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Zubin Chagpar,  business group leader, modern work and cybersecurity and devices, Microsoft with Jeetendra Berry, president, IT volume distribution, Redington MEA
Zubin Chagpar, business group leader, modern work and cybersecurity and devices, Microsoft with Jeetendra Berry, president, IT volume distribution, Redington MEA

Zubin Chagpar, business group leader modern work and cybersecurity and devices at Microsoft, emphasises the importance of meeting new technological expectations in the workplace while maintaining security and productivity

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Anam Khan

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Published: Sat 18 Feb 2023, 9:00 AM

Often times, we think of the modern workspace as a technology-driven practice, and it’s easy to do so. Working from anywhere with just a laptop and a phone wouldn’t be possible without those devices. It has enabled great flexibility without sacrificing an ounce of productivity. Studies have shown that employees have maintained and even increased their productivity, while companies are now seeing higher employee retention, a wider talent pool and decreased operating costs and environmental footprint. If you’re looking for a way to improve your company and make it more productive, Microsoft has many solutions.

Zubin Chagpar, business group leader, modern work and cybersecurity and devices at Microsoft, emphasises the contemporary demands of the working environment without compromising security in an exclusive interview with Khaleej Times. Chagpar discusses how technology at Microsoft is paving the way for the next generations regarding how things have evolved. “We operate in a hybrid environment through teamwork and our personnel. From the perspective of information workers, we have individuals who come to the office as well as those who work from home and in coffee shops. From the perspective of frontline workers, these are individuals engaged in healthcare, dealing directly with patients, and those engaged in retail, manufacturing, and resource management. Today, everybody needs to feel connected. They need to be part of the environment and productive at the same time. From the perspective of productivity, you want to ensure that the organisation has a linked DNA and an operating system so that you can unite, regardless of wherever you are. And that’s where I believe, from Microsoft’s standpoint, the Teams platforms allows people to come together, enables them to communicate, to send data to each other, in a secure manner, enabling them to utilise the newest technologies like AI, to do transcribing, enabling them to letting them give suggestions on what they can provide to a group, etc.”

Modern security architecture

Enterprise environments are built on the cloud today, and workforces constantly wants to access resources and apps that exist outside of the conventional restrictions of corporate networks and firewalls. Organisations are switching to more cutting-edge, comprehensive methods of verification to better manage corporate security and counter threats.

According to Chagpar, Microsoft has adopted a modern approach to security called ‘zero trust’, which is based on the principle: never trust, always verify.

“Nothing is reliable. No such thing as a firewall exists, thus every device that enters the system must be validated because it is by nature not trusted. Microsoft digital’s multistep implementation strategy is centred on strong user identity, device health verification, and secure, least-privilege access to corporate resources and services, all backed by rich data insights that reduce the risk of unauthorised lateral movement across the corporate network.” he added.

Ten years of Microsoft Surface

Microsoft has made some incredible innovations for its hardware and software over the past 10 years with its brand Surface. The brand has also improved experiences on other Windows-branded devices in many ways. From tablets to laptops, desktops and Windows, the Surface phenomenon has changed the market, adding much higher performance and multitasking.

The path has been 10 years of innovation with Surface, according to Chagpar. He discusses the key upgrades the company will roll out at the start of 2023. “We recently launched three new devices into the full lineup. There is a Surface Pro 9 among them. It gives you the tablet flexibility you want along with the laptop performance, optional 5G connectivity, and the long battery life you need. This is a device that can allow you to be multitasking, with the most complicated spreadsheet. It has a neural processing unit (NPU), which makes it easier to use AI technologies to improve the end-user experience, providing everything from a great voice experience to an amazing user interface. Additionally, like all the devices, it has security built by design, referred to as chip to cloud. The device is known for its blazing-fast performance to power through local games and creative apps or you can also stay on top of work with professional software built on the Intel Evo platform.”

Chagpar seizes the chance to present us to Surface Laptop 5, which he refers to as a ‘workhorse’. “We built this laptop with multitaskers in mind. The 12 Gen Intel Core i5/i7 CPUs, which are based on the Intel Evo platform and include Windows 11 and a brilliant touchscreen, are what drive the multitasking speed. I enjoy the layout. It is sleek and trendy, available in the size of your choice, and has an adequate battery life to carry out your daily activities all day. With the Surface Laptop 5, you have the perfect balance to manage everything.”

Microsoft has always been in the limelight for its unique line of products. From fusing ChatGPT-like technology into its search engine to launching an all-in-one-computer — Surface Studio 2+, you can discover an immersive creative expression and productivity. Chagpar describes the newly launched Surface studio 2+ as a versatile device.

Concluding his thoughts on Microsoft’s visibility in the Middle East region, he refers to the brand’s strategic partnership with Redington. Chagpar highlights the efforts done by both teams in bringing out the best products to the customers. “Redington is our distributor in multiple markets across the Middle East. We strive to provide consumers throughout the area in the UAE and beyond with the best Microsoft has to offer by collaborating with Redington, as a distributor and its partners,” he concluded.


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