Microsoft says all business will be collaborative, and infused with data and AI

"Every business process will be collaborative, powered by data and AI, and will bridge the digital and physical worlds," Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said during the opening keynote of his company's Ignite conference this week. Nadella and other Microsoft executives speaking at the event gave numerous examples of this. One implication of this view is that collaboration can't just happen within Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, or Outlook; it should flow between them and operational applications. Data and intelligence derived from the interactions between people -- what Microsoft calls the Microsoft Graph -- should allow the organization to refine and perfect business processes and make employees more productive. "This digital fabric enables flexibility and strengthens connections from people to people, people to teams, employees to managers," said Jared Spataro, corporate vice president for Microsoft 365. "It makes weak ties stronger, and connects people to mission and culture.