle said.

"Some of the topics we cover are perpetual issues within local government - roads, rates and rubbish – and some are more cyclical such as council amalgamation or de-amalgamation; issues that pop up, fade, and then pop up again.

"So having access to historical as well as current information is critical for us. We store all of the documents we have about a particular issue along with records of conversations, decisions, meetings and political background so when we get to the next wave of a particular issue we can quickly review what has gone on before. Most of our members will have a very good memory of their experience and we need to make sure we can keep up with them," Mr Boyle said.

The organisation's existing document management system is no longer supported and frustration had led many LGAQ staff to work out ways of not using the old technology.

"The older system is now so cumbersome and its search functionality so unreliable that people are less likely to use than they will a shared drive. In addition, the system's response times are slow and getting slower," Mr Boyle said.

"Our workarounds have become more efficient than the actual system which is always a sign you are in trouble and, more importantly, we had fallen back into old habit of siloing information.

"So in recent years, our ability to search, share and collaborate has eroded," he said.

The new solution is designed to both reverse that slide and bring a new slew of benefits as LGAQ's CRM and document management systems will do a much better job of talking to each other.

"We have a lot of history with particular councils and understanding those relationships from an historical point of view is really important because when you get the political and policy landscapes, we're not always concentrating on transactional relationships, we are often focused on the long term," Mr Boyle said.

"So we need to not only understand those relationships and the relevant documents but also understand how those relationships relate to those documents. It's that level of complexity that's driven this project with OBS."

Everyone in LGAQ will eventually be using the new solution. Further down the track, there is the possibility LGAQ will provide access to some of its subsidiary companies. Choosing a platform that could be extended was therefore essential. LGAQ is taking a long term view and it wanted a technology supplier that could do the same.

"We wanted something we know is going to be around for a long time," Mr Boyle said. "We know what it's like to be stuck with an un-supported product and we didn't want that to happen again.

"We have gone through this process knowing that what we launch on day one will only be part of the puzzle. We needed a solution that will grow with us and potentially offer enhancements to the way we do business in the future."

Guest Authorhttp://blogs.msdn.com/msauguest_4000_outlook.com/ProfileUrlRedirect.ashxCustomer Spotlight: How Dynamics CRM helps to keep the traffic moving in WAhttp://blogs.msdn.com/b/ausblog/archive/2014/09/17/how-dynamics-crm-helps-to-keep-the-traffic-moving-in-wa.aspx2014-09-16T23:00:00Z2014-09-16T23:00:00Z
Posted on behalf of Domenic Palumbo, Director Metropolitan Operations, Main Roads WA.

The resources boom has touched almost every aspect of Western Australia, including the organisation charged with maintaining the State's 18,500 kilometres of roads.

At Main Roads WA we are responsible for a road network in a State that is bigger in size than Western Europe. It includes a large slab of the most remote terrain in our country, as well as a rapidly growing capital city, Perth. In recent years, WA's population growth has exceeded expectations and traffic congestion in Perth has become a major challenge for us.

To overcome this challenge, working with Microsoft partner SMS Management & Technology we implemented a multi-phased IT project built on the Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2013 platform. We have found the platform to be a great middle way for an organisation like us, which has repeatedly found and relied on off-the-shelf solutions to meet our needs without deploying bespoke systems that become "islands" we can't build upon and develop.

Main Roads approach to technology dovetails neatly into our 20/20 strategy which is very important to us. This has five pillars including creating value for the community, making technology work for the environment, enhancing traveler wellbeing, ensuring future capability, and building strategic relationships with people who can help us.

Our CRM framework has two operating modes. There is a desktop mode for office-based staff and a field mode for inspectors and field crews. The field technicians who are responsible for our electrical assets and work around the State are all armed with Panasonic Toughbooks running Windows 8.

The Microsoft Dynamics platform first enabled a Maintenance Management Information System (MMIS). This allows field employees to locate and register road maintenance problems and relay repair information back to our regional office in Perth while office users can quickly schedule and approve jobs and create management reports. The subsequent efficiency gains have meant we can get more maintenance done within existing budgets, and ensure that all problems are closed out.

The second big deliverable enabled by the CRM platform, is a refined extension of the MMIS known as "Sparks". The first phase of this solution is focused specifically on Main Roads WA's electrical assets including traffic signals and electronic school zone signals. These are looked after by a specialist maintenance team.

