Microsoft X Code : Powerful Takeaways from the Without Barriers Event

Date: April 19, 2025

Location: Microsoft, Menara Shell, Kuala Lumpur

We at CRESCENTECH IT SOLUTIONS & SERVICES had the incredible opportunity to attend an inspiring event hosted by Microsoft Malaysia and Code; Without Barriers. Representing our team, we began our journey as early as 4:00 a.m. from Penang, and arrived at the Microsoft, Menara Shell, Kuala Lumpur by around 8:30 a.m. The event brought together industry experts and tech enthusiasts to explore the future of AI, innovation, cybersecurity, and how women can thrive in the digital world. It was truly an eye-opening experience for all of us.

A QUICK RECAP FROM THE EVENT:

 CODE; WITHOUT BARRIERS: A PURPOSE-DRIVEN MISSION

(Speaker: Mike Chan)

Mike Chan kicked off the event with the vision behind Code; Without Barriers an initiative aimed at breaking barriers through diversity and driving an inclusive national digital agenda. His session set the tone for a day full of empowerment, knowledge sharing, and forward thinking.

Breaking Barriers with Diversity: A Glimpse Into a More Inclusive Digital Future

One part of the event really hit home for us, and it wasn’t just about AI or cloud tech. It was about people. The message was clear: if we want to build meaningful innovation, our tech ecosystem has to reflect the diversity of our society. And Microsoft, through its Code; Without Barriers initiative, is helping lead that charge.

Let me walk you through the key points that really stood out in a way that just makes sense. 

Tech Should Represent Everyone

Here’s the thing,  we believe innovation, entrepreneurs, and developers shouldn’t just build tech for the world, but with the world. That means more women, more underrepresented voices, and more perspectives in the room. Why? Because diversity leads to better ideas, stronger solutions, and more inclusive growth.

That’s the core of this mission: breaking barriers through diversity. And it’s not just talk. It’s action.

A Platform for Women in Tech

One of the highlights was learning how this initiative is actively working to close the gender gap in AI, cloud, and digital tech across the region.

Here are a few numbers that seriously impressed us:

• 645K women engaged in AI and Cloud through the program

• 1,500+ mentees and mentors paired up to grow together

• 350+ job and internship opportunities created

• A target of building a skilled female tech talent pool across 15 countriesin 5 years

This isn’t just about inclusion; it’s about creating real, long-term opportunities.

Strong Communities and Stronger Allies

The movement isn’t growing by chance it’s intentional. With community leaders stepping up as allies and partners, like iconic organizations joining forces, it’s a full ecosystem effort.

What stood out to us?

• Targeted engagement with top developer communities (with a goal of 30% diversity)
• Emphasis on diversity of opinionto shape better decisions in government, business, and tech
• A focus on inspiring and skillingdeveloper talent from all walks of life

This isn’t just “adding women to the room” it’s about changing the room entirely.

The New AI Economy: It’s Bigger Than You Think

It wasn’t just the human side of things we also got a glimpse of how the AI economy is evolving. And spoiler: it’s not just about writing code.

This new wave of AI innovation is being built across a full ecosystem:

• Chipsthat power advanced computation
• AI Datacentersto store and process massive data
• Dataas the fuel for learning and insights
• Foundationmodels and tools that enable development
• Applicationsacross industries
• Distributionto reach the masses
• The developers and usersdriving it all

It’s a massive, interconnected system and we were reminded how important it is for everyone, especially underrepresented groups, to have a seat at this table.

INTRODUCTION TO COPILOT CHAT AND AGENTS

(Speaker: Jyoti Singh)

Jyoti introduced us to the latest in Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat, highlighting new features and the increasing accessibility of AI-powered tools. She explained how AI agents are designed to assist in productivity and execute business processes using natural language seamlessly integrated into users’ workflows.

Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat new features

As soon as users log in, they will now see Copilot in the Microsoft 365 User Portal, whether they have a Copilot license or not. If they have a Copilot license, they will see both a Work and a Web tab (like before), but what’s new is that even non-licensed users will see this chat experience everywhere.

MICROSOFT 365 COPILOT for Information Workers

COPILOT STUDIO EMBEDDED BUILDER

• Seamlessly integrated into M365
• Easy, natural language creation
• AI productivity and automation on the existing user workflow

WHAT IS AN AGENT?

Agents use AI automate and execute business processes working alongside or on behalf of a person, team, or organization.

SPECTRUM OF AGENTS

AGENTS ARCHITECTURE

HOW IT WORKS?

1. Expand Copilot’s RAG-powered knowledge with connectors.
2. Connect Agents to run your business processes with Copilot
3. Copilot enforces your policies & permissions, enables measurement

BUILD ENTERPRISE-GRADE AI AGENTS WITH AZURE AI AGENT SERVICE

(Speaker: Delyn Choong)

Delyn shared how agentic AI is shaping the future of enterprise solutions. She explained how businesses can build intelligent, autonomous AI agents using Azure capable of planning, adapting, and making decisions with minimal oversight. It was a deep dive into scalable, real-world AI implementation.

WHAT’S AGENTIC AI, ANYWAY?

We’ve all heard about chatbots and automation but this? This goes a step beyond.

Agentic AI is all about using AI to automate and execute business processes, almost entirely on its own. These AI agents can:

• Understand and reason through a task
• Retrieve the right context (like data or documents)
• Take action for the user based on what they’ve learned

They’re designed to plan, adapt, and make decisions, even in complex, fast-changing environments. Think of them as your virtual assistant but way smarter.

