Microsoft Mentors

How do you deliver outcomes, no matter the platform?  Everyone has the same tools. The difference is what you do with them.    That’s the ethos behind Telana, the new force born from Ancoris + Sundown Solutions.    This week on Microsoft Mentors, we unpack how Telana is blending Azure and GCP to deliver applied innovation, not just technology.    Because here’s the truth:  ✅ Innovation isn’t tech...

IBM & Microsoft.   Once fierce rivals. Now strategic partners.  If you'd said this in the 80s in the midst of the PC wars, you'd be laughed out of the server room.  Fast forward to today, IBM have a strong strategic partnership with Microsoft and have  launched a dedicated Microsoft Practice.    Why?  Because transformation at enterprise scale now demands collaboration at enterprise sc...

It started with two people in a pub… and ended with 250 people queuing outside a packed-out Azure event.  That’s how you build credibility in the Microsoft ecosystem.  Before Azure was mainstream, Elastacloud were deep in the weeds. Writing tools, building community, and backing the tech nobody else cared about (yet).  Richard Conway and Andy Cross didn’t just spot the trend.  They help make it ha...

Since refocusing his attention on his own health and fitness (and dropping 30kg!) Hugh rediscovered his energy and built a culture that runs (literally) on wellbeing.  His big realisation?  Making time for your health + fitness doesn’t slow the business down.  It supercharges it.  🏃 Valto Run Club now takes 10+ people out every Thursday  ⛰️ They’ve just hiked all 15 Welsh 3000s in under 24 hours...

Grow to scale or grow to sustain? The founder dilemma no one talks about enough. Big vision. Bigger risks. And a million micro-decisions in between. This week’s Microsoft Mentors Live is a proper deep dive with Mitesh Chauhan — founder of LA Net. We cover the gritty side of building a Microsoft services business from scratch: Wearing every hat — delivery, sales, accounting, hiring Training talent...

£18m → £100m revenue 50 staff → 170 employees And a Microsoft Practice they never meant to build. This week on Microsoft Mentors, I sat down with Rob Quickenden, CTO at Cisilion — who shared how a “defensive move” to stop losing Cisco clients to Skype for Business accidentally became their biggest growth engine. We unpacked:💥 How Cisilion evolved from a Cisco-first shop to a dual-vendor powerhous...

"We've signed 15 new customers, hired 7 people and will have achieved x2 Microsoft Solution Partner designation in the first 12 months!" Today’s Microsoft Mentors episode features Chris, co-founder of Mondo Cloud, one of the UK’s newest Microsoft CSPs! ➡️ From running bars in a football stadium ➡️ To leading Cloud transformation in a £100M+ MSP ➡️ To launching Mondo Cloud from scratch last October...

"With Azure, you've won an empty bucket... and the right to fill it with gold." That line from James Marshall stuck with me. Because it perfectly sums up how different selling Azure is compared to traditional IT services. In the old model? You won a deal, delivered the solution, and moved on. In Azure? Winning the deal is just the start. You’ve won the right to go deeper — to fill th...

Ever wonder what actually happens at Microsoft's MVP Summit? Azure MVP Jonathan D'Aloia gives us the low down... Well, more of a feel for what it's all about... the event and MVP's are under NDA after all! We covered a lot of ground though... ➡️ JD’s path to becoming an MVP, specialising in Infrastructure as Code with Bicep & Terraform ➡️ Real-world advice on building AI-ready...

We'd planned 10 episode for Series 1, but guess what... we wanted to give you ONE more! Not only that, but our first ever in person podcast with Curtis Milne, Microsoft Azure MVP for IaC and Liverpool's very first Microsoft MVP! We talk about Curtis MVP journey, his passion for mentorship, IaC, Cloud Adoption Framework and much much more!

"The Microsoft Tech Community is in a rocky state in certain elements.. we're here to steady the ship" This week on Microsoft Mentors: The Podcast, I'm joined by Ethan Sumner, CEO of DevEx Connect. Ethan has been instrumental in the set up and growth of a number of Microsoft / DevOps Tech community groups. He know first hand, just how difficult it can be to fund, maintain and grow users groups......

COVID nearly killed in-person tech events! But the Microsoft Cloud community wasn't having it... it was time for them to step in! This week on Microsoft Mentors: The Podcast I'm joined by Nathan Sweeney. Nathan in a MVP for Microsoft Azure, AzureAI and M365 Co-Pilot Lead at KPMG and co-founder of The South Coast Summit... one of the UK's largest community led Microsoft Tech conferences. We delve i...

Me: What have you learnt from 27 years working with Microsoft Technologies? Ed: Change is a constant inevitability! This week on Microsoft Mentors: The Podcast, I'm joined by Ed O'Brien, Cloud Practice Director at Sopra Steria. Starting out in IT in 1997, building Microsoft solutions has been a focus for Ed since day one. Now he spends his time, building and scaling Cloud Practices to deliver clou...

How the hell do you become a Head of Cloud by aged 30? Ryan: Well, it started like this... This week on Microsoft Mentors: The Podcast, I'm talking to Ryan Haraburda - Head of Cloud @ Tesco... all by aged 30. Ryan's career has sky rocketed, from IT Apprentice to Head of Cloud in less than 15 years. If you want a lesson in drive, determination, self-reflection and self-learning... grab a cu...

No matter how skilled the individual team or how reputable the employer... mentorship still plays a MASSIVE part in your career development!  This week on Microsoft Mentors: The Podcast, I'm joined by Richard Cheney - Azure Practice Lead at Cloud Direct (Azure Expert MSP).  Richard's career in Microsoft technologies spans over a decade including over 7 working closely with Microsoft Partne...

You don't have to be a techie to work in tech! That's the biggest lesson from todays episode of Microsoft Mentors; The podcast with Paris King from Softcat! We delve into Paris' first step into the Tech Industry in Softcat's graduate scheme, her progression through a number of different roles within their Microsoft business and ultimately to her current role as Head of Cloud Allian...

Security is, or at least should be, at the heart of all IT strategy... especially in the Cloud. This week on Microsoft Mentors: The Podcast, I'm joined by Ru Campbell... Microsoft Security MVP and Microsoft Security Practice Lead at Microsoft Security Partner of the Year Winner ThreatScape. We discuss Ru's route to becoming a Microsoft MVP, his role at Threatscape helping organisations ove...

Ever wondered how you become a CTO? This week on Microsoft Mentors: The Podacst, we unpick the career journey of Paul Bevis, CTO at Microsoft Solutions Partner, FSP. We track Paul's career from Developer, through his time as a Technical/Solutions Architect and ultimately to his current role as CTO. Paul gives us his insight into digital transformation, the rise of AI and how his position on Te...

Alex Pearce shares his career journey in the tech industry, starting from his work experience at a hospital to becoming a network manager in a school. He discusses the impact of cloud computing and Microsoft's free services on education. Alex also talks us through his experience as a Microsoft MVP and the importance of community and knowledge sharing. He then shares his transition from running...

In this episode of Microsoft Mentors, we dive into the career of John Savill, one of the most recognisable names in the world of Microsoft Azure. We discuss John's early passion for technology and how it has steered his career journey towards his current role in the Office of the CTO at Microsoft. John started his YouTube channel as a hobby and it has now grown into one of the most widely cited so...