You can imagine if a set of traffic signals goes down it creates a problem pretty quickly. So we wanted to streamline the transfer of fault reports as they come in from the public through our Customer Call Centre directly to field technicians so that we can alleviate congestion faster.

The first phase of Sparks means we can be more stringent in terms of the questions we ask whoever is reporting the fault to make sure we have accurately captured the complaint. The report will be sent straight through to the field technician, along with other pertinent information like how to access the particular asset and the GPS co-ordinates for the relevant control system.

The next phase of the Sparks solution will be focused on spares inventories; on ensuring field crews know what components are stored in the various locations so they will know what's available and where, and inventory will be more efficiently managed.

We also hope to link some of the on-site systems such as the internal diagnostic systems in traffic signals so the alarms from these will feed directly into the field technicians' Toughbooks.

So we are further leveraging the investment made in the original MMIS platform implementation. Further down the track we expect to incorporate road lighting, variable message signs and electrical systems supporting the road network into Sparks.

For now though we see Sparks as delivering the best of both worlds: we have a solution that is specific and fit for purpose, and we have taken advantage of the reduced build and maintenance costs that flow from using the Microsoft Dynamics platform.

Guest Authorhttp://blogs.msdn.com/msauguest_4000_outlook.com/ProfileUrlRedirect.ashxIntroducing Australia's newest news and information site: MSNhttp://blogs.msdn.com/b/ausblog/archive/2014/09/08/introducing-australia-s-newest-news-and-information-site-msn.aspx2014-09-08T03:58:00Z2014-09-08T03:58:00Z
I'm pleased to introduce Australia's newest news and information site: MSN. Today we're unveiling a first look at the all-new MSN which you can experience now at http://preview.msn.com/en-au/

We've designed the new MSN from the ground up for a mobile-first, cloud-first world. The new MSN combines comprehensive content from leading Australian and global media outlets with personal productivity tools that help you do more.

While content is at MSN's core, Microsoft's DNA is about empowerment. We've completely reimagined the experience to bring together deep content with productivity tools that help people get more done. And because it's a single platform, once you personalise, you get the same experience everywhere, no matter which devices you use.

In the coming months the new MSN will be available across all major operating systems, including Windows, iOS and Android. You can follow a breaking story on the go across your devices anywhere with the new MSN. In this way, we've designed the new MSN specifically for the changing ways in which we all view and access content.

 Comprehensive and broad content from multiple sources

The new MSN curates articles, videos and images from many well-respected and authoritative Australian and global news sources including The New York Times and Wall Street Journal in the US, The Guardian and The Telegraph in the UK and many other global publishers.

In Australia the new MSN will include content from:

Nine News and Wide World of Sports

The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age

ABC News and Grandstand

Australian Associated Press

Ten News

7 News

Bauer Media's Australian
Women's Weekly, Woman's Day, Gourmet Traveller and Wheels

The Guardian

Along with many more covering other niche subjects. In fact, MSN's expert editors are able to draw from more than 1000 sources to curate content for Australians every day.

 Know more, do more

The new MSN experience is about content and productivity combined. We want to marry these forces and give people the tools for maximum productivity – like shopping lists, flight status and savings calculators, to integrated access to popular sites like Skype, Outlook.com, Facebook, Twitter, OneNote and OneDrive. Our aim is to not only help you learn about the world but also help you do more in it.

At the top of the new MSN homepage, there is a personal stripe allowing you one-click access to top services so you can stay on top of what's happening in your life.These integrated tools cover eight categories and empower you to explore, plan, do, and track the activities you care about.

Personalised for you and available on any device

You will be able to personalise your MSN experience regardless of which device you use. In the coming months, our Windows apps will also be available on Apple and Android devices. Set-up your favourite cities for weather, pick your favourite sports teams, choose the news topics you want to follow, and those things will be with you at your work PC, on your Windows 8.1 tablet in the living room, or on your iPhone when you are on the go.

With premium content and productivity tools, we're thrilled to offer a new experience to help people do more. Our daily lives have become increasingly busy and we now have more screens to interact with. MSN streamlines this multi-screen experience and shapes it around your preferences.

