Microsoft recently held its second ‘Device Day’ at Cinnamon Grand Colombo. The event—which featured keynote speakers, live demonstrations, and a device booth—showcased next-generation devices, cyber security features and productivity tools built exclusively for the Windows 10 platform, to an audience of corporate leaders and prospective partners.

Leading the event, Michelle Simmons—General Manager of Southeast Asia New Markets at Microsoft Asia Pacific—paid homage to Sri Lanka’s ongoing integration of digital technologies, while endorsing Microsoft’s mission to empower every person and organization to achieve more.

“We now live in a world dominated by mobility and cloud computing. The use of mobile phones, tablets, desktops and laptops has seen tremendous growth in Sri Lanka’s consumer and corporate markets,” said Simmons. “And with digital transformation disrupting how our society operates; Microsoft is enabling businesses and governments to rapidly deploy, and be dynamic in an ever-changing world.”

In Sri Lanka, the demand for Internet of Things (IoT)—or connected devices—nearly quadrupled in 2017, with market analysis from Microsoft forecasting shipments of up to 323,000 consumer and 134,000 commercial devices. Moreover, demand for 2-in-1 detachable laptops and ultra slim notebooks grew by 468% and 44%, respectively.

“Making sure that everyone has access to technology is important to us,” said Pubudu Basnayake, OEM Director for Southeast Asia New Markets. “Helping people achieve more from their devices is what drives us forward. Our latest platform, Windows 10, runs across multiple product families with a nearly identical framework—including PCs, tablets, smartphones, Xbox One, Surface Hub and mixed reality—making us the first company to achieve such a feat.”

Microsoft has made significant investments in Windows 10 to make it the most malware-resistant operating system to date. As the most secure operating system built by Microsoft, Windows 10 delivers comprehensive protection—including anti-virus, firewall and anti-phishing technologies—all delivered built-in at no additional expense.

Inadequate cyber security awareness and the use of unlicensed software make many Sri Lankan enterprises and consumers susceptible to security breaches. “Cyber-criminals do not discriminate—they are after us all,” Basnayake said. “Enterprises and consumers alike need to be aware of the potential threats and equip their devices and IT infrastructure to withstand cyber security attacks. The first step is to use licensed software that stays up to date and includes many built-in security features.”

A cyber security awareness session then raised awareness on how the Windows 10 platform could protect, detect, and respond to cyber attacks through features including Windows Hello, Bitlocker and Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection. Subsequently, the demo continued to feature productivity tools, such as OneNote and Ink Workspace for Windows 10.

Microsoft partner hSenid Business Solutions, a leading total HR and ISV solutions provider, spoke about how they were working to transform the HR landscape using Windows 10 devices. “Developing and marketing quality software solutions on Microsoft technologies, such as the Windows 10 platform, has allowed hSenid to serve more than 1,000 companies. Recently, we developed Sri Lanka’s first kiosk application to include the country’s three core languages. An application that allows employees to access and manage all their HR related activities on any Windows 10 powered device.” said Shanaz Sheriff, ‎Head of Sales and Corporate Accounts for hSenid.

Upcoming next-generation devices were on display at the device booth. Exhibited devices included detachable two-in-one laptops, ultra-slim notebooks, and all-in-one desktop computers manufactured by Dell, Hewlett-Packard, Acer, and Asus.