Join Marc and Microsoft International CFO Claude Changarnier to learn how Microsoft worked with partners to optimize and outsource non-strategic, repetitive Finance tasks like payroll across multiple global subs, so the organization could focus on high-value activities. In this session, Claude and Marc will share insights on how Microsoft streamlined financial processes and outsource common tasks to regional centers of excellence. Marc will be on hand for a live Q&A at the end of the discussion.

A Finance team can’t deliver business insights without reliable data and a clear consensus about data definitions and taxonomy. Join Marc and Microsoft General Manager of Corporate Finance & Services, Taylor Hawes, for a discussion of the Core Finance project at Microsoft. This project was the first step in aligning the Finance Organization and Business Leadership behind a common set of data definitions and taxonomies, enabling a company-wide understanding of internal financial reporting. Marc will host a live Q&A at the end of the session.

Join Finance Director Marc Reguera and General Manager Venkat Bhamidipati for an overview of some of the key tools the finance organization at Microsoft has used to improve their ability to consume Big Data and develop insights via simplification of the data and visualization tools. In this session, Venkat will explain how the Worldwide Enterprise & Partner Group’s Finance team has used Power View and Power Pivot along with Microsoft SharePoint to drive significant business impact across the business. Marc will also give real-life examples of the tools and the reports developed by the Enterprise & Partner Group and will host a live Q&A at the end of the session.

Join Marc and Microsoft General Manager Eron Kelly for an overview and discussion about Power BI, Microsoft’s Self-Service business intelligence solution for on premises or cloud-based data. Learn how your organization can focus more time on delivering business insights by using Power BI and Office 365.

Marc and Eron will provide real-world examples of how to use the tools and outline the collaboration that Power BI makes possible. This session includes live demos of Power Query, Power Map and Power Query Q&A. Eron will also outline how customers can license and deploy Power BI. Marc will be on hand for live Q&A at the end of the session.

Join Marc and Microsoft CVP and SMSG CFO Wilson Garone for a discussion on the changing role of finance in today's world of big data. Finance teams need to be able to consume and analyze millions of rows of data and present their analysis in a narrative that's easy to understand for multiple audiences. This paradigm shift means finance professionals have to know the art of making things easy to comprehend without making them simplistic. Many finance organizations are ill prepared to make the shift because they've always focused on data versus insights.

Today's business intelligence tools make that step a lot easier and empower finance professionals to focus on the higher-level objective of converting data into insight. Join Marc and Wilson for a discussion of how Microsoft has adjusted their focus accordingly and how Wilson is preparing his organization for the future. Marc will be available at the end of the session for a live Q&A.