I invite you to try out the new web experience being previewed at http://preview.msn.com/en-au/

Tony Wilkinson

Director, Microsoft Advertising and Online Division Australia & New Zealand

Guest Authorhttp://blogs.msdn.com/msauguest_4000_outlook.com/ProfileUrlRedirect.ashxAustralian Partner Conference: Top of the Classhttp://blogs.msdn.com/b/ausblog/archive/2014/09/02/australian-partner-conference-top-of-the-class.aspx2014-09-02T06:45:00Z2014-09-02T06:45:00Z
Earlier today at the Australian Partner Conference (APC), Pip Marlow announced that our new Microsoft Azure Geo in Australia has reached private preview stage. It's an incredibly exciting time for us as we work with a number of customers and partners to test key workloads, stress test the new infrastructure, and build Australia's leading cloud services – empowering Australian organisations and individuals to do more and be more.

Anticipation for the Geo opening is high, and I'm pleased to share that general availability is around the corner, a matter of months away, and will happen well before the end of the year. In the meantime, we're busy working to create the best experience possible for our customers and partners.

Turning the spotlight to Janison – an education ISV based in Coffs Harbour in northern New South Wales – I caught up with Wayne Houlden, Managing Director, to find out how Microsoft Azure has delivered up to 70 per cent business growth and enabled Janison to compete with large organisations such as SAP and Blackboard.

Q: Tell me about Janison, and the role of cloud – and perhaps more specifically Microsoft Azure – in your business?

A: At Janison, we aim to be at the forefront of innovation in the development and delivery of learning assessment technologies improving the performance of organisations and learning experiences for employees and students across the globe. Based primarily in NSW, we're a team of around 60, focused on expanding our business in Australia and overseas by extending our partner network and working on a range of high profile national learning and assessment projects. We have achieved around 20-to-30 per cent growth per year as we've worked toward this. As a result of our strategy and efforts, our growth for the next couple of years is looking more like 40 to 70 per cent, and our competitors are increasingly becoming NASDAQ organisations, such as SAP, Sum Total, RM, and Pearson Education.

The cloud is an incredibly disruptive technology, and we recognised early on that it would allow small and medium sized organisations to rapidly build applications that are highly scalable and profitable. We set about thinking how we designed our applications so that they would be ideally suited to running on and taking full advantage of Microsoft Azure, and redeveloped a lot of what we did by analysing some of the best practices for building such applications. From this, we have built a system that is multi-tenanted, scalable, and can be implemented on any cloud infrastructure – the Janison Cloud Learning System. Currently, around 150 of our customers in Australia are on the platform, with many more interested once the Australian Azure Geos become available.

Microsoft Azure has also played a critical role in our international expansion at Janison. Using Azure, we're able to create and deliver instances of our applications in whatever region we need, while still managing everything directly from our operation centre in Australia.

Q: It's great to see you've created your own Cloud IP that extends across multiple industries and sectors. How has your Cloud Learning System (CLS) evolved in recent years?

A: Every sector is very different in its requirements, so at the beginning of Janison's journey to the cloud we had to go back and analyse how each component would run on Microsoft Azure, and re-architect accordingly. We came up with a plug-in architecture empowering us to build specific functionalities for clients, and generic services that can be turned on and off depending on needs – currently we offer around 140 of these plug-ins from our single code base.

The flexibility offered by Azure is a huge part of our recent success, as are its multi-lingual capabilities. Another distinguishing factor is that it's a multi-tenanted system, which is quite appealing to agencies and departments that go through regular rebranding exercises as they can edit the system in an ad-hoc manner. Partnering with Microsoft has also empowered us with the size and skill we need to deliver to large companies – we might only be a medium sized company compared to other players, but we can deliver a project that is just as large, and at a more competitive price point. This gives us an edge over the competition, utilising cloud and cloud enabled designs can result in the price our services far more competitively.

Q: There's a lot of talk within Australia about how organisations either need to be a disruptor or be disrupted. How does Janison approach innovation to regularly enhance functionalities and features?

A: With Microsoft Azure, we're empowered to compete for business on a global level; no longer hamstrung by being based in Australia. We can think much bigger than we used to, and we can dream big too. This is inspiring us to think about the way we create our IT for the future because we know we're not restricted in what we can do and the services we can offer. Also, we look at Microsoft Azure and the way it is being developed and improved with all the new features that come through on a regular basis. We try to mimic much of what we see in that strategy in the way that we create our products. This allows us to consistently provide new features or new functionalities on a regular basis, enriching the services we offer.

A great example of our platform in action is Deakin University, where we worked together to create an open-learning platform called Deakin Connect. The platform offers more interactivity and connections between students, more social interactions via platforms used by students, including Facebook and LinkedIn, and the engaging and dynamic course environment. In the last intake more than 2,500 learners across 63 countries joined the course. The advantages of being able to manage the course from a single environment have been hugely beneficial for Deakin from an assessment and marketing perspective.

