Mathew and I have just returned from the Microsoft World Partner Conference in Toronto, Canada. Over the last 8 years of this business we have come to realise the benefits of working with partners whose vision closely aligns with ours. Conferences like WPC help us to keep tabs on the future of consumer and enterprise computing trends – and tablets are at the centre of both.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella opened the conference by outlining how Microsoft continues to bet big on digital transformation around three focus areas:

• More personal computing
• Reinventing productivity
• Intelligent Cloud

Microsoft’s mission of creating more personal computing and reinventing productivity sit right in our own core focus areas.

We have a close alignment with Microsoft since we overlap strongly with two of those key areas. As a company, we’re not interested in selling you apps, music and content or serving you advertising based on your own personal data. We are interested in helping you to transform the way you work on a very personal level.  We will help you to find the right device to achieve that, but more importantly we focus on giving you the tools and training to get you a long way into the journey.

Personal digital transformation

Throughout the conference we were excited to see that Microsoft finally shone the spotlight on the possibilities created by moving beyond the keyboard. Devices like HoloLens, Surface Hub and the Surface (especially with the pen attached) featured strongly in the keynotes and public demonstrations.

For example, on day 2 of the conference Bryan Roper did an awesome demo showing how you can create your own Windows Universal Application that supports the incredible pen features of the coming Windows 10 Anniversary update. He then demonstrated an example application written for Bridgestone Tires (tyres for us in Australia) that takes advantage of the pen as a mark-up tool. The demonstration includes large power tools, and is well worth watching!

The beauty of Bryan’s demonstration is that it demonstrates what is possible right now – not in some Hollywood future. You can achieve everything in that video in your own business right now using off the shelf hardware and software like the Microsoft Surface and OneNote.

You might just need a little help to realise what’s possible and set about changing your workflow. That’s what we’re here for.