MVP Insights: AJ Ansari on Summit Sessions, the MVP Role, AI Movement
Welcome to “MVP Insights,” a podcast that explores the universe, ideas, and opportunities of the brightest stars in the Microsoft business applications ecosystem.
In episode 42, Giuseppe Ianni, VP, Community Director, Attendees and Activations, Dynamic Communities, hosts AJ Ansari, COO, DSWi, Microsoft MVP, to explore his journey and passion for the community as well as what attendees can expect from him at Community Summit North America.
Key Takeaways:
- MVP journey: Something that sets MVPs apart, AJ acknowledges, “is our love of evangelism for the product and educating the community.” His journey as an MVP started in 2007. For the first several years, he learned so much by attending conferences, like Community Summit. Around 2012, he had his first opportunity to present at a conference. “Since this, that journey has been about giving back…That idea of being an MVP is to learn and share, to give back to the community.”
- Navigating various experience levels: For a couple of AJ’s Community Summit sessions, he talks about the bleeding edge of technology that some people aren’t necessarily as well educated on or have experience with. AJ explains how he takes into consideration the audience he’ll be speaking to, so he can best share his expertise with them on these topics. “My goal is not to make experts here,” he says. He has selected specific tips, best practices, and examples that will make information easier to digest so attendees can leave with real action items.
- MVP role and Business Central: MVPs and community leaders have unique opportunities. AJ says, “My role would be less to help people get on board Business Central — a lot of times they’ve already made that decision — but to help them truly understand the value of the product that they have chosen and to help them extract the most benefit from it.” While no product can ever be perfect, AJ aims to give a fair but clear assessment, as an MVP, of what the functionality looks like, what the product will do, and how users can make the best of it.
- Microsoft ecosystem innovations: “As a traditionalist on the ERP side, I always get really happy whenever we have improvements in the supply chain side or any type of specific functional area,” AJ shares. However, he also acknowledges the massive movement in the marketplace around AI. AI serves to make us more efficient and do more with less. “I think I’m really excited about the fact that Microsoft is creating AI experiences that are maturing.”
- Community Summit: AJ will be speaking at Community Summit North America, leading four insightful sessions and two bootcamps on AI. “This is an event for the users,” AJ explains. “If you are an end user, all of us are going to be there for you — all the presenters, the folks from Microsoft, the ISVs — they are there for you, and it’s your opportunity to maximize it.”