This is just one example of the platforms created at Janison. In other instances institutions use our services for running highly scalable assessments, others use it for assessment centre provisions, learning catalogues, and massive open online courses.

Q: How have you been getting ready for the Microsoft Azure launch in Australia?

A: We've been firing up various machines and testing software on the platform, and are about to go live with a BETA environment that people can trial and see how it works inside the Australian Geos. This means we'll be able to source user-feedback so when the services are ready to go live later this year they'll be optimised for user success. At Janison, we can't wait to offer our customers lower latency, while increasing our offerings because we will be able to meet some of the government requirements around security and data sovereignty.

Toby Bowers (Australia)http://blogs.msdn.com/tobybowersmsft_4000_hotmail.com/ProfileUrlRedirect.ashxAustralian Partner Conference: A Healthier Futurehttp://blogs.msdn.com/b/ausblog/archive/2014/09/02/australian-partner-conference-a-healthier-future.aspx2014-09-02T06:45:00Z2014-09-02T06:45:00Z
Earlier today at the Australian Partner Conference (APC), Pip Marlow announced that our new Microsoft Azure Geo in Australia has reached private preview stage. It's an incredibly exciting time for us as we work with a number of customers and partners to test key workloads, stress test the new infrastructure, and build Australia's leading cloud services – empowering Australian organisations and individuals to do more and be more.

Anticipation for the Geo opening is high, and I'm pleased to share that general availability is around the corner, a matter of months away, and will happen well before the end of the year. In the meantime, we're busy working to create the best experience possible for our customers and partners.

Given we're at APC in the sunny Gold Coast, we wanted to turn the spotlight to some very innovative ISVs who are creating solutions – Australian made IP that is conquering world markets – all with the help of the Microsoft cloud.

At the event, I had a chance to catch-up with Joe Griffiths, National Engagement Manager for Ocean Informatics, an e-health focused ISV based in Sydney. Collectively, the Ocean team has over 100 man-years of health informatics experience, and a shared passion to improve the provision of healthcare to all through the development of shared health records at local, national and international levels and based on best practice and emerging interoperability standards.

Q: Can you tell me about Ocean Informatics, and your vision for the healthcare industry?

A: Ocean Informatics was founded in 1998, and to begin with we developed global standards for Open EHR - an open standard specification for the sharing of data for electronic health records - and acted as a consulting company. We soon started developing our own software, and started the Open EHR foundation, when we realised that the best way to get people on board with open data definitions was to show them how easy it could be done. Since then, we've been working with some of the biggest health organisations across Australia to deliver e-health platforms making a real difference to the services provided to Australian citizens.

Our vision is of a new way in healthcare where clinicians are not just aided by technology, but actually drive it; where patients interact with their EHR as easily as their appointments calendar; where health information systems create fully integrated, highly computable health data, organised around the patient care process; and where intelligent processing can finally become a reality.

Microsoft is playing a crucial role in enabling us to deliver upon that vision. Ocean Informatics multiprac solutions are web based built on the Microsoft .NET framework and utilise SQL as the database. Microsoft Azure is a key component of our offerings as it enables us to test and configure our clients' services before deploying it on their on-premises environment if that's what they want. We can't wait for the new regions in Australia to come online later this year as it means we can offer Microsoft Azure as a hosting service, delivering even more benefits to our customers.

Q: What are some of the e-health projects you've worked on in Australia to date?

A: One of our largest projects at Ocean Informatics is with the Northern Territory (NT), which has been implementing a comprehensive shared EHR known as My EHealth Record (EHR) to support healthcare in NT – especially with the remote indigenous population – for a number of years.

Two of the main challenges for health organisations in NT are aboriginal health and people migrating to Western Australia and South Australia. As such, the My EHR platform is designed to pull information out of community and acute systems, such as Communicare and Caresys, into a shared record that could be used by the Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance Northern Territory to ensure a continuum of services as patients move around.

The great thing about My EHR, and one of the benefits of using open standards, is it keeps data in its raw form, meaning it is easier to gather and action. To date, we've moved over 50,000 health patient records to the platform, and more than 4 million health record documents have been converted and stored on it. This has not only improved the healthcare services delivered, but increased organisational efficiency and patient security too.

