App Dev Manager Katie Konow spotlights the Microsoft Immersion Program and the value it brings to both Microsoft and our valued customers.

immerse

verb  im·merse  \ i-ˈmərs \

ENGROSS.  to take or engage the whole attention of : occupy completely

As a developer or development lead using a Microsoft technology, you may find yourself wondering: does Microsoft take feedback? How do I make an impact on SQL Server, Typescript or Visual Studio (to name a few)? Can anyone hear me?

We can! The Microsoft Immersion Program was created so that our engineers can come to where their users are.

What is the Immersion Program?

The Immersion Program is a unique opportunity to connect with Microsoft Product Group engineers. A group of engineers will be carefully chosen based on your workloads and feedback areas. The engineers will come to you – onsite and ready to meet face to face. They will learn about your company, how you use their products, hear your feedback and suggestions and work with you to understand your product and team. There are often situations where your question or suggestion can lead to a design change request (or you will be updated that the roadmap already reflects your idea if you are covered by a non-disclosure agreement).

Working with the Immersion Program through Premier Developer, I have been privileged to be a part of several Immerse Sessions. I have witnessed fascinating, deeply technical product conversations and have seen some of the development teams that I work with make improvements to their processes as a result. After a Visual Studio/Roslyn Immerse visit, one customer had builds that were twice as fast. Through working with the product engineers they received tips on what to modify about their build process and saw the benefit.

In another case, while watching a developer demonstrate their usage of Visual Studio, the product group engineers noticed that the engineer was finding files in a manner they felt was odd. After a deep dive, it was determined that the developer was working around an issue they had forgotten to even mention: that they found “Navigate to” search results were unstable during solution load. The results would change order as new projects and files were loaded. This is one of those pain points that the product group values learning about but the developer never thought to mention because he had his own workaround. Through seeing day-to-day Visual Studio onsite, with the developer, the product group found something unexpected to improve.

Does this type of visit appeal to your developers as a way to show Microsoft how you do business using our products? If so, learn more about the Immersion Program by contacting your Application Development Manager or email Immerse@microsoft.com.

Katie Konow is an Application Development Manager with Premier Developer since 2015. Jeff Young has been the Program Manager running the Immerse program since 2016.

Premier Support for Developers provides strategic technology guidance, critical support coverage, and a range of essential services to help teams optimize development lifecycles and improve software quality.  Contact your Application Development Manager (ADM) or email us to learn more about what we can do for you.