FROM ONE-SHOT TASKS TO MULTI-AGENT POWERHOUSES

Here’s how AI agent systems have evolved over time:

1. No Agent

These systems can do only one thing at a time like answering a basic question or checking a box. Helpful, but limited.

2. Single Agent

Here’s where it gets cool. A single AI agent can handle more complex tasks like giving a detailed answer supported by facts or managing a basic workflow.

3. Multi-Agent Systems

Now we’re talking next-level. These agents collaborate across skills to handle wide-ranging, complex tasks.

For example:

“Propose two Instagram marketing campaigns based on top U.S. sales trends last quarter, include visuals, and predict the impact on our mailing list.”

Yep a multi-agent system can actually do that.

REAL USE CASES? OH YES.

So what does this look like in real-life scenarios? Here are just a few industries already reaping the benefits of AI agents:

1. Travel Booking & Expense Management

• Assists employees in booking business trips
• Integrates with tools like Tripadvisor, Outlook, and SharePoint
• Books flights via Teams chat or email
• Uses OCRto collect receipts
• Automatically submits and tracks expense reports

It’s like having a travel manager and accountant rolled into one AI.

2. Employee Onboarding

• Personalized onboarding assistant for new hires
• Pulls data from SharePoint to assign tasks and share training
• Schedules orientation, sets up software, and tracks progress
• Ensures nothing falls through the cracks

Forget the manual spreadsheets, this AI agent makes sure your new hires feel welcome and ready to roll from Day 1.

3. Personalized Customer Support

• Diagnoses issues using historical data and manuals
• Provides tailored solutions (or escalates automatically)
• Creates tickets, schedules follow-ups, and updates CRM records

This isn’t just “press 1 for support” this is AI that knows your customers and solves their problems fast.

4. Data Analytics & Reporting

• Pulls data from data lakes or warehouses
• Responds to requests in natural language
• Automatically creates insights, visuals, and sends updates via Teams or email
• Enables real-time decision-making with minimal manual work

Imagine asking, “How did our Q1 sales trend in the east region?” and getting an AI-generated report + chart in seconds. Yep, it’s that powerful.

BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER

The message was clear: Every app will be reinvented with AI, and we’ll soon see apps that didn’t even seem possible before all thanks to these new AI agents. They’re not just helping us work better. They’re becoming teammates. Reliable, tireless, and smart enough to change the way we operate across every industry.

And honestly? We’re here for it.

LINKEDIN FOR WOMEN IN TECH
(Speaker: Aegene Ong)

Aegene delivered a motivating session of LinkedIn. She discussed personal branding, effective networking, and how to leverage LinkedIn to build professional visibility, connect with mentors, and discover career opportunities in the tech landscape.

TAKE A GREAT PHOTO

You don’t need a professional headshot – a selfie will do! Here are some tips for taking your photo:

• Dress for the job you want
• Choose a non-distracting background
• Be authentic with a friendly expression
• Ensure your face fills most of the frame

POST ENGAGING CONTENT

Strengthen your professional brand by posting regularly.

• Share your knowledge and unique experience
• Try different formats (text, images, etc.)
• Schedule posts in advance
• Be authentic -let your personality shine through
• Feature your best posts on your profile

REMAINING CYBERSECURITY RESILENT IN THE AGE OF AI
(Speaker: Fahad Shaikh)

If you’re diving into the world of AI and wondering how big players like Microsoft keep things secure, you’re in for a treat. I recently came across a great visual during a talk, and it summed up Microsoft’s approach to AI security in three powerful pillars. Let’s break them down together nice and easy.

Fahad broke down Microsoft’s strategy for keeping AI secure in a fast changing digital world. He emphasized three key pillars:

1. Microsoft Purview – Data Security: Protecting the Lifeblood of AI

Let’s start with Data Security – basically, it’s all about protecting the data that fuels AI.

Microsoft uses Microsoft Purview to secure and govern data throughout its AI lifecycle. That means from the moment data is collected, processed, trained on, to when it’s finally used every stage is protected. Think of it like a security guard following your data wherever it goes. No data leaks, no funny business.

Why is this important? Well, if you’re building or using AI, your data is what teaches it. If the data isn’t secure, everything else falls apart.

2. Azure AI – AI Safety: Trustworthy by Design Next up, we have AI Safety powered by Azure AI.

Now, this one’s all about making sure AI behaves the way it’s supposed to. Microsoft’s approach is to build AI applications that are trustworthy, meaning the inputs and outputs are reliable, consistent, and not going to cause harm.

In a world where AI is writing content, answering questions, even driving decisions you need to be able to trust it, right? This pillar is like giving your AI a moral compass and some quality control checks.

3. Microsoft Defender for Cloud – App Security: Guarding the Gates Last but definitely not least, there’s App Security, where Microsoft Defender for Cloud comes in.

Here’s the goal: reduce security risks and protect AI apps from threats whether it’s malicious code, cyberattacks, or something sneaky lurking in your cloud infrastructure.

This is your last line of defense. It’s like having antivirus, a firewall, and a digital bouncer all rolled into one. It ensures your AI-powered apps aren’t just working well but also working safely from end to end from code to cloud.

Bringing It All Together

So there you have it Microsoft’s three-pronged approach to AI security:

• Data Security with Microsoft Purview
• AI Safety with Azure AI
• App Security with Microsoft Defender for Cloud