Another Ocean Informatics customer is the Queensland Health Centre for Healthcare Related Infection Surveillance and Prevention (QH CHRISP), whom we're working with to deliver an infection control system to all 146 facilities in the state. We've completed 22 hospitals to date, and the remainder should be online by the end of 2014.

The platform at QH CHRISP processes all admissions, discharges, and transfers within the Queensland Health System, and automatically analyses all the micro pathology – about five million records annually – looking for infections. Additionally, the client is able to develop new applications and re-use the data to achieve improved insight into patient records.

Q: It's great to see technology play a key role in improving healthcare, and we hope the new Azure Geo will empower you to make even more of a difference. What have you been doing in terms of getting ready for the local regions?

A: We've been training up staff on the platform, and our last three-to-four implementations have all been completed using Microsoft Azure for the staging, configuration, and testing environments. We recognise the difference the local regions will make to the services we offer our clients, and are already positioning with them the extra facilities it offers, such as data sovereignty, disaster recovery and training. Microsoft Azure significantly reduces our implementation time and increases our time to go live.

Q: What's the key to Ocean Informatics' success in Australia, and can you share your future plans?

A: Alongside the hard work of all our great employees, a big influential factor is that when we formed in 1998 we chose the development environment. There's such a rich breadth of solutions on the market today that the services we're able to offer go from strength to strength. Microsoft gives us a full-suite of products, from SharePoint through to SQL analytics, making Microsoft Azure a natural addition to our portfolio. It was a given the platform would be included in our suite when we found out it would be hosted locally – after all, no-one knows Microsoft's solutions better than itself so it's the perfect choice for orchestrating managed services and outsourcing.

Moving forward, we're hoping to work on more integrated care solutions in Australia to enhance the services on offer here. Additionally, a number of countries – such as Brazil - are looking at OpenEHR as a platform – and we're hoping to expand into them too, Microsoft Azure will assist in our global expansion. Ultimately, we want to double the size of the company in the next two years, and I suspect we will start offering managed services. After all, everyone is talking about the cloud in Australia, and now we're on the initial Azure program we will be offering a fully managed service.

Toby Bowers (Australia)http://blogs.msdn.com/tobybowersmsft_4000_hotmail.com/ProfileUrlRedirect.ashxGetting closer, closer … Australian Azure Geo in private previewhttp://blogs.msdn.com/b/ausblog/archive/2014/09/02/getting-closer-closer-australian-azure-geo-in-private-preview.aspx2014-09-02T06:45:00Z2014-09-02T06:45:00Z
The lights are on, the machines are humming.

Today, I can very proudly announce that the Australian Azure Geo is now in private preview and a number of customers and partners are using the service today.

Now I still can't give you the final date for general availability but I can share that it is just around the corner, a matter of months away.

Today marks a really important step for customers and partners on our cloud journey in Australia. Azure opens the doors to a whole new range of possibilities for customers and partners – and we're already seeing some of these come to life in the work of our private preview partners.

Take Janison, based in Coffs Harbour, for example.

They started building on Azure three years ago and now produce e-learning systems for organisations in Australia, Singapore, China, Vietnam and the USA, educating more than 1 million people across the globe.

This is true Australian innovation being built in the Microsoft cloud and exported around the world, and it has enabled an Australian company located in regional NSW to compete, and win business, against global companies such as SAP and RM. Truly outstanding work.

Another example is Ocean Informatics, which is a world leader in e-health.

Among many things, Ocean Informatics have built an application called My EHealth Record, in conjunction with NT health, that allows indigenous Australians in the Northern Territory to capture their healthcare records on a mobile device and use these wherever they may be.

For patients, this means better healthcare outcomes. And for doctors, more efficient diagnosis and treatment.

Ocean Informatics is now utilising the Australian Azure Geo to test and deploy new solutions that will supercharge what it offers to customers and to speed up implementation.

This year also marks our 30th year of Microsoft's operations in this country.

We've gone from 15 people in 1984 to more than 1000 today. Like every successful business, we have had to constantly reinvent ourselves. And so have you.

We now have more than 11,000 partners who have created an amazing ecosystem. In 2013 alone, this produced more than 32,000 Microsoft certified professionals, created 292,300 jobs and generated $19.5 billion in revenue.

I can't wait to see what we can do together in the year ahead.

The technology; the innovation; the people; the partners. Together, we can drive unprecedented levels of innovation and business transformation in this country.

It's a very exciting time.

