An Interview with Rory Preddy

Rory Preddy

Principal Cloud Advocate at Microsoft

Key Topics:Java, Azure, and Cloud

Location:City of Johannesburg, South Africa

Bio:

Rory Preddy works in the Developer Relations team at Microsoft as a Principal Cloud Advocate. Cloud Advocates use their deep research skills to help professional cloud developers discover and successfully use Microsoft’s platforms.

A seasoned speaker whose talks are both meaningful and humorous, he speaks around the world empowering developers to achieve more.

Rory recently featured in Onalytica's Who's Who in Cloud Report.

How did you get to become an expert in your key topics?

Java Developer since 2001. DevRel since 2013. Global Influencer since 2019.

Microsoft approached me, while I was employed somewhere else. At the time, I was advocating for Java and accessibility in the South African context and one of the reasons Microsoft approached me is because they saw that we had similar cultural values, that I believed that if you didn’t initiate contact with your colleagues around certain prevalent issues, then nothing would change. Since joining the Microsoft team in December 2018, it has been a whirlwind. I’ve learned so much and I consider myself really privileged to be actively involved in helping them reach their goals.

What challenges are brands facing in this space?

As companies pursue digital strategies, they increasingly need to act like software companies. This entails enabling developers to build productively, collaborate globally & securely, and scale innovation.

The pandemic has highlighted the importance of employees having access to solutions that enable remote work. But while this is straightforward to implement for information workers, what about those in the manufacturing, healthcare, mining, and other sectors where physical engagement is still required?

I anticipate that within the next few years, we’ll see fundamental shifts taking place to a digital environment. Examples include artificial intelligence that enables better customer engagement while optimising operations, and empowering employees with insights they need to deliver strategic value. Of course, developers are only as effective as the tools they have access to. And this is where cloud-based services such as those delivered through Azure become critical. Being able to use top-tier Microsoft tooling and cloud services to realise this integrated reality can bring with it significant benefits across business and consumer markets.

Start here and learn how you can build, migrate and scale Java applications on Azure using Azure services. Use tools and frameworks that you know and love – Spring, Tomcat, WildFly, JBoss, WebLogic, WebSphere, Maven, Gradle, IntelliJ, Eclipse, Jenkins, Terraform and more.

What do you think the future holds in this space?

My advice is this. Don’t pursue a career. Pursue moments. Those moments that are fundamental to yourself and to others so that you can look back at and say that you weren’t only focused on the career and the money and the goals but there were distinct moments where you have changed your and other people’s lives. We know that access to the right technology can help us do and achieve more – but it also has the power to change and save lives.

Technology can empower people to achieve more, help strengthen education opportunities, and make the workplace more inviting and inclusive for people with disabilities. And with more than 1 billion people with disabilities in the world, Microsoft believes accessibility and inclusion are essential to delivering on our mission to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. Don’t forget to share your awards on social media after completing each module here!

If a brand wanted to work with you, which activities would you be most interested in collaborating on?

Podcasts, webinars, whitepapers, speaking opportunities, product innovation, and video interviews.

What would be the best way for a brand to contact you?

Email or +27829301000

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