Modern technology has enabled farmers to obtain impressive yields that sustain entire populations while allowing them to become as efficient as possible with their available resources. However, most of this technology is dependent upon stable electrical grids, large-scale aqueducts, and a steady fuel supply, all of which are not readily available to millions of farmers around the world.

One of these farmers is Monica, who depended on a water well located on her property as her only water source to sustain both her farm and her family. To make matters worse, climate change made rain increasingly scarce in her region of Kenya, Africa, which further decreased her available water supply and forced her to work harder just to maintain her current yields. Thankfully, just as things seemed impossible, digital transformation provided her with the solution she needed to secure a better future.

In this video, you’ll learn about Monica’s story and how, thanks to solar-powered Microsoft technology, she was able to automate her entire irrigation system, gain access to accurate weather forecasts, and obtain more income year round.

Curious about the ROI of Microsoft Azure Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS)? Have a look at this infographic that shows Forrester’s conclusions after six customer interviews and data aggregation for a five-year financial impact.

Businesses experienced reduced data center and outsourcing costs, website scale and performance improvements, ease of experimentation through virtualized environments, and developer and testers enhancements.

Want to learn more about the potential ROI that could be realized by shifting some or all of your management and operations to Azure? Contact us today.

View: MS Azure IaaS TEI Infographic

For many organizations and their management teams, the mere mention of customer relationship management (CRM) inspires immediate apprehension. Far too numerous are the stories from companies across all industries about failed implementations, wasted money and time, and frustrated sales executives. But it doesn’t have to be that way, according to a Forbes article entitled “Seven Steps For Successful CRM Implementation.” In the article, author Marc Emmer asserts that past challenges with CRM implementation have little to do with technology, and more to do with the culture of the organization attempting to implement it. Read the full article to discover what Mr. Emmer feels are the seven keys to successfully deploying and utilizing CRM.

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According to Forrester, Microsoft Azure SQL Database Managed Instance has the best ROI, with a migration payback in six months or less and a potential 212% ROI over three years.

Additionally, Azure’s intelligent database offers dynamic scalability that enables your database to transparently respond to rapidly changing requirements, and you pay only for the resources you need, when you need them.

Azure works with your on-premises investments so that customers use their same skills when they migrate, using familiar tools and features. All of this, along with easy and free migration tools, makes Azure the best fit option for your cloud needs.

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All it takes to put together a winning team is finding the most talented people possible, assigning them to the same project, telling them the requirements and deadline, and then letting them run wild…right? Not so, says Sharon Florentine–in fact, far from it. In her article for CIO magazine entitled “6 ways you’re getting teamwork wrong,” Ms. Florentine draws a clear distinction between assumption and reality when it comes to teamwork, outlining what it really takes to assemble a truly superb group for getting the job done. Check out the full article before you put together your next mission-critical team.

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