Pip Marlow, Managing Directorhttp://blogs.msdn.com/msaumd_4000_outlook.com/ProfileUrlRedirect.ashxHard to predict, us humanshttp://blogs.msdn.com/b/ausblog/archive/2014/08/20/hard-to-predict-us-humans.aspx2014-08-19T23:00:00Z2014-08-19T23:00:00Z
When Microsoft and Ipsos set out to gain some fresh insights into Australians use of personal technology, we figured we would find most of us are firmly wedded to a smart device. Well, that expectation turned out to be well founded. Among the wealth of data in the white paper launched today, Life on Demand, is the revelation that 76% of us use a smartphone and 45% use a tablet.

What we also thought we might find was that technology had taken over every aspect of our lives but in fact, the research shows just the opposite. We have become experts at using smart devices to making sure no minutes are wasted and some of the time gained becomes a tech free zone.

Australians across all age groups and demographics are masters of their technology and their time. Work and play are completely interchangeable – no matter what time it is, we maximise every spare moment, whether it's for life admin, work or leisure.

The research shows that 30% of Aussies are checking work emails on devices at home before they leave for work, 23% are doing work activities while they are socialising with their friends. 44% are doing work activities after work at home and 38% are working on the weekend.

But all that work is not at the expense of our much loved leisure time. Some 53% of us play on our devices while at work, dipping in and out of gaming, watching videos, online shopping, browsing blogs/media and checking or updating social media.

Our technology has become a constant extension of us, wherever we are – a complete departure from the way we lived life as little as five years ago. Social context and location no longer determine what we do. Two thirds of people use productivity apps to get things done throughout their day and 3/4 of Aussies believe technology has made their life easier.

We need devices and services that give the flexibility to move from one part of our life to the next, but we're also learning how to adapt to this new way of living and negotiate some 'tech-etiquette' around the role of technology in our lives. An honourable 79% believe it's rude to text or use your phone when out with friends, while 71% get irritated when family/ friends use their phones when they are talking to them.

We're starting to see society question the cultural norms around presentee-ism – the need to be highly visible at work to signify that you are contributing. Flexible, collegiate ways of working are eroding the command and control style relationships between managers and team members that have been commonplace in the workplace until now. As a result, we'll start to see greater emphasis on trust, autonomy, and accountability in work, as exemplified by flexible work styles and practices.

From a Microsoft point of view, these developments are incredibly reassuring. Technology is a tool and we have a responsibility as the tool makers. Our opportunity for innovation lies not just in designing a tool to meet a functional need, but in understanding the human truth or motivation driving that need. It's our responsibility to create with care so the burden doesn't fall too heavily on the user's shoulders. It should be physically, cognitively and emotionally appropriate for people.

By putting people at the centre of our design, we are increasingly able to design tech that understands our nuances, emotions and quirky behaviours. It isn't about where tech is going, it is about where humans are going. This will lead the technology.

And as tool makers we are also heartened to discover that Australian's appetite for more cool new stuff remains substantial.

In the next ten years 40% of Australians believe we'll be using embedded wearables to monitor our health and well-being and one in three believe we won't have to go into the office anymore.

'Life on Demand' is a reality for everyday Australians. This white paper paints a vivid picture of exactly what this new way of living looks like, and also explores what lies ahead to ponder the ways technology will continue to transform our lives.

Take a look at the full whitepaper via the download link below and join the conversation at #lifeondemand

Steven Miller, Director MOD, Microsoft Australiahttp://blogs.msdn.com/steven.miller77_4000_outlook.com/ProfileUrlRedirect.ashxBing Ads packs a punch as it enters second year in Australiahttp://blogs.msdn.com/b/ausblog/archive/2014/08/07/bing-ads-packs-a-punch-as-it-enters-second-year-in-australia.aspx2014-08-07T01:00:00Z2014-08-07T01:00:00Z
Bing Ads is celebrating its first anniversary in Australia and what a year it has been with the platform's ability to drive marketing dollars further prompting partners, agencies and customers to jump on board.

From a cold start in this market in July 2013, Bing Ads has bounded ahead. In the last six months alone, its advertiser count has shot up by 53 per cent. The SMB market in particular has seen significant growth and this is expected to continue.

"We couldn't have asked for a better first year. It is clear Australians have it in their psyche to love an underdog," said Chris Wallington, Regional Segment Lead, Global Search and Display Services.

