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How Big Data Changed Finance at Microsoft

Headshot of article author The Power BI Team

Finance leaders today are faced with an interesting challenge. How can they consume and analyze the millions of rows of data that Big Data makes available and present that analysis in a way is easy to understand across multiple audiences? 

To better understand the impact of Big Data on Finance organizations and how Microsoft Finance has adapted and thrived. Microsoft is hosting a five part webinar series delivered by senior leaders from Microsoft’s Finance team. 

Register for this series here, and you will hear from Microsoft Finance Director Marc Reguera and the following Microsoft Finance and Marketing leaders:

  • Microsoft International CFO, Claude Changarnier will discuss the One Finance Initiative and how Microsoft streamlined financial processes by outsourcing repetitive Finance tasks like payroll across multiple global subs, so the organization could focus on high-value activities. 
  • General Manager of Corporate Finance & Services, Taylor Hawes will talk about 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. 
  • General Manager Venkat Bhamidipati will share 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.
  • General Manager Eron Kelly will provide an overview of Power BI, Microsoft’s Self-Service business intelligence solution for on premises or cloud-based data. Learn how your organization can simplify the analysis of Big Data and spend more time on delivering business insights by using Power BI and Office 365. 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.
  • Microsoft Sales Marketing and Services CFO, Wilson Garone will participate in a discussion of 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 across multiple audiences. This paradigm shift means finance professionals have to know the art of making things easy to comprehend without making them simplistic. Join Wilson for a discussion of how Microsoft has adjusted their focus and learn how Microsoft is preparing the Finance organization for the future.