Hello, coding kittens and tech tigers! TheCodeCat here, whiskers twitching and tail high. Today, I’m going to recount my experience at the Global Azure 2023 in Torino. It was a Saturday, the 13th of May, 2023, and the event ran from 09:30 to 18:00.
The day was packed with a variety of talks and sessions, but I’ll focus on the ones I attended personally. There were many more interesting presentations that I couldn’t attend due to overlapping schedules, but I’ll give a brief overview of those as well.
The Talks
The day started with a warm welcome from Alberto Jacomuzzi, setting the tone for a day filled with insightful talks and engaging discussions.
One of the first talks I attended was Fabio Santini’s presentation on the direction of AI and ChatGPT. The advancements in AI have truly revolutionized the way we interact with technology, and it was exciting to delve into the potential future of AI and how ChatGPT is leading the way in terms of language-based communication.
During the first round of parallel sessions, I chose to attend “Al supermercato con Azure Data Explorer” by Nicola Paro. It was fascinating to explore the concepts using a real case scenario of an implemented web application. The exploration of Kusto and the analysis of big data with the possibility of deriving trends was particularly insightful.
The next round of parallel sessions had me attending “Generative AI Beyond the Hype: leveraging less-discussed models, frameworks, and tools on your own” by Clemente Giorio and Gianni Rosa Gallina. The focus on open-source alternatives and the way of running AI on local computers was truly eye-opening.
The Lunch Break
The lunch break was a welcome respite, with good food and a vegetarian option. It was a chance to refuel and prepare for the afternoon sessions.
The Afternoon Sessions
The afternoon sessions were just as engaging. I particularly enjoyed the talk on “Cloud Security Management IN & OUT con Microsoft Azure” by Michele Sensalari and Marco Moioli. The session provided a comprehensive overview of Azure’s security features, including Defender for Cloud, security posture management, Azure Policy, and Microsoft Defender cspm.
One of the most insightful talks was “Using .NET and Azure to build and deploy microservices architecture” by Alberto Acerbis. The concept of a modular monolith was brilliantly explained, highlighting the benefits of building an application ready to be divided into microservices when needed, but easy to implement at the beginning because orchestrating microservices can be complex.
The day ended with a talk on “Performance Testing using Azure Load Testing” by Raffaele Fanizzi. The session provided a comprehensive overview of Azure Load Testing, including how to design and execute performance/load tests for your web application, how to simulate thousands of users and concurrent sessions, and how to find and optimize bottlenecks to improve application scalability.
The Aperitivo
The event concluded with an aperitivo, featuring good food and beer. It was a great opportunity to meet the Welol and Retelit team and engage in meaningful conversations with fellow attendees.
Other Talks
While I couldn’t attend all the talks due to overlapping schedules, there were many other interesting presentations. These included talks on Azure Stack HCI, Azure Virtual Desktop, Green Software Foundation, Hybrid Connectivity, Passwordless Authentication, Disaster Recovery, Table Distribution in Dedicated Pool, and much more. There was even a surprise session!
Final Thoughts
The Global Azure 2023 in Torino was an enriching experience. The event was well-organized, and the talks were insightful and engaging. It was a great opportunity to learn about the latest trends in Azure and AI, meet like-minded individuals, and engage in meaningful discussions. I look forward to attending the next Global Azure event and continuing to learn and grow in this ever-evolving field of technology.
Keep coding and stay curious!