"We've felt both ecstatic and humbled at the support we have received, not only from the agency and advertiser community, but also through the increasing base of loyal Bing searchers across Australia through a growing number of devices, including tablet, mobile and Xbox," Mr Wallington said.

Mi9 and Microsoft sales teams have positioned Bing Ads for success in the Australian market with a dedicated sales team growing the brand since launch so that agencies and advertisers can provide their clients with choice when it comes to search.

"There is a clear appetite for publisher choice and market parity in Australia and Bing most certainly provides that," said Mi9 group business manager James Scruby. "Each advertiser that comes on board becomes a unique opportunity to discover more about the strength of our audience. Our first year has provided us with great insights, feedback and direction to be able to further adapt Bing at a local level," Mr Scruby said.

Columbus Search was one of the first to get on board in Australia when it tasked Bing Ads to deliver a greater return on investment for Nissan's search engine marketing activity.

Mi9's search team matched Bing data with third party conversion reports to optimise activity by adding incremental bids during peak periods, removing negative keyword conflicts, added relevant negative keywords and optimised budgets.

Three weeks later, Bing delivered a 45% lower CPC (cost per click), 18% stronger CTR (click through rate) and a 35% lower CPA (cost per acquisition) – along with a massive 92% increase in conversions to a very happy Nissan Australia that praised the "exceptional results on Bing".

Another early adopter was tigerair, a disruptive challenger in the very competitive airline business. In August last year MEC launched a search account for tigerair on Bing. The initial results demonstrated high conversion rates and low CPA but more was wanted in terms of additional traffic and bookings.

The Bing campaign management team worked with MEC Search to optimise the account. Steps taken included expanding the predominantly brand focus to include top performing generic and research terms and improved visibility through pro-active bid management. After six weeks, the results were in: a 30% increase in click volume, a 6%stronger CTR and, most impressively, an 18% increase in bookings across the tigerair account.

MEC Australia head of search Alex Hancocks said the increased traffic and bookings were gained without a severe impact on CPA, thanks to the "high quality, cost-efficient traffic" on Bing.
"Bing has proven to be a valuable partner in the search space in Australia, providing an additional source of high-quality traffic, which converts at an above-average rate," Mr Hancocks said.

With results like these, it is no surprise there was a zing in the air at the Bing Ads first anniversary event, held at Sydney's Museum of Contemporary Art a few weeks ago. Agencies, partners and customers gathered to help Bing Ads celebrate year one and get a glimpse of the future in the fast evolving world of search marketing.

The Bing team shared some insights on the exciting year ahead in terms of platform updates and monetisation opportunities, whilst a valued Bing Ads partner, Kenshoo, spoke of the growth of mobile, and the cross-channel effect of search and social media.

Attendees were left in no doubt that it is full steam ahead at Bing Ads.

"We are committed to listening to advertisers and finding ways to simplify and improve their search marketing business to make them more successful," said Kevin Grobler, Search Advertising Lead.

"We are really encouraged by the growth trajectory of Bing Ads, which reflects our focus on innovating in response to marketer needs," Mr Grobler added.

If you, too would like to sign up to Bing Ads and enjoy similar success, it's quick and easy. Simply visit www.bingads.com.au.

Sylvia Vasas SMB Marketing Manager Bing AUhttp://blogs.msdn.com/bingadsau_4000_outlook.com/ProfileUrlRedirect.ashxTechEd Australia 2014 registrations now openhttp://blogs.msdn.com/b/ausblog/archive/2014/08/05/teched-2014-in-australia.aspx2014-08-05T02:00:00Z2014-08-05T02:00:00Z
With registrations for TechEd 2014 in Australia now open, I wanted to share with you further information around each event in Melbourne and Sydney.

This year's four tracks will focus on Datacenter and Infrastructure Management, Developer Platform and Tools, Office Servers and Services, and Windows, Phone Devices. Each track will consist of 12 sessions designed to dive deeper into a particular topic area and leave delegates with a specific actionable outcome for their business.

These have been chosen as they reflect key technology trends within the broader industry, Microsoft's platform as well as catering to the professional development needs of the technical community, and will be delivered as 300 – 400 technical level content ensuring TechEd remains the premier technical learning conference in Australia.

Attendees can register here today, for a flat rate $880 + GST.

More detail around speakers at both events will be shared in the coming weeks.

Sarah Vaughanhttp://blogs.msdn.com/msaucitizenship1_4000_outlook.com/ProfileUrlRedirect.ashx