Microsoft's Ignite 2020 Conference Is Also Going Digital

Microsoft disclosed that its final major conference of 2020, Ignite, will join the company's other upcoming events and shift to a digital-only format.

Ignite is Microsoft's conference for IT professionals and developers, and will take place as a "complimentary digital event experience" in September, Microsoft said in a message posted on the Ignite website. The conference had originally been scheduled to be held in New Orleans.

[Related: Microsoft Cancels Inspire Conference, Will Explore Alternatives To In-Person Event]

"Join us to learn innovative ways to build solutions, migrate and manage your infrastructure, and connect with Microsoft experts and other technology professionals from around the globe," Microsoft said in the message.

Ignite joins Microsoft's other biggest upcoming events--the Build developer conference in May and the Inspire partner conference in July--in having the in-person component cancelled amid the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.

Ignite is one of the countless tech conferences in 2020 to see a change of plan in response to the worsening outbreak in North America.

Some companies have opted to shift to virtual-only formats, though others--such as Lenovo--have postponed their in-person events to later in 2020.

At the Ignite conference last year, Microsoft announced a new analytics service, Azure Synapse Analytics, along with other updated capabilities in Azure, Microsoft 365 and Power Platform.

Meanwhile, Microsoft this week announced a series of adjustments for partners in response to the ongoing health and economic crisis--such as extensions around requirements for competencies and specializations. "We’ve heard from many partners that it’s challenging to meet requirements and renew existing competencies in the current climate," Microsoft Channel Chief Gavriella Schuster said in a blog post Thursday.