November is all about conferences. Sinergija is a two-day event featuring top professionals in Microsoft technologies from around the world. This year, the conference went fully digital, offering free live sessions to a global audience. Usually held in Belgrade, this event, now in its 20th year, focuses on the latest digital transformation trends. Over the years, it has become one of the most prestigious and popular conferences in South-Eastern Europe, attracting top professionals from the Microsoft community to discuss industry trends. Due to COVID-19, this year’s event was held online. This year, it was the 20th edition of the conference, and on the second day alone, there were 2,600 registered participants who had the opportunity to hear experts discuss trending topics. Our colleague, Aleksandra Ivanovska, was part of the conference and spoke about using Microsoft Healthbot to enhance the healthcare system. We decided to ask her more about her experience with Microsoft technologies, future trends in the field, and about Sinergija itself.
Tell us more about yourself and your role at ⋮IW
I am a professional, organized, and responsible person, always ready for new challenges and achievements. As a technical consultant and part of the Microsoft practice at ⋮IW, I am responsible for designing, developing, and testing high-quality software components and applications. I focus on constant research and exploring the latest technology updates in the Microsoft field.
Where do you find your professional inspiration?
I find motivation in small things, like receiving positive feedback and successfully completing daily tasks. Practicing integrity and professionalism in my work is also inspiring. The world is not perfect, so being in a position to change things and make them right is certainly an inspiration for me. I believe in integrity and professionalism by working hard.
What is your favorite Microsoft product and why?
Microsoft offers a range of products to address any business need. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Microsoft provided digital solutions managed by intelligent virtual assistants, offering personalized patient care using a chatbot. My favorite is the healthcare bot from Azure-hosted solutions. It’s a SaaS tool that allows healthcare providers to build and deploy HIPAA-compliant, AI-powered virtual assistants. These bots can triage patients, detect symptoms, manage medications, and assist with health issues. They can easily guide people with serious problems and help them schedule appointments with professionals.
This product is able to detect the symptoms, manage some medications, and assist with some health issues. It can easily guide people with some serious problems and also assists them in scheduling appointments with professionals.
Do you think “Using Microsoft Healthboth to enhance the healthcare system” was a hot topic at the conference?
The number of attendees at the session indicates a strong interest in this solution. During pandemics, when healthcare systems are under pressure, technological advancements like digital solutions managed by intelligent virtual assistants can significantly ease this burden. Microsoft chatbots use a combination of machine learning algorithms, including NLP. Features like symptom checkers and language understanding models can help healthcare sectors immensely, especially by automating repetitive and lower-importance tasks that medical representatives usually handle.
What is one key takeaway from your presentation?
Using this technology benefits both patients and medical institutions. Building a health bot instance improves processes, reduces costs, and saves time for patients and doctors. Healthcare organizations can create virtual consultants to answer many questions with credible information. Hospital administrators can schedule appointments, collect feedback, and even implement a red panic button to warn about dangerous symptoms or call for emergency help.
What does the future hold for Microsoft technologies and how can they be used to enhance digital transformation?
Cloud computing is evolving to keep pace with new technological developments, and Microsoft Azure is part of this journey. Trends like the Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Security, API Support, and Serverless Computing are now integrated into Microsoft products. AI has the potential to transform our lives and society in ways we previously could not imagine. Strengthening the future with digital transformation will increase business productivity, enhance employee creativity, enable quick adaptation, and meet customer needs faster.
Was it a challenge to speak at one of the biggest Microsoft conferences in the region?
It was a pleasure and an honor to be part of this conference alongside senior Microsoft experts and multiple Microsoft MVPs. It was an outstanding opportunity to exchange ideas and opinions and share experiences on different digital solutions. Definitely a new and amazing experience for me.
How would you rate the conference overall?
The event was organized by Microsoft, and the organization was excellent. Everything was well-defined and organized, despite a short time slot to prepare my theme after my participation was accepted. Participants covered many trending topics in digital transformation. In one word: excellent.
If you want to find out more about the conference, contact us and we will connect you to our colleague Aleksandra.
