Hal Berenson is a Distinguished Engineer in Microsoft's Identity and Security Division where he leads the division-wide architecture team. Previously Berenson worked in the the Office of the CTO, where he led Microsoft's "Quests" and other long-term technical strategy efforts. Berenson returned to Microsoft in 2006 after a five-year hiatus. During this period, he was an independent management and engineering consultant, and was co-founder and president of "Software as a Service" startup, PredictableIT, LLC. Berenson first joined Microsoft in 1994, holding positions as general manager and architect, and leading multiple releases of Microsoft SQL Server.

Prior to joining Microsoft, Berenson spent 18 years as a consulting engineer at Digital Equipment Corporation. While at Digital, he lead the development of multiple versions of the DEC Rdb database management system and served as the technical director (chief architect) for Database, Transaction Processing, and System Management Software.

When not working, Berenson and his wife enjoy their horses and run an equestrian facility near Denver.