Hey Microsoft Fans,

Today I wanted to chat with you about some of the must attend sessions at Microsoft Ignite. With a session catalog over 1100 sessions deep this year it can often be difficult to decide which sessions to attend.

First on my list every year is checking out what MVP – Sami Laiho has to say. His sessions are always ranked high and he even received the Top Speaker at Ignite a few years back.


Troubleshooting processes with Process Explorer and Process Monitor

  • On this session Sami Laiho, one of the world’s leading Windows professionals, shows you how to use the two most important tools in any troubleshooting case and the most downloaded of the Sysinternals Suite: Process Explorer and Process Monitor. Everyone will find tips in this session, whether you’re a newbie or the most seasoned admin.


    Windows Security Expert

  • Want to ask one of the world’s leading security experts about how to get Windows Security up to date and proactive? Here’s your chance to attend an AMA session with Sami Laiho.


    Mastering the lions PAW: How to build a privileged access workstation

  • In this session, learn how you build a secure way of managing an enterprise. Since 2000 you were not supposed to logon to servers with RDP, but most people still do. This is not the way to manage Windows! This session offers you three different ways/levels of managing servers from what’s known as a “Privileged Access Workstation.” Believe Jeffrey Snover when he says you should not put your servers one by one with RDP but with RSAT and PowerShell.

    Now, I have been doing a lot of work with Storage Spaces Direct and Hyper Converged Infrastructure over the past while and one of my favourite speakers on this topic is Cosmos Darwin – Storage PM at Microsoft. I had a chance to meet him at last year’s MVP Summit and he is an amazing speaker / blogger. Here are a couple of his sessions:


    Storage Spaces Direct: Be an IT hero with software-defined storage!

  • Andrew Hansen, 
  • Cosmos Darwin, 
  • Anthony Hoit, 

  • With the wave of virtualization you radically reduced compute costs and became a hero in your company. The next wave with software-defined storage will enable you to radically reduce storage costs and be an IT hero once again! Storage Spaces Direct is at the heart of the hottest trend in the industry with hyper-converged private clouds. This session gives an overview of the new Storage Spaces Direct feature in Windows Server 2016 and beyond, and discusses scenarios where it can be used with hyper-converged, scale-out file servers, SQL Server, a…


    Manage and monitor your Windows Server 2016 hyper-converged infrastructure

  • Cosmos Darwin, 

  • Windows Server 2016 is the fastest, most versatile, and most affordable hyper-converged platform on the market, with Hyper-V and Storage Spaces Direct. Come and check out how we’re completely rethinking the way you manage software-defined compute, network, and storage infrastructure, like you’ve never seen it before.

    Now, if you are a fan of Clustering and High Availability with Microsoft Technologies you must check out Principal Program Manager – Elden Christensen’s session.


    What’s new in Windows Server clustering and storage: Hyper-converged SHAZAM!

  • Mallikarjun Chadalapaka, 
  • Elden Christensen, 

  • Hyper-converged infrastructure is the next revolution happening to your on-premises cloud. In this session we cover all the new features and innovation coming for failover clustering, storage, Storage Spaces Direct, and the overall software-defined storage story in the fall semi-annual cadence release of Windows Server. These features all come together to empower the Windows Server hyper-converged story, and beyond. Faster than a speeding bullet… more simplistic management than a locomotive… hyper-scale greater than tall buildings… Look up in t…

    Now, it wouldn’t be Ignite without going to see the one and only @VirtualPCGuy (Ben Armstrong) and @WSV_Guy (Jeff Woolsey) in action chatting about all things Hyper-V and Windows Server.


    What’s new in Windows Server fall release for the software-defined datacenter

  • Claus Joergensen, 

  • We have exciting updates for the software-defined datacenter in the upcoming fall release of Windows Server. In this session, we cover these updates, including software-defined networking now with encrypted virtual networks, compute with direct access to persistent memory devices, and storage with increased scalability and support for data deduplication. Finally, we discuss security with support of shielded Linux VMs, and many more exciting new capabilities and enhancements.

    At the time of writing this I couldn’t actually find Ben’s session yet in the Schedule Builder. This isn’t abnormal as he sometimes gets added late. I’ll update the post once I find it and figure out what is happening.

    Here are some amazing Microsoft MVP Sessions that you shouldn’t miss.


    Lessons learned from deploying Windows Server 2016

  • Join this session to learn about how to deploy Windows Server 2016 in your datacenter. Learn about real-world experience for Storage Spaces Direct, Nano Server, Hyper-V, and a lot more.


    New modern management features for IT pros

  • Mamta Kumar, 
  • Tanvir Ahmed, 

  • Windows 10 is designed for Modern IT. In this session, we talk about how the different ways you can modernize IT management to get the most out of Windows 10 devices. This session is presented to you by the Windows modern management team alongside Jeremy Moskowitz, 15-year Group Policy and MDM MVP. The session covers the paths we see organizations…


    Troubleshooting Hyper-V performance on Windows Server 2016 Server Core

  • Server Core is the preferred method for deploying your Hyper-V infrastructure, however this presents unique challenges for administrators when trying to troubleshoot remotely. Join Clint Wyckoff (@ClintWyckoff), Microsoft MVP and earn your black belt in remotely troubleshooting Hyper-V when deployed on Server Core.


    Nested Virtualization: A game changer in Hyper-V and Azure

  • With nested virtualization not only a consultant’s dream comes true. Now you can build complex scenarios and fantastic training environments on a single Hyper-V box or even a laptop. More importantly, nested virtualization opens new possibilities in Microsoft Azure. Now an IT administrator can build complex IaaS environments in the public cloud that matches what they have on-premises. Imagine your Hyper-V clusters or Hyper-converged Storage Spaces Direct deployments with your backup solutions and Storage Replica running in the public cloud. Don…

    Lastly don’t forget to register for Cristal and my Sessions:


    Dave Kawula’s notes from the field on Storage Spaces Direct

  • This session looks at the field notes from production deployments of Storage Spaces Direct over the past six months. Various scenarios are covered from two-node SMB to enterprise configurations and everything in between. We look at some lessons learned for hardware configurations, firmware updates, and core network configurations. We also review some upgrade paths to the latest release of Windows Server semi-annual channel release. This session is action packed and you should definitely come ready to learn—delivered by Hyper Converged expert…


    Interact with an MVP discussion panel about Windows

  • Cristal Kawula, 

  • During this live Podcast we host a live #MVPHour twitter chat taking questions from all over the world on Windows Server. Join the conversaion on Wednesday September 27, 2017 at 10:00 am. Your hosts for this show are MVPs Dave and Cristal Kawula who are best known for their worldwide MVPDays Community Roadshow. Topics discussed include Microsoft Azure, Windows Server, Software Defined Storage, and much more. Follow the live twitter stream at #mvphour. Limited space, first-come first-served seating.


    Go from zero to hero using Azure Site Recovery

  • Learn everything you need to get started with Microsoft Azure Site Recovery. Gain the knowledge of setting up ASR in the real world and leave the session empowered to try this great technology on their own. You also have a chance to ask questions from the expert MVPs presenting the session.


    Women in Technology community leaders

  • This meetup features an amazing panel of Women in Technology community leaders, here to discuss what it takes to help build a community and maintain it.

    Thanks, and see you all in a few weeks in Orlando,

    Dave and Cristal