As part of the sweeping changes being ushered in by CEO Satya Nadella, Microsoft is to merge five of its big global tech events, including TechEd, into one major event the week of 4 May 2015 in Chicago.
The change only affects events scheduled in calendar year 2015. This year, TechEd Europe in Barcelona on 28-31 October will proceed as planned.
According to Microsoft, standalone events around products such as SharePoint, Lync, Exchange, Project and the TechEd event will now take place as part of an “inaugural unified Microsoft commercial technology event”.
The company said the TechEd brand will still have a future. “To be clear, TechEd lives on. This event will be a part of an enhancement of TechEd, co-locating with that event to ensure the world of IT gets optimal access to all of the best resources in one place.
“If you’ve attended TechEd or Microsoft Management Summit, this is the place for you to be. It’s everything you’ve come to know and love and more. You’ll find what you’re familiar with and you’ll learn more about Lync, Microsoft Azure, Microsoft Exchange, Office 365, Project, SharePoint, SQL Server, System Center, Visio, Visual Studio, Windows, Windows Intune, Windows Server and lots more.”
The world of IT and enterprise are changing
After five months at the helm as CEO, Nadella is razor-focused on making Microsoft nimble and agile enough to compete in a world that is mobile-first, cloud-first and less desktop-focused as when Microsoft was in its heyday.
As well as making sweeping leadership changes, Nadella announced Microsoft is to axe 14pc of its workforce – about 18,000 jobs – to be battle fit to compete in this evolving business arena.
Nadella said the company aims to simplify the way it works, drive greater accountability and become a faster and more agile entity.