Navigating the Microsoft Ecosystem: An Insightful Interview with Laze Janev, a Solution Architect

In the rapidly evolving landscape of technology, staying ahead of the curve is a constant challenge, especially for professionals deeply immersed in the Microsoft ecosystem.

DynamicsSmartz had the privilege of sitting down with Laze Janev, a senior solution architect with over 15 years of experience in Microsoft Dynamics 365.

Join us in this interview as LJ provides a glimpse into the intricate web of Microsoft technologies and offers advice on embracing innovation while making technology more accessible for users.

Let Us Quickly Get To Our Expert's Point Of View

Question 1- How do you keep up with the latest updates and developments in the Microsoft ecosystem?

I try to cover most channels: Official blogs, LinkedIn, Yammer groups, conferences, and I think the most beneficial are the office hours on many different topics.

All of that can be overwhelming, and believe me, it is, but as a solution architect, I'm always trying to identify where the industry is going, what Microsoft is doing in that topic, and how that will benefit my scope.

On some of the topics, I have a very basic knowledge. Hence, I just try to get the high-level info, identify if we can benefit from it, create a POC, and hand over everything to the professionals in that area.

TLDR: It is a lot of reading, watching video recordings, and then nagging people from the product group in MS to give you access to the next goodies :)

Question 2: What are some opportunities you would be looking at this year?

All of the different copilots that Microsoft is releasing in most of their products. There has been a lot of hype in the last year about AI. Many people are scared of it (because they think they can lose their jobs), and many people cannot be bothered with it (because they think it does not bring any value), and there is a lot that they don't have any opinion about.

Recently, I was at a private event organized by Microsoft where we could see what is coming in the next year (and even more) in the Microsoft Ecosystem. Some of the innovations are mind-blowing if they will also be delivered within the planned timelines.

People who are scared of AI should not be. They should embrace it and try to use it for their benefit. Microsoft is trying to deliver the AI called Copilot intentionally because it is not doing anything automatically. It is mostly there to assist you with daily tasks, like looking up information in different forms or sources and navigating outside your current focus. Instead, it will allow people to do their jobs more seamlessly and efficiently.

Question 3: How do you see the future of Microsoft evolving, and how do you plan to stay ahead of the curve?

I really try to test new topics while they are in private preview when they are buggy, and when it takes a lot of effort to do a simple action after they are released for the general public. For example, on the Unified Dev and Admin experience in D365 for Finance and Operations, I tested it and gave presentations at a conference one year ago; it was released to public preview a couple of weeks ago!

Some other topics I am exploring are products and technologies that will bring real live value to the business, like BPA and reporting with Delta Lake and Microsoft Fabric.

Currently, I work on a POC where the goal is to combine 15 different Production environments, mash the data into one central warehouse, feed in information from other sources, and all of that without leaving a single page, everything into Fabric and move that part of the business from PaaS to SaaS.

Question 4: What are your favorite Microsoft Dynamics 365 products or services, and why?

I truly love the Power Platform, especially the Power Automate. It started as a small thing in the Microsoft ecosystem as a business tool replacement for ifttt.com. Still, it has grown into this massive and endless possibilities tool that can be easily changed and adapted for anything.

In the last couple of months, I have implemented it as follows:

-Batch job monitoring tool that can send messages in teams, email, SMS, and restart, start, or stop batch jobs

-Workflow approval tool for so many different business use cases where managers can approve from their Outlook and Teams without leaving their current focused app

-Middleware software that can send PDF invoices to 3rd party APIs, parse XML reports from D365FO into JSON and send it to API, or get messages from another API (like bank statements) and send it to D365FO for import while sending a message in a teams channel that the action is completed

I also love Power BI, and I think the next evolution in it as Microsoft Fabric combined with Copilot will bring a lot of innovation that will make this existing tedious, long, difficult, and expensive process of working with the data and getting the right information from it in much more democratic and easier way.

Question 5: A piece of advice that you’d like to share with our readers?

Stay curious, challenge the people around you, and also challenge Microsoft to deliver better products that will benefit its users and the businesses where those users work. And remember, although the world and its technologies are increasingly complex, we need to make using those technologies much easier so that they can see the benefits of using and paying for them.

Get to Know Our Influencer

What is the best event that you attended recently? What were your key takeaways?

The best event in the last year has to be the Dynamics Minds conference! I might be biased as I'm one of the committee members, but it was an amazing event filled with positive energy where knowledge sharing was intertwined seamlessly.

What's your success mantra?

Be collaborative and keep communicating. As a solution architect, I must work with different teams and stakeholders, such as developers, consultants, analysts, vendors, and partners. I also need to communicate effectively and clearly with them and ensure that everyone is on the same page and aligned with the vision and goals of the project. You can do this by listening, asking questions, sharing information, giving feedback, and resolving conflicts.