Women in Cloud - Azure Edition

Why is Azure such a powerful platform, and how can you set it up for success right from the start? Whether you're new to Azure or already working in the cloud, understanding key concepts like landing zones is essential for building a scalable and well-structured environment. Plus, with ML tools becoming more accessible, now is the perfect time to explore how Azure’s offerings can drive innovation in your projects.

At the meetup, we will dive into the world of Azure, with two expert speakers: one focusing on landing zones and the other on MLOps in the Azure cloud. You’ll leave with practical insights to build smarter, more efficient cloud environments.

About the talks

• Presentation 1: Micro MLOps: an MLOps Crash Course by Nicole Ramirez

MLOps is Ops for Machine Learning, and as a field is the perfect intersection between cloud and AI. This talk will introduce high level theory on MLOps: why it's needed, what's involved, what tools to use in Azure to enable the most basic MLOPs setup, ending in a short demo with templates you can take and follow along at home to. This will be a general introduction to MLOps as opposed to a specific deep-dive into its many facets!

Nicole changed career from working with biological code to now slinging computer code for AI and data applications. She is driven to do good for the world through her engineering and analytical skillsets. As an engineer with a passion for machine learning, she has worked for the last few years in applied ML and cloud engineering mostly at SaaS startups and currently in NZ's biggest enterprise. Nicole loves to program in her spare time and aims to constantly keep up her data science foundations!

• Presentation 2: What are Azure Landing Zones and why should I know about them? by Esha Gulyani Solanki

Esha is an accomplished Azure Solutions Architect with 16 years of expertise in the tech industry. She has a wealth of experience working with organisations of all sizes, spanning diverse sectors such as telecommunications, banking, insurance, and financial services. Esha thrives in collaborative environments, enjoys working with cross-functional teams, and is passionate about sharing knowledge and best practices to drive innovative solutions. She’s also an organiser of Women in IT group, helping build a supportive community for women in tech.

Agenda

• 5:30pm - Food and networking
• 6:00pm - Presentation 1
• 6:30pm - Presentation 2
• 7:00pm - Lucky draw <3
• 7:20pm - Networking

Thanks to HAL Systems and Mantel Group for sponsoring the event and providing the venue.