Kevin Scott is adamant about edge technology, and he is working hard to make sure the greater public feels excited too.
The newly minted role of Chief Technology Officer at Microsoft is responsible for driving the strategic and cross-company initiatives that will keep the software giant top of mind with members and customers around the world.
To tackle this challenge, Scott and Microsoft have been out at press events and talking to the media, touting the company’s edge computing capabilities through its Azure network.
According to Scott, the company is well-positioned to support the next generation of “ubiquitous computing.” The network’s features include: a built-in Azure stack for hybrid computing environments, Azure IoT services, Azure IoT Edge services, which empowers devices to connect to the cloud autonomously only when they are needed. And the Azure cloud computing network will be just one building block available to engineers to create open source edge solutions on XBox, a Drone or smart appliances.
But there are still many misconceptions around this new and powerful technology. As Scott noted at a Tapei Trade Conference last month, intelligent edge is about embracing the full technological environment and the possibilities when phones, computers, tablets and systems are all connected to the cloud, rather than just focusing on its effects on a small subset of technology, such as a content management system.
Scott came to Microsoft via LinkedIn, where he oversaw the rapid growth of the company and a successful IPO, finishing his run at the company as Senior Vice President of Infrastructure. Prior to starting at LinkedIn in 2011, he worked for many years at Google building out the company’s mobile ads engineering capabilities. He has a Master’s degree in Computer Science from Wake Forest University and was several years into earning his PhD in computer science from the University of Virginia before dropping out.
In his years of experience, Scott has also built up a name for himself in the nonprofit world as a philanthropist. He is active on the boards of several nonprofits and is a trustee of the Anita Borg Institute, which focuses on recruiting and retaining